An amiibo lets you choose the soundtrack for the controversial “open-world” area
By Ali Shutler 4th December 2025
'Metroid Prime 4' CREDIT: Nintendo
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is finally out but fans are furious that some music is only available if you buy a $20 plastic statue.
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The long-awaited sequel to 2007’s Metroid Prime 3 has been released 10 years after it was first announced. A soft reboot of the action/puzzle series, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond sees bounty hunter Samus Aran trapped on the desolate planet of Viewros.
AdvertisementAs well as the usual dungeons to explore, Metroid Prime 4 features a new “open-world” area that players can explore using the Vi-O-La motorbike. However there’s been plenty of criticism for how empty this vast desert can feel and how different it is to Metroid Prime’s previously claustrophobic adventures.
To make matters worse, the soundtrack for this open-world desert area is underwhelming, ambient music. Players can choose different music but first, they have to buy a special plastic statue known as an amiibo.
i genuinely think the desert would have been at least 3x better if they had put some BANGING music behind it. But it just feels so…vapid #MetroidPrime4 pic.twitter.com/xqCAPxBgWP
— André (@AndreSegers) December 3, 2025
First spotted by gaming YouTuber Luke Stephens, the description of the Metroid Prime 4 Samus Aran amiibo reads “When you touch [the Amiibo] you can now change the background music when riding Viola in Solvalei.” It’s available to buy from the Nintendo store for £16.99 but fans aren’t impressed with the paywall.
“Let me get this straight: If you pay $19.99 for the collectible Samus amiibo in Metroid Prime 4 you get to play/select music while driving the Vi-O-La bike in the otherwise quiet desert… In other words: They locked MUSIC while riding through a desert behind a $30 paywall… Am I missing something that makes this not insane,” he wrote on X.
Recommended“This is fucking stupid, it would be fine if Sol Valley had a theme but it seems to just be some basic ambience,” said another fan on Reddit. “I always hate it when Nintendo locks useful features behind amiibo figures. They hadn’t done something like this in quite some time which made me think they realised it was a bad idea but seems like they’re just gonna keep pulling this bullshit,” added a third.
To celebrate the launch of Metroid Prime 4, seven tracks from the game have been added to Nintendo’s streaming platform Music as a “special release”. If you’re a Nintendo Switch Online subscriber, you can listen to the ‘Metroid Prime 4 Main Theme’, ‘Fury Green’, ‘The Sacred Tree’. ‘Vi-O-La’, ‘Ice Belt Power On’, ‘Carvex’ and ‘Volt Forge’ right now.
Ahead of launch, Metroid Prime 4 was criticised for adding annoying new NPCs to the franchise.
In other news, Microsoft has confirmed the first batch of games that will be coming to Xbox Game Pass this December
