After seven long years, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond has finally seen its first substantial update, and the recent trailer for the title showcased what players can expect from the highly-anticipated title. While this new trailer for Metroid Prime 4: Beyond gave players a solid look at the game's first-person shooter gameplay and detailed environments, it kept most of its story cards close to its chest. However, one plot element was clear from the trailer, setting the stage for Metroid Prime 4: Beyond to feature a returning antagonist.

The Metroid Prime series is a subseries of the greater Metroid franchise and features its own set of mainline titles and spin-offs. While players might be familiar with the numbered entries in the Metroid Prime series, there are a couple of spin-offs that are lesser-known: Metroid Prime Hunters on the Nintendo DS and Metroid Prime: Federation Force on the 3DS. These titles might be somewhat controversial among Metroid fans, but they may play a bigger role in the greater Metroid Prime series than players might expect given Metroid Prime 4: Beyond's tease of Sylux as the game's antagonist.

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Metroid Prime 4: Beyond Sets Up Sylux as a Major Antagonist

Sylux's History with the Metroid Prime Series

While Samus is the most famous bounty hunter in the Metroid franchise, there are others who have been introduced over the years, including the mysterious Sylux who debuted in Metroid Prime Hunters. Sylux's motivations and origins are shrouded in mystery, but they are known to be a sworn enemy of the Galactic Federation who opposes Samus due to her connection with the organization. Although Samus battles Sylux in Metroid Prime Hunters, the enigmatic bounty hunter has only been teased in other entries following their escape in the game's finale.

After this battle, Sylux is never again directly encountered in the series but has been teased in titles like Metroid Prime 3: Corruption and Metroid Prime: Federation Force. In the special ending of Metroid Prime 3: Corruption — achieved if players collect 100% of the game's items — they can see what appears to be Sylux's ship, the Delano 7, following Samus' ship. Similarly, the ending of Metroid Prime: Federation Force shows Sylux breaking into the research station containing Metroid eggs collected by the Federation Force and forcibly hatching them into Metroids, potentially teasing a future antagonistic role for the character.

How Sylux Could Factor into Metroid Prime 4: Beyond

With only these tidbits of information to go on, there is a lot of room for speculation about Sylux's role in Metroid Prime 4: Beyond. It seems likely the bounty hunter will play a foil to Samus, similar to the role Dark Samus played in past entries since both are bounty hunters with access to similar technology and weapons. Sylux is known to use prototype weapons stolen from the Galactic Federation, including the Shock Coil projectile weapon and the Lockjaw suit, which functions similarly to Samus' Morph Ball and gives Sylux access to electricity-based abilities.

These Sylux teases throughout the Metroid Prime series seem to be setting up a showdown between Samus and the rival bounty hunter in Metroid Prime 4: Beyond given Sylux's appearance in the trailer. However, it's still not clear what Sylux's plans are or why the bounty hunter seeks the destruction of the Galactic Federation. If Sylux is going to be the main focus of Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, then it seems likely that the game will flesh out the character's backstory and shed some light on their hatred for Samus and the Galactic Federation.

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond

Franchise

Metroid

Platform(s)

Switch

Developer(s)

Retro Studios

Publisher(s)

Nintendo

Genre(s)

Action

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