Metroid Dread

 Switch
User Score
8.7

Generally favorable reviews- based on 2790 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2,386 out of 2790
  2. Mixed: 158 out of 2790
  3. Negative: 246 out of 2790
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  1. RyogaWanderer
    Oct 11, 2021
    2
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. as a fan of the Metroid series since I played the first one as a kid on the NES, I wanted to love this game. I genuinely did. There has never been a Metroid game that I have not enjoyed enough to at least beat. Until now.

    I see a lot of the praise for this game, and I see what people are saying and they are loving the exact things I hate, and it is extremely discouraging. Do you know why I played previous Metroid games? I love to explore. I like finding everything, getting all of the items, and then because I have everything, being able to just power through bosses. It felt like there were two potential gameplay loops: Explore and power up and make bosses easy or, rush through and have superior gameplay to beat bosses with more limited gear and less health.

    Metroid: Dread, no matter what you do, is the latter. Always. No matter how many extra energy tanks you have, boss hits will drain multiple. At best you give yourself one extra hit. Exploration and discovery then offers minimal reward, so rushed gameplay is encouraged. Boss fights are hyper-tuned and in most cases require very specific sequences to progress, From the first boss that you MUST use the melee counter to defeat onward, the game emphasizes perfect combat gameplay over any other aspect. God help you if your TV has any input lag, because some of the REQUIRED quick time events are fraction of a second inputs. by the time you even see the flash, the window may have closed.

    All of the above would be forgivable if there was a difficulty setting, If I just want to explore and see the story, why the hell do I have to deal with infuriating mechanics or spend literal hours on bosses, dying over and over to iteratively learn complex patterns? Why can I not just tone it down? let me play on easy, have the bosses do less damage, make the melee/quick time event windows longer, give them less health so I don't have to do the same cycles over and over. I really don't care, just let me pick.
    As for the EMMI sections, where the dread is supposed to come in? At first it's exciting. I need to get away from this murder robot because I am not strong enough to handle them. It's pretty fun and interesting and tense. And then you have to do it again. and again. and again. and again. Eventually you get tools that make it more tolerable, and you feel like you are in the steal section of other games, and it's OK, if a bit annoying, but then later areas are designed to nullify those tools. It more often than not feels like the developers giving you a giant middle finger for trying to play their game. Also, the loop of getting the omega cannon to defeat them and then immediately losing the omega cannon for nonsensical reasons gets trite. You don't even get to use it beyond killing EMMIs as the end of the game which is an absolute missed opportunity.

    In the end I am feeling let down. After Samus Returns I was a little wary because that game had some required melee counters and I did not like them, but they are also few and far between. Mostly just on sporadic boss fights. In most instances if my reflexes were not up to the task I could go the longer route and shoot them to death. Except for Ridley, and I remember hating that fact at the time. They doubled down on it. If this is the direction the series is going to go then I guess I can't be a Metroid fan anymore. This is not what I expected, and it is certainly not what I want. The only points here are for the story, which I deeply enjoyed. Everything else was a disappointing frustrating mess and I regret every minute of it.    … Expand
  2. angelar_
    Oct 10, 2021
    3
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Even the best games cannot live up to 2 decades worth of hype, but as a long term fan who grew up with this series, MS and Nintendo jointly really managed to screw this one up in a big way.

    I'll get the compliments out of the way first, as they informed my score. The game obviously is as amazing as Metroid has ever looked, and it feels good to play for the most part at face value. The game is significantly quicker than previous games (much more on this later,) and MS clearly made a good-faith effort to address the "staccato" complaints about the way Samus Returns played. The game is also aided heavily by the higher quality Switch sticks over the 3DS slider, though it still leaves something to be desired. The boss design could be frequently dazzling (like, you know... when Nintendo wasn't going all out to spoil as much of it as possible in previews,) and the enemy variety is worlds apart from what was offered in SR. It runs at 60 FPS stable most of the time, which is a big deal (and utterly necessary--again, more on this later.) The few supporting characters there are in SR are also delightful and really sell the magic. There's even a conlang present for the worldbuilding nerds out there. The game also featured some really gorgeous, faithfully recreated splash arts from Fusion in the intro.

    Unfortunately, virtually nothing else about this met my expectations. It tragically seems that the creative minds behind Metroid are still haunted to this day about being deservedly raked over the coals over Other M, but they have utterly failed to understand what the correct way to address that is. What trifles of dialogue Samus has are utterly sterile and bland. Even her monologue in the intro is so artless that it reads like fanfiction. It's simple to a fault, has no flair for the dramatic whatsoever, and has utterly ham-fisted phrasing. It reads like a translator paraphrased it how they would in modern dialogue, and that no writer was involved whatsoever. There is really no reason for this, as monologues have been a staple since Super Metroid. Other than that, Samus speaks exactly once, and it is so bare bones "I'm the protag" simplistic it has no value whatsoever and might as well not be there. This is obviously in response to criticism towards Other M, while Nintendo seems to have collective amnesia about Metroid Fusion, where Samus was able to speak without it being a critical disaster.

    The plot of the game generally is an utter let down. The reveal hidden in Samus Returns' art gallery was absolutely jaw-dropping at the time, but all Nintendo has done with it is the most predictable outcome possible--and, of course, brazenly spoiling the character in question in the marketing. The game itself has no sense for execution here, either--these things are slapped around instantly as if they have no gravity whatsoever. Chozo in the flesh, no big deal, and certainly not unprecedented! What an absolute disaster. They even spoiled the only plot twist in the game in public interviews months prior to release, though it was not apparent at the time. I feel no need to recant it here.

    I'm not sure what this game thinks their target audience is, but I frequently felt like I requried reflexes of someone half my age to play this game. The game is utterly obsessed with split second, twitchy counters and is otherwise an absolute scion of rotten QTEs. This angered me nonstop, and seems to be a common source of frustration for most players from what I can asee. The game not only wants you to be unreasonably fast, but it does a poor job of communicating what it even wants from you in that .5 second window it has allotted for you to react in. I died over and over and over again to all of these bloody QTEs and they were utterly infuriating to the absolute end of the game, even towards what was meant to be a showy scripted sequence after the final boss. MS tried their best to clean up their parry mechanic, but they are clearly utterly unrepentant about it broadly, and i resent that it's been injected intro Metroid where it absolutely does not belong. This was the huge deal breaker for me. I hated what this game stood for more and more the further I got in it. Metroid is no longer about adventure and exploration, about being nerdy or rewarding your curiosity, but about being a boneheaded ritual of trial and error, and a contest to show off your incredible reaction time by pushing the X button every time you're prompted within fractions of a second, hundreds of times, over and over and over again. This isn't what makes a game fun. It isn't what makes one good at games. It feels like a game for teenage boys, by teenage boys in 2021.

    Lastly, the music in Dread is perfectly forgettable. It is TERRIBLE. The only tunes to speak of are the dead horse Super Metroid tracks you hear in every last game. Every other track is a samey slog of instrumentation that is obsessed with being ambient, and literally none of them have melody.    … Expand
  3. libarria
    Oct 10, 2021
    3
    I have been a metroid fan for a while, but this game is disappointing. The graphics are good, but it has lost what other metroid games did pretty well.
    The controls are kind of floaty. Sometimes samus will jump when you want it to run, or not stop in place.
    The progression on the game is (or feels) much slower than usual, less focused on exploration, compared to a Super Metroid or    I have been a metroid fan for a while, but this game is disappointing. The graphics are good, but it has lost what other metroid games did pretty well.
    The controls are kind of floaty. Sometimes samus will jump when you want it to run, or not stop in place.
    The progression on the game is (or feels) much slower than usual, less focused on exploration, compared to a Super Metroid or Metroid Zero.
    The gimmick of the game, the robots that chase you, gets old quickly. They are basically one hit kills. Metroid is supposed to be about exploring and using weapons, trying things, not dying over and over. Even when you have the cannon to deal with the robots, then it becomes almost a series of quicktime events.
    I honestly cannot recommend it, either go with 3D metroid or keep to the 2D classics.    … Expand
  4. maevtr
    Oct 11, 2021
    4
    I never review games. i have to review this to tell the developers how much i hate the EMMI system. No game has ever been fun by having enemies you cant kill, and having to sit through a death animation every 2 minutes.
  5. davygravy93
    Oct 9, 2021
    4
    On one hand there are some fun moments but on the other Dread commits some of the biggest sins in the entire metroid series.

    +Controls: Very fluid, probably my favorite aspect of the game. Running has a good speed to it and the speed booster feels great, grabbing ledges is fast and easy, and the new abilities tie into movement rather well. -Repeated boss fights: The first time you    On one hand there are some fun moments but on the other Dread commits some of the biggest sins in the entire metroid series.

    +Controls: Very fluid, probably my favorite aspect of the game. Running has a good speed to it and the speed booster feels great, grabbing ledges is fast and easy, and the new abilities tie into movement rather well.

    -Repeated boss fights: The first time you destroy the robot pursuer is pretty cool but its not something that needed to be repeated six times, the spear wielding enemies suffer in that regard too since they all have the same attack pattern. The few(only two) bosses outside of those are pretty good but its not enough to compensate for how formulaic it all feels.

    -Terrible map and level design: Cluttered is the word I would use to describe the map of Dread. There's simply too many icons plastered all over the screen anytime you want to look at the map, its pretty sad that a metroid game of all things has such a sloppily designed map. The areas also don't flow into one another since they are all disconnected via tram systems or teleporters, all of which use loading screens.

    -Forced linearity: This is probably the most hand-holdy game since fusion for pretty much the same reasons, there's very few opportunities to just explore because the game is always railroading you to the next objective that the computer explains to you in boring detail. The game even goes a step further by making item locations bright and flashing on the map so even babies can understand.

    -Poor technical performance: There are noticeable framerate drops when you use the speed booster(probably why there are so few shinespark locations) and when you use the lock on missile on multiple enemies. I think the technical limitations of the switch are starting to show, at best it runs slightly better than the 3ds game samus returns but that isn't exactly a high bar.

    Newcomers will like Dread but as a longtime fan of the series I wasn't impressed and at worst I was annoyed, but I'm sure the hype machine will lable it as "teh best gaem evaaar" so don't let my criticism deter you.    … Expand
  6. KirbyOfTheStars
    Oct 10, 2021
    4
    Listen, there are a few things that go without saying: Visually? This game is very cool. The aesthetic is beautiful! The core gunplay is quick, and fun, and many of the mechanics are interesting. The EMMI encounters are stressful and challenging, but once you understand the gameplay loop they become manageable, and even an enjoyable hurdle to overcome.

    I wanted to love this game but it    Listen, there are a few things that go without saying: Visually? This game is very cool. The aesthetic is beautiful! The core gunplay is quick, and fun, and many of the mechanics are interesting. The EMMI encounters are stressful and challenging, but once you understand the gameplay loop they become manageable, and even an enjoyable hurdle to overcome.

    I wanted to love this game but it wouldn't let me. Everything about this game and its design is hostile to the player. The baseline difficulty is obnoxious, past the point of old "Nintendo-hard" charm to making it just not worth it to try. It's the difference between the fun of a challenge hot sauce at a local chain restaurant and police grade pepper spray on your chicken wings. One is fun, challenging, and worth the sweat - the other is malicious and questionable in its utility.

    Sheer difficulty of some of the encounters aside, the game gives you virtually no understanding whatsoever of where you're meant to be going and why. If you're not close by a strategy guide or walkthrough, you're going to spend nearly 90% of your time wandering from screen to screen shooting the floor and wondering why there aren't some helpful waypoints like every other game that's ever been produced.

    To be clear, there were many times playing this that I was really enjoying myself, or hitting my stride. It was these moments that made me so sad that the rest of the game seemed to be so aggressively anti-player.    … Expand
  7. jj350
    Oct 11, 2021
    1
    This is not what I was expecting. I feel misled, like I was conned into buying this. They said it was a good Metroid game, and instead what I got was some overly-hard game for the hardcore masochistic gamers out there who enjoy getting punished. This honestly feels more like a survival horror take on Metroid than anything else, it just lacks the atmosphere and fun exploration elements thatThis is not what I was expecting. I feel misled, like I was conned into buying this. They said it was a good Metroid game, and instead what I got was some overly-hard game for the hardcore masochistic gamers out there who enjoy getting punished. This honestly feels more like a survival horror take on Metroid than anything else, it just lacks the atmosphere and fun exploration elements that made the best games in the series so appealing.

    This is a game for a very specific, hardcore fanbase, and if you aren't that hardcore, chances are the game is going to be too hardcore for you.    … Expand
  8. Meanie
    Oct 10, 2021
    1
    A SNES game released in 2021 for full price. Movement is spry, but other control features (e.g. only aiming while standing still, over-reliance on parry/QTEs, clunky weapon swap) make the game feel worse than indie competitors. An "easy mode" might defeat the purpose, but definitely needs a "where the f do I go?" mode. Very niche and doesn't deserve mainstream acclaim.
  9. arthurogrande
    Oct 9, 2021
    1
    I'm a metroid fan and played the last 4 games multiple times.
    Sadly this game doesn't have the quality and atmosphere that a metroid game should have. The intro was super lazy, just pictures and walls of text. The music is very generic and doesn't even come close to the genius of the previous soundtracks.
    Yes it plays very fluid and has smooth animations but that's about it. The controls    I'm a metroid fan and played the last 4 games multiple times.
    Sadly this game doesn't have the quality and atmosphere that a metroid game should have. The intro was super lazy, just pictures and walls of text. The music is very generic and doesn't even come close to the genius of the previous soundtracks.
    Yes it plays very fluid and has smooth animations but that's about it.
    The controls are very uncomfortable.
    It is a hard game, but it feels unfair because of the bad controls and sometimes you can't do anything to prevent damage, so it's just not fun to play.    … Expand
  10. Arat_Ntor
    Oct 11, 2021
    0
    Doesn't feel like a Metroid game at all, the difficulty scaling is also out of whack, the other metroid games have an ability to draw you in and keep you playing while roaming a fairly open area - this just does the opposite, it's constricted and pushed you away
  11. CTD9168
    Oct 10, 2021
    0
    So, this is my verdict after beating the game.

    Just give me the Prime Trilogy back already. I would rather play other M than this game. The story contradicts the current timeline and made me cringe. It call comes down to bad guy trying to take over the galaxy. That's it. simple and redundant to a lot other stories. The controls need work. Half of the time they would not respond or    So, this is my verdict after beating the game.

    Just give me the Prime Trilogy back already. I would rather play other M than this game.

    The story contradicts the current timeline and made me cringe. It call comes down to bad guy trying to take over the galaxy. That's it. simple and redundant to a lot other stories.

    The controls need work. Half of the time they would not respond or do what I inputed and the other half, there was just enough input lag to cause issues.

    Frame rate drop increased as you progressed through the story. A lot of times, it would sit on a black screen for a minute before it finally could load.

    There are no objective markers or any kind of reminder of where you need to get to. The tutorials aren't even helpful. You will get lost for hours before a lucky shot reveals a hidden block. Map is not helpful at all as well.

    The menu and map buttons are reversed than just about every other game. There is no remappong also. There is not even a way to toggle buttons instead of having to hold it down.

    Boss fights were not fun at all. Most of them did not even give you anything also.

    The EMNI enemies felt like they had god mode and was based on RNG on their locations. The countering for these enemies need reworked also. The queues that are supposed to help you came after the attack happened making the queues completely useless.

    After completing the game, I felt disgusted and that I wasted my time. How is this really a metroid game?

    I recommended something else like the Castlevania Advanced Collection instead of buying this.    … Expand
  12. Xedmed
    Oct 10, 2021
    0
    This game is quite frankly abysmal. It's a sluggish, tedious mess. Between reusing boss fights 6 times, an over reliance on rather annoying timing and the fact the the E.M.M.I aren't on predetermined routes through their entire area (they're always in the room you enter) make this a chore to play. Mercury steam absolutely love one way doors as well as making your way forwardThis game is quite frankly abysmal. It's a sluggish, tedious mess. Between reusing boss fights 6 times, an over reliance on rather annoying timing and the fact the the E.M.M.I aren't on predetermined routes through their entire area (they're always in the room you enter) make this a chore to play. Mercury steam absolutely love one way doors as well as making your way forward instantaneously closes the way back, making exploration rather annoying and causing you to take the longest way to get everywhere. Speaking of exploration your map is a mess. Beyond clustered with so many icons and they don't disappear when you collect them (they got slightly transparent, but are still there. So heaven help you if you forgot to get anything previously. The tension that everyone talks about is lost instantaneously as you get killed instantly getting ambushed by an E.M.M.I opening a door for the third time. The controls are a cluster **** (seriously nintendo mappable buttons) and you have to get your fingers dancing continuously throughout the game. Now I say this being a die hard metroid fan. I love every other game in this series (even Metroid 2) but this is a mess. It has elements that could make it brilliant, but again structure of levels, laborious order of upgrades (still waiting for the gravity suit at this point and the level design is ****ing killing me not having it) and the fact that Samus' suit is made of paper makes this the worst experience in the Metroid franchise. And to all you metroid die hards gushing over this as its the first one we've got in 19 years, stop. Be honest and ask yourselves is this my favourite? As if you say yes you're a liar and haven't played any of the others.… Expand
  13. Vorg
    Oct 9, 2021
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Siento que el juego no tiene un avance. Solo una fórmula repetida que van usando desde los 90… Expand
  14. eugenji
    Oct 10, 2021
    4
    Hatte mit den Metroid Primes sehr viel Spaß gehabt und erwartete das selbe mit Dread. Endlich mal wieder nen Metroid, auch wenn es ein 2D ist.

    .... habe aber das Spiel bereits wieder gelöscht, denn mir ging das EMMI Katz-und-Maus-Trial-and-Error-Spiel extrem auf den Sack. Vor allem mit dieser schwammigen Steuerung. Vielleicht hätte man die EMMI einfach ein wenig später ins Spiel    Hatte mit den Metroid Primes sehr viel Spaß gehabt und erwartete das selbe mit Dread. Endlich mal wieder nen Metroid, auch wenn es ein 2D ist.

    .... habe aber das Spiel bereits wieder gelöscht, denn mir ging das EMMI Katz-und-Maus-Trial-and-Error-Spiel extrem auf den Sack.
    Vor allem mit dieser schwammigen Steuerung.
    Vielleicht hätte man die EMMI einfach ein wenig später ins Spiel integrieren sollen.
    Zwar sind die Rücksetzungspunkte sehr fair gesetzt, aber dieses zu 99% Instant Tod wenn du erwischt wirst, weil QuickTime Events so toll sind, haben mir den Spielspaß verdorben.    … Expand
  15. rAMZA
    Oct 10, 2021
    0
    Ï like metroidvania games castlevania sotn and super metroid are my favourites. But what i did see what mercury systems did to castllevania so i guessed that metroid dread cant be good, but wanted ofouse be wrong with metroid dread. Sadly i was wrong and they again made melee mechanic in a game that should not have it and quick time events in a game that should not have it. Emmis gotÏ like metroidvania games castlevania sotn and super metroid are my favourites. But what i did see what mercury systems did to castllevania so i guessed that metroid dread cant be good, but wanted ofouse be wrong with metroid dread. Sadly i was wrong and they again made melee mechanic in a game that should not have it and quick time events in a game that should not have it. Emmis got boring realy cuick and think it was bad idea to have so many of them. Music was bad if they would even just have remastered old music it would have been good, only place they used good music was remix of old musi during characters talking was realy bad idea. if samus was removed you couldnt tell if it is a metroid game even. At no point did i have fun with the game so i rather play the old games or metroid prime. i played so far that large area got frozen and now i got enough from the game and wont play it anymore.… Expand
  16. maxxplay
    Oct 13, 2021
    1
    I am very dissapointed with this game, i waited for this game 19 years and im really fan of metroid, this game was very short, and emmi s are really annoying, game dont make me feel nothing very generic
  17. Moemoe1
    Oct 10, 2021
    4
    For someone who never payed Metroid before the map is super confusing and the arm canon aim is terrible. The control are also confusing. This game is more for hardcore Metroid fans
  18. Ctrice
    Oct 11, 2021
    1
    Rehashed, generic, short, and derivative of the original Metroid games. Dread does nothing new and adds not a single new concept to the series. Feeling like a simple, over priced, distraction from the wait for Metriod Prime 4, there's nothing about this game to prevent it feeling like a downloadable budget titles from 2006. Games of this quality make ito obvious why Nintendo goes to theRehashed, generic, short, and derivative of the original Metroid games. Dread does nothing new and adds not a single new concept to the series. Feeling like a simple, over priced, distraction from the wait for Metriod Prime 4, there's nothing about this game to prevent it feeling like a downloadable budget titles from 2006. Games of this quality make ito obvious why Nintendo goes to the length it does to cancel fan projects; simply so they don't show this dross up for the cheap cash-in that it is. I wish I hadn't wasted my money.… Expand
  19. manujm23
    Oct 10, 2021
    0
    el peor juego de metroid de la historia de los videojuegos, la mayor decepcion que me he llevado en todo el tiempo que llevo jugando videojuegos
  20. Segundo2
    Oct 10, 2021
    2
    No soy fan de la saga, puntuó con un dos por que según el público gamer los juegos de ps5 son caros con toda la calidad que tienen, este metroid es un 2D , juego indi por 60, contando que kena es un indi 3D con mejor motor gráfico y está a 40 lo veo algo ilógico que toda la comunidad que se quejaba de los precios de sony ahora celebren esto, cuando metroid es pura nostalgia con mecánicasNo soy fan de la saga, puntuó con un dos por que según el público gamer los juegos de ps5 son caros con toda la calidad que tienen, este metroid es un 2D , juego indi por 60, contando que kena es un indi 3D con mejor motor gráfico y está a 40 lo veo algo ilógico que toda la comunidad que se quejaba de los precios de sony ahora celebren esto, cuando metroid es pura nostalgia con mecánicas de juegos de hace 15 años, lo probé sin comprarlo y menos mal un juego de 20 euros como mucho, que será muy divertido pero es un simple 2D.… Expand
  21. Jpender
    Oct 9, 2021
    1
    This game does nothing for casual gamers. This metroid game is not much different than earlier metroid 2D titles. There are no difficulty modes until you beat the game and you unlock a harder difficulty. There should be an eaiser difficulty. In general, not only is this game VERY DIFFICULTY it has no appeal outside the metroid 2D base.
  22. TowerOfError
    Oct 10, 2021
    2
    I had low hopes for this game and they were met - and even surpassed. Mercury Steam did a poor job, like basically every other game they've ever made. The least fun Metroid game I've played, although probably about on par with the Prime games (that were also worst in class for the Metroid series). I was bored to tears by the 2 hour mark and had to can this game then. The QTEs and storyI had low hopes for this game and they were met - and even surpassed. Mercury Steam did a poor job, like basically every other game they've ever made. The least fun Metroid game I've played, although probably about on par with the Prime games (that were also worst in class for the Metroid series). I was bored to tears by the 2 hour mark and had to can this game then. The QTEs and story elements with the AI companion were unnecessary and helped to soil the experience. Metroids have been about exploration. So, someone spoiling the thrill of adventure at mandatory checkpoints where you get locked into certain rooms was an absolute buzzkill. The overuse of EMMIs became apparent by the second one, so I can only imagine how maddeningly awful they become by the final encounter. It's sad to see so many 9's and 10's for this not-even-mediocre game. Gaming is a hollow shell of what it once was and I weep for my hobby.… Expand
  23. quesocheese
    Oct 9, 2021
    3
    I'm a metroid fan but didn't really get along with this game. The controls aren't the greatest and it does not feel fun to play
  24. Spassbremse
    Oct 12, 2021
    1
    How does Nintendo keep getting this so wrong? If you don’t know what makes a good Metroid game, give the franchise to a Western developer who does.

    The core of the Metroid series has always been the following: - Exploring an large alien world in a sprawling, non-linear way that encourages exploration - An interesting sci-fi story - New powers acquired as you progress aid you and    How does Nintendo keep getting this so wrong? If you don’t know what makes a good Metroid game, give the franchise to a Western developer who does.

    The core of the Metroid series has always been the following:
    - Exploring an large alien world in a sprawling, non-linear way that encourages exploration
    - An interesting sci-fi story
    - New powers acquired as you progress aid you and open up new areas
    - Sweet, chill ethereal music

    What does Dread have?

    - Exploring an alien world in a strict, linear way that prohibits exploration and railroads you into exploring it in exactly one way
    - A boring, cliched sci-fi story that upends all existing lore for no reason and then shrugs its shoulders, giving you absolutely no explanation as to why
    - Small map with little to no explorable paths, and a map so cluttered with UI elements and unnecessary icons it’s difficult to read
    - No music. Literally, I’m not joking. Where is this game’s MUSIC?!

    It also has!

    - Multiple repeated boss fights
    - Enemies that instakill you the moment they touch you
    - A supergun mechanic that is literally a deus ex machina to kill another specific type of enemy and then it magically disappears again
    - Boring, linear puzzles that don’t challenge the player
    - Poor technical performance
    - Awful button layout with no option to remap
    - Retcons

    I just…I don’t know what to say about this game. I love this series, but Nintendo can’t be **** bothered to put any effort into it. Go enjoy an indie game who understands Metroid. Go play the Axiom Verge series, The Messenger, Timespinner, or Dandara. Don’t play this rubbish.    … Expand
  25. Teiwaz17
    Jan 9, 2022
    1
    Habe das Game bis zum Ende gezockt. Ich habe nichts gegen hohe Schwierigkeitsgrade, aber die Steuerung ist so überladen, dass man schon fast Krämpfe in den Händen bekommt. Die beiden Schultertasten müssen fast permanent gedrückt werden. Ich hatte noch bei keinem Spiel so stark das Gefühl, dass ich immer genau weiß, was ich machen muss, aber aufgrund der unintuitiven Steuerung immer wiederHabe das Game bis zum Ende gezockt. Ich habe nichts gegen hohe Schwierigkeitsgrade, aber die Steuerung ist so überladen, dass man schon fast Krämpfe in den Händen bekommt. Die beiden Schultertasten müssen fast permanent gedrückt werden. Ich hatte noch bei keinem Spiel so stark das Gefühl, dass ich immer genau weiß, was ich machen muss, aber aufgrund der unintuitiven Steuerung immer wieder etwas falsch mache oder das Spiel die Befehle nicht korrekt annimmt. Wenn schon hoher Schwierigkeitsgrad, dann muss man das Gefühl bekommen, man weiss, was man falsch gemacht hat. Bin froh, dass ich es durch habe. Nie wieder Metroid.… Expand
  26. MikComposer
    Oct 16, 2021
    4
    Dreadful Metroid Game Over

    First time I've played Super Metroid was in 2007 after a recommendation from one of my clients. At that point I've been gaming for nearly 20 years. Fell in love with the game and played it again immediately after completing it. Since then I've played them all(including the fan game)and some of them more than once. And I've got to say I am more disappointed    Dreadful Metroid Game Over

    First time I've played Super Metroid was in 2007 after a recommendation from one of my clients. At that point I've been gaming for nearly 20 years. Fell in love with the game and played it again immediately after completing it. Since then I've played them all(including the fan game)and some of them more than once. And I've got to say I am more disappointed with this one then I was with OtherM. With OM I really disliked the story and how they've approached it, but gameplay wise it was a pretty good game - maps were pretty good and logically connected, which is a trope of this series, music was decent, combat fine, thought exploration suffered somewhat due to move to that style of 3d movement.Was good game.

    Obviously I was super exited to play Dread. I thought that Samus Returns was pretty good, even thought I wasn't super convinced to counter attack and free aim in that one, the team behind it showed premise. How I was wrong! Playing dread made me realise that what was good about the M2 remake,was the original aspects of the design brought in to much improved visuals and controls, not new additions.Those additions are pushed even more to front in Dread.

    In Dread I'm nearly the end, and I just stopped and can't force myself to play it any more. Its level layouts are abysmal. It becomes more and more disjointed the further you get. With old games there was some logic to them but here they feel very random and it's very easy to confuse them. They lack character and vibe with exception of couple of areas,which still are lacking but not as much.Map is clareted and not clear.

    Lack of tunes is one of the reasons.In Metroid it used to be a mixture of funky electronic and quazi-film music.All of the new music is just bland and boring, lack tunes and actually I hate it.

    When it comes to progression it is also really bad.After the initial linear introduction to the game, game opens up the area a little bit, but quickly goes back to completely linear progression.Once I've realised that it doesn't matter if I want to go somewhere I've just got power up for, or just stack up on missiles or tanks I've seen on the way and have power to get, I stopped even thinking about the layout and was just following the path like a robot, completely detached, because the game gives you pretty much only one path to follow.In that regard it is only tiny bit more open then Fusion.

    Other aspects of the design also suck.Emi killer robots are boring, and they don't fit visually in world of the game. They are just annoying. I did quickly learned how to avoid them, however that whole part of the game could be cut out and game would be better off without it. It really feels like it was pushed on the devs by the PR Marketing overlords(to have something new in Metroid that could be talked about).But if PR Marketing overlords would be any good at game dev, they wouldn't be working PR Salesman, wouldn't they?This took over all entertainment and it is killing it and has to end.

    Controls are smooth, but again free aim is iffy, and overall the amount of buttons you got to use simultaneously to do an action is ridiculous. Using 2 buttons and an analog stick is enough complexity for normal human being, but here often you got to hold 2 triggers, use two sticks and press a button at the same time making it a chore for humans.Human octopuses will do fine thought. And yet, to they aren't responsive all the time, sometimes triggering a different move.With free aim you actually hit half of the time.

    Bosses suppose to be difficult, and they are, but not in any good way.Metroid games didn't really had very good bosses for the most part, outside of their visual appeal and inventiveness, they were often annoying more than anything. But they weren't killing you with couple of hits, and you could learn their patterns more easily. Here they are overdone, requiring you to not only be a human octopus but also a formula 1 driver.Bosses are also annoying and reused to the point of pain.

    As for the story, I'm not interested in stories in games in general. However, I didn't like the X parasite in Fusion and I don't like it here. Game is called Metroid,not X.Other aspects of the story aren't even worth mentioning.

    Graphically it's ok. I've increased contrast and saturation of my tv and it looks ok.

    Wrapping this up-Metroid Dread is a frankenstein of many concepts and ideas, put together in to a blender, resulting in very bland game that has no identity and no flare. It actually looks and plays much like Strider remake(which I really liked and was a much better game); it has bosses and some enemies insta killing you like Dark Souls, and overall game is copying its aspects a lot.But I don't like Dark Souls. I wanted to play Metroid. But instead I've got a mental hospital patient, made by teens with (probably) decent budget who do not understand that Metroid was about forward momentum, exploration and atmospher.    … Expand
  27. fantasmacanino
    Feb 14, 2022
    4
    Metroid Dread is certainly the worst Metroid game I've played. It lacks any of the characteristics that made Super Metroid one of my favourite games when I was a kid. I haven't played the game in close to a month but I still remember how unfulfilling the EMMI encounters were, the over-use of cutscenes to tell the story, the unispired music, the way actions were mapped on the switchMetroid Dread is certainly the worst Metroid game I've played. It lacks any of the characteristics that made Super Metroid one of my favourite games when I was a kid. I haven't played the game in close to a month but I still remember how unfulfilling the EMMI encounters were, the over-use of cutscenes to tell the story, the unispired music, the way actions were mapped on the switch controller, etc. Why do we need quick-time events in a Metroid game? I don't rate this game lower because of the importance that Super Metroid has had for gaming, but in a universe in which Hollow Knight exists (and costs one fourth of the price of this game), what does Dread bring to the table? Not much, other than its name.… Expand
  28. ghost8809
    Jan 12, 2022
    4
    I just got the credits to roll and I couldn’t think of a better time to review this game. I’ll start this off by saying I’ve been gaming since 92, and was really looking forward to this Metroid platformer. I wanted to love it , but I can’t. This game is a royal piss off. This game is basically a game of memorization. Every fight your under powered even with the upgrades you collect, andI just got the credits to roll and I couldn’t think of a better time to review this game. I’ll start this off by saying I’ve been gaming since 92, and was really looking forward to this Metroid platformer. I wanted to love it , but I can’t. This game is a royal piss off. This game is basically a game of memorization. Every fight your under powered even with the upgrades you collect, and you will to get your butt wiped until you memorize the patterns. The reward for beating the section isn’t worth the frustration of learning the patterns. That leads me my next point. This game isn’t worth 80$ Canadian. Maybe 20$ tops. It’s lacking lots of content. The game is short, and the levels suck. Your gonna run around lost trying to find the next area to go all the time. The game dosnt tell you how to play or where to go. I love hard games but this game isn’t rewarding enough to endure the Bs it puts you threw every step of it.. The only reason why I finished it is If I buy it for full price , I’m gonna play and beat it. Outside of that the name of game is correct. This game is a dread. And I can’t recommend it unless you are a huge Metroid fan and Sucker for punishment.… Expand
  29. fortyonfortyon
    Feb 16, 2023
    4
    Sadly, despite good controls and beautiful visuals, this game is not fun after a couple hours. It feels like a 20 dollar game. The whole EMMI thing is fun maybe the first two times but then just drags the game and its momentum down.
  30. toadkiller_dog
    Nov 10, 2021
    3
    Ridiculous story, annoying cutscene, annoying emmy fights, tons of unnecessary backtracking, all locations look the same. Attempts to make Boba Fett Out of Samus with the help of pretentious movements look pathetic. Why even made this generic piece of code if we already have AV and HK?...
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Awards & Rankings

9
#9 Best Switch Game of 2021
1
#1 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2021

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
88

Generally favorable reviews - based on 124 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 116 out of 124
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 124
  3. Negative: 0 out of 124
  1. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Feb 18, 2022
    100
    Quotation forthcoming.
  2. IGN Adria
    Jan 20, 2022
    90
    After almost 20 years we finally have a sequel to the 2D series of Metroid games! Considering that, Dread does a great job of combining the new modern combat with the old elements of research and advancement, and it doesn't hurt that we have some of the best boss fights in the series. A true gem and a must have for all Switch gamers.
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  3. JeuxActu
    Dec 13, 2021
    85
    Taking up the torch of a series interrupted nineteen years ago is never an easy task, but the MercurySteam studio is doing it with honors! The developers have chosen the path of security while perfectly respecting the spirit of the previous episodes, to the detriment of true modernity.
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