Metroid Dread [Game Review]

Metroid is one of Nintendo’s most popular franchises, but it’s been years since it has received some love from the Big N. Although we’ve been waiting for the fourth main entry in the series, Metroid Prime 4, they decided it was a good idea to release a side game to enjoy while we wait…and boy, it’s a fun game!

Metroid Dread is a direct sequel to Metroid Fusion, a Game Boy Advance title released in 2002. If you’re a fan of Samus Aran and the Metroid franchise, then you totally have to play this one! You can still have fun with Metroid Dread regardless of your previous experience—if anything, you’ll have more reasons to go back to Metroid Fusion and, then, try other Metroid games too!

For a 2D action-platformer, Metroid Dread looks really good. Samus’ design is fantastic, and all biomes have their own unique approach. However, character design is a bit lazy, with several foes looking slightly different from a similar species you just found in the previous area. Even though it’s a Nintendo exclusive, Metroid Dread is not the most visually stunning title—it could look way better in handheld mode.

Animations are on point, and cutscenes—especially before and after a boss fight—are beautiful. Maybe the nature of Metroid Dread (an almost empty planet, scarcity of enemies or even allies, a small world with only a few levels) doesn’t help to make it an impressive game in the graphics department, but it’s a nice improvement when compared to other Metroid games. Don’t forget it’s a sequel to a GBA game from almost 20 years ago!

If you want people to play a game that takes place on an abandoned planet where your only companion is an AI—okay, there’s also Quiet Robe…but let’s avoid spoilers—you better give them a great soundtrack! Not only the tracks are captivating, but they are useful as narrative elements too. Each of planet ZDR’s areas benefits from the OST, and the boss fights are more immersive. Still, sound effects are THE factor that separates Metroid Dread from other mediocre games in the genre.

As for the voice acting, it’s okay. It’s not like Metroid Dread has a lot of dialogue anyways—to the point that hearing Samus speak for the first time is such an event…

There are rumors that the X Parasites survived the events of Metroid Fusion on planet SR388 and are now living on ZDR. As the only lifeform that’s immune to these creatures, Samus’s primary objective is to visit planet ZDR to investigate the X Parasites. Before sending her, the Galactic federation also sent a group of robots that supposedly would eliminate the parasites…if it weren’t for the fact that contact with them was lost as soon as they arrived on the planet.

These robots (aka the E.M.M.I. – Extraplanetary Multiform Mobile Identifier) went rogue and will kill Samus on sight, so at first, your only option is to run and hide. Luckily, there are specific areas assigned to them. From a gameplay perspective, the E.M.M.I. are some of the strongest enemies of the game, and you can only defeat them after beating a boss that looks like a giant eyeball and acquiring a special skill that will become unavailable after defeating said E.M.M.I. If they hear or see you, they’ll start chasing you; if they touch you, you’re dead—well, not really, but the quick time event has such a small window that it’s really hard to escape from them.

By finding dragon statues, Samus can upgrade her weapons and learn valuable skills to help her access new areas and escape the E.M.M.I. For example, you can make yourself invisible or just dash away. As in every Metroid game, going back to a door you couldn’t open or a block you couldn’t destroy is the heart and soul of Metroid Dread. Sometimes you don’t know where to go next, and the game gives you no clues, so using the map to analyze blocked paths and missed items is your best option. Ironically, the whole game is too linear for a Metroidvania, so it’s not like you can get lost or hit a wall. There’s nothing to fear, casual gamers!

Metroid Dread is everything you would expect in a modern Metroid game…but is it really what a modern Metroid game should—and, most importantly, COULD—be? We feel like this is nothing but an appetizer, so we’re already looking forward to Metroid Prime 4!

We recommend all Metroid fans to play Metroid Dread and discover how the Fusion-Dread saga ends. If you have never played a Metroid game before, go emulate Metroid Fusion before buying this one—if you enjoy that one, then you’ll absolutely love Dread!