In some cases, no news can be good news when it comes to video games. While we haven't heard a peep about Bayonetta 3 or Breath Of The Wild 2, as far as we know development is going smoothly (or at the very least, development is still happening.) But with Metroid Prime 4, most of the news has been worrisome for longtime Samus Aran fans. From work being completely scrapped and restarted to the project needing a new lead producer, it seems like Retro Studios has faced nothing but trouble when trying to get this new Metroid Prime off the ground.
However, there is some positive news to share. Retro Studios has hired a new designer to help with Metroid Prime 4's production. And he's someone well-versed in the world of triple-A console exclusives.
Jon Marcella has signed on to work with Retro Studios. He has previously worked for Square Enix on Final Fantasy 13 and was the senior game designer for Sony's Santa Monica Studio where he created the environments for 2018's God Of War. According to his LinkedIn profile, he was responsible for the level designs, A.I. scripting, navigation sequences, and other crucial aspects of that game's development.
God Of War was an incredible game that completely reinvigorated the franchise. Prior to that title, most people were done with Kratos and his brand of angsty, overpowered rage. Now, the prospect of playing God Of War: Ragnarok is so enticing that it's possibly worth going through the hassle of pre-ordering a Playstation 5 just to experience it. While Marcella wasn't the only person working on that game, his contributions helped shape it into an incredible blockbuster title.
Samus has been absent for most of the Nintendo Switch's lifespan save for an appearance in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Her last adventure, Metroid: Samus Returns, was released on the 3DS. And that wasn't even an entirely new title as it was a remake of Metroid II: Return Of Samus.
Fans have been eagerly awaiting the latest game in the Metroid Prime series ever since it was announced back in 2017. Since then, there's been plenty of doom and gloom as the project has faced several setbacks. Hopefully, having someone with as much expertise as Marcella on the crew can help get this beleaguered sequel back on track.
In the meantime, maybe Nintendo could do us all a solid and finally throw the Metroid Prime Trilogy collection on the Switch? They're getting in the habit of bundling games together anyway, and it sure would be nice to play through Samus' adventures without having to dust off our Wiis.
Source: Resetera