Don't crowd me, Joe. Hello, my six-foot three-inch-tall friends! Arlo here, and today we're reviewing--Metroid
Dread. I...can't believe I just said those words. Many long years, Metroid fans have waited
for this game. Many, MANY long years. Considering the poor reception received by
the last few Metroid games and the absurdly long period of mainline dormancy, no one knew
if or when another brand new 2D Metroid would come about. And I had long conceded that if we ever did
get another 2D Metroid, it wouldn't be Dread. No, that project was dead and buried...right? Well, sometimes, dreams do come true. And they come true in the exact way you hoped. Thanks to MercurySteam's excellent work on
Samus Returns, Nintendo gave them a shot to make an actual, honest-to-goodness Metroid
5. The thing is, after so many years, was it
ever even possible for a new 2D Metroid to live up to its legacy? That is what we're here to find out. Does Metroid Dread stand out as a prime example
of the genre at its finest, or is this mission a great big zero? Let’s find out. Our story picks up where the previous story
left off all those years ago. Following her encounter with the X Parasite,
Samus receives intel that the species may still be alive on a planet inhabited by the
Chozo. She arrives on the planet, and as usual something
goes wrong and she's stranded. There's a weird, scary Chozo guy being all
intimidating, and something is going wacky with her Metroid-DNA-infused Power Suit/body,
so she's got some stuff to get to the bottom of. Not every Metroid game has been very heavy
on story, with most of the plot details either scant or laid out in manuals and manga. But over the years Metroid has built up a
nice little narrative, and I'm very happy to see that Dread was given the opportunity
to continue the story and develop some deeper lore in a VERY satisfying way. The central mystery is very intriguing, the
overall plot develops in interesting ways throughout the experience, and the ending
is one of the most intense I’ve ever experienced in ANY game. Dread really raises the bar for storytelling
in the series, and I think that could help Metroid get more attention moving forward. And I have to say, the cutscenes in Dread
are FANTASTIC. I mean right out of the gate you’re smacked
in the face with its slick cinematics. This is Samus' first HD adventure, and the
art and animation team rose to the occasion. There are no cut corners here; this is the
kind of presentation I would expect from any big AAA game. The cutscenes are total eye candy, and best
of all, MY GOSH, THEY MAKE SAMUS SO COOL. I mean holy heck, seeing her pull off all
these amazing action movie stunts in her usual "git-er-dun" kinda way, it's just a joy, especially
after waiting so many years for a truly modern Metroid experience. It's not just the cutscenes that look terrific
though. The overall presentation is phenomenal. The environment is highly stylized, yet still
pulls off the serious sci-fi look. Everything is slick and polished. The backgrounds are rich with detail, perfectly
composed so it frequently feels like you’re looking at a painting. The world is inhabited by so many fun creatures
that mill about in the background, so it all feels very alive. Then there's all the alien architecture, which
can be breathtaking at times. Previous games have featured mixes of natural
environments and structures, but it feels like Dread really utilizes the modern hardware
to give us structures that far, far outclass those of its predecessors. The use of lighting and color especially help
elevate the whole presentation. I particularly love dark and high contrast
areas. The blacks are just so black, especially on
the Switch OLED or an OLED TV. Then there are other details, like rain and
particle effects and whatnot, that lift things up even further. It’s just so wonderful seeing Metroid get
this kind of treatment. As far as raw graphical accomplishments go,
it's true that it's not the single most impressive game in the world. Every once in a while you’ll see some background
elements that are pretty obviously just 2D paintings. And there are some times when there just isn't
as much texturing on environmental objects as there could be, and this has a tendency
to give the game a slightly toylike look--as though this is a small environment with a
little Samus running around. Fortunately this is rarely an issue, and the
overall art design far makes up for any technical shortcomings. Also, it's probably for the best that some
elements are a little more modest, because it means that we've got a Metroid game that
runs at a buttery smooth 60fps the vast majority of the time, only slowing down very briefly
here and there. And with such a fast, action-heavy game, I'm
very happy they chose to prioritize the frame rate. And speaking of all that, can we talk about
how the game controls? I feel like if I let myself, I would dedicate
a massive section of this review to just going on and on about how Metroid Dread controls. I could write a THESIS on its controls. Back when these games were only made of pixels,
the devs couldn't do nearly as much with Samus' movement. Samus Returns offered the slickest controls
to date, but Dread fine-tunes Samus' movement to an absurd degree. Out of every Metroidvania I've played, there's
no doubt in my mind that this one feels the absolute best to control. It's probably one of the best to control out
of ALL the 2D games I've played! From the first time I turned the game on,
all the way to now, I literally never pick up that controller without having a little
moment where I start moving Samus around and just marvel at how good it feels. You know when you go bowling or roller skating
or something where you have to wear uncomfortable shoes, and when you're done you slip back
into your own shoes? That comfy, "all is right" kinda feeling? Yeah. It's like that. (Hey, I wear shoes! …Sometimes.) And I think a lot of this really comes down
to polish. They clearly did a tremendous amount of work
to make Samus feel good to control. There are a lot of button combinations to
remember, especially once you've gained a lot of abilities, but it's all laid out very
intuitively and empowers you to pull off some incredible moves. Animations all string together so fluidly. And most importantly I think, Samus moves
through the environment not like a video game character, but like some kind of parkour pro. The way she automatically adjusts when running
over uneven terrain and little steps, or how she pulls herself up into small gaps, it's
all so smooth, it's like she's made of water. And that alone is enough to make this a new
standard of quality for Metroid. Even if future titles offer uneven overall
experiences, controls like these will make up for a lot of it by making the moment-to-moment
action just that fun. It’s easier to overlook a game’s flaws
when it feels that good to play. Much of the reason the game feels so good
to play though is all the fun abilities at Samus' disposal. The best sequels know how to give you brand
new tools that are integrated so well into the pre-established gameplay that you wonder
how you ever got along without them, and that's exactly how I feel when playing Dread. Every new thing just instantly feels right. For instance, take the slide. It's just a slide. Samus has never really done it before, but
it instantly feels AWESOME. It’s another movement option to add to your
repertoire, it can be used for evasion, it transitions smoothly into morph ball mode,
it allows you to move through certain small spaces before you even HAVE the morph ball. It's something to freshen up the gameplay
a smidge and add to that "slipping on your old shoes" feeling. And playing with ANY new ability in a Metroid
game is already a joy, but sometimes putting a new spin on an old ability can open up just
as many new possibilities. In particular, I'd say climbing magnetic surfaces
is a really fantastic addition, because it plays perfectly with the grapple beam and
gives more dimension to these 2D levels; you can climb up and around all sorts of places,
and unlike the classic Spider Ball, here you can still aim and shoot as you go. Aeon abilities from Samus Returns are back
again, but they've been changed and refined. Now instead of having to refill your aeon
meter using special pickups, the meter simply refills on its own, which is a much more elegant
approach. Now aeon acts less like a resource, and more
like a stamina system. And on that note, perhaps my very favorite
new thing in the entire game is the ability to use aeon to do this awesome dash move. In recent years, more and more action games
are realizing that the ability to quickly dodge away from an attack is EXTREMELY important. It gives the player so much more power over
any given situation, and it makes combat that much more fun and satisfying. And that is absolutely true here. This dash move is so fun and empowering, that
I don't want to play a new Metroid game without it ever again. I dearly hope that it's a permanent addition
to Samus' toolbelt, because it's seriously a game-changer. Even more things have been refined since Samus
Returns. Many people disliked the new melee system
because it had a tendency to slow down combat. But now you can use your melee more aggressively,
and you do extra damage if you melee while moving. As with everything else, this aids in Samus'
wonderful flow of movement. And it's also just so nice to see the developers
doing right by the players. The melee system in Samus Returns was probably
the number one problem people had with it, but instead of simply scrapping the whole
system or just doing it again and saying "if you don't like it, play the old games," they
improved upon it to strike a much better balance. And the game is so much better for it. I do think they still have a little more tweaking
to do moving forward. I would like it if some enemies weren’t
automatically counterable, because it’s disappointing to see a weird new creature
and find out that you kill it just like you kill everything else, with a counter. I’d like to have to work a little harder
to kill these things sometimes. But overall though, I’m really happy with
where this melee system is going. When you add all these tweaks and additions
and refinements together, you get a Metroid experience unlike any other. You get a Samus that feels more powerful and
capable and COOL than ever. This makes exploring the world feel as satisfying
as I could possibly hope. And that's good, because there's a lot of
world to explore. Samus Returns featured some really exceptional
level design. They took a very old game with a pretty simple
map and managed to pack a ton of content into it. They considered every ability at Samus' disposal
and made sure to provide ample opportunities to use each one. The design was so good that I drooled at the
thought of MercurySteam having the chance to craft an ENTIRELY new world. And as far as that goes, Dread is a winner. The way these environments are built, the
way you move through them, the way you slowly open things up as you gain abilities; it’s
amazing that mere humans are capable of designing something so complex. As with Samus Returns, it's just so DENSE. There are plenty of larger areas to move through,
but everywhere you look you'll find little puzzles and smaller platforming challenges,
which of course are doubly rewarding when they lead to powerups, which are DELICIOUSLY
plentiful. The game has you moving constantly, sometimes
doing a whole lot of running and jumping and climbing and shooting just to move a short
distance. This can feel a little intimidating at first,
but as you master the controls and earn new tools you'll find yourself zipping around
like a total pro. In proper Metroid fashion, the further you
get in the game the more you feel like you're conquering the world around you. Areas that were once challenging to traverse
are soon cakewalks you blast through in mere moments. One very fun thing about the world is that
it's pretty dynamic. There are some sections you go through once,
then can't return to until much later. There are heart-pumping scripted sequences
you've got to dash through. Events in the game's story will drastically
change areas so that they're more difficult to traverse and require new abilities to explore. These kinds of unexpected elements lend to
the feeling that the world is really alive and reacting to your presence, and obviously
they help keep the experience fresh and fun. I love having to stay on my toes and expect
the unexpected. The designers clearly knew that newcomers
can be intimidated by the idea of exploring such big places and finding important items,
but also that veterans often enjoy facing challenges in this regard. Once more they've decided to try and strike
a balance and refine what they established in Samus Returns. Many people didn't like that the scan pulse
revealed everything within a radius because it made it a little too easy to find everything
and kind of encouraged the player to methodically pulse everywhere they went to kind of fill
out their map. Now the scan pulse only reveals breakable
blocks in the immediate area, which is perfect because it saves you the trouble of shooting
a missile at every single block whenever you're searching a room. And separately from the scan pulse, the map
now highlights general areas where powerups are. This way you might not know something's exact
location, but you at least have a good enough idea that you don't have to spend hours searching
the entire area to snag that one last powerup you still need. Honestly I feel like they were pretty successful
striking a balance here, I think this system is just right. One tweak I'm a little torn on is how you
travel great distances across the map. In Samus Returns, any warp point can take
you to any other warp point. I liked this, but many people felt that it
was a little TOO easy to get around. It's true that the more you manually traverse
an area, the more you come to know it. Warping around a bunch can make a game feel
a lot less grounded. I think that's why this time they took away
the free warps and instead made a series of warps and elevators and such all in pairs,
with each one only leading to one other. The red warp only takes you to the other red
warp somewhere else in the world. This elevator takes you to one place, etc. I do like this system because you can randomly
find a warp where you didn't expect to, and it can take you deep into territory you've
never explored. At first you don't know where that other red
warp is, after all. And I can absolutely respect that they were
trying to connect the world together and give it some sort of logic instead of just letting
the player fast travel wherever they want. But honestly, traversal can be a bit of a
pain. That's really one of my only problems with
the game; I wish the different areas connected in more places, or at least that more shortcuts
could be opened up. All too often I'll need to get way across
the map and have very little idea of how to do that in good time. And that's largely because this game very
unfortunately falls into the same trap that MANY Metroidvanias do. Areas that look connected often aren't. You'll travel a long distance just to see
that the way is blocked for no good reason, and you've got to go all the way around some
different way. Making a plan then finding that it doesn't
work happens a little too often. And running around all over the place, having
no idea how to get to a specific area you’ve already been, is just no fun. The dynamic map makes things even more difficult,
because that's another element that can change whether or not you've got easy access to an
area, and accidentally hitting the same dead end over and over is particularly embarrassing. The game is impeccably designed so that you’re
constantly being lead naturally in the direction you need to go as long as you stick to the
main path, but that means that deviating from the path to explore can lead to that thing
where there’s exactly one single place on the entire map you need to be and you’ve
completely lost track of where it is and you have to either run around aimlessly for a
while or look it up. Overall I just wish it was easier to move
around without consulting the map. As it is, everything is just warps and elevators
and these big train things, which are all essentially the same thing when you think
about it. The areas do connect in a TON of different
places, but I'd like more of the areas to ACTUALLY FEEL connected in more natural ways. Confuddling traversal is a disappointing aspect
of the game, to be sure, but the frustration is eased dramatically by the new and improved
map. It provides so, SO much more information than
the maps of old, including actual terrain layout and environmental data. This makes it a lot easier to plan what you're
doing and to tell what you're actually looking at when perusing the map. You can put your own markers down, which is
something that every game ever should have started doing FOREVER AGO. But best of all--and I mean it, BEST OF ALL--the
map now tracks what kinds of obstacles are where. I LOVE me some Metroidvanias, but I absolutely
hate getting a new ability that lets me overcome an obstacle and being like, "Yeah, I passed
LOADS of those things before! This is gonna be great!!!" ...Then feeling like I can't find most of
them, because there are TONS of obstacles in the game and I'm not about to remember
or write down every single one. I definitely understand the idea of making
the player try to remember where things are and chart things out in their own heads. There can be value in that. But in a Metroidvania, I feel like if I see
an obstacle, I shouldn't have to fumble around looking for it later when I finally have the
tool I need. Especially here, with Metroid! It's character knowledge, right? It only makes sense that Samus' suit is tracking
all this stuff. If I see that I need the morph ball bomb to
get through a certain obstacle, yes, please mark that spot on my map intead of making
me either mark it down on my own crudely-drawn map or just try to remember. Some might find this a little too hand-holdy,
but I feel like it's perfect. I know vaguely where an item is. If I find its exact location but don't have
the item I need to get it, I'll always remember where I need to return later. And even if I do have the right item, so many
powerups are locked behind little challenges where you've still got to work to earn them,
so it’s not like the extra map info does all the work for you or anything. Alright, that's enough SEARCH, let's get to
the ACTION! It probably doesn't come as a surprise when
I say that Metroid Dread easily, hands down, by a country mile and a half, has the best
combat in the series. Everything I've been talking about: the fluid
controls, the new moveset, the improved melee system, EVERYTHING--it all makes for some
EXQUISITE combat. Runnin' and shootin' stuff has always been
fun in Metroid games, but Samus Returns totally reinvented Metroid combat and Dread takes
it to dizzying new heights. This is most clear during boss encounters. Maybe I'm throwing these kinds of claims around
a little haphazardly, but I stand by them so I ain't stopping. Metroid Dread has the best bosses of any 2D
Metroid game, second only to Samus Returns. And really, I think a lot of it comes down
to modern hardware. The more complex moveset allows for more complex
bosses. Even more than that though, I think the folks
at MercurySteam are just that good at designing bosses. Attacks are now so much more focused and purposeful,
and that's because you're now expected to dodge most of them. It felt like there was a lot more margin of
error in the old games. I tanked a ton of hits and fumbled my way
through many of the old bosses. But these ones demand A LOT from you. You've got to fight them multiple times, learn
all their moves and how to dodge them, figure out exactly when and how you should be dealing
damage. And I can't even tell you how refreshing and
exhilarating this new level of challenge is. I frequently get on Nintendo's case for making
games too easy, but this is exactly the level of challenge I'm looking for. It forces me to--for lack of a better term--GIT
GUD. I absolutely HAVE to be doing my very best
with some of these bosses or I will not survive. Some of them are exceptionally tricky, but
always feel completely fair. And when I earn a win, I EARNED that win. Emerging victorious after many deaths gives
me that crazy rush of dopamine that I find myself seeking more and more these days. It makes me feel ALIVE. And I've never really experienced that to
quite the same degree when playing the old games. I absolutely love it, and I feel like it better
fits the desires of modern gamers who are still looking for a solid challenge. Now, let's talk about something that's kind
of like a boss, but not quite. EMMIs, the nigh-invulnerable robots that give
Metroid Dread its name. Certain areas of the map are ruled by their
respective EMMIs. You've got to sneak around them, and if they
see or hear you they make chase. If they catch you, they kill you. You've got a chance to counter and stun them
briefly, but this is very difficult. And if they're actively chasing you, all the
doors in and out of their areas shut so you've got to get them off your tail before you can
actually escape. Putting multiple mandatory stealth sections
in the game was a risky move, and indeed it seems to have kind of messed up the experience
for a good number of people. I totally understand, and I've had my fair
share of annoying encounters with them. Like I said, that counter move is INCREDIBLY
hard to do, so I have seen many game over screens thanks to them. Sometimes it feels like even if I’m doing
everything right they still manage to catch me. And there have been a few times when I just
couldn't figure out how to best them, and felt like I was beating my head against the
wall. However, I still LOVE what the EMMIs do for
the game. The encounters just get harder and harder
each time, so seeing an EMMI door and realizing you HAVE to go through it, UGH... Well, that's that feeling of dread Sakamoto
was looking for. And I love it. The encounters are stressful, but coming out
alive on the other side feels incredible. Whenever I feel like I'm stuck, I really just
need to change up my strategy, and when a new strategy works I feel like an awesome…stealth…GENIUS! Sakamoto mentioned that they spent a really
long time tuning these encounters so that they're not too hard and not too easy, and
it shows. Survival is always within my reach, but golly
goodness I've got to work for it. It's just like a hard boss encounter; it makes
me feel ALIVE. And being stuck in a particularly tricky situation,
narrowly avoiding death again and again, then successfully countering an EMMI and actually
getting through because of it? THEN tracking down a big zappy thing and finally
taking it out? The feeling is...unreal. I mean what a rush! Dread's EMMIs might be divisive, but I love
them because they create stories. The close calls and mighty triumphs are memories
I'll carry with me. We're nearly at the end, and I've had mostly
very positive things to say about Metroid Dread. But I do have one major problem with the game
that stands above the rest. I feel like the major areas don't really have
strong identities or do as much as I would like to differentiate themselves. I mean, they do have different themes, different
visuals, different hazards, all that. But for some reason they all kind of run together
in my mind. Like, Super Metroid. I can distinctly remember the different areas
of that game. The lava place, the water place, the weirdo
fungus spoor place, the haunted ship... Dread has themes like that, but for some reason
I frequently forget where I am. It might have something to do with how often
you warp all over the place, and how the areas aren't really arranged in any meaningful way? Or maybe it's just the modern visuals flooding
my brain with details that kind of muddy up my memory? I'm not entirely sure, but I do know one reason
I feel this way. It's the music. It's...just not very good. I mean it's FINE most of the time. It's not bad. But...why isn't it better? I couldn't hum you even one theme from Metroid
Dread off the top of my head. Every time I entered a new area I waited for
that awesome music to kick in, and it just kind of never did. And honestly, I think this hurts the game
quite a lot. One of the absolute most important things
about Metroid is the atmosphere, and the music is a massive, MASSIVE part of that. Again, Super Metroid is the golden standard. You go down an elevator and that theme kicks
in, and you know you're in for something good. I mean gosh, the music is like 75% of what
makes a place like Meridia so INTENSELY atmospheric! Or how about Magmoor Caverns? You know you're in Magmoor Caverns the SECOND
you step foot off that elevator. With such incredible visuals, Dread was poised
to take home the trophy for atmosphere. But...nah. And that hurts. The atmosphere, the vibe, the mood, whatever
you want to call it, that's what sticks in my mind the absolute MOST when I play games. It's the icing on the cake. It's what turns a great game into an UNFORGETTABLE
game. Don't get me wrong, Metroid Dread doesn't
get ZERO points here. The atmosphere is still very good, especially
thanks to those visuals. A newcomer probably won't have a problem at
all. But the series has got a pedigree when it
comes to music, and Dread just does not live up to it. It's not enough to ruin the game, but it's
a weird element to flub when basically all Metroid games before it have had amazing soundtracks. Apart from that one big issue, Metroid Dread
is a marvelous game. In many ways it feels like an impossible dream
come true. It came to us after so many years of hopeless
waiting, and with the Dread name we thought was lost to time. Since the last game, Metroidvanias have become
extremely common, with many highly popular titles to choose from; and yet, Dread managed
to do everything it needed to do to set itself apart. Creating a modern Metroid that lived up not
only to its own name but to the wonderful titles inspired by the series must have been
quite the challenge, but Mr. Sakamoto and MercurySteam made it look easy. It's not an exceptionally long game, but the
world is incredibly dense and well-designed. The controls and presentation are head and
shoulders above most other games in the genre. They made Metroid 5. And it was Metroid Dread. AND it turned out amazing. What kind of Twilight Zone paradise am I living
in? Am I going to wake up and realize it was all
a dream? And then Rod Serling does a little outro monologue
about how dumb and sad I am? Very possibly, but right now I can say that
Dread is probably the best Metroid game. If it weren't for the music and area theming
issues, I'd say it was DEFINITELY the best. Even if it's not definitively the absolute
most objectively best Metroid ever though, there's no doubt that it sets the foundation
for a whole new era of Metroid games very nicely. I don't know if they plan on making more after
this, but if they do, the series has got a bright future. One final thing I'll say to try and communicate
how good I think this game is? I used to believe that Super Metroid should
never get a complete modern 2.5D remake. No, the game is already beautiful. Remastered pixel graphics? Absolutely. Revamped controls? I’d love that. Maybe like a complete 3D reimagining in the
style of Prime or something? I'd be into that. But getting rid of that beautiful pixel art
and redoing the whole thing, it was just...why? Why would they do that? It's just not necessary, I thought. Then I played Dread. Now there is no doubt in my mind; a Super
Metroid remake in this style, by this team, would be INCREDIBLE. I'd gladly take remakes of EVERY Metroid game
now. They ALL deserve to look this good and play
this smoothly and have these awesome cutscenes. That's how good Dread is. That's how much confidence I have in the team. This is modern Metroid. And it's incredible. So there you go. That was my review of Metroid Dread. That was my review of METROID DREAD! What do YOU think about Metroid Dread, that
game that is real and we've all played? Let me know down in the comments. And if you'll excuse me, I'll be playing Star
Fox Grand Prix.
Finally
I’ve been waiting for Arlo’s review for so long
I don’t always agree with Arlo, but I feel this review is pretty spot on. His only critique is basically the music, something I share.
My biggest complaint was that the areas don't ever connect organically so instead of different areas of a large world it felt like separate stages with ways to get to a loading zone in-between each one.
Surprised it's not just 20 mins of Arlo pleasure noises. Or screaming.
Took him long enough. God. I completed this game several times in the first month of its release.