It’s been a while since we’ve had a new Metroid game. It might not seem like it, but hear me out. Nineteen years have passed since the last main franchise Metroid game, Metroid Fusion. The Metroid Prime series doesn’t actually count in the chronology since canonically, those take place between the original Metroid and Metroid II: The Return of Samus (but I am eagerly awaiting Metroid Prime 4!). Metroid: Other M is set between Super Metroid and Fusion even though it was released later. Personally, I loved Other M – I just don’t get the online hate the game gets. Finally, the most recent release in the series, Metroid: Samus Returns 3D was released 4 years ago and was a remake of the Gameboy Metroid II. It was amazing and introduced many cool mechanics but it was not the continuation of the story many expected, so fans like me have been waiting with bated breath for a new game in the series for almost two decades. Nintendo not only surprised us with Metroid Dread but also uses Dread to continue the story from the end of Fusion, in essence making Dread into Metroid 5! Fans waited for a long time but let me tell you, it was worth it! This game is everything I had hoped for from the series after Fusion! I will try my best to keep spoilers to a minimum, so ready your arm cannon. The mission starts!
In this new adventure, Samus Aran ventures forth to planet ZDR since the X-Parasite was not actually eradicated in the events of Metroid Fusion. Due to the threat the X poses to the galaxy and thanks to the Metroid genes in her body, Samus is the only one immune to the parasite and the job falls to her to eradicate it once and for all. But planet ZRD has other issues. The E.M.M.I that were sent previously to investigate the planet abruptly ceased communications after arriving, so now not only does Samus have to deal with the threat of the X but she must also investigate what happened to the E.M.M.I. This narrative sets the stage for one of the best 2D adventures in the series thus far. At the beginning the game you are witness to the events of Metroid Fusion, detailing how Samus came to be immune to the X parasites (a good recap for those who didn’t play Fusion or can’t afford it now) and after an encounter with a Chozo warrior, Samus wakes up in an unknown landscape stripped of her abilities, a staple in the Metroid series).
With no clues about the situation on the planet or what the warrior did to her, you start exploring as Samus until you encounter your first E.M.M.I. Let me tell you, never before in a game have I felt more scared! Not a single one of your attacks works and your only chance is to escape! As you explore, you discover that you can only defeat the E.M.M.I with the Omega Blaster and the Omega Stream temporary enhancements you must collect from the Central Units found in each of the areas of the planet. Metroid Dread has an atmosphere that makes you feel alone and isolated. At first, you are in your weakest form, tasked with facing formidable foes and the task seems hopeless. Little by little as you progress through the areas, solving puzzles and increasing your ammo capabilities and health, you start to get stronger. This of course is the formula is which defined the genre, eventually fusing with the Castlevania series to create the ‘Metroidvanias’ we talk about today.
It’s understandable that Metroid Dread seems hard to some players at first, but be assured, it is not as hard as you might think! There is a generous autosave system and if for example you died in a boss fight instead of reloading from the last save room, you will respawn right before the boss fight, allowing you to keep trying. This is a welcome addition since it doesn’t apply only to boss fights but also if and when the E.M.M.I catch you, which will happen a lot! Speaking of which, if you are caught by the E.M.M.I, you have two chances to escape before they grab Samus. After they pin her, you have a small window to perform a countermove to escape. The timing is somewhat challenging, but if you pull it off the E.M.M.I will be stunned and you can slide under them or even position yourself to defeat them if you have the Omega Blaster and Stream enhancements. A quick note here regarding storyline since we’re talking about boss fights. I also like the fact that there are no unskippable cutscenes. Each time you are defeated by the same boss you can simply bypass the cinema sequence and jump straight to the action. Far too many games forget about this little quality of life addition and it’s great to see here!
You might have realized it from the description above, but the boss fights in Metroid Dread are utterly spectacular! Each one had me at the edge of my seat, sweating and shaking with fear and excitement (and there was not one that I beat on the first try…I just couldn’t), not even the Kraid battle! I must say at this point that Kraid was super hype and the cutscenes were amazing! However, if one thing made a lasting impression on me it was how badass Samus came off. The sheer smugness she demonstrates in the cinematic scenes with the wide variety of bosses is a testament to everything that she has been through and previous games. Even from her demeanour alone, it’s obvious that she is the best bounty hunter there has ever been, period. The characterization in Metroid Dread is amazing, made even more impressive by the limited dialogue and heavy use of visual cues to tell the story.
Moving on to the gameplay, the puzzles are another thing I was impressed by. I liked the level of difficulty, even though some portions of the internet disagree. It is just right, the perfect mix of challenge and comfort. Unfortunately, today’s gamers are used to hand-holding and easy puzzles and in Dread you will definitely have to work for your item expansions. Using every skill you acquire is a necessity in order to power up and the rewards are ample for working through, eventually netting you items like the Shinespark or the bomb jump (side note: this technique is easier to perform in Dread compared to other Metroid games), as long as your reflexes are up to the task.
It’s also great to see the return of the Aeion abilities first shown in Samus Returns 3D. I really enjoyed them personally, as they give the player more tools to explore and evade enemies. Unlike Samus Returns, here you can only use one Aeion ability at a time, so if you are using the Pulse Radar, you won’t be able to use the Phantom Cloak as well. The trade-off compared to Samus Returns is that the Aeion energy recharges on its own so you no longer have to worry about finding enemies to defeat to get energy items to refill the gauge. Without dropping too many spoilers, I truly loved the story Dread tells and how it portraits the Chozo. I lived my whole life thinking they were benevolent beings but there are definitely more layers to their race than have been shown in earlier games.
The screenshots taken for this review simply do not Metroid Dread justice either. The game is simply gorgeous, and I can only imagine how great it would look on a Switch OLED (Still rocking the original launch model here) but even on my regular Switch, everything looks and plays great. Controls are smooth and intuitive and there are really no complaints to be had for either gameplay or visuals. It is great to see how Mercury Steam has managed to capture the essence of the Metroid franchise and deliver an experience on par or possibly even better than its predecessors. This is especially meaningful because usually when a game makes the transition from sprites to 3D, the fluidity and action of a quality title like Metroid are lost in the transition. During my playthrough, excluding the amazing cutscenes, I found it hard to notice that this was not a full-fledged 3D game but was actually designed as 2D. The environments, the action, the enemies; everything is as awe-inducing as when I played Super Metroid for the first time on my SNES all those years ago.
I spent a fair amount of time playing in handheld mode with my headphones, and I was immersed in a new and wonderful world. Hearing the sound when my beam was charged or when I was activating the speed boost to do a Shinespark literally gave me goosebumps and the depth of sound in Metroid Dread is outstanding. I have an LG OLED TV and when playing on docked mode, the colors were stunning, popping off the screen. In my humble opinion, Mercury Steam has outdone themselves and created a truly worthy Metroid experience that deserves to be the fifth Metroid game. You might think I am a little biased since I love the series, but Metroid has a special place in my heart. It is a series that never ceases to amaze me with the way each game unfolds the continuing story and exploits of Samus Aran. Metroid Dread plays great with no stutter or performance issues, no framerate drops, no artifacting, no issues at all in fact. I enjoyed every minute of my experience with it and my completion time for the entire game was 15 hours with 100% items obtained on normal mode. If you never played a Metroid game this is a great one to start. Do not let the seemingly “high difficulty” put you off it’s; not as hard as you think. Please, Nintendo, I beg of you! Do not make me wait 19 years for the next installment of the main series!
Bottom Line: Metroid Dread was everything I expected after beating Fusion and more! The sense of fear and isolation in an unknown environment that the game provides is a perfect setting to show how Samus has grown. After all her missions, getting more background information about the Chozo was great and the action and gameplay stays true to previous games, adding quality of life improvements that were the icing on the cake. I definitely recommend Metroid Dread as an indispensable addition to your Switch library!
Disclaimer: A review key was provided