My Re-Entry into the Metroid Universe with Metroid Dread

Prior to playing Metroid Dread, I have not touched a Metroid game in over 16 years.

I was still an elementary school student at the time, merely taking my initial steps into the wide world of video gaming with Metroid: Zero Mission as the second game I purchased for my Gameboy Advance. As an eight-year-old basically new to gaming, playing through Zero Mission was certainly a challenge that evoked a fair amount of frustration — as well as rewarding memories of accomplishment. A memory of the game that encapsulates this perfectly involves my first encounter with Kraid, one of Zero Mission’s first major bosses. At the time, it had never even crossed my mind that I could shoot into Kraid’s mouth to deal damage. I thought you had to shoot into Kraid’s belly holes (LOL). I was stuck on Kraid for a few months, replaying through the beginning of the game over and over with no clue how to proceed and apparently no awareness that I could consult a guide online to get unstuck. With each reset of the game, I was slowly losing hope and resigning myself to the fact that Zero Mission might just be something that I would not be able to conquer.

Then one day, I figured it out. I defeated Kraid, and it felt like a huge weight got lifted off my shoulders. In a hilarious twist of events, I got stuck again because I had no clue how to activate the Speed Booster ability to exit his lair. Thankfully, I figured that out in around thirty minutes as opposed to three months. Reinvigorated, I could not put the game down in the weeks that followed, making steady progress and successfully managing to beat the game.

Although I have matured as a gamer and refined my gaming preferences and tastes over the years, my experience with Metroid: Zero Mission is still something that I fondly recall. It was a game that really tested my resilience and opened my eyes to the immense satisfaction of exploring new worlds and overcoming seemingly impossible obstacles in video games. When Metroid Dread was announced at the E3 Nintendo Direct earlier this year, I could not help but experience a rush of nostalgia and curiosity for the next installment in the Metroid franchise.

I would not consider myself a devout fan of Metroid by any stretch of the imagination, but I was impressed with Metroid Dread’s early footage and figured it might be worth trying out. Metroid Dread initially intrigued me because it embraced the 2D platforming and combat that distinguishes the mainline Metroid games while leveraging the power of the Switch to deliver gameplay in line with modern gaming standards. I currently do not own a Nintendo Switch, but when my friend said he was willing to let me borrow his console to play Dread, it was an offer that I simply could not refuse.

With such a limited personal history with the series, I am somewhat nervous writing this piece and I know that I will not be able to meticulously discuss certain aspects like the game’s narrative and lore. However, I am enthusiastic about sharing my thoughts on Metroid Dread knowing that I can provide a different point of view as an *almost* newcomer to the series.

I believe that Metroid Dread can serve as a solid entry point to Metroid for newcomers to the series, evoking many of the same feelings and emotions I had playing through Metroid: Zero Mission over a decade and a half ago. However, there are some caveats that I feel newcomers should be aware of before diving into Metroid Dread as their first Metroid game.

Everything Awesome About the Game

Metroid Dread does a stellar job of embracing the Metroid series’ humble roots as a 2D ‘Metroidvania’ platformer while meaningfully building upon elements introduced in previous titles. For instance, the game’s expansive level and world design gives the game a fantastic sense of scale. Samus’ adventure in Metroid Dread takes her to the remote planet of ZDR, which features a range of unique biomes including lush jungles and zones completely submerged underwater. I was impressed by how large these areas were, with each area’s individual map feeling so much larger relative to comparable locations in previous Metroid games. The enlarged size of Metroid Dread’s overall map sets the game apart with how much there is for the player to discover and explore and ends up making Samus’ mission in Dread feel that much more perilous and epic.

With regards to exploration and combat, I loved how each of Samus’ abilities remained relevant throughout the entire game. Each ability sees regular usage after being unlocked, granting Samus access to new routes and equipping her with additional tools to overcome tough combat encounters. Although this design choice is characteristic to all Metroid games, I felt that it was really emphasized in Dread with the game’s combat and world design purposefully encouraging players to tap into every ability in Samus’ arsenal. Bosses throughout the game require players to leverage multiple abilities to evade attacks and strike back. Recently unlocked abilities are often used right away to open up previously inaccessible areas, and continue to see use afterwards but in different ways as Samus uses these abilities in combination with other abilities or in areas with different environmental features.

Metroid’s philosophy towards making each of Samus’ tools and weapons equally important and practical helps the series avoid some of the key shortcomings I have observed with skill trees and progression systems in many modern games. I have noticed that many games today struggle with ensuring that individual items, equipment and abilities acquired are actually useful, and one of my biggest gaming pet peeves is unlocking something that ends up providing minimal benefit or immediately makes no sense to use given the power of other items / abilities available. The fact that the Metroid series has embraced and effectively executed this unique approach to progression across a multitude of games released over multiple decades is truly worthy of praise.

Metroid’s arrival on the Switch with Metroid Dread has opened a considerable number of doors for the franchise. As far as 2D Metroid titles go, Dread is running on the most powerful hardware relative to its peers. With the enhanced performance of the Switch, Dread looks and feels phenomenal. Combat and movement are remarkably responsive in Dread, and Samus’ nimbleness and agility in the game makes it an absolute pleasure to play.

The game’s approach to bosses and stealth also complements Samus’ improved mobility in Dread. Dread’s boss battles — one of the hallmarks of Metroid games — are amazing and constantly keep players on their toes. In my opinion, the bosses in Dread are generally more multidimensional than their counterparts from previous games with multiple phases, attacks and patterns that demand precise movement from the player. Mastery of Samus’ movement and evasion is crucial to taking down Dread’s most challenging bosses. Although the increased sophistication of Dread’s bosses made them difficult to defeat, none of them were unfair. Like Metroid games of old, defeating bosses in Dread is akin to solving a puzzle — players need to intimately learn and understand how each boss behaves to uncover the best way to take them down, and the methodical approach required to get through these encounters in one piece is what makes Metroid bosses so memorable.

The only gripe that I have with Dread’s bosses are the mini-boss encounters that begin appearing around halfway through the game. The issue with these fights is that they involve the same enemies, which gets repetitive because each enemy has the same attacks and require more or less the same tactics to defeat. These mini-bosses ended up becoming a nuisance and a chore to fight, negatively impacting the pacing of the game by unnaturally grinding the game’s forward progression to a halt with each encounter.

Since the release of Metroid Fusion and Metroid: Zero Mission, the Metroid franchise has dabbled with stealth gameplay that adds a fresh twist to the traditional gameplay seen in older Metroid titles. Stealth forces players to slow down and more methodically plan their movement, which diverges from Metroid’s standard gameplay loop. This careful approach to thinking is normally not required in Metroid because one wrong step does not result in a near immediate game over or death in non-stealth sections. The evolution of stealth mechanics in Metroid games continues in Metroid Dread, where it is one of the game’s focal points. Almost every area in Dread contains an EMMI zone, a designated section of the map where Samus is pursued by an indestructible robot — the EMMI — that will instantly kill Samus if it catches her. These sections were frustrating and challenging to say the least, but ended up being a memorable and differentiating aspect of the game that helped diversify Dread’s gameplay. With the goal of avoiding detection to survive and reach the next safe area on the map, EMMI zones never failed to instill feelings of unease and tension, harkening back to the unique horror elements that distinguished Metroid Fusion. I particularly liked how EMMI zones could be approached by the players in different ways, as running through these sections guns blazing or moving slowly and carefully with stealth abilities like the Phantom Cloak were both viable options.

With repeated deaths being an inevitable part of learning how to overcome tricky bosses and EMMI zones, I am thankful that Dread features a forgiving checkpoint system. After each death from a boss or EMMI, Dread respawns Samus right in front of the EMMI zone or boss room. Being able to quickly jump back into the action with no real setbacks makes it much more encouraging for the player to repeatedly attempt and play through these tough sections.

Metroid Dread’s Story and Franchise Newcomers

I would argue that the story being told in a Metroid game will never be its most crucial ingredient for success given the standard that the franchise has set for combat and exploration. However, I do agree that story and narrative will always be an important part of a player’s overall enjoyment of a Metroid game, even though games in the series often embrace a more indirect approach to storytelling with gameplay interaction — as opposed to cutscenes and dialogue — being the main narrative driver.

I imagine that there are many players who are hesitant to purchase Metroid Dread and are worried that they will not be able to appreciate or resonate with the game’s story because the game is a direct sequel to Metroid Fusion. After playing through the game, I believe that some prior knowledge of the events of previous Metroid games (most notably Metroid, Metroid 2, Super Metroid and Metroid Fusion) is needed fully engage with Dread’s story. Although some players might be turned off by the need to brush up on Metroid lore prior to playing Dread, only a high-level understanding of these games are required and can be easily achieved by spending 15–20 minutes watching a video recapping Metroid’s broader story. That is exactly what I did as someone not too invested in the longstanding history of Metroid, and it improved my Metroid Dread experience considerably by helping contextualize many of the game’s major plot points.

Even though I have not followed Metroid particularly closely, I am happy that devout fans of the series received a game that meaningfully expands the wider story told across multiple Metroid titles. Playing through Dread, I could tell that the game’s narrative was catered to diehard fans of the franchise with how much it calls back to major events from the games that preceded it and the broader Metroid lore. I personally enjoyed many of Dread’s notable scenes despite having a basic understanding of their significance, and I feel that many fans who have been supporting the franchise for years will not be disappointed with the game’s key plot revelations and how they enrich and build upon the extensive continuity of the overall series.

My only major criticism with Metroid Dread’s narrative is the game’s ending, particularly the final scene that plays before the credits roll. I felt that this scene concluded the game far too abruptly and did not receive the necessary amount of build up or explanation for it to truly make sense. Other than this small nitpick, I found it easy to get invested in and remain engaged with Samus’ mission in Metroid Dread. The game never failed to keep me guessing on what direction it would head and its numerous twists and surprises kept me excited about moving forward to find out what happens next.

What Metroid Dread Could Have Improved

Don’t get me wrong, I think the music in Metroid Dread is good. Compared to previous Metroid games though, Dread’s soundtrack falls flat and could been much better. For some reason, I just feel Dread’s soundtrack lacks the charm and character of music from previous titles. The melodies are more hushed and less evocative than what I expected, and I found that they did not significantly elevate the unique elements of each area and encounter where each track was played. In my opinion, the theme composed for a certain area or boss in older Metroid games were often the most unforgettable element of the location or boss itself, and I am disappointed that this is not the case in Dread. Music from previous Metroid games I have watched a single let’s play of more than half a decade ago have left a deeper impression on me than most of the tracks in Metroid Dread. I can fully remember (and hum) multiple individual tracks from these older Metroid games, but I cannot vividly recall any of the music played in Dread — a game that I played literally a month ago. I do think that Metroid Dread has a decent soundtrack that may grow on me over time, but I would encourage players going into the game to lower their expectations for it.

My biggest criticism with Metroid Dread is how the game often forced me to play on its terms with regards to exploration. What I mean by this is that there is often an illusion of choice with how the player can interact with the map and world. Even though Samus can move freely, she is often confined to a specific section of the map when the game progresses as previous areas that were visited become blocked off and inaccessible. This design consideration helps move the player forward and prevent them from getting lost, which can be a legitimate concern in Metroidvania games with large, open maps. I would highly recommend checking out this video from Boss Keys, which thoroughly examines the different tactics Metroid Dread employs to achieve this.

I can understand the value of restricting exploration, particularly to orient new players. However, I felt that it was a bit too much in Metroid Dread (where it applies for well over 80% of the game), and hampers the gameplay experience more so than elevating it. I feel the structured forward progression in Dread goes against the spirit of Metroidvania games, where a lot of the fun in playing them comes from being able to freely explore the map and figure out how to get past obstacles on your own. Most of Dread plays out in a fairly linear fashion and it is painfully obvious at times where the player needs to head next. This diminishes the satisfaction of exploration in Dread, since the game often spells out what needs to be done to proceed.

To keep the player moving forward, Metroid Dread’s game design almost entirely prevents backtracking and I dislike how the game seems to have never accommodated it from the start. In all Metroid games, players come across items like Missile Tanks or Energy Tanks that cannot be retrieved until Samus unlocks a specific ability. Unfortunately, even if you do unlock the necessary ability some time later, there are many blocked off items that players cannot revisit immediately to collect (without sequence breaking). Many these items cannot be normally collected until the end of the game because the rooms they are found in cannot be accessed again until then.

Ultimately, there are benefits towards adopting the style of exploration featured in Metroid Dread and I can see some players who would prefer playing a more linear 2D Metroid title. I personally think Dread’s approach to exploration could have been dialed down significantly with fewer barriers limiting open exploration of ZDR’s vast and imaginative world. For future games in the Metroid series, I hope that this design choice is reconsidered and modified to encourage the high freedom of exploration we would expect from games in its genre.

Closing Thoughts

Despite having a few criticisms, Metroid Dread met my expectations for what I wanted it to be and certainly provided the nostalgia I yearned for as a player returning to the series. Dread wholeheartedly conveys what I feel makes Metroid games so unique, and would be a great game for first-time Metroid players eager to experience the gameplay that has set the franchise apart. Even though some background knowledge of the game is required to fully connect with Dread’s story, I hope that players getting their first taste of Metroid through Metroid Dread — at the end of Samus’ adventure across the core Metroid games — will be inspired to learn more about the series’ humble beginnings.