Getting 100% completion in a Metroid game–and metroidvania titles in general–is a satisfying achievement that’s part of the genre’s appeal. However, in Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, there is unfortunately a way to pigeonhole yourself where collecting everything needed isn’t possible. Now, the game will warn you about a point of no return, but it’s still easy to make a regrettable decision. That’s why GameSpot’s reviewer for the first-person adventure, Steve Watts, advises players to make a copy of their main save in another save slot before entering the endgame.
Watts detailed the “confusing choice” that Nintendo and developer Retro Studios made in his Metroid Prime 4 review. “When I was ready to proceed to the endgame, I got the usual warnings about a point of no return, but I had figured I could always load an older save to go back and do more exploring to pick up power-ups that I missed,” Watts wrote. “But the auto-save now has me locked into the final area with no such apparent option, and my regular save slot–the one that activates when Samus steps into a save station–has been overwritten with a Mission Complete, so loading it prompts me to start a new game.”
The main menu does allow you to make a copy of a game in a different slot. If you want to proceed to the endgame to see how the story concludes, while allowing freedom to go back and explore, make sure that you either make a copy of your save or opt not to overwrite with a Mission Complete save. That said, there’s always the possibility that Nintendo and Retro address this confusing issue with a future update for the Switch and Switch 2 game.
Metroid Prime 4 launches tomorrow, December 4. The game features a new voice actor for Samus Aran with Erin Yvette replacing previous Metroid Prime mainstay Jennifer Hale. In addition, Krystle Martin provides the motion capture for the bounty hunter. For more, check out GameSpot’s Metroid Prime 4 buying guide.