Metroid horror
RRP $ 60.00
"Metroid Dread sharpens everything that makes Metroid pleasant and at the same time realizes its horror ambitions."
advantages
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Really creepy
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Fine-tuned fight
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Tough but fair bosses
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Worthwhile exploration
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Detailed environments
disadvantage
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Slow start
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Some repetitive bosses
Dread has always been a driving force in the Metroid franchise. It's what you feel in Metroid 2: Return of Samus as you leave planet SR388 in eerie silence as the last baby of a species you just lovingly wiped out follows after. It's a feeling that hangs in the air during Metroid Fusion as Samus helplessly hides from a parasitic, dead-eyed doppelganger who chases them. Metroid Dread, the first original 2D Metroid game in 19 years, doubles that kind of sci-fi fear to create a true Nintendo horror game.
The basics of the series are still completely in place. It is an adventure game in which Samus explores a mysterious planet sector by sector, constantly gets power-ups and searches every corner for secrets. But the backdrop is more annoying this time. Four games full of reckless missions return to haunt Samus in a more story-driven game where history actually matters.
Metroid Dread reclaims the throne of Metroidvania with one of Nintendo's most difficult, immersive, and stylish games in ages. New movement and combat techniques freshen up a classic formula, but history is its real secret weapon. This is a compelling science fiction thriller that exudes nervous energy and has a firm focus on the best qualities of the series.
The hunter becomes the hunted
The Samus story picks up where Metroid Fusion left off 19 years ago. After wiping out the brain sucking Metroid species and the X parasites, she is called to more dirty work that the Galactic Federation is too scared to do. It turned out that an X parasite had been sighted on the planet ZDR, so the Federation sent seven robots known as E.M.M.I. to extract it. The only problem? You went offline. In a horror film, this is the moment when you beg the hero not to enter the obviously haunted house. But a gig is a gig for an independent contractor.
Of course it goes south when Samus arrives at ZDR, and that's where the horror premise begins to take hold. In a surprising twist, the renegade E.M.M.I. serve as the game's main antagonist for much of the game while trying to hunt down Samus. It's a somewhat mixed hit that makes the game's two-hour opening feel a little slow at times. The eagerness to explain too much leads to a failed introduction to robots as Samus dodges you with ease, finds a powerful single-use alpha cannon, and blows the robot to pieces in a minute. That takes a bite out of the fear factor right away. Imagine Jaws opening up with someone killing Jaws and then everyone freaked out when a second shark showed up.
Fortunately, Dread is recovering from that early misstep. E.M.M.I. Encounters become much more tense the more advanced the robots get. Soon they can squeeze through narrow passages or run much faster and it becomes more and more difficult to avoid them. They're a cross between the alien Xenomorphs and the robotics of Boston Dynamics – and as unsettling as either.
When Samus finally gets the alpha cannon, it's still not safe. She must be an E.M.M.I. Armor by carefully blowing it up with a heated beam before charging a shot that can kill with one hit. This leads to incredibly nerve-wracking sequences in which the players assert themselves and act as E.M.M.I. have to keep shooting. is getting closer. If a robot grabs Samus, she's dead unless she can hit a fraction of a second, so the tension is high (even if the consequences for death are minor inconvenience).
Metroid Dread gets into a gnarled body horror and sometimes gets full of David Cronenberg.
While the E.M.M.I. In fact, if they are the focus of the game's marketing material, they are not the most effective use of fear. Metroid Dread gets into a gnarled body horror and sometimes gets full of David Cronenberg. A boss shoots slimy stones out of gaping holes in his stomach. One setting shows a writhing monster being stabbed and pushed by machine arms. Moments like this reinforce throughout the experience as the story takes some harrowing twists and turns.
What makes the use of horror most effective in the game is the fact that it is rooted in history. Most Nintendo games have a tendency to perform a soft reset before a mascot's next adventure. That is not the case here. There are real ramifications for Samus’s actions in games like Metroid Fusion. She reaps what she sows here, which really makes Metroid Dread feel like a nightmarish climax in the Metroid saga.
Super Smash sister
The scary story is a major draw here, but it doesn't get in the way of what Metroid does best. Combat and exploration are as expertly blended as ever, thanks to developer Mercury Steam. During E3, longtime series producer and director Yoshio Sakamoto noted that the decision to revive the series was made after seeing how well the developer handled its Metroid 2 remake on Nintendo 3DS. That was the right decision; Mercury Steam gets Metroid.
Combat has been particularly improved here, thanks to a whole host of new and returning mechanics. Free aiming returns from Metroid: Samus Returns, allowing Samus to stop and aim in all directions. That brings a level of precision into both the battles and exploration, and lets Mercury Steam design puzzles and battles that aren't as rigid.
The melee counter is also back and this time more finely tuned. Samus can parry enemies at the right moment, resulting in a satisfying blow. The melee this time is not limited to counterattacks. Players can hit it anytime to repel an enemy, giving them more space to fight and deepening standard cannon combat.
Mobility and combat go hand in hand here, as many techniques serve a dual purpose. As well as being a great way to hit an enemy, engaging in ongoing melee combat is an effective way to hop across platforms. Samus can slide here so she can zoom through tight spaces, but it's more exciting as a combat option. Typically, when an enemy is low to the ground you need to stop and shoot them before moving forward. Instead, Samus can whiz under it and shoot at it while it is sliding.
This time around it's a much more active experience that makes me feel like I am in control of the Super Smash Bros. version of Samus, acrobatics and everything.
The improved fights are especially noticeable in boss fights, which are some of the toughest I've played in a Nintendo game in a while. Major battles require mastering the entire set of movements from Samus. In an early fight, she must slide under a monster's legs to dodge an attack, carefully aim its flapping tail, and counter it at the right second to initiate a thrilling cinematic sequence in which players still get the action by firing control of missiles. Some bosses chewed me up and spat me out in seconds, forcing me to spend a dozen tries slowly learning their patterns and figuring out how my arsenal might counter each move. A few sub-bosses get recycled one too many times, but each milestone encounter feels completely different from the others.
The battles of Metroid Dread feel classic and modern in the same breath. I'm taken back to the original Metroid where I would have to pump dozens of missiles into Kraid to win. But this time around it's a much more active experience that makes me feel like I am in control of the Super Smash Bros. version of Samus, acrobatics and everything.
Explore ZDR
Exploration is at the core of Metroid's DNA, and that's preserved here, too, though it takes a bit of time to get started. The first few hours of railroad gamblers with more roadblocks than usual to move the story forward. It's a slow burn, but luckily the game opens up in a big way after some key tools are made available to players in quick succession.
As soon as I got off the beaten path, I was reminded why Metroid is especially good. Many of its secrets legitimately feel secret, hide behind tricky puzzles, or are completely out of sight. As I began my usual late-night collection hunt, I realized that my card had unusual loopholes. In fact, I started chasing around only to find a hidden entrance on a wall I'd passed that led me to a whole series of hidden puzzle rooms.
Metroid Dread offers players a few tools to make the process easier, such as: There are still elements that I can't quite reach because I don't have to crack their code yet.
It takes full advantage of some of its strengths to create a game that feels like the most complete vision of a Metroid game to date.
It helps that the game really invites players to explore and immerse themselves in its atmosphere. Planet ZDR features visually stunning biomes, from lush alien landscapes to hauntingly sterile E.M.M.I. Zones. Instead of feeling like a vague collection of corridors, each room actually feels like a living space. Lots of attention has gone into creating detailed backdrops in each room, to the point where I can't help but pause and watch. In one room I caught some kind of camouflaged enemy in the distance who was racing through the water and signaling an impending battle. In another, I observe a giant plant seemingly devouring a creature. The latter cannot even be guessed at; it is only there to give character to the biome.
Most Metroidvania games tend to choose sides when it comes to combat and exploration. Axiom Verge 2 offers ingenious traversal tools that surpass Metroid's, but its combat system feels comparatively flat. Metroid Dread makes no such compromises. It doubles everything the series is known for. More importantly, it takes full advantage of some of its strengths to create a game that feels like the most complete vision of a Metroid game to date. Let's just hope that the next adventure doesn't take another 19 years.
Our opinion
Metroid Dread is exactly the boost of energy the Metroid series needs. What's 19 years old feels new again thanks to sharp gameplay additions that enhance both battles and exploration. Most notably, it stands out for its atmosphere and storytelling, creating an alien-esque science fiction horror story that takes the space opera of the franchise to eerie new heights. The Queen is back to remind us who placed the Metroid in Metroidvania.
Is there a better alternative?
Indies like Axiom Verge and Hollow Knight are vastly cheaper options, but Metroid Dread is the best title on this scale alongside Ori and the Will of the Wisps.
How long it will take?
In eight and a half hours, I got 67% completion. A 100% play through takes between 10 and 15 hours and is therefore comparable in length to Metroid: Samus Returns.
Should you buy it?
Yes sir. Metroid Dread is an exceptional entry on the series that is harder (and a lot more creepy) than your average Nintendo game.
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