Nintendo has clarified how the Vi-O-La motorbike in Metroid Prime 4: Beyond will work, saying Samus can summon the vehicle only in selected parts of the game world. The company updated its Japanese website with the details. The site explains, “You can summon Vi-O-La whenever you’re in an available area.” Once you dismount, play returns to Samus’ usual perspective so exploration continues on foot. Nintendo first showed the bike in a Nintendo Direct trailer last month, introducing the Vi-O-La as a new mode of transport for traversing the planet Byrus.
Riding Vi-O-La lets Samus quickly cross open areas and interact with enemies and the environment using a few named moves. The boost gives a temporary speed increase, knocks back foes, and can shatter ore deposits. The power slide clears a wide area of enemies and objects, while the projectile attack fires energy that tracks targets. Nintendo adds that “the projectiles can lock on to up to five enemies at once, and after attacking the enemies, they return like a boomerang.”
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is scheduled for release on December 4, meeting Nintendo’s 2025 window. Nintendo also confirmed amiibo release dates: an amiibo of Samus and one of Samus riding Vi-O-La will be released on November 6, with a Sylux amiibo following on the game’s December 4 release date. If you play Metroid Prime 4, these summon limits and bike moves will change how you approach exploration and combat in open areas. Share your thoughts in the comments, and follow us on X and Bluesky.