Overview#
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond represents the culmination of years of development at Retro Studios. As a senior engineer on this project, I owned several critical systems that shipped with the final product.
Platform: Nintendo Switch / Switch 2
Role: Software Engineer IV
Studio: Nintendo — Retro Studios
My Contributions#
Trooper Buddy AI System#
I was the sole engineer responsible for the Trooper Buddy characters (AI companions that fight alongside the player throughout the game).
Technical challenges solved:
For the time being, I am not able to publish details publically.
Dialogue System Architecture#
I designed and implemented the dialogue system used extensively throughout the game.
System capabilities:
For the time being, I am not able to publish details publically.
Performance Optimization#
Achieved reliable frame rate targets across both hardware generations:
- 60 fps on Nintendo Switch
- 120 fps on Nintendo Switch 2
Shipping with even a single frame being dropped was not acceptable, so all performance spikes needed to be resolved.
This required systematic profiling, identifying hot paths, many optimizations and architectural improvements.
Additional Systems#
- Boss fight engineering: Full implementation from prototype to ship-ready
- Player abilities: Engineering support for several shipping player abilities
- Collision handling: Comprehensive morphball unstuck implementation for AI contact scenarios
- AI pathfinding: Support for navigation through multiple navmeshes and moving platforms
Skills Demonstrated#
C++ AI Architecture 3D Math State Machines Performance Optimization Animation Systems Cross-Discipline Collaboration