Introduction and Background
Metroid Dread is a 2D "Metroidvania" game (as you would hopefully expect) and is basically the 5th game in the main timeline (Prime games and Other M are in separate timelines), and directly follows the events of Metroid Fusion. Prior knowledge of the series is not required to enjoy the game or follow the plot, though veterans will appreciate certain references.
As is expected of any Metroidvania, you will be criss-crossing the map, gathering additional powerups to allow you to traverse passages and unlock doors that were inaccessible the last time you came through. Purely from a map design standpoint, Mercury Studios is teaching a masterclass in how to build levels.
Graphics
As a Switch title, it's natural to lower expectations vs. what you could get on PS5 or a high-end gaming PC, but the art style is chosen deliberately to show off what you can do on Switch when you're not trying for photorealistic environments. The highly stylized world of ZDR looks excellent, full of life (and death, so much death).
Feature Image: Samus has been pinned by an EMMI, one of the robots originally sent to investigate planet ZDR, now gone rogue.
Beyond just the vibrant enemies and scenery, it's the little attention to detail even in the backgrounds, such as the lava in the background below. The HUD is also exceptionally clean without sacrificing any critical information.
The lava eruption in the background is entirely unnecessary but helps the world feel alive, more than just an animator throwing a tiny bit of bubbles on the surface of the lava would.
Sound
Surprisingly, sound plays a major component in the game, and the design often feels eerie. You'll be able to hear it briefly in one of the videos linked below. The stillness with minimal background noise in the EMMI Zones instilling an actual sense of Dread, especially when you've had the joy of running into EMMI before.
YouTube: Video showing the full encounter with that EMMI from the feature image. Listen to the sound before Samus gets pinned.
Combat
Samus starts with her trademark power beam and unlike many titles, actually has a missile launcher without having to find it. Along the way, she'll find additional beams and other weapons, but we won't get into that, since I think discovering what the Metroidvania has in store is often fun.
Returning from @Metroid-Samus-Returns [criminally not in the library; might fix later] is the melee counter. All bosses and some regular enemies have specific attacks that can be countered, leaving them open for rapid fire damage. (Interestingly the speed runners have figured out that for the first boss, it's faster NOT to do the counter, if you can otherwise land every shot.) And when I say rapid fire, I mean it -- Mercury did NOT cap your firing rate at all, meaning the only limit on how fast you shoot is how fast you can button mash. (The speed run community allows Turbo controllers up to a set Hz to level the playing field a bit.) The melee counter is also your only means of escape if you get pinned by an EMMI (see video above).
Video showing mid-game combat against a miniboss. It showcases a few different moves and weapons, so if you truly want no spoilers for abilities, skip it.
Boss fights will require you to study and adapt to boss patterns. Moves are telegraphed. Normally, I'm not a huge fan of this because I have trouble reacting fast enough or I get the signals crossed, but I found most of the bosses' cues easy enough to read. I'm not ready to take on the 1-hit-KO "Dread Mode" but I can beat this game on Hard without significant difficulty.
Exploration
Sometimes in Metroidvanias, it can be confusing where to go next. Anticipating that, the developers very subtly steer you by closing off routes behind you through things like collapsing floors or giant explosions that you are in no way responsible for if anyone is asking, causing rubble to fill in a passage you needed to get through.
Or a giant tentacle. Sushi, anyone?
While this may seem like the game is going to be entirely linear, the devs simultaneously put in numerous optional sequence breaks for experienced or just morbidly curious players. A notable one can be accessed if you look around for a hidden beam block leading to a passage you would normally come out of, but you can go in this way instead. Doing so you'll find what appears to be an impossibly long lava pit, but a clearly visible tunnel above it you could morph ball through, if only you could reach it. Well, it turns out you can, if you can slide through a gap, jump, wall bounce, and finally grab the ledge. Too bad that's only a warmup because you'll have to do it again on the far side! Your reward is 1 or maybe 2 early items depending on how you choose to branch out and where you rejoin the main path. You might even find the morph ball bombs early and use them to quick kill a boss leading to a special cinematic you can only see by using that quick kill using those bombs, when the "normal" path would not get you bombs until afterward.
Item collection is obviously a major part of any metroidvania (at least any good one), and Dread doesn't disappoint. Most of the items are relatively straightforward, but some require combining multiple abilities, like the video below shows.
Shinespark puzzles feel good in this game. Tricky, but not agonizing like they were in @metroid-zero-mission.
While there are many dev-intended sequence breaks, they did shut down one possible exploit, by denying you use of a late-game power up if you happen to find an expansion pack for it early.
039;t be able to use them until you find the actual item the dev-intended way.#
I appreciate that they thought of it at least. It could definitely break the game in unintended ways if you could get this early.
Story
The story mostly develops through conversations with Adam, your friendly computer interface you may remember from @metroid-fusion. Due to (plot convenience), he can only communicate with you at designated terminal rooms. Annoyingly perhaps, as long as you aren't on a major sequence break, he'll make you stop and chat in each room before he'll unlock the doors.
039;s been able to discover about the planet along the way.#
Image: Challenge accepted, Adam.
Like all Metroid titles since the first, you will lose any abilities from previous titles at the start of the game. Samus' biology which was altered in Fusion remains intact.
At the start of the game, you learn that the EMMIs were sent to ZDR to investigate signs of the X parasite, but contact was lost, and after your first encounter with the EMMI, you quickly learn they've been overridden and are now hostile. As you progress from area to area, you'll have to criss-cross EMMI Zones, which truly are terrifying especially on a first play. I don't know if they named it Dread for the feeling of dread that will come over you every time you have to go through one, but it certainly fits.
Mid-game, you'll get a longer cutscene which explains several important mysteries, and then you're off again to try to (the bad guy). I'll leave it there to keep this spoiler-free, but I was very pleased with the plot in the game and I'm very curious to see where they go next.
Final thoughts
Dread is a masterpiece in 2D metroidvania design, and a faithful adaptation of a beloved franchise by MercurySteam, their second (after @metroid-samus-returns), hopefully meaning Nintendo will continue to partner with other developers on its big franchises. Exploration and combat are both highly satisfying, and the dev-intended sequence breaks show that they perfectly understood the assignment. Free DLC added a boss rush mode as well as Rookie difficulty for those who are newer to the series, as well as Dread mode which is 1-hit-KO, for the truly dedicated.
I've played through the game at least 4 times now (there are 3 save flies and I had to delete one). My first play, then hard mode, then a speed run to unlock extra scenes in the photo gallery, then a hard mode speed run, and yeah I think that makes 5, I did this one on hard too, because I felt normal would be too easy.
Fans of the series and new players alike can enjoy this game, and anyone who considers them a fan of the series should treat this as a must-play. There's no doubt in my mind this is greatest 2D Metroid since Super, and it's honestly threating to overtake that spot, it's that good.
