Metroid Dread, a return to form from a beloved classic. A review

 Imagine, the year is 1986. Nintendo has kickstarted the entire gaming industry, and now everyone is trying to get a piece of that video game action. So along comes Metroid, a game that stood in sharp contrast to Nintendo's usual fare. Instead of a bright and colorful fantasy adventure, like in Super Mario or Legend of Zelda. Metroid was a dark, menacing sci-fi series heavily inspired by Alien. But nonetheless, Metroid rose to the heights of similar classics of the time period, thanks to its unique sense of exploration and atmosphere. It also became well known that if you completed the game within a certain time limit, you would get an alternate ending that revealed that Samus Aran (the main protagonist of Metroid) was a woman the whole time. Keep in mind that female playable characters weren't really a thing at the time. So having a female protagonist (even if the game itself did everything it could to hide the twist) was a really big deal. Nowadays everyone with an Internet connection or a copy of Super Smash Bros knows about Samus' true identity, and as such the more recent Metroid games don't even bother keeping the secret anymore. 

Anyway, the Metroid series enjoyed a plethora of highly praised sequels, such as Metroid 2: Return of Samus, Super Metroid, Metroid Fusion, and the Metroid Prime Trilogy. The series as a whole redefined exploration and character progression, and in case you couldn't tell, Metroid was one of the two games that helped create an entire genre of videogames known as the Metroidvania (the other is Castlevania). Which is coincidentally my favorite genre of video game. Shantae, Hollow Knight, Ori & the Blind Forest, all of these games (and many more) have all pulled inspiration from Metroid and without Metroid's success, those games wouldn't exist. But despite Metroid's impressive legacy, the series is not flawless. Case in point, 2010's Metroid: Other M was so controversial that it temporarily killed any interest Nintendo had in expanding the Metroid universe. That was until 2017 saw the release of Metroid: Samus Returns, a remake of Metroid 2 developed by MercurySteam, which was a big enough hit that Nintendo contacted MercurySteam and basically asked them, "Hey we heard your remake was really good, but wanna try making a brand new game from scratch?" And so MercurySteam was tasked with effectively catching lightning in a bottle twice, and started work on Metroid Dread. Fun fact! The creator of the Metroid franchise, Yoshio Sakamoto, actually had the idea for Metroid Dread's plot all the way back in 2006. The reason why Dread didn't start development back then was because at the time, there wasn't a Nintendo game system that had the kind of technical power behind it to support the scale and ambition he had in mind. So he kept putting the idea on hold... for almost two whole decades. When he got the news that MercurySteam were working on a brand new Metroid game, Sakamoto (who was brought on the project as a designer) took the opportunity to FINALLY put the plot idea he cooked up 14 years ago in action. Guess good things come to those who wait, eh?

Metroid Dread takes place some time after the events of Metroid Fusion, and serves as a kind of grand finale to all the lore and story arcs that have been going on. That said, the game still prioritizes making the actual gameplay as high quality as possible, and the game can generally be enjoyed even if you're unfamiliar with Metroid lore. Though if you want that lore anyway, here's a quick recap. Samus Aran was a little girl that was orphaned at a young age. She was adopted by the Chozo, a race of cool and mysterious crow people who also happen to be warrior-poets. The Chozo discovered a parasitic lifeform known as the X, which can mimic the appearance and abilities of any creature it assimilates. Given the X's ability to spread across an entire planet's ecosystem within minutes, the Chozo were naturally freaked out at the galaxy-ending potential the X possesses. So using their knowledge of genetic manipulation, the Chozo tribes banded together and created the Metroids, a race of jellyfish-like monstrosities that are not only immune to the X, but can also straight up eat the X to become stronger.

 But then the Metroids went rogue, and ironically became an even bigger threat than the X ever did. Metroids were designed to be the perfect beast of war and thus had no natural counter in the wild, and the Chozo tribes were slaughtered by Space Pirates before they could design something to defeat the Metroids. So armed with the last remaining weapons and armor of her people, Samus Aran hunted the Metroids to extinction and became the greatest bounty hunter in the galaxy. But then these guys called the Galactic Federation discovered the Metroids' existence, and basically said, "Hey! Why don't we clone this perfect beast of war with no natural counters for our own morally dubious purposes?" So the Galactic Federation started cloning Metroids, and said clones were stolen and released by Space Pirates (the same ones that wiped out the Chozo). So Samus was hired to hunt the new Metroids to extinction again, since she's already done before and is the most qualified warrior for the job. And Samus got to avenge her space crow family while she was at it, and killed all the Space Pirates on her way out.

Now that the Metroids are officially deader than dead, the X parasite came back, and attached itself to Samus, nearly killing her. The only reason she survived was because she was injected with a vaccine made with the last remaining trace of Metroid DNA in the entire galaxy, giving her access to the Metroid's immunity to the X. And since Samus was given Chozo DNA to help her survive on the Chozo's home planet, Samus is technically a three-way hybrid between a human, a Chozo, and a Metroid. And the unique thing about Samus's armor, is that it was designed to update and redesign itself to accommodate any biological changes in the wearer. So when Samus got that vaccine, her armor began to mutate as she adjusted to her hybridized form. And this is the official explanation for why Samus's armor design changes every other game. So anyway, Samus hunts the X parasite to extinction (are you noticing a pattern?), and destroys the research station that was cloning Metroids while she was at it. Everything I just described was the plot of the original four Metroid games (the Prime series are treated as side-adventures and can be safely put just about anywhere in the timeline and still make sense, and Other M is being ignored entirely, for obvious reasons). 

Fast forward to Metroid Dread, where we get a quick primer recapping most of the lore literally five seconds after starting a new playthrough. Some time after the events of Metroid Fusion, the Galactic Federation receives a mysterious video message showing there is at least one X parasite still at large, stranded on a planet labeled Z.D.R.. So the Galactic Federation... doesn't hire Samus to deal with it. They instead send in the E.M.M.I. (pictured above), special androids designed for exploration and research, to go deal with it. And guess what? They lose contact with the E.M.M.I. just mere moments after landing on the planet, and Samus is hired to investigate the disappearance. And to the surprise of absolutely no one, it turns out the E.M.M.I. were compromised. Somebody hacked them, and now they are spooky killer robots that can easily overpower Samus Aran herself if she's not careful. 

To make things harder for Samus, she gets ambushed by a mysterious, rogue Chozo warrior five minutes after arriving on the planet. And the fact that a Chozo is alive and well at all is a big deal, since they were wiped out by the Space Pirates years before Dread takes place. Samus puts up a good fight, but said Chozo warrior eventually knocks her out, and strips her armor down to all but the most basic functions. Basically forcing Samus to start from square one as she tries to escape the planet. It's here that the game officially starts, with Samus having only a simple energy blaster, some basic missiles, and a melee counter. You control Samus with some classic side scrolling, run and gun platformer/shooter gameplay as you slowly work your way back to the planet's surface, collecting upgrades for Samus's armor as you progress. And in typical Metroid fashion, you often need to revisit older areas that you already explored when you get a new ability, since there are usually secrets to be uncovered with that new ability.

And I have to say, the movement and shooting in this game is great. Samus runs surprisingly fast for her size (she's over six feet tall, or just under two meters for readers more familiar with the Metric system). And when you combine Samus's speed with her wall jump, she starts off with tons of mobility that makes navigating the various biomes of ZDR a delight. And her mobility only improves as she gets more upgrades for her armor. You can aim Samus's various weapons in one of two ways. The classic way, where Samus shoots straight forward or straight up. This method can be used while running. But the method I prefer is with Free Aim Mode. Basically, if you hold down the left bumper on the controller, a laser sight within Samus's gun will activate, allowing you to aim in any direction 360 degrees. This allows for much more precision than normal aiming, which makes hitting targets much easier. The only downside of Free Aim is that Samus cannot move while the laser sight is active. You can also perform a melee attack, which if timed right, can stun an enemy and let you get some free hits in. New to this game is a dash attack, that basically lets you punch enemies while running without sacrificing your momentum, which in turn reinforces the emphasis on mobility and speed that the game is running with (pun completely intended). Your options for combat, puzzle solving, and exploration expand tremendously with each upgrade. Samus as whole just feels speedy and powerful, and the controls are silky smooth to boot... Except for one puzzle that requires you to swing around with the Grapple Beam ability like Spider-Man. The Grapple Beam itself is fine, and there are some great puzzles and areas that use it creatively, but this one puzzle was admittedly a little janky if you do it as intended. Although it might just me being bad at the game, but I did find it difficult to aim the Grapple Beam while in midair. I still can't tell if this a controller issue, my own incompetence, or the fault of the game. I'll give MercurySteam the benefit of the doubt and say the problem was probably with myself rather than the game, simply because the other controls work so fluidly it seems unbelievable that this one puzzle would expose a flaw in the control scheme itself. 

Despite Samus's power and mobility, she is completely helpless against the E.M.M.I. robots. There are seven of them in total, and with the sole exception of one, they are all formidable opponents. The E.M.M.I. can kill Samus with one attack, and though that one attack CAN be countered with Samus's melee move, the timing is so strict that doing so is a last resort and an act of pure desperation. Instead, you have to use stealth to sneak past them, like in the picture above. And I love the E.M.M.I. myself. The way they're animated is so unnerving, the way their limbs twist and contort as they squeeze through gaps seemingly too large for their body. The way the E.M.M.I. move and climb around the environment honestly reminds me of the Xenomorphs from Alien. And given that Metroid borrows a lot of inspiration from Alien anyway, I have a feeling the resemblance is at least somewhat intentional. And the E.M.M.I. get progressively more dangerous as you progress, starting out slow and dull, and gradually becoming faster and more intelligent. The only way defeat the E.M.M.I. is to get a temporary upgrade known as the Omega Cannon, and even then only a perfect headshot will put them down permanently. The only saving grace is that the E.M.M.I. can only enter certain rooms, all of which are marked by spooky, pixelated entrances, so you always have a rough idea of where to expect them to be. The E.M.M.I. are an intimidating foe, and I find myself "dreading" every encounter with them (pun also intended). 

The highlights of the game (at least for me) are the boss battles. Almost every boss battle in the game is a spectacle. From a giant Space Pirate locked up in a volcano, to a scorpion-like monster that turns invisible, to X parasites mimicking fallen Chozo warriors, this game has a ton of bosses. And they all feel tough, yet fair, with hard hitting attacks but fairly obvious patterns you can dodge through. And if you pull off the melee counter successfully, you can start these interactive cinematics called Grab Sequences, where Samus grabs ahold of the boss's weak point and you are free to fire missiles into it point blank for free damage. And the animations for the Grab Sequences are some of the coolest animations in the game and help remind you that Samus isn't just a bounty hunter, she is the greatest warrior in the whole galaxy. The only boss I wasn't a fan of was Escue, a giant X parasite beetle with lightning powers. The only reason I dislike Escue is because the boss coats itself in a lightning aura periodically, rendering it invincible. The only way to get past the invincibility is to wait for it to wear off naturally, which takes a surprisingly long time. And I personally don't care for bosses who can become invincible with no manual way to remove said invincibility. That kind of boss design just stretches what would be a decent fight out to a point where it feels monotonous. But the fact I only disliked one boss speaks volumes to the boss battle quality over all. Every fight feels like a deadly dance as you slowly learn your opponents patterns and gun them down when the opportunity arises.

I also enjoyed the story. I won't spoil anything, especially since Metroid Dread isn't even a full month old yet (it was released on October 8th). But I did enjoy the story, and it did wrap up story arcs from the lore pretty nicely. And again, without spoiling anything, Metroid Dread's final boss is one of the best final bosses I've seen in a while. I'd rank it as being on par with the Nightmare King Grimm battle from Hollow Knight, which is high praise considering how amazing that fight was. But I can't think of a good way to segue into my next point, but I'm bringing it up anyway. Metroid Dread can, at times, be a difficult game. It's never unfair, but the tutorial is fairly minimalistic. MercurySteam have clearly designed the game working under the assumption that the player is capable of figuring out everything by themselves. As such, you're never pointed in a specific direction aside from the Adam AI's vague instructions to reach "the surface." And if you ever get stuck, keep in mind that Metroid as a franchise LOVES putting hidden passages that only reveal themselves if you shoot specific parts of the terrain, and Metroid Dread is no exception. Destructible terrain will usually have some minor visual differences to make them stand out more, like being a shade of color brighter than the rest of the room, or having small cracks in them. So basically, search every nook and cranny you can, and you will (usually) be rewarded.

In terms of presentation, Metroid Dread is (at least in my opinion) gorgeous to look at. The early game areas are bleak, cold caves and sterile laboratories, but as you get closer to the surface, the colors and location design grows warmer and more inviting. It starts off dark since MercurySteam is trying their hardest to instill the sense of dread that the game is named for, but as Samus gets closer to her goal, the sense of dread fades and is replaced by a sense of wonder instead. The creature design is also top notch. The alien monsters Samus contends with walk a thin line between sleek and grotesque. And the lighting is amazing. Like there's a section in the third major area where Samus enters a pitch-dark facility, and the only light in the building is the green glow of her armor, and the red eyes of the alien monsters, shining faintly in the darkness. It was a really cool idea, one that I liked a lot. And Samus herself looks great. This is probably the best design for her armor yet, sporting snow white accents that somehow synergize with Samus's usual colors. Honestly it looks so good that seeing Samus without the white accents now looks a little strange. And credit to the animation team. Samus goes through the entire game barely any dialogue, and yet her animations convey so much emotion and personality. And they did an excellent job at making Samus look cool. Like her reaction to seeing a giant Space Pirate named Kraid show up is to silently stare at him dismissively. She entered the room fully expecting a fight (and entered a battle stance as soon as she stepped inside), and she relaxes her guard once she realizes she has to kill yet another Space Pirate. This is just another day on the job for Samus, and a lone Space Pirate (especially one that's been chained up) is so far beneath her that she doesn't treat him as a threat at all. This isn't the only moment where Samus's body language does all the talking, this is just the most prominent example I can give without delving into spoiler territory. Also, even though we don't get to see Samus's face often, the few times we do, they manage to convey a lot of emotion in just her eyes, and I think that's impressive.

In terms of sound design and music, Metroid Dread is pretty good. The most distinct sound in the game is definitely the various beeps that the E.M.M.I. use while searching for you. They sound almost cute without context, but those beeps are nerve-wracking when you're trying to sneak past them. What makes it worse is that the beep will often be the first thing you hear when you enter an E.M.M.I. room, and you can use the loudness of the beeping to figure out how close the E.M.M.I. are to you. The music in general is moody and atmospheric, so while it's great to listen to while exploring the depths of planet Z.D.R., it isn't the kind of soundtrack you listen to by itself. Not that it's a bad thing. MercurySteam wanted the music to set the tone for the adventure, one of intensity and "dread", and the soundtrack succeeded in pulling that vibe off. I will say the fanfare when you get a new item or start a new playthrough is always a joy to listen to, and is by far the most heroic sounding piece of music in the whole game. The voice acting is few and far between, but what little there is, I enjoyed. The most talkative character that actually speaks English in the game is Adam, the AI companion that guides Samus on her journey. And his voice is literally a text-to-speech program, so there isn't a lot to comment on in terms of vocal performance. All the other voiced dialogue is in the (fictional) language of the Chozo (yes, even Samus herself only speaks in Chozo, because, you know, she was raised by them). And I must give my compliments to the voice actors for making the Chozo language sound like a believable language that could potentially exist in real life. You know your fictional language is good when it sounds like something a real person can speak in. They put Tolkien levels of effort into designing a fictional language, and I can respect that.

Before I finish with my overall conclusion, I want to mention something about Metroid Dread. The game does have some hidden unlockable secrets as a reward for certain milestones. For example, you can unlock bonus artwork for collecting every item in a given area, or from beating the game on higher difficulties, or from beating the game within a certain time limit, or any combination of the above. Metroid Dread is a relatively short game, taking me only 11 and a half hours to play through the entire game casually. And I can see the short length being a turn off for some people. And indeed, this game made me think about the "value" of video games. Dread is currently priced at $60. And there are Metroidvania games out there just as long, if not longer, than Dread with a much cheaper price. Hollow Knight is a massive game, with roughly 70 hours of content to go through (most of it is optional), and yet that game is sold for $15. But here's an interesting debate. Is a game inherently better if it has more content to go through? I'd say no. In my mind whether a game is worth its price is dependent on the quality of the experience, rather than the quantity of the content. And in my opinion, Metroid Dread definitely feels like it's worth the price with how well made the game is. And the short length might be a blessing in disguise, since it makes the game easier to speed run, if you're interested in the hobby. 

In conclusion, Metroid Dread is an excellent return to form for the franchise. It's an intense, heart-pounding adventure that manages to strike a nice balance between being heroic and uplifting, and spine-chillingly spooky. It's a delight to navigate its sprawling world, and the game is tough without ever feeling unfair or poorly balanced. The fact it manages to wrap up 30+ years of lore in a satisfying finale is also rather impressive. Honestly, given everything Dread manages to accomplish, it might be my vote for Game of the Year. With that being said, Metroid Dread gets a "This is Beautiful!" rank from me. Or five out of five stars for normal people. 

Disclaimer: All images were found on Google Images. They are not mine. Metroid and Metroid Dread are the property of Nintendo and MercurySteam.