“Demo Disk” – Metroid Dread (2021) [Switch]

Demo Disk is a series of first impressions posts for new releases and quick opinions.

After 19 years, Samus Aran has returned to her 2D roots to reclaim her crown as the Queen of Metroidvanias. 

Metroid Dread – also titled Metroid 5 – is the direct sequel to 2002’s Metroid Fusion. The game follows Samus Aran as she investigates sightings of an X Parasite on the uncharted planet, ZDR. Once on the planet, she awakens to find herself in the planet’s depths stripped of her latent abilities and being hunted by nigh-invulnerable robots called E.M.M.I. Samus must now make her way back to the surface while avoiding the E.M.M.I.’s. As she does so, she will uncover the secrets of ZDR and her place within the puzzle of Metroids, Chozo, and X.

I’ve finished Metroid Dread only recently and I’m here to drop some first impressions for this long-awaited and anticipated sequel.

Comin’ At Ya Like A Shinespark

It can be said that no one expected a 2D Metroid game to be announced, or even released in 2021. However, Nintendo – being Nintendo – dropped a Power Bomb on all of us during the E3 Nintendo Direct presentation with the announcement of Metroid Dread. Further along, Nintendo also revealed the game’s release date: October 8, 2021. 

When the announcement dropped, my heart skipped a beat: A brand new Metroid game! Set after Fusion! And in 2D! It seemed that the internet collectively dropped their jaws during the presentation.

A subsequent video featuring series producer Yoshio Sakamoto expanded on the game’s development. Nintendo recruited MercurySteam to develop the title after their work on Metroid: Samus Returns – the remake of Metroid 2. MercurySteam implemented a refined version of the controls and abilities introduced in Samus Returns. The Nintendo Treehouse playthrough presentation showcased this upgraded gameplay in detail following the E3 announcement. After watching it, I came away with the impression that this would be the best game of the series. After playing it in the span of a weekend, now, I can safely say that Metroid Dread is my game of the year.

A World Filled With Dread

What’s fascinating about Dread is the diverse and vibrant environments that Samus explores. From caves to laboratories, to ancient Chozo ruins, each area within Planet ZDR has a level of vivacity. As I played through each section, I could see how alive everything looked and felt in the game. The map this time around is highly detailed with plenty of opportunities to uncover hidden areas and secrets.

The Indomitable Bounty Hunter

Of course, no Metroid game is complete without abilities and upgrades and there are plenty of them in this title. Staples like the Charge Beam and the Morph Ball are present, but there are some new abilities as well. The Dash Counter is one such move – allowing Samus to parry and strike back at enemies while in motion. Another neat move is the Slide, used for getting through narrow tunnels while retaining forward momentum. 

It’s the Slide and the Dash Counter maneuvers that bring a level of fluidity to Dread not seen in previous games. Samus moves like a juggernaut as she mows down creatures with unparalleled and ruthless efficiency. It was hard for me to stop smiling as I ran, wall-jumped, slid through narrow passages, and blasted everything in sight. 

This is best showcased in the many tough boss fights within the game. Players are treated to an interactive cutscene where they need to unload everything they got after landing a counter. Samus moves, flips and slides effortlessly while showering her foes with missiles and beams aplenty. 

The most impressive thing about all of this is that I suffered no reduction in frame rates during play, both on handheld and docked.

Unstoppable Killing Machines

No matter how powerful I felt, though, nothing could prepare me for my first E.M.M.I. encounter. Nintendo and MercurySteam did a fantastic job in portraying the dread in Metroid Dread thanks to these machines and the reliance on stealth to overcome them. On entering an E.M.M.I. zone, the colour palettes become muted and you’re surrounded by the sounds of clicks and beeps. The tension starts when you enter as you’re not aware of its location. 

The E.M.M.I. move and contort themselves in such a way that is both fluid and unsettling to watch. There’s definitely a heightened sense of tension whenever one is around and it escalates if Samus makes any noise. Their movements become faster and they race to the source of the sounds. The exits are locked and the E.M.M.I. move towards Samus at lightning speed if she is discovered. Samus dies and the game is over if she is caught by one. Thankfully, the game is kind enough to send you back to before you entered the zone. Samus has a brief window to parry and stun an E.M.M.I. if captured, but the timing is random and the counter needs to be perfect to connect. 

Samus can evade the E.M.M.I. through the use of the Phantom Cloak Aeion ability, which renders her invisible to the robot’s sensors. However, the only true way to defeat an E.M.M.I. is by using the Omega Cannon, which itself leads to a tense standoff between yourself and the machine as you prepare to fire.

Final Words

All of what I’ve described and shown above is but a sliver of what’s available within Metroid Dread. There are so many revelations that tie into the previous entries that I felt my jaw continually drop to the floor. Each boss fight felt like a choreographed dance with a powerful foe. Each upgrade made me think of the possibilities ahead of me. To me, Dread has been the most exhilarating experience I’ve had to date with the Metroid series. Everything within this game oozes with that high level of polish Nintendo is famous for. Despite it following the standard formula of all Metroidvanias, Metroid Dread has a way of making the entire genre feel fresh again.

Despite beating it for the first time recently, I’m not ready to move on from it. I still feel tingly thinking about how everything ends and I don’t recall the last time I felt that way about a video game. The atmospheric storytelling, the fluid and lag-free action, the breathtaking visuals, the feelings of isolation and, yes, even dread. These can only be found in their most optimal form within Metroid.

Dread is going to be a game that will live in my head rent-free for quite some time. Here, Samus is at her absolute best in the thrilling conclusion of the main series.

Hail to the Queen, baby.

Ryan Cheddi – our friendly, neighbourhood caffeine addict – is a man of many talents: an engineer, a gaming historian, a fiction writer and a streamer. He is also a self-avowed Sonic the Hedgehog fan. You can check out his cool beans at his site – Games with Coffee – or find him on Twitter as @GameswCoffee, and Instagram as @games_with_coffee. He streams on Twitch, also as GamesWithCoffee.