1. Teasing Prime Time Gaming

Lo and behold! If trailer hints-rummagers are to be believed, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond may turn its back on a key series tradition. We don’t yet know much about the upcoming Metroid game but one thing is sure, it involves the return of the formidable bounty hunter Sylux, and believe it or not, there seems to be clues pointing to a seismic shift in the Metroid franchise’s intrinsic narrative timeline.

Of course, Prime 4 won’t necessarily take on board every tidbit from the wider franchise, but signs point to this installment shaking up the Metroid timeline recipe as we know it.

1. Time to Clone Around

As Sylux makes his dramatic entrance in the Metroid Prime 4: Beyond trailer, he seems to be shadowed by a pair of Metroid clones, or Mochtroids, as they are commonly known. For the eagle-eyed, a closer look at these creatures reveals their single red nucleus, a clear distinguisher from the true Metroids’ four-nucleus arrangement.

If these Mochtroids truly make a presence in Prime 4, it signals a twist in the Metroid series’ timeline, as Mochtroids, created by the notorious Space Pirates in Super Metroid, only came into existence after the events of Metroid 2. This implies that prime 4 is set post Metroid 2, disrupting the previously established pattern of placing all Metroid Prime games between the original Metroid and Metroid 2.

However, the trailer citing the in-universe date of ‘Year 20X9’ throws a wildcard into the narrative, given that the franchise’s treatment of its timeline has been more of an abstract painting than a photo-realistic sketch.

1. All Things Relative

Despite the ambiguity over the timeline placement, evidence suggests Prime 4 continues unresolved plot threads from previous Metroid Prime titles. Take for instance Metroid Prime: Federation Force and its aftermath – here Sylux infiltrates a Federation facility, hatches a Metroid egg, and strategically tails Samus’ ship in Metroid Prime 3: Corruption. Add to this mix the presence of Mochtroids, and one can surmise a fair bit of time-lapse between Prime 3 and Metroid Prime 4, possibly even accommodating the events of Super Metroid in-between.

Until now, Metroid Prime games have formed a neat linear chain within the broader Metroid timeline. But, it appears that Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is ready to leapfrog through the timeline, positioning itself anywhere post Super Metroid – possibly even after Metroid Dread, enabling an exploration of the outcomes from that game’s success.

Notwithstanding the timeline disruption, Metroid Prime 4 is likely to bring forth a galaxy and characters grappling with effects and flux from both its direct predecessors and other Metroid series games.

All things considered, the forthcoming action-packed Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, slated for release on the Nintendo Switch, promises to take us on an interstellar journey of mystery, challenges, and timeline dances.