Nintendo has recently unveiled more gameplay details about how the Vi-O-La motorcycle will work in the upcoming Metroid Prime 4: Beyond. The Vi-O-La motorcycle will be one of the major new features of Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, and it will be a useful way for Samus Aran to travel across the planet Byrus during the game.

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond’s Motorcycle is Opening a Pandora’s Box That It Can’t Close

Started in 1986, Metroid is certainly one of Nintendo’s most iconic franchises. Initially, some long-time fans were skeptical when the series that started the Metroidvania genre made the shift to first-person gameplay in Metroid Prime, but the subseries has been greatly successful since then. The next Metroid game is Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, which was initially announced in 2017 and took several years and a studio change to prepare for release on December 4, 2025.

Samus on a bike in Metroid Prime 4 Beyond
Why You Should Be Excited For Metroid Prime 4

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New Vi-O-La Motorcycle Could Be a Game Changer for Metroid Prime 4: Beyond

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond’s Japanese website has quietly been updated with more details about the upcoming action game, explaining how the Vi-O-La motorcycle will work. According to Nintendo, the vehicle will only be ridden in specific areas, and gameplay will return to first-person after Samus leaves Vi-O-La in Metroid Prime 4: Beyond. When riding, the gamer can use boosts and power slides to deflect enemies, increase speed, and destroy ore deposits scattered across the planet. Another major feature is that Samus will also be able to fire projectiles, which can lock on up to five foes simultaneously, and will return to the player “like a boomerang.”

metroid prime 4 release date

It remains to be seen how the motorcycle gameplay will mesh with the rest of Metroid Prime 4: Beyond. The vehicle sections sound like an action-packed, quick-paced addition to the game, which could indicate that the upcoming title will have a more frenetic pace when compared to the previous Metroid Prime games. Samus will also have unique psychic powers in this entry, which can be used to operate mechanisms or open distant doors. Hopefully, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond will carve its place among the best Metroid games ever made, as fans have surely waited a long time to get their hands on the title.

Metroid Prime 4 Samus New Powers

While it’s only speculation at this point, insiders have previously hinted that developer Retro Studios could start developing Metroid Prime 5 soon after releasing Metroid Prime 4: Beyond. This could be excellent news for fans of the franchise, as it indicates that they do not need to wait so many years until the next entry in the franchise is available. Obviously, gamers should take this rumor with a huge grain of salt, as none of this information has been confirmed.

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5 /10

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond
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Action
First-Person
Adventure
Metroidvania
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Systems
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Top Critic Avg: 81 /100 Critics Rec: 81%
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Released
December 4, 2025
ESRB
Teen / Animated Blood, Violence
Developer(s)
Retro Studios
Publisher(s)
Nintendo
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WHERE TO PLAY

DIGITAL
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Franchise
Metroid, Metroid Prime
Nintendo Switch Release Date
December 4, 2025
Nintendo Switch 2 Release Date
December 4, 2025
Genre(s)
Action, First-Person, Adventure, Metroidvania

Sources: Nintendo