Metroid Dread (Review)

For almost twenty years now Metroid Fusion has marked the end of the line for the Metroid series and fans had to wait a long time for its successor to arrive, to finally learn how the saga of Samus Aran will continue with its fifth major title, Metroid Dread.

According to the series producer, Yoshio Sakamoto, this is mainly because his visions of "dread" couldn't be realized with earlier hardware, like on the Nintendo DS. So, was this vision worth the wait? Is this the game the fans were hoping for? Let's find out...

Story

Metroid Dread finally unveiled the next chapter for the classic Metroid saga, where the Galactic Federation has received a mysterious message showing that the terrifying X Parasite from Metroid Fusion still exists on planet ZDR. They've sent a unit of seven "Extraplanetary Multiform Mobile Identifiers" (E.M.M.I.) to investigate, but the signal was lost. So, Samus gets sent instead, since she is the only one safe from the X Parasite thanks to her Metroid DNA, which used to be the natural enemy of the X before they got wiped out. But on ZDR the hunter becomes the hunted, as the nearly indestructible E.M.M.I. are now in pursuit of her to extract her unique DNA.

Now, both the X and the idea of Samus being hunted by an invincible foe were already explored in Metroid Fusion, so this technically isn't the most revolutionary storyline for the franchise. What's really new and exciting about Metroid Dread is the fact that the planet ZDR is also home to a hostile tribe of Chozo Warriors, where Samus gets overwhelmed by their leader right in the beginning of the game. There is a lot of potential here, but sadly this potential gets wasted somewhat, because the game wants too many things at once and the Chozo Warriors ultimately take a backseat, instead of being the focus.

As usual for the Metroid series, there is a lot of ambient storytelling where you can study the environments and connect the dots. Like in Metroid: Samus Returns, there is also gallery telling what has happened on planet ZDR before Samus arrived there, where you can unlock the different pieces by obtaining all items a single area.

Presentation

Overall Metroid Dread looks pretty, where the animations are smooth and the backgrounds are usually full of details. Sometimes you are even able to spot bosses, which you will fight later in the game. It's in many ways similar to Metroid: Samus Returns, which was made by the same studios, just now in HD and without the technical limitations of the Nintendo 3DS. Both the visuals and the sound have a high level of quality to them, everything is very much polished, but it's also somewhat... uninspired.

This starts with the music, which features a lot of ambient tracks. If you like this type of music, it's actually pretty nice and there are certainly more melodies to it than in Metroid: Other M. The powerful rhythms of Cataris and Ferenia come to mind for example, so there are some good tunes in there, but it's nothing where you feel like you have never heard anything similar before.

It also takes some notes from other mainline Metroid games, mostly Metroid II - Return of Samus and Metroid Fusion, which both also have the biggest influence on the story of this game, so it makes sense thematically. The most notable inspiration here are probably the sonar sounds of the E.M.M.I., where those originally used to be these ambient chirping sounds in Metroid II, which makes those much more creepy in hindsight.

All of this creates a great and fitting atmosphere for this game, but it also fails to create its own identity somewhat. Metroid Dread doesn't really come with memorable melodies that stick with you for life. There are some good tunes in there, but it just doesn't compare to Super Metroid or the Metroid Prime Trilogy.

The environmental design can also be somewhat bland at times. Most of the world is made out of Chozo laboratories and stations, where there is a clear lack of variety here. The worst offender in this are easily the E.M.M.I. Zones, which are these Tourian-like areas that cover huge chunks of the map and all look completely identical... Still, there are some visual highlights in the game, like the storming waves at the shores of Burenia or the lush background jungles of Ghavoran.

UI & Controls

With a game like Metroid Dread it's really hard to put the controller down, because the game just flows so smoothly, which makes it very enjoyable to play. It's rather addicting, really, especially with Samus's new slide and Flash Shift abilities, which add even more momentum to the already fast-paced Metroid series. You can also now use the Melee Counter while moving, which makes it so much better.

Sadly, it's not all as simple as it could be, where the use of multiple shoulder buttons can make things rather convoluted. The worst offender here is probably the Grapple Beam, which now works similar to the Missiles, where you have to hold down ZR to toggle it. You still have to fire and hold it with the Y-button, however, all while jumping with B and aiming with L in addition. And this requires quite some heavy finger acrobatics.

It would have been much more comfortable if the game had an option to let you fire the Grapple Beam and Missiles directly with their respective shoulder buttons, ideally separate for both. But the game is lacking any real options, which is a shame and really shouldn't be the Nintendo standard any longer.

The most important part of the user interface is the map, where it's probably the most detailed map in a Metroid game so far and shows you everything on block basis. You can also set markers, but for items, which you can't get yet, this is usually not needed, because the map shows you exactly what you might be missing, e.g. Speed Booster blocks, given that you have uncovered them.

It also keeps track of your movement on the map on the same block basis, which is a double-edged sword. On the one hand this gives you very detailed information of your path through the game world, which can be very useful for tracking any missing secrets. On the other hand it makes the map look rather "ugly" with its darker, unvisited blocks, where filling the entire map is a lot more fiddly than it used to with the chunks in Metroid: Samus Returns. It's a nightmare for true completionists.

 

Items & Abilities

For the most part Metroid Dread brings back the usual suspects for Samus's arsenal, but it also tries some new things here and there. The most important novelty, which you also have right from the start, is the sliding, which lets you move through narrow gaps without the Morph Ball ability. And once you have the Morph Ball, you can slide right into it, which feels very natural. It's similar to the ledge grab, which got introduced in Metroid Fusion and was an excellent mechanic as well. It really adds to the overall flow and movement of the game, which makes a fantastic addition.

New is also the "Spider Magnet", which lets you grab magnetic walls and climb on them. Well, in reality it's pretty much a limitation of the Spider Ball mechanic, which doesn't return here, to certain surfaces, except that you can't use these in ball form. And it's overall not much of a game changer, where it's really just an extension of the ledge grab from Metroid Fusion.

Another addition for the early game is the "Spin Boost", which lets you jump a second time in the air and essentially works as an intermediate power-up before the usual Space Jumps. It can also be seen as a replacement for the High Jump Boots, which doesn't make a return in Metroid Dread for some reason.

What does return, though, is the Speed Booster in all its glory and some more, where now you can also retain the boost after wall jumps and slides. This gives you crazy possibilities for traversing the map in addition to the Shinespark. While there are some really tricky Shinespark puzzles in the game required for certain items, it never gets as bad as the many chained Shinesparks in Metroid Fusion and Metroid: Zero Mission. And often there are some really creative solutions to these problems, which may or may not be easier to perform.

Semi-new are the "Storm Missiles", which work like the Seeker Missiles from the 3D games, but also let you fire everything on a single target. And this is quite powerful and one of the best moves in the game against bosses. The Bombs get a similar upgrade this time with the "Cross Bombs", which will detonate Bomberman-style and can even propel you in the respective direction, no complicated bomb jumps needed.

That's really it for Samus's normal gear and all the other novelties are tied to Aeion, which returns from Samus Returns, but brings a completely new set of abilities and also works differently this time around. Instead of having to refill the Aeion energy by collecting orbs dropped from enemies, it will refill automatically now as part of a cooldown, which makes it feel a lot more natural.

The cooldown only is relevant for the new "Phantom Cloak", however, which makes you invisible and inaudible to enemies while using it. But your movement will be restricted and any actions will drain the Aeion very quickly. Once you deactivate it, you will also have to move around in order for the Aeion energy to refill, which is a massive nerf to this ability and makes it rather difficult to utilize properly in some situations, because sometimes you're just stuck in a position where you can't move.

The "Pulse Radar" replaces the Scan Pulse from Samus Returns and simply reveals any special blocks around you. It doesn't leave any marks on your map this time, so you can use it without any concerns whenever you feel like you're missing something in the environment. It's also a lot more comfortable than the X-Ray Scope in Super Metroid.

Last but not least, is the "Flash Shift", where you can quickly dash around. This certainly took some inspiration from the Mothwing Cloak in Hollow Knight, but that's only fair and it can also be used on the ground. You can chain it up to three times and Aeion replenishes almost instantly after using it, so you always have it at the ready. And this an insanely useful tool, both for moving swiftly through the environments and for dodging enemy attacks.

Other than the new Aeion abilities, Metroid Dread doesn't really go beyond what Samus was already capable of in past Metroid games. Some of it might even feel weaker than it used to... The Super Missiles and Ice Missiles for example are again upgrades to the normal Missiles, much like in Metroid Fusion. But by the time you get these upgrades all the enemies in the world also become much stronger, where you don't really notice the difference of the Super Missiles. The same with the reduced damage of the Varia and Gravity Suits. It's there, but it effectively gets negated by the tougher foes. The only item that is truly as liberating as it always used to be is the Screw Attack... And overall it would have been interesting to see some new suits and new beams instead of just the usual suspects.

Game World & Progress

This time the development team tried a somewhat unusual approach, where you start at the lowest point of the map and have to work your way up back to your ship, which you can't really access during the game. They also tried to mix things up with the item progression, where you get certain abilities much later than you usually would in a Metroid game, which is quite refreshing.

The planet of ZDR is a maze of multiple interconnected areas, much like the Planet Zebes in Super Metroid or Tallon IV in Metroid Prime, where you will be going back and forth between the different areas quite a lot. They are all connected via elevators, but also shuttles for a horizontal connection. In addition you have pairs of colored "Teleportals", which you can also use to travel between two areas, but ultimately these are just glorified elevators as well, since they are also only connecting two points with each other (at least until near the end of the game). Often they are used to provide shortcuts for where you need to go next.

Now, Metroid Dread was designed with sequence breaking in mind, where the fans have already discovered all sorts of crazy possibilities to do things out of order. But this doesn't really change the fact that the game is heavily sequenced and likes to funnel you to your next destination, often by closing or even destroying the paths behind you. It's never as extreme as in Metroid Fusion or Metroid: Other M, where passed doors got shut one too many times, but it's still noticeable and sometimes limits your options of backtracking needlessly.

The game also has no optional upgrades (sequence breaking aside), which is quite unusual. The only power-up that you don't really need to progress is the Pulse Radar, but you have to get it anyway on the main path. And all the other items and abilities are needed to open the path forward somehow. There are even a variety of special covers for doors, which require all the different beams, or even special sensor-lock doors and shutters, which require the use of the Phantom Cloak and Flash Shift abilities respectively. So, a lot of the game is very much gated based on your current equipment.

It's also all designed in such a way that the way forward is very much obvious, because the places where you need to utilize your newest upgrade are often not far away. For those who want to truly think about exploration this will feel somewhat uninteresting. But for everyone else it certainly helps that there are no confusing moments in the game, where you simply don't know where to progress.

Still, all of this makes it feel so much more special to actually find ways out of this given path, which also adds to the replay value. Sequence breaking is a big part of the game and adds many exciting possibilities. And the developers even made sure to reward you properly for certain sequence breaks, like easier boss fights.

Enemies & Bosses

If you have played Metroid: Samus Returns, then you will know what to expect from Metroid Dread in this department. Overall there is an overuse of the Melee Counter ability, which is performed by pressing X whenever the enemy flashes. It can now also be used while moving and in the air, which helps a lot with the pacing, but doesn't eradicate the original problem.

The world is flooded with small flying foes charging into you, or machines wanting to be countered when activating their special attacks. And it's a reliable way of dealing with most of the enemies, as long as you're quick to react. It's very powerful, while the penalty for missing these counters is also quite high, where ultimately the normal "run and gun" combat of Metroid takes a step back as a result, at least early on. It's best to wait for the counter with many of the enemies, instead of actually shooting them.

The importance of the Melee Counter also returns with the boss fights, but here it's even more extreme, because for some of the bosses it became a necessity to beat them. In Samus Returns landing a successful Melee Counter was a guaranteed way of dealing a lot of damage, but you could beat all the bosses without it. In Metroid Dread, however, you have to land the counter with certain bosses in order to move to the next phase or even beat them, which effectively turns this into a glorified quick time event. And that's bad design.

But otherwise the boss design is absolutely excellent, where you get some of the best boss battles in the entire Metroid series. They will all overwhelm you at first for what feels like some cheap Game Overs, but the game keeps telling you that every attack can be avoided, which is true, where you will learn and master these bosses like a dance and in the end they won't be able land a scratch on you. Like Samus Returns and Other M, the game also creates checkpoints right before each boss, so you can try again right away without much frustration. And finally besting them like that feels fantastic, where you want to do it again right away.

Some of the mini-boss battles get repeated throughout the game, but it's not as often as the various Metroid evolutions in Samus Returns. The variety of the normal enemies is also better than in the Nintendo 3DS title, but don't expect too much, because ultimately many of the enemies feels somewhat similar, especially thanks to the counter mechanic.

The E.M.M.I.

Now, there is one set of enemies in Metroid Dread that can't be defeated right away and those are the E.M.M.I. – near indestructible robots that will hunt Samus through their respective areas and can kill her in a single attack. It's a core aspect to Sakamoto's vision for this Metroid game, which now finally was realized on the Nintendo Switch... Past 2D Metroid titles already have played with the idea of Samus being chased by undefeatable enemies, mainly Metroid Fusion and Metroid: Zero Mission on the GameBoy Advance. But the E.M.M.I. really take this to the next level.

They will hear Samus when she even takes a single step and then rush to investigate the sound. When she then gets into their sight, they will chase her relentlessly and also close off all the exits to the E.M.M.I. Zones, where you have to shake them off somehow, which is easier said than done. If they catch you, you can also counter their attack and stun them for a short while, but this is tough to pull off. There is a lot of "trial and error" involved here, where the only remedy is that your tours through the E.M.M.I. Zones are usually rather short and the game creates checkpoints right before each entrance, so the frustration in this stays within limits.

But the game also cheats, because it always puts the E.M.M.I. into your proximity when you enter an E.M.M.I. Zone, even though these are usually very large and the E.M.M.I. should theoretically patrol all of it. This removes any level of suspense that this idea might have had on the paper, because the threat is always present, where the E.M.M.I. are not scary – they are just annoying. Since the Phantom Cloak is heavily limited, your best bet is often just to run for it and hope that the E.M.M.I. doesn't spot you, while it chases you the sounds that you make... So, it's often not stealth gameplay, it's flight.

Here the quick and smooth movement can shine more than ever, where the E.M.M.I. Zones are all designed as these huge obstacle courses that you need to navigate swiftly in order to make it to the other side. And this can be quite thrilling. Also, finally getting to the Central Unit, which temporarily equips you with the Omega Stream and Blaster to defeat the E.M.M.I., is extremely satisfying. Not only give the E.M.M.I. Samus some of her traditional abilities back, the possibility to freely traverse the E.M.M.I. Zones alone is already very rewarding on its own right.

This doesn't change the fact that this puts a rather big dent in what could be an otherwise excellent Metroid experience. The idea of the E.M.M.I. is not all bad and offers an interesting change of pace and gameplay at multiple points throughout the game, but it's not for everyone and can feel like a roadblock at times, where passing through the E.M.M.I. Zones is very often necessary to progress with no real alternatives.

Replayability

With its smooth and quick gameplay and the potential for sequence breaking, Metroid Dread really invites you to play the game again and again. It was also designed with speedrunning in mind, where traditionally it rewards you for beating the game fast. There is a gallery with different artworks that can be all unlocked by beating the game under four hours in both difficulty modes.

Hard Mode is unlocked after beating the game once, but it only really increases the damage that you take. But to beat this mode you must really prove that you have mastered all the boss fights.

Conclusion

Metroid Dread isn't perfect. Like Samus Returns before it, it comes with a variety of flaws, like partially convoluted controls, the overusage of the Melee Counter, the sometimes bland environments, and in this case the whole idea of the E.M.M.I. chase sequences, which are simply just not much fun. But despite all of this it's still Metroid at its finest, where it all smooth, fast and masterful, which can be incredibly addicting.

If Sakamoto can finally let go of his obsession with turning the huntress into the hunted and MercurySteam can overcome some of its problems (working environment and game design issues alike), then Metroid will have a very bright future ahead of it. See you next mission!