I played Metroid Prime 4, and I'm not worried about Samus' "annoying" sidekick

Now that the embargo has passed, I can finally talk about the game that has been digging into my mind since I played it last week: Metroid Prime 4: Beyond. I flew out to New York to go hands-on with the game, test it in both handheld and docked mode, and if you've been reading Game Rants Metroid Prime 4 advance coverage, you know I absolutely loved what I played.

I was surprised to find that other previewers' opinions of the game were a bit more mixed. Interestingly, much of the discourse surrounding the game currently revolves around a relatively minor ingredient, chatterbox Myles Mackenzie. Take IGN's preview of Metroid Prime 4which focuses heavily on Mackenzie's inclusion, painting it as an ominous harbinger of things to come. Video Games Chronicle shared this sentiment, publishing an article claiming “Metroid Prime 4 doesn't feel like much Metroid at all,” Mackenzie cites as the primary reason behind this scathing assessment. Such statements seem to have struck a chord with the gaming public, who have flocked to social media to comment on the apparent cardinal sin of including a voiced NPC in a Metroid game. And while I respect the opinions of my fellow previewers and their audience, I have to say that I'm quite surprised at how much hate Mackenzie has gotten, and I don't share the same stance.

Why I don't think Metroid Prime 4's companion is a big deal

Metroid Prime 4's Mackenzie isn't as game-breaking as some claim

Basically, I can understand why Myles Mackenzie is annoying to some players: he's apparently just a Galactic Federation trooper with some handy hacking skills, and having him around legendary bounty hunter Samus Aran can feel like having a baby on a battlefield. Metroid Prime has historically been about isolation and the eerie dread that comes with traveling through the series' hostile rendering of a galactic neighborhood. Chatty, goofy sidekicks don't exactly factor into that equation.

Let me be clear here: I absolutely do despise wacky, phony, tongue-in-cheek dialogue popularized by the likes of the MCU. I've always felt like I have a lower tolerance for this kind of overly perfunctory, anachronistic writing, which has turned me off countless games in the past, from Dragon Age: The Veilguard and Forbidden to less controversial releases such as The rest 2. Even games that I like, such as God of War Ragnarokare tainted by this Whedon-inspired babble.

But here's the thing, Mackenzie isn't on the level of the characters from the aforementioned titles. I certainly didn't feel like he was talking “constantly”, as other previewers have claimed: he's only in part of the preview, and Samus leaves him to explore and solve puzzles on his own for extended periods. While I'd be lying if I said Mackenzie's dialogue meaningfully enhanced my time with the game, I also can't call it a death sentence. It may not be glowing praise for Mackenzie, but when I think about my time with Metroid Prime 4he really doesn't cross my mind one way or another. He's just not as punchy, and the rest of the game, from its combat to its atmosphere and soundtrack, comes across as powerful as ever. A chatty supporting character doesn't cut it, in my opinion.

Worth noting is that Mackenzie is introduced during the first proper chapter of Metroid Prime 4which may explain some of his chattiness: he is used to tutoring at this stage.

Mechanically, I'm not too stressed about it Metroid Prime 4company either. The only extended escort-like passage with Mackenzie takes place about halfway through the preview, when he and Samus cross a bridge. Samus has to draw fire away from him and revive him when he gets hurt, but this isn't as boring or game-breaking as some have claimed. If anything, I enjoyed the twist on the usual run-and-shoot: having to juggle basic combat elements while keeping Mackenzie alive is a compelling, if pedestrian, spin that held Metroid Prime 4s battle interesting in this early episode.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that Mackenzie feels like a surprisingly small thing to worry about. While I didn't walk away from Metroid Prime 4 preview completely satisfied (I noted that the game's alternate Switch 2 controls, for example, felt bumpy and awkward), I was overall impressed. Perhaps my affection for everything else the game does right overshadowed any irritation I would have felt at Mackenzie's ramblings. And like I said, I certainly don't have a high tolerance for this particular flavor of clunky, MCU-esque dialogue. If I can see past it, then the players who look past it enter God of War Ragnarok, Horizon Forbidden Westand Avowed shouldn't have any problems.

Being Fair: How Mackenzie and Company Could Negatively Impact Metroid Prime 4

Mackenzie was easy to ignore during the preview, but if he ends up playing a significantly bigger role throughout Metroid Prime 4s story, I could see it causing some tonal issues. Additionally, a recently released trailer for the game teases other companions, which could conceivably detract from the essential lost space vibes of Foremost. Depending on how these companions are used narratively and mechanically, they can be to the game's detriment on a larger scale.

Metroid Prime 4 Beyond Samus Aran Galactic Federation Trooper Fire

As always, the Devil is in the details. One could imagine a scenario where Mackenzie and others prove to be enriching additions Metroid Prime 4s story and gameplay as a result of creative writing and design elements along the way. And just because something is new to a series doesn't mean it's inherently bad—Metroid Prime must be developed, and Metroid Prime 4 was never going to be just a shiny version of the GameCube or Wii Foremost game. I'm not saying that walking, talking companions don't hurt Metroid Prime 4 when all is said and done, however, the virulent response to just one NPC early in the game feels like a slight overreaction.