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. 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
  2. JRice
    Dec 3, 2021
    4
    Im verys surprised about the direction the Metroid games are taking with Dread.
    A series that was constantly improving, just did a huge backstep from the brilliant Prime series, and even a backstep from Super Metroid and the GBA titles...
    In fact, MD feels more like a walking and searching simulator, with a few boss fights to spice things up, and incredibly annoying stealth passages    Im verys surprised about the direction the Metroid games are taking with Dread.
    A series that was constantly improving, just did a huge backstep from the brilliant Prime series, and even a backstep from Super Metroid and the GBA titles...

    In fact, MD feels more like a walking and searching simulator, with a few boss fights to spice things up, and incredibly annoying stealth passages between.
    All you basically do, is run through the areas, and look under every rock. And, poor you if you missed a secret passage-
    You might end up running through the whole map for countless hours, without any clue what to do-
    gone are the ingame hints. Get lost, and your lost!

    Which makes the game feel slow, unituitive, and often enough annoying and just senseless.

    I still enjoy this iteration a bit, but it seriously feels like the NES or GB title with revised graphics, and for a metroid title of the newest generation, its a HUGE disappointment for me...
    I didnt even finished the game, as at some point, i was simply fed up...

    As a game itself, i would rate it with 6 points.
    Regarding the hilarious price, and the very little "real" playtime, i give it annoverall score of 4.    … Expand
  3. AndrewAKessler
    Nov 29, 2021
    4
    Tedious, interminable, and overall bad game design. I'm sure someone out there enjoys mastering patterns to jump, spin, and shoot, but this is just boring.
  4. shavenwookie
    Oct 22, 2021
    4
    The game is incredibly short for sixty dollars. It's not any better then most indie metroidvanias that you can pick up for a quarter of the price. Areas you explore are feel all kind of the same for. Metroid game laboratory area, laboratory area with fire, ice laboratory area and forest laboratory area.
  5. robomartion
    Jul 18, 2022
    4
    If you like constantly being chased this is the game for you. Bring back Metroid Prime.
  6. quake2th
    Sep 10, 2022
    4
    This is the worst Metroid game, period. Or better, it's Metroid meets Dark Souls. The game is IMPOSSIBLE right from the beginning, before you can get the first powerup it becomes a boring endless hide and seek game, inside badly designed environments. You need a walkthrough to get the first powerup. Now I understand why the development for Metroid Prime 4 was restarted. If it's going to beThis is the worst Metroid game, period. Or better, it's Metroid meets Dark Souls. The game is IMPOSSIBLE right from the beginning, before you can get the first powerup it becomes a boring endless hide and seek game, inside badly designed environments. You need a walkthrough to get the first powerup. Now I understand why the development for Metroid Prime 4 was restarted. If it's going to be a piece of utter crap like this one, just let the franchise die in peace.

    Navigation is a mess, you constantly need to hit 2-3 buttons, you can never explore anything, you just need to RUN RUN RUN and HIDE HIDE HIDE. That's all you do in this game, the hide and seek gimmick becomes boring after exactly 1 minute.

    By the way, you need to follow a walkthrough to get the morph ball. This is even more confusing than the first Metroid on NES.

    Just do what I did: go back and play Metroid, Metroid Zero, Metroid Samus Returns, Metrid Other M, Metroid Fusion, the Prime trilogy. And forget this abomination was even released, the Metroid franchise is dead, let it rest.

    REVIEW UPDATE: after forcing myself to play through this pile of garbage, I can conclude that Metroid Dread is one of the (if not the) worst games on Nintendo Switch and maybe the worst games that has been released in the last ten years on any Nintendo console. This game is pure garbage.    … Expand
  7. LC_1999
    Oct 14, 2021
    4
    Definitely not worth 60$ dollars, don't get me wrong the game is really good but it lacks in a lot of aspect and being priced as a triple A just feels I got robbed. If the price wasn't that high and the game would cost either 30$ or 40$ I wouldn't be giving this review but knowing nintendo and how greedy they are with there products this rating is well deserved cause of how overpriced thisDefinitely not worth 60$ dollars, don't get me wrong the game is really good but it lacks in a lot of aspect and being priced as a triple A just feels I got robbed. If the price wasn't that high and the game would cost either 30$ or 40$ I wouldn't be giving this review but knowing nintendo and how greedy they are with there products this rating is well deserved cause of how overpriced this game is.… Expand
  8. 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
  9. verdammte
    Oct 24, 2021
    4
    Horrible hit detection, constantly being chased by something that you are given nearly zero time to react to (thanks to a ridiculously long charge time on the weapon), heavy variance in damage taken, archaic controls for shooting that prevent you from moving when firing your weapon for absolutely no reason. We have all the first-person and third-person shooter games and Metroid stillHorrible hit detection, constantly being chased by something that you are given nearly zero time to react to (thanks to a ridiculously long charge time on the weapon), heavy variance in damage taken, archaic controls for shooting that prevent you from moving when firing your weapon for absolutely no reason. We have all the first-person and third-person shooter games and Metroid still manages to play like a game from the 90s despite having a heavy reliance of shooting while jumping and moving.

    Screw this so hard. I don't mind hard games, but this is just poor design. I wish I could get a refund for it.    … Expand
  10. Xepher
    Dec 27, 2021
    4
    Controls are crap. So many buttons yet it takes like 5 inputs just to do 1 thing.
    Input latency is noticeable. The switch just can't handle quick time events.
    Making every enemy a bullet sponge isn't a good way to ramp up difficulty, it's just crap.
    Easily the worst metroid so far.
  11. 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
  12. 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
  13. 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.
  14. 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
  15. 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
  16. 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
  17. GL1ZZY_G0BBL3R
    Oct 13, 2021
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I really wanted to absolutely adore this game and I've been looking forward to it for a while now but it has quite a few flaws that just makes it hard to enjoy.
    1) The game is just too expensive (IMO) It retails for 80 CAD (Canadian Dollars) (without the taxes included)
    2) The backtracking is tedious and totally not worth it
    3) The E.M.M.Is are just seriously lacking I was expecting to have them breath down your neck the whole game however that wasn't the case. They are stuck within their zones and after the first one (White/None Damaged One) you realize that they aren't scary just more of a nuisance
    4) The bosses fights are just a chore, they hit for a lot and barely take dmg
    5) The E.M.M.Is are pretty much all the same with barely any variety (They have slight quirks but not enough to make them memorable)
    6) Mini bosses like the Chozo Warriors are constantly reused and become boring and a pain to deal with.
    7) Out of the 7 E.M.M.Is you only really fight like 5 of them (The Damaged one is a tutorial of sort and the Red one just dies in a cutscene)    … Expand
  18. Arm_ands
    Oct 16, 2021
    4
    The game runs smooth, looks good and is quite satisfying to play. It encourages to explore and proceed deeper into the world in order to find its collectibles and power ups. This has been done before in all Metroid games so there was nothing new in that case. Me waiting for a Metroid game for 4 years and then finishing the game in like 9 hours is quite disappointing. For a NintendoThe game runs smooth, looks good and is quite satisfying to play. It encourages to explore and proceed deeper into the world in order to find its collectibles and power ups. This has been done before in all Metroid games so there was nothing new in that case. Me waiting for a Metroid game for 4 years and then finishing the game in like 9 hours is quite disappointing. For a Nintendo franchise and for such a big game studio I was expecting 40-50 hours of playtime. I loved playing hollow knight so my expectations ware somewhere there but unfortunately the game ended before I got even excited. All in all good game, who ever likes Metroid games will feel like home but for the price and length of the game…. Not worth it.… Expand
  19. SuperApa
    Nov 3, 2021
    4
    I'm a huge Metroid fan and love most of the game. This one is a bit underwhelming unfortunately and below what I expect from Nintendo.

    When the game is a good old Metroid its wonderful, but then the EMMI comes and is totally unbalanced and so random, you just die over and over again. You don't have the proper tools to stealth or escape from then. And you have to do it over and over    I'm a huge Metroid fan and love most of the game. This one is a bit underwhelming unfortunately and below what I expect from Nintendo.

    When the game is a good old Metroid its wonderful, but then the EMMI comes and is totally unbalanced and so random, you just die over and over again. You don't have the proper tools to stealth or escape from then. And you have to do it over and over again. What where they thinking. So frustrating.

    Then the balancing is an issue. The bosses are way to difficult compared to the rest of the game. I don't want it easy (love me a soulslike and other hard games). But this one is frustratingly difficult and it has to do with difficulty spikes, where the boss battles stand out. The boss attackrate is extreme you often have extremely small windows to attack instead you are running, jumping, sliding phasing out of the way from the endless projectiles. Doesn't make you feel powerful at all.

    the there is something off with the controls. The character moves to fast. You can nudge to move a little, if you nudge you probably fall of the ledge you are standing on. It just doesn't feel right and that is important when precision movement is required in combat and traversal. They got this one wrong.

    I would not recommend this game. I rarely throw my controller in frustration. Whit this game I have done it several times. I would say play Super Metroid or Zero Mission instead of this one.    … Expand
  20. 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.
  21. BlimpyPebbles
    Mar 3, 2022
    4
    The game is fun for about 5 minutes. Then you realize that this is basically a mobile app game with terrible level design that has been ported to the Switch. This game 100% got good reviews because it has “Metroid” in the name. Why play this when you can play better Metroidvania games like Ori and the Blind Forest, Ori and the Will of the Wisps, Axiom Verge or Hollow Knight? I am at aThe game is fun for about 5 minutes. Then you realize that this is basically a mobile app game with terrible level design that has been ported to the Switch. This game 100% got good reviews because it has “Metroid” in the name. Why play this when you can play better Metroidvania games like Ori and the Blind Forest, Ori and the Will of the Wisps, Axiom Verge or Hollow Knight? I am at a loss. I have no idea why this game is so well-received. It sucks.… Expand
  22. GamerDad2023
    Feb 28, 2023
    4
    Fans of great Metroidvanias like Hollow Knight or Ori will likely be disappointed by what amounts to 4 hours of quality content stretched into 8 hours of annoying gameplay. Great art and some cool concepts can't make up for the tons of quick-time events, sub-par controls (which start great), punishing bosses, terrible story, mediocre music, limited back-tracking (it funnels you), andFans of great Metroidvanias like Hollow Knight or Ori will likely be disappointed by what amounts to 4 hours of quality content stretched into 8 hours of annoying gameplay. Great art and some cool concepts can't make up for the tons of quick-time events, sub-par controls (which start great), punishing bosses, terrible story, mediocre music, limited back-tracking (it funnels you), and attacking every other block (not-so-fun exploration). 3 mini-bosses (one of which one-shots you) are each rehashed 6 times.… Expand
  23. triadne
    Mar 15, 2023
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I can't remember the last time I played a game with such a ridiculously complex and unintuitive controls. I'm spending the majority of the time trying to remember which button combination I need to press, rather than enjoying the game world. it's incredibly furstrating, a mess of cussing and frayed temper. not satisfying at all. the level design is bad. the entire map is a mess, with not much in the way of recognisable areas that would be familiar when you look at the map. you spend most of the time lost, with arbitrary roadblocks shoved in your way for no discernible reason. the suit design is nonsense, with 'lights' behaving like painted lines and meandering all over her body without rhyme or reason. puzzle design is inconsistent. for example, the game tells you specifically that your scan ability will show you blocks that you can break with your abilities, HOWEVER there is a wall that can be destroyed by power bombs that is not marked in any way. just one example. the narrative is disjointed and nonsensical. there is ample opportunity for various concepts and character history to be dripfed to us so we are reminded of context of the situation, instead it feels like the end is one massive context dump and shock reveal all in one. the game just expects you to accept all this stuff seemingly out of the blue.
    lastly, when did they decide to blow up a planet, and how exactly did they physically do that?

    also, whoever came up with the idea of QTE as a major required game mechanic, fire them. that trash gimmick does not belong in a metroid style game.    … Expand
  24. 113
    May 12, 2023
    4
    This game is revolutionizing, They have never made a game like this before. The only downfall of this game is that I dont like having a cute girl (which is my wife to be) being put in horrifying situations... 7/10
  25. 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?...
  26. pomf
    May 2, 2022
    3
    This game turned out bad because of speedrunners. Speedrunners are cancer. Stop kissing them/xir bums.
  27. edreesespieces
    Aug 15, 2022
    3
    There were good parts to this game, and there were bad parts. I'll start with the good because it's shorter.

    The controls are really well done here. Adaptive, intuitive, and responsive. I like it all - except the lack of ability to use the dpad. And remapping controls via Switch isn't a solution; you cant remap the dpad to the analog. The story is super well done. I really like the    There were good parts to this game, and there were bad parts. I'll start with the good because it's shorter.

    The controls are really well done here. Adaptive, intuitive, and responsive. I like it all - except the lack of ability to use the dpad. And remapping controls via Switch isn't a solution; you cant remap the dpad to the analog.

    The story is super well done. I really like the premise and everything that happens. Cutscenes are snappy, the villian is interesting, and the ending is satisfying and meaningful. Samus characterization is well done,

    Now for the bad - the exploration aspects to this game. This game, as a good Metroidvania should do, does NOT INCENTIVIZE EXPLORATION. There is extremely minimal gameplay reward for exploration. Even when you get all energy tanks and missiles, you barely are stronger or more capable then before. It's essentially a waste of time to explore the map. The only reason you'd enjoy exploration is for the exploration itself. But the game doesnt actually reward you or make you feel good about finding secrets and new paths to areas because it's pointless and doesn't improve character progression. This is the backbone of the Metroidvania genre and it fails here.

    The game instead, chooses to focus on action and boss fights. They damage the exploration and Metrdoivania aspects in order to serve to make it a better action game. It succeeds in this, but I just don't like action games. That's why I play Metroid. Rayman and Cuphead are much better and well made action games, that get right to the point. This game is more Rayman and Cuphead than it is Hollow Knight, a game that massively rewards exploration.

    Last big negative, the areas all look and feel the same. There a dark, black filled corridoors inside a mechanical environment. It just felt stale to me. This was made even worse by the lack of melodic music. They attempted to make the music more "atmospheric" in style, which is acceptable in theory, but they did a very poor job of it. The best tracks in the game are just remixes of older themes. So, without cool music, there's even less reward for exploration and wandering around.The EMMI fights also serve to degrade the exploration experience; the game becomes a run-stealth type of game, focusing on adrenaline and repetition. It takes away from the somber, lonely feel I enjoy playing Metroid games. Instead of getting lost in the world, I have a constant reminder i am playing a video game and need to replay the level 20 times to beat it, like I did with a game like Ninja Gaiden or TMNT back on NES. Just retry the level over and over again. The world design is very gameified in this way, instead of feeling like a natural, breathing world like most Metroid games.

    Anyway, basically the game is bad at atmosphere, exploration, music, and good in gameplay and being an action game. I rated it 4 because because a good action game is not what Metroid should be about.    … Expand
  28. MetzKetz
    Mar 28, 2022
    3
    The worst Metroid i ever played. I was so excited to finally be able to play Metroid again, and then they **** it up with this idiotic EMMI mechanic. Completely sucks the fun out of the game.
  29. Robjapan
    Oct 13, 2021
    3
    I often found myself wandering around not knowing where to go, the game is so on rails that there is only one way to go.
    Bad level design.
    Crappy controls.
    Nonexistent storyline.

    The emmis are just annoying...

    I genuinely have no idea what game other people are playing to give it such high scores.
  30. plato1123
    Nov 18, 2021
    3
    At last a metroid sequel that's true to the original style. The graphics are pretty, the story is pretty good, and the controls are top notch.

    edit: Update: Well this game does a ton of things really well BUT the boss fights are just too hard and there's also just too much arbitrary back tracking. Who wants to fight the same boss 25 times? Nobody. I've played the entire series and    At last a metroid sequel that's true to the original style. The graphics are pretty, the story is pretty good, and the controls are top notch.

    edit: Update: Well this game does a ton of things really well BUT the boss fights are just too hard and there's also just too much arbitrary back tracking. Who wants to fight the same boss 25 times? Nobody. I've played the entire series and am really comfortable with the controls. Even after watching the youtube videos it can take dozens of tries to beat a boss. Nintendo scr3wed up this title because of this. Maybe they want you to pay them real dollars for health tank add ons. Nope, not doing it.    … Expand
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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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