Compare Metroid Prime 4: Beyond vs Death Stranding 2: On the Beach

Reviewers described the sequel as more understandable and more accessible, with lore and design changes that reduce friction for more players.

Enemy AI was a rare weak spot, with one review saying it was not especially sharp even as combat remained playful.

Reviewers liked the precision possible with gyro, pointer, or mouse-style aiming, though comfort and consistency varied by setup.

Aiming drew a small caveat because one reviewer wanted gyroscopic aiming despite the stronger focus on ranged weapons.

Animation and motion capture were praised as elite, with reviewers pointing to fantastic performance capture and some of the best motion work they had seen.

Art direction is a consistent strength, with reviewers calling out alien visual design, striking environments, and strong Switch 2 presentation.

Atmosphere is one of the clearest wins: many reviews describe Viewros as eerie, lonely, alien, and richly mood-driven.

The atmosphere was consistently praised for haunting landscapes, calm-chaos contrast, and strange moments that made the world linger.

Boss design lands well overall, often described as puzzle-like, spectacular, intense, and among the stronger parts of the adventure.

Boss fights were broadly improved and visually striking, though several reviewers said they could be simple, optional, or less challenging than expected.

Bug frequency receives limited but positive evidence from one completion-focused review that reported no glitches or frame drops.

Camera behavior has limited negative evidence, with one review describing the bike/camera targeting as snapping away from the intended object.

Character development is divisive: some moments lose impact because Samus stays silent, while companions rarely receive deep arcs.

Character arcs landed unevenly: some reviewers warmed to the cast and late-game moments, while others felt arcs happened away from Sam.

The supporting cast is broader than older Prime games, with some reviewers enjoying the team and others seeing them as thin archetypes.

Checkpoint design drew criticism in boss fights, especially when deaths send players back to the beginning of lengthy encounters.

Combat is generally fun, weighty, and quick, although some reviewers found its action focus repetitive or less exploratory than classic Prime.

Combat was widely seen as improved, snappier, and more flexible, though a few reviewers found it clunky, overemphasized, or easier to avoid.

The community layer was a highlight, with reviewers praising the sense of shared infrastructure and collaborative help across the world.

Companion behavior is one of the most divisive elements, ranging from tolerable or charming to intrusive, over-explanatory, and mechanically awkward.

Weather, hazards, floods, earthquakes, fires, and other systems made the world and deliveries feel more varied and reactive.

Controls are widely praised, with strong support for dual-stick, gyro, pointer, and other setups, aside from ergonomic caveats around mouse mode.

Controls were generally praised as refined and smoother, including PC input options and better feel compared with the first game.

The core loop still works best when it emphasizes scanning, combat, puzzle-solving, upgrades, and atmospheric exploration, though some reviews say action and padding disrupt it.

The delivery loop remained central but was described as tighter, more addictive, and more player-friendly across several reviews.

Dialogue drew a mild caveat from one reviewer who found some cutscenes too long, even while praising the cast overall.

Difficulty is mixed: boss fights can be challenging and adjustable, but some reviewers called spikes or easy completion balance uneven.

Difficulty was mixed: reviewers noted optional harder settings and late-game challenge, but many felt vehicles, weapons, or BT changes made parts too easy.

DLC value is only lightly supported through criticism of amiibo-locked music, framed as poor value rather than traditional expansion content.

Vi-O-La is polarizing: several reviewers love its speed and feel, while others dislike its drift, open-hub use, or role as padding.

Vehicles were one of the biggest improvements, arriving earlier and handling better, though some reviewers felt they trivialized traversal.

Emotional impact has limited positive evidence around the finale and companion relationships, but it is not a universal strength.

Many reviewers found the final hours, sincere human stories, and emotional stakes powerful, while one review felt comparatively unmoved.

Enemy variety is mixed-to-negative in several reviews, with some praise for boss variety but repeated complaints about similar bots, bugs, and aliens.

Enemy variety was praised for making combat more engaging, especially with better-equipped bandits, BT variants, and Ghost Mechs.

Environmental detail is a strong point, with varied biomes, dense visual detail, and effects that communicate heat, cold, and alien scale.

The Australia and Mexico environments were repeatedly praised for variety, vistas, textures, weather, and visual detail.

Exploration remains a major draw inside the main regions, though the desert hub and linear structure weaken the Metroidvania feeling for some reviewers.

Exploration was praised for making the next horizon feel exciting and for encouraging movement through a striking world.

Facial animations receive limited positive evidence, mostly tied to Nintendo taking a step forward with character presentation.

Facial capture and character work were strongly praised, with reviewers calling the faces and cutscene direction exceptional.

Faithfulness is split: some see it as unmistakably Prime, while others feel the open hub, companions, and linearity dilute classic Metroid identity.

Reviewers agreed the sequel keeps Death Stranding’s identity but debated whether the stronger Metal Gear-style action sands away some original friction.

Fast travel convenience is weak, with multiple reviewers wishing for faster ways to revisit areas or move between hubs.

Fast travel through the Magellan and key waypoints was useful, though some reviewers noted scoring tradeoffs or occasional restrictions.

Frame rate stability is a strong technical point, with repeated praise for 60fps, 120fps, and barely dropping frames on Switch 2.

Performance notes were positive, with reviewers citing 60fps on PS5 and high, steady PC frame rates.

Fun factor is mostly positive despite caveats, with several reviewers saying the core adventure kept them engaged or was hard to put down.

Despite its strangeness and length, reviewers often found the sequel more fun, more gripping, or never boring.

Gameplay mechanics are solid but uneven: classic Prime mechanics still compel, while psychic powers and some additions feel conservative or clunky.

The mechanics were broadly praised as a major sequel upgrade, with richer delivery tools, stronger systems, and more approachable play.

Graphics quality is one of the strongest consensus positives, frequently described as gorgeous, stunning, or best-looking on Switch 2.

Visuals were one of the strongest consensus points, with repeated praise for stunning landscapes, fidelity, faces, and next-gen presentation.

Grind level is a repeated concern, especially around green crystal collection and late-game resource padding.

One reviewer specifically noted that the game can be played at a relaxed pace without needing to grind it out.

Handheld play is well supported, with reviewers praising handheld performance and docked/handheld control smoothness.

The PC review found Steam Deck and handheld play workable, though at a fairly low resolution on Steam Deck.

DualSense haptics were singled out as excellent, bringing surfaces, weather, gear, and action details into the controller.

Supported by direct review evidence.

Immersion is high in the crafted areas, although chatter, hints, and hub padding can interrupt the mood.

Immersion was praised through the world’s quiet storytelling and lingering human moments.

Innovation is mixed-to-weak: the game adds psychic powers and a bike, but many reviewers call the changes conservative or not compelling.

Level design is strong in the dungeon-like areas but more criticized when reviewers discuss linearity or the desert connector.

The new continent was praised for a far greater variety of locations and terrain challenges.

Load times are mixed: some praise minimal loading, while others criticize traversal layers and disguised loading sequences.

Load times received a rare explicit rave, with one review saying transitions from menu to play were almost instant.

Lore depth is a strength, especially through scanning, environmental storytelling, and Lamorn history.

The Corpus lore tracker was noted as a helpful way to manage the sequel’s dense terminology and story context.

Map and navigation design is mixed, with useful markers and collectible tracking offset by split areas, hub traversal, and reduced discovery.

Route planning and the 3D map were praised as important, clearer tools for planning long deliveries.

Menu usability has limited negative evidence around unclear progress/menu information for crystal collection.

Menus were viewed as improved overall, though at least one reviewer still found inventory and menu handling fiddly.

Mission design was praised for moreish delivery structure and some fun, weird orders, though the core remains delivery-focused.

Reviewers praised more varied cargo conditions, hazards, objectives, and mission setups that kept deliveries fresher.

Monetization fairness has limited negative evidence tied to criticism of amiibo-locked bike music and perceived Nintendo greed.

Movement feel is strong for Samus and general first-person control, though vehicle handling is more divisive.

Movement on foot was described as smoother, more responsive, and still satisfyingly weighty when hiking mattered.

The asynchronous multiplayer remained a signature strength, praised for paths, structures, likes, and indirect collaboration.

Narrative quality is mixed-to-negative: Lamorn lore interests reviewers, but the conclusion, Sylux, and Samus's silence often disappoint.

Narrative response was mixed-positive: many reviewers praised the story and themes, while others found it opaque, messy, or oddly paced.

Onboarding is divisive, with some reviewers appreciating newcomer guidance and others criticizing forced tutorials and aggressive handholding.

The sequel was seen as more welcoming and quicker to grab players, especially compared with the first game’s slow start.

One review encountered servers going down before launch, making this the only direct stability caveat in the review set.

Open-world design is the clearest repeated weakness; Sol Valley is often called empty, barren, dated, or padding.

One mixed review still called it a strong open-world sandbox checklist game, even while missing the first game’s sparer approach.

Originality receives limited and lukewarm evidence, with reviewers saying the game has fewer memorable ideas than Prime Remastered.

Originality remained a strength, with one review calling the sequel exciting and original despite its imperfections.

Pacing is inconsistent: dungeon progression can flow well, but desert backtracking, late-game crystals, and bloat are common complaints.

Pacing was one of the most divided attributes: many reviews praised improvements, while others criticized slow burns, filler, or poorly paced story delivery.

Performance optimization is excellent on Switch 2, repeatedly praised as technically strong and stable.

Performance was strongly praised on PS5 Pro and PC, with several reviewers reporting flawless or dreamlike optimization.

Platform-specific support is strong on Switch 2 thanks to control options, HDR, and 60/120fps display modes.

PC and controller support were praised for deep options, upscaling support, and broad input compatibility.

Polish is mixed: presentation can be excellent, but some reviews note rough spots, glitches, or awkward technical seams.

Polish was frequently praised through streamlined tasks, quality-of-life upgrades, tighter design, and a more focused sequel structure.

Progression works when upgrades make Samus feel more capable, but the macro-structure is often considered too linear.

Progression was praised for APAS, RPG-like upgrades, freely swapped perks, and systems that reward how players approach deliveries.

Protagonist appeal is limited by Samus's silence in dialogue-heavy scenes, even though her iconic presence remains central.

Sam drew a mixed note from one review that still found him emotionally hard to connect with despite more range.

Puzzle design is generally good, especially in boss and dungeon contexts, though some psychic mechanics feel familiar.

Quest design was mixed, with some reviewers finding filler or insufficient challenge despite the stronger overall delivery structure.

Replay value has limited positive evidence from a reviewer who wanted to continue collecting and replay after near-completion.

Replay value was split between extensive remaining missions and one reviewer saying they would not replay from scratch.

One reviewer praised the sandbox for giving players broad choice across traversal, combat, and stealth.

Save reliability is a recurring concern, especially point-of-no-return behavior and limited autosave frequency.

Side character depth is mixed, with some attachment to the crew but repeated criticism that arcs and personalities are thin.

Side characters were a major strength for several reviewers, though some felt the new cast was underused or less forceful.

The APAS and skill systems were described as useful and flexible without being overly bloated.

Social features were praised for ziplines, shared structures, likes, and infrastructure that made helping others satisfying.

Sound design is praised for maintaining Prime's atmospheric feel and supporting the alien setting.

Sound design was praised as immaculate or immersive, including 3D audio, voice work, and soundscape details.

Soundtrack quality is very strong, with many reviewers calling the music excellent, fantastic, or phenomenal.

The soundtrack was strongly praised for licensed music, original tracks, and emotional placement during key moments.

Stealth was broadly improved through more tools, better combat integration, and added tactical options, though not always as deep as Metal Gear.

Tutorial quality is criticized in limited evidence for a mandatory motorcycle tutorial and over-explanation.

Upgrade system is mostly positive where quality-of-life upgrades and ability growth improve return visits.

The upgrade system was praised because unlocked tools felt useful and rewarding during deliveries.

User interface design gets positive evidence from map item display, though some hinting systems were too aggressive.

UI and UX were praised in one review for making objectives clearer and loadout handling smoother.

Value for money is mixed, with one reviewer recommending a sale for the Switch 2 version and another feeling the purchase was not worthwhile.

Value was supported by the long runtime and substantial post-credits content, with the caveat that it asks for a major time commitment.

Visual effects are strong overall, with impressive lighting and particles, though one review notes some effects animate at a lower frame rate.

Voice acting is mixed, praised by some as strong and criticized by others as uneven or tied to annoying characters.

Voice acting and performances were widely praised, especially Troy Baker and the broader ensemble cast.

Weapon balance was mixed, with reviewers noting a large arsenal but also saying it could overpower enemies or trivialize friction.

World-building is a major strength, especially in how Viewros, the Lamorn, and environmental scans make the planet feel coherent.

World-building was praised for being unique, expanded, bizarre, and richly thought out, though sometimes delivered through dense exposition.

World interactivity was praised through player-built structures that improve both the user’s route and other players’ journeys.

Writing quality is uneven, with repeated criticism of clichés, caricatures, repeated reminders, and over-explaining.

Writing quality landed mostly positive but not unanimous, with praise for Kojima’s charm and story highs alongside some criticism of nonsense or opacity.