Board 8 > Thoughts on Metroid Dread *spoilers*

(+) Yeah! (+)

I just beat the game and had a very good time with it, so I decided to ramble here. For reference I've played Zero Mission, Super, Fusion, Prime 1, Prime 3, and Other M before this.

The environments looked great for the most part, the sterile EMMI backgrounds got a bit repetitive but other than that I don't have a complaint. Ferenia in particular was pretty striking with all its stately architecture, I don't think I've seen an area like that in the series before. It reminded me a bit of Castlevania actually. The intro area becoming the cold biome when you return later on was also fun, though I kicked myself for not seeing it coming given its name was 'Artaria' >_>

The level design was super too, I know it's kind of a given for Metroid but I always love how everything interconnects. And I like that things were varied even within each biome. I'm not one for sequence breaking/speedrunning but the game felt like it probably accommodated that stuff well too, I know that was the plan for them going in.

I liked the new abilities- I hope the Aeion stuff gets incorporated into Samus's regular moveset going forward, Cross Bomb has potential but they need to think of more ways to implement it, and Storm Missile was the MVP as far as combat is concerned. Though I did weirdly think that the overall traversal felt less interesting once I got the Screw Attack. I know that's always one of the final upgrades and it's supposed to make blasting through the world a breeze, but I think it made the combat too trivial (it renders the otherwise cool melee counter completely irrelevant) and it solves a few too many of the problems of moving around considering that there's a fair amount of game left after you get it. And the Power Bomb was pretty weak this time around, its only real use was to break blocks that have no good reason for not being regular bomb blocks other than to hold you back.

But those are minor quibbles, for the most part moving around and shooting felt really good, especially in the midgame when you have a handful of abilities you can push to their limit to open up little slices of the world here and there. I found getting 100% much easier than I have in other Metroids, which is not a complaint. Part of it was how clear things were on the map this time, and part of it is probably that I played Zero Mission earlier this year and remembered all the usual Speed Booster tricks lol.

The combat was more interesting than usual, especially in the boss fights. Free aiming, the melee counter, and Storm Missiles made combat feel fluid and fun, and I really enjoyed most of the boss fights and found them decently challenging. Though I lost count of how many Chozo Soldier fights there were. Could've done with some more variety there! My fav fight was probs the giant X in Cataris.

I'd heard some talk about the plot being unusually good for a Metroid game before playing this, and I guess I kinda understand it? It's great to finally see the Chozo, though in retrospect they were probs a bit underwhelming. Quiet Robe exists for a big exposition dump, and Raven Beak is cool but a pretty generically evil villain (though I admire how much he planned things through). I really appreciate that they didn't lean on empty fanservice- no Ridley resurrection, no secret lab full of Metroids, no Space Pirates at all. ...Except Kraid, who appears for 5 minutes with no explanation. Seriously, what was Kraid doing there? I assume Raven captured him (how?) but I don't recall Kraid ever having a connection with Metroids themselves so I've no idea why. An odd addition, though the fight was fun.

The X were used well, I like that you see them once and suddenly they're all over the planet, it's a cool way of showing how dangerous they are while also levelling up earlier enemies. And the X inside Quiet Robe gets more character development than anyone else in the game! I wish that 95% of the plot wasn't just dialogue given to us through either Raven!Adam or Quiet Robe, but whatever. Things got pretty bonkers at the end and then the game just cut out without any sort of epilogue lol, I thought I maybe pressed a button by mistake and skipped a scene but nope. My pre-release prediction that the Galactic Federation would be the real villains was quashed (my hopes went up for a minute when Adam started turning heel), but maybe next time...

I understand why the EMMIs were marketed so heavily, they needed to show that the series was moving forward without spoiling things, but it maybe hurt their appeal in the long run. Don't get me wrong they're decent, some of those sections were very tense and I like that each one added its own gimmick, but there wasn't quite enough to them to hang so much of the game around. If they return in future I hope that they elaborate on the stealth sections some more, and make the combat parts more complex than 'find the longest horizontal platform and start charging'. That said, it was intense slowly charging the beam as they creep towards you. I wish they'd leaned into the survival horror aspect to them more too, I was hoping that one of the later areas would have the EMMI roam around the whole map Mr X style.

Onto Samus herself. It seemed to me like the writers were under strict mandate to not let her talk or show vulnerability, which was maybe a slight overcorrection to Other M. There were a lot of closeups of her eyes that I felt didn't convey enough of what she was feeling/thinking, and she didn't really get to react to some of the massive revelations going on (most of which directly involve her!). But the game did a great job at using body language with her- one of my favourite moments in the game is when she recognises Kraid and immediately drops her guard, knowing he's no threat to her and he's a mere nuisance to occupy the next few minutes. And props to whoever decided she was allowed a single line of dialogue, that moment is very powerful and done perfectly (and in Chozo!). I was also very amused to realise that all the people who think the main character of the series is 'Metroid' suddenly became correct.

The music was fine but much more in the background than usual, so I can't say any of it stood out. I think I liked Burenia's the most, but I'd have to listen to the OST in isolation to judge.

Overall, it was a blast to be back in the Metroid universe and I really hope we get a direct sequel to Dread reasonably soon. Any of my criticisms are minor in the grand scheme of things, at its core this was a very fun game to play and that's all I needed. If anything I want them to push the envelope more going forward, keep introducing new concepts and elaborate on the ones they've brought in. I have no idea where the plot will go from here, but Samus being the only Metroid in the galaxy seems like enough of a setup in itself (unless the X at the end neutralised her DNA or something, I'm not sure how far that went). Also how many planets has she blown up at this point? The woman is a menace.

I know I'm... 10 months late to the party, but what did you all think of this game? And where do you want the series to go from here?

I just picked up my copy a few weeks ago when it was on sale but it's wedged between Three Hopes and Xenoblade 3's releases so it's gonna be a minute.

I didn't really like it, at least as a Metroid game. It's a competent 2D action game but I definitely won't be buying any more Metroid games from the same devs.

The power bomb's best use is *Final boss* Using it to blow up the miniature sun in phase 3

now it's about finding out the awesome skips and how bizarrely helpful water bomb jump is

also ending suit best suit hell yeah

I have to be Mr. Negativity here, because I really liked the game, but I do need to point out the flaws in it:

• Areas don't differentiate themselves from one another enough. You can't immediately look into a room and go "oh, this is part of Burenia. Oh, this is Cataris after the lava has been drained elsewhere but before Artaria froze over. Oh, this is Ghavoran."
• Speed Booster puzzles are clever, but they are physically painful for my old man hands, even with a pro controller.
• Cross Bomb makes me miss Prime's Boost Ball, or possibly utilizing a Flash Step version of Morph Ball.
• Slightly too many X-soldiers and Chozo Robots.

Otherwise, it was great!

I'm actually more than okay with the shift towards action combat. Movement ans traversal in classic Metroid games (and Castlevania as well) has never been super appealing to me. The weighty movement has its place but I've become super spoiled by modern Metroidvanias like Ori or even Hollow Knight that are more explicitly taking cues from fluid 2d platformers. Trying to negotiate Metroid's weightiness in combat situations is more interesting than its traversal to me, and I think Castlevania already leans into that a bit so the move here makes total sense. Really looking forward to the new devs continuing to iterate on this style.

Speed Boosters were tricky until I realized that they pretty well all had, well, a trick to them. Like plenty speed booster puzzles were possible but difficult to do without understanding all the untold mechanics but made much simpler when you realize the proper way.

I must disagree about areas not differentiating themselves enough. Maybe not literally every single room but I don't think th at's necessary.

Isquen posted...

Speed Booster puzzles are clever, but they are physically painful for my old man hands, even with a pro controller.

The motion for these are actually pretty simple. You might be doing something wrong. Timing is sometimes tight but it shouldn't be causing pain.

Also Dread was one of my favorite games in awhile. Just wish it had a reasnoable cap for mashing out shots. Kind of killed the appeal of the game for me long term.

I'm not a big Metroid fan (only played Super and Prime 1 otherwise), but I loved Dread. Great atmosphere, and I rarely felt like I got lost (which is one of the biggest frustrations with Metroidvania games for me).

Dread's pretty great at heaving a big place that is very much sequence breakable (not always even helpful) and yet the main game does very much funnel you in where you would need to go normally.

I think there's just one spot that got me a bit lost, bombing the water release to let you go from Burenia to Speed Booster EMMI.

GuessMyUserName posted...

Dread's pretty great at heaving a big place that is very much sequence breakable (not always even helpful) and yet the main game does very much funnel you in where you would need to go normally.

If you do not go out of your way for newly available collectables the game will absolutely funnel you to where it wants you to go.

I think Samus is great in this game. Gives that badass feel I want from her and her rage near the end is excellent. The Adam twist was fun too.

Samus no-selling Kraid and casually shooting him in the face is so good

countering Kraid punches oh so good

I wonder if the only reason they added Kraid was to give Samus that super badass moment.

Emeraldegg posted...

The power bomb's best use is *Final boss* Using it to blow up the miniature sun in phase 3

... I don't know why I didn't think of this >_>

And speaking of power bombs and early collectibles, I lol'd whenever I got a power bomb upgrade early on and the game is all '??? what on earth is this?!?!!'. Come on Samus, you've used them a thousand times by now, you know what they are!

Best suit is the neo-Fusion suit at the start imo, I love the blue. The ending sequence suit was a bit too edgy for me but I lol'd. Shout-out to the graphics overall in this game though, everything looked pretty beautiful.

Isquen posted...

Cross Bomb makes me miss Prime's Boost Ball, or possibly utilizing a Flash Step version of Morph Ball.

I could go for this. Morph ball definitely needs some sort of movement boost beyond regular bomb jump.

Oh cross bombs suck. The few areas you are supposed to use it to cross sometimes just fails and drops you inexplicably instead of continuing to push Samus.

andylt posted...

And the Power Bomb was pretty weak this time around, its only real use was to break blocks that have no good reason for not being regular bomb blocks other than to hold you back.

Isn't that the norm for Power Bombs? Only other use they ever have is to get Power Bomb Expansions for 100%.

Hm, I guess it is. It just never felt this blatant before, and I think there's only one time the big screenwipe it does results in something cool (breaking the pipe in the final area). Dropping the massive nuke bomb just to break a single block and roll in to get a missile tank doesn't feel very epic.

It felt like a lot of collectibles were behind speed booster puzzles and I didn't really have much interest in those, but that doesn't matter aside from 100%ing.

Otherwise it was pretty good! I respect the subtle subversion for weapon upgrades (I figured I had a lot of game left for a while because I still didn't have power bombs, and well,) and the boss fights were probably my favorite of any Metroid game.

It was awesome. I don't think it was the best 2D Metroid (ZM and Super are hard to beat, and maybe even Fusion) but it clearly had the soul of 2D Metroid, which so many Metroid-likes failed to capture since Fusion (and I played a ton of them).

Also the delayed morph ball was the most brilliant idea ever

Oh yeah I forgot to mention that, this has to be the latest that we've ever gotten the Morph Ball right? In 2D games at least. I kept waiting for it to pop up, but it was a wise move to hold it back for so long.

I'm tempted to replay this if only to witness the Adam conversations and see how obvious it is that it's not him. It does explain all the 'Raven beak is 2 strong 4 u!!' talk. That's one twist that's probably easier to guess for people who haven't played Fusion, but I had an implicit trust in him because of that game so I really didn't see it coming.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/3/9/5/AAVK8uAADiaj.jpg

Dread has the best pacing I've ever encountered in a Metroidvania.

My only major gripe is that the environments blend together (someone else already mentioned this) and the soundtrack added little to the atmosphere.

foolm0r0n posted...

Also the delayed morph ball was the most brilliant idea ever

andylt posted...

Oh yeah I forgot to mention that, this has to be the latest that we've ever gotten the Morph Ball right? In 2D games at least. I kept waiting for it to pop up, but it was a wise move to hold it back for so long.

Yeah this was a great subversion of the Metroid formula.

andylt posted...

I'm tempted to replay this if only to witness the Adam conversations and see how obvious it is that it's not him. It does explain all the 'Raven beak is 2 strong 4 u!!' talk. That's one twist that's probably easier to guess for people who haven't played Fusion, but I had an implicit trust in him because of that game so I really didn't see it coming.

The only issue with this twist is that Adam has had a different characterization literally every time he's showed up. I didn't even question him acting unusual lol

Same, Adam never really rang alarm bells for me until closer to the end. But the premise of the game definitely did. Being placed at the very bottom of the map to start (also a subversion of Metroid's typing top-down exploration) and having to go through all these Chozo challenges.

Leonhart4 posted...

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/3/9/5/AAVK8uAADiaj.jpg

lol

I see now that Adam calling Samus 'lady' in the intro but just calling her by name on ZDR was a big hint. At the time I took it as just a nod to Fusion fans.

Man I really hope we don't have to wait several years to get a sequel to this, I know it was marketed as the end of the Samus/Metroid arc or wtv but there's plenty of room for them to progress in terms of both gameplay and story.

There's no way we don't get more games. The engine is so good and can do 2-3 more games easy. Metroid isn't known for releasing games in linear story order anyway.

Or they could remake Super Metroid with this engine

Hm I don't think Super needs a remake, I'd expect ZM/Fusion/Returns remakes in the new engine to be more likely as those games aren't currently playable on Switch. But anything is possible. Personally I hope they leave remakes alone and just make a new post-Dread game next!

Yet Another Metroid 2 Remake huh

YAM2R, book it

I would be most down for a fusion remake just because isn't it the only mainline metroid that hasn't gotten one? ZM was a metroid 1 remake after all, though I'd still be happy with a ZM remake. Bottom line though is that this game just feels good to play, so they should definitely crank another something out, whether it's a remake or metroid 6. Since Metroids are allegedly done with their role in the story, maybe they can move to more space pirate-centric? Maybe they make a new weapon or something that samus has to stop.

Samus Returns came out in the dying days of the 3DS and it was made by the same team as Dread, so I can absolutely see them bringing it over!

I'm still hoping we'll get a game with the Galactic Federation as the villains. After the reveals in Fusion and given Samus's current biological state, it would make sense, keep things fresh, and make it a personal journey for Samus. Also that way they could reuse EMMIs.

But I wouldn't be averse to Space Pirates, if they're committed to keeping Ridley (and Metroids and Mother Brain) dead they'd need a new figurehead though.

The point is remake something else please

andylt posted...

Samus Returns came out in the dying days of the 3DS and it was made by the same team as Dread, so I can absolutely see them bringing it over!

I'm still hoping we'll get a game with the Galactic Federation as the villains. After the reveals in Fusion and given Samus's current biological state, it would make sense, keep things fresh, and make it a personal journey for Samus. Also that way they could reuse EMMIs.

But I wouldn't be averse to Space Pirates, if they're committed to keeping Ridley (and Metroids and Mother Brain) dead they'd need a new figurehead though.

I can totally see the GF evil stuff, they were basically re-creating metroids as bioweapons as shown in fusion (For "peaceful applications only" my ass). Or at least well-intentioned extremist territory that samus takes it upon herself to put a stop to it.

I don't want to see this team remake any more of the games. It adds too many constraints and not in a good way. Samus Returns was fine but you could really feel it struggling against the classic design, and the best parts were when they could cut loose. Dread was ALL that, that's why it's a breath of fresh air. Just let them keep improving without going backwards.

Super absolutely could use a remake. Has felt dated since the GBA games.

I agree it's felt dated, but maybe someone else can do it.

Plus people seem to like that Super controls like molasses, and while I don't it feels intrinsic to the game? I legitimately don't see a lot to gain here.

Seeing people talk about how dated Super feels makes me feel sane. Played it for the first time after I had already played Zero Mission and this absolutely legendary game felt like a total downgrade.

I dunno what's dated about Super other than the controls, which could easily be fixed in an enhanced port.

I mean yeah, it's the controls. And the map, but mostly the controls.

I played Super about 10 years ago and had no problems with it, maybe if I went back now I'd notice these control issues more. Either way, my preference would be fully original games instead of remakes >_>

Xiahou_Shake posted...

Seeing people talk about how dated Super feels makes me feel sane. Played it for the first time after I had already played Zero Mission and this absolutely legendary game felt like a total downgrade.

It is legendary but ZM is literally perfect so it's still gonna be a downgrade