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. salomonander
    Oct 10, 2021
    6
    I was really looking forward to this game. I’m a big fan. But sadly I just don’t love it. The basic game is great, but to me personally the emmi chases were so annoying and random, that I lost all enjoyment.
  2. starrymia
    Oct 10, 2021
    6
    It's a good game, but the "dread" part of the title is easily the weakest part. It smells of corporate meddling.

    The dread in Metroid games is supposed to be the feeling of walking through the totally unknown, not forced encounters and jump scares.. Making Metroid explainable as "A space thriller like Alien!" instead of needing to play it to understand it, is a bad move, is    It's a good game, but the "dread" part of the title is easily the weakest part. It smells of corporate meddling.

    The dread in Metroid games is supposed to be the feeling of walking through the totally unknown, not forced encounters and jump scares..

    Making Metroid explainable as "A space thriller like Alien!" instead of needing to play it to understand it, is a bad move, is detrimental to the creativity of the video games industry, and is an insult to science fiction because it dumbs down a vibrant genre into the cliches that Nintendo thinks casuals will recognize.

    I think the game is a masterpiece, but being locked in a room with someone in a video game is as bad as QTEs. It removes your agency in the world, deletes your ability to do anything according to your own choices, and reduces a masterpiece to a bunch of stupid twitch reflexes. And worst of all, they're LAZY forced encounters. A robot with smooth curved white armor like Portal, that chases you while making friendly high-pitched chirping noises (like the turrets in Portal)? Come on, that rubbish is just to drum up word-of-mouth sales.

    Considering how good the rest of the game's design is, I think there was corporate meddling involved, the kind where people who are afraid of losing profits tell the designers what needs to be in the game, instead of just letting the designers do what they want. No designer this talented would include all of these hamfisted cliches and badly-done references, unless they were forced to.

    I feel like a lot of this game was optimized so that as many 10 year old boys as possible would shout "COOL!" as they played, and it's a pity because it could have been 100% original and special.

    Instead we have to deal with 50% good and 50% pandering. I hate that.

    Let me say it clearly: Somebody up top thought that this game wouldn't sell on its own merits, so they added a whole bunch of junk in hopes that it would get less intelligent people excited. It really makes the game feel like a hodgepodge chaotic mess.

    P. S. Even if you disagree with my review in general, I think almost everyone can agree that some of the soundtrack is weak. Not a small "that's not perfect and I wanted it to be perfect!" type of weak, it sounds like stuff a first-year music student would make. The jingle when you get a new item is overly fruity and flowery instead of punchy and orchestral, some of the BGM is hyperactive and annoying as it prances around the notes. All of the music tracks could inspire awe but instead a lot of them make it feel like a $20 budget game. For every good piece of music there's one so horrible that it literally makes it difficult to keep playing without feeling a little annoyed.    … Expand
  3. Kratosine
    Oct 11, 2021
    5
    Bastante mediocre en general, la sensación de apuntado esta bien lograda, pero la dificultad del juego no esta para nada bien medida, muchas zonas son frustrantes y repetitivas. Y en el apartado grafico, podría estar mejor.
  4. Wally_22
    Oct 10, 2021
    5
    Exquisito, todo lo que he estado esperando por años un Metroid a la altura, con la misma fórmula pero con nuevos agregados y con una historia atrapante. Ya voy por la segunda vuelta y no y no deja de engancharme. Un juegazo
  5. Rtheom
    Oct 13, 2021
    6
    It's okay. The controls are fine and the general gameplay is good, if not a bit tried and true. The problem is that there are now many metroidvanias on the eshop that are just as good for far less ($15 instead of $60). This game isn't really worth the full asking price, but that won't ever be going down, since it's a Nintendo game, unfortunately. If you can find a used copy or borrow itIt's okay. The controls are fine and the general gameplay is good, if not a bit tried and true. The problem is that there are now many metroidvanias on the eshop that are just as good for far less ($15 instead of $60). This game isn't really worth the full asking price, but that won't ever be going down, since it's a Nintendo game, unfortunately. If you can find a used copy or borrow it from a friend, go ahead, but I can't recommend this at the full price of $60.

    The one big detractor from the game is the robot chase parts. We've seen this done in video games so many times before that it's not scary or tense even the first time that it happens. It's mostly just an annoyance because it just adds extra reload time.

    The map is pretty decent, but there is some fail. It's often a little too confusing figuring out where you need to go next. The rooms are mostly samey and the environmental design does little to help this. That's okay because the environment was never really a big part of Metroid anyway, typically having black or flat color rooms with enemies in them, but it does feel a bit lame when you have graphics this nice otherwise.

    A fine enough Metroid, but there's better out there for cheaper now.

    Edit: Dropped my score by a point because I'm already bored of the game after 6 hours of play. It's just too monotonous, the exploration is really non-existent, and the E.M.M.I. sections are just an annoyance. Go buy "A Robot Named Fight", it's a much better, much more interesting Metroid.

    Ironically, this game actually got me to finally try Axiom Verge.    … Expand
  6. CaptainCharisma
    Jul 29, 2022
    6
    Although the gameplay is strong as was expected, it is a rushed effort. The chases are great fun but the game lacks atmosphere that classic games in the series had such as Super Metroid and Zero Mission. On top of that the game isn't running at optimal 1080p resolution when docked, that is unacceptable for a 2.5D game when a game like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe runs at 1080p even in split screen.
  7. TwistedNine
    Feb 13, 2022
    5
    I've played every game in the series so far and this is the first one I didn't finish. The graphics are good and so is the gameplay. Where all the fun goes out the door is with the Emmi encounters. You'll be having a great time exploring and then you're faced with going into an EMMI area that turns gameplay into a cat-mouse trope.

    Sorry Nintendo. If this is what your plans are for the    I've played every game in the series so far and this is the first one I didn't finish. The graphics are good and so is the gameplay. Where all the fun goes out the door is with the Emmi encounters. You'll be having a great time exploring and then you're faced with going into an EMMI area that turns gameplay into a cat-mouse trope.

    Sorry Nintendo. If this is what your plans are for the future of the series, you just lost a 30 year fan.    … Expand
  8. wingZero21
    Oct 16, 2021
    6
    This is definately an overated game. I like Metroid games, however I would not class this as one of the better ones.

    The gameplay is generally good and some of the bosses are interesting. The incorporation of the upgrades throughout the game is generally good as well. Some of the story elements have potential. However there are some problems I found with the game. The graphics while    This is definately an overated game. I like Metroid games, however I would not class this as one of the better ones.

    The gameplay is generally good and some of the bosses are interesting. The incorporation of the upgrades throughout the game is generally good as well. Some of the story elements have potential.

    However there are some problems I found with the game. The graphics while not terrible just don't seem that great in my opinion. The EMMI addition just seems like time wasting to pad out the game after the initial first experience, I feel this could have been handled in a much better way. Some of the mini bosses as well are literally exactly the same copied and pasted over the course of the game with some slight differences on occasion. It also feels like when fighting the bosses initially they take a larger amount of damage and then after a few attempts they make each phase a little easier so that you eventually win, again similar to before it just feels like padding over actually beating the boss due to skill. Some of the backtracking is good, however I don't really understand the point of the Warp points as they felt unnecessary and not really useful in their implementation in the game. Warp points can be great generally, but they are handled much better in other games and here it just detracts from the game. There is also annoying time loads when moving from one area to another seeing the same transit screens again and again.

    There is also a potentially interesting upgrade at the end of the game but again its never fully utilized. This feels to be the re-occuring theme of this game, there are good ideas but they are not fully accomplished.

    The story elements as mentioned earlier have potential, however overall just don't fully work. This game feels like it has some good ideas but just not quite executed in the best way to reach its potential. I cant understand why this is getting 10/10 scores as it is certainly not a perfect game or anywhere as near good as Super Metroid/Fusion or Zero Mission in my opinion.

    I think with some tuning they could make it a lot better in the future, hopefully they pick up on the gripes and resolve the problems people have with it.    … Expand
  9. Psychocadet
    Oct 25, 2021
    6
    Music is very bad. Plot is 50% copy-paste from previous games. Locations are easily forgettable because of how much plain grey is used. Enemies are, too. It doesn't add much to lore, for example anything to Adam's personality, and I feel ending is strange instead of satisfying. The cut-scenes are made right sometimes, but it becomes cheap worship of Samus coolness pretty soon, a way to winMusic is very bad. Plot is 50% copy-paste from previous games. Locations are easily forgettable because of how much plain grey is used. Enemies are, too. It doesn't add much to lore, for example anything to Adam's personality, and I feel ending is strange instead of satisfying. The cut-scenes are made right sometimes, but it becomes cheap worship of Samus coolness pretty soon, a way to win praise of long fans. By the way, the game itself isn't by any means cheap, while it's 2.5D Metroid game with no changes to its very old formula. People say ”rate it high for new Metroids to come out”, but I don't want a series to continue like that, nor rating it any higher.… Expand
  10. BenSan
    Jun 23, 2022
    6
    I think the map forces you to take unnecessary detours (even by the standards of other Metroids). There is an imbalance between exploration and combat. In other Metroids the combat takes a backseat while in Dread the boss and mini boss fights are exaggerated. There were times where I was fighting three bosses or mini-bosses in a row. 40% exploration and 60% combat.
    In other Metroid games I    I think the map forces you to take unnecessary detours (even by the standards of other Metroids). There is an imbalance between exploration and combat. In other Metroids the combat takes a backseat while in Dread the boss and mini boss fights are exaggerated. There were times where I was fighting three bosses or mini-bosses in a row. 40% exploration and 60% combat.
    In other Metroid games I enjoy exploring and figuring out the new routee to follow. In Dread I am constantly fighting a boss which is exhausting.    … Expand
  11. RinVindor
    Oct 14, 2021
    6
    I like the game in general, I own every Metroid game and while I haven't beaten all of them, they're a fond part of my childhood. Honestly this game frustrated me to no end constantly, the number of boss battles is unending and its not really fun, no sooner than you beat a single boss, 3 rooms later you can run into another one.

    It feels like the developers just wanted to make a game    I like the game in general, I own every Metroid game and while I haven't beaten all of them, they're a fond part of my childhood. Honestly this game frustrated me to no end constantly, the number of boss battles is unending and its not really fun, no sooner than you beat a single boss, 3 rooms later you can run into another one.

    It feels like the developers just wanted to make a game with some very RE 2 vibes with you being chased which while frustrating at times is pretty enjoyable, but the boss fights (especially the mini boss fights) are garbage for most of them a few are fine but my biggest frustration is that this means for those who are physically handicapped they're basically never going to play this game because there isn't an easier mode, normal is already a pretty difficult challenge, despite what the obnoxious minority of "git gud" players will say, several friends of mine are also having issues with the bosses. Dying 10-15 times in a game is one thing, but per boss because you're not hitting the right combo of 4-5 buttons is exhausting.

    I'm almost at the end of the game in the frozen areas and I think I'm not going to finish this game. I regret buying it day 1 and should have waited for a sale. I wanted to support Metroid games because I'm looking forward to the Metroid 4 but this is a game I'd say you can skip.    … Expand
  12. louisbody
    Oct 15, 2021
    6
    There seem to be very few objective reviews, or ones that speak from experience or a long-time appreciation for the series. This game has some serious issues relating to progression, pacing, and level design. A good way to illustrate this is the order of abilities.
    You get stuck between the first and second areas because you don't have morph ball or bomb yet and shooting the floor isn't    There seem to be very few objective reviews, or ones that speak from experience or a long-time appreciation for the series. This game has some serious issues relating to progression, pacing, and level design. A good way to illustrate this is the order of abilities.
    You get stuck between the first and second areas because you don't have morph ball or bomb yet and shooting the floor isn't intuitive. You get spin boost and then space jump 30 mins later. Screw attack comes before both cross and power bomb and basically breaks the game. This is immediately after an intense difficulty spike and makes for a kind of whiplash.
    In Super, screw attack is optional and along with space jump, the last item in the game. It is there to facilitate backtracking and accessing 100% items, not to trivialize the game. Furthermore, the level / enemy / hazard design is an impedance to cheaping out.
    Either Mercury Steam did not do their homework or did not come to a very good understanding of what makes metroid special. The thought put into crafting a story through environment, progress, and atmosphere is just not in this game.
    It's main innovations are faster movement, difficulty, and boss design, but these are held back. Free aim and button combos for weapon selection feels clumsy on the tiny joy con controls. The pacing of difficulty is off, or perhaps the length of the campaign is. Boss fights are weirdly concentrated in one part of the game. The boss design of the 2nd half of the game is redundant and noticeably inspired by hollow knight, but unbalanced missing mechanics that help it to make sense. Healing, badges, deflection are basically replaced with QTEs from 2009.
    The 100% end-game challenges add some depth, but have you pulling off feats that you didn't even know were possible in the campaign. I couldn't help feeling like they would have played so much better as story puzzles, and that the game could have either been longer or designed to encourage better utilization of resources.
    Bottom line is this game doesn't really have a clear idea of what it wants to be. The music is completely forgettable. The story is basically Star Wars. I mean, c'mon people. Mercury Steam does not have the experience to build a truly immersive and meaningful metroid world/story, and is compensating for that with Hollywood visuals and derivative design elements.
    This does not feel like a $60 game to me, and I expected more from the first 2D Metroid designed for home consoles and AAA sensibilities in a long time. Reviewers seem like they need to go study Super Metroid.    … Expand
  13. Captiosus
    Oct 16, 2021
    6
    I suspect once the honeymoon period wears off people will begin to properly compare Metroid Dread to other MetroidVania games that have come out and realize that Dread is a gimmicky, mediocre entry in the genre. A 7 out of 10 game, at best.

    I rate it lower than that for the fiddly controls (three buttons and the analog stick to aim-fire missles!), an overabundance of bosses and    I suspect once the honeymoon period wears off people will begin to properly compare Metroid Dread to other MetroidVania games that have come out and realize that Dread is a gimmicky, mediocre entry in the genre. A 7 out of 10 game, at best.

    I rate it lower than that for the fiddly controls (three buttons and the analog stick to aim-fire missles!), an overabundance of bosses and mini-bosses, QTE styled combat sequences overusing the melee counter, unavoidable one-hit-kill enemies with cheap god-mode abilities (EMMI), the lack of music, and the game's short length (10-12 hours for 100% completion). Graphically it's decent, but nothing to write home about. The movement is nice and fluid but there are noticeable periods of frame drops and blurry textures when playing docked on a 1080p or above display.

    6/10 for me.

    It's been 19 years since the last, new, 2D Metroid game was released on a Nintendo platform and over that time frame there has been a literal pile of MetroidVania styled games that are leaps and bounds better than Dread. Most, if not all, of them are readily available on multiple platforms, and most are cheaper with more content.    … Expand
  14. ilikecustard
    Oct 16, 2021
    6
    Metroid Dread is certainly an enjoyable game, however only the first half. The second half becomes a repetitious bore and an absolute slog of a game.

    I've played most of the 2D Metroids including Super Metroid (played 3+ times), Metroid Fusion and also gave Samus Returns a go. The Spanish studio that made Samus Returns co-developed Metroid Dread and brought a lot of the bad aspects of    Metroid Dread is certainly an enjoyable game, however only the first half. The second half becomes a repetitious bore and an absolute slog of a game.

    I've played most of the 2D Metroids including Super Metroid (played 3+ times), Metroid Fusion and also gave Samus Returns a go. The Spanish studio that made Samus Returns co-developed Metroid Dread and brought a lot of the bad aspects of Samus Returns. Samus Returns had too many parry attacks and repeat bosses, yep you heard right, the same bosses over and over again with minor tweaks.

    Metroid Dread came out with positive reviews so I decided to try it out with an expected game length of 10 hours.

    Pros:
    * cool blend of 2D and 3D
    * EMMIs towards the beginning of the game are kinda cool
    * some good cut-scenes
    * some of the bosses were fun

    Cons:
    * EMMIs became more of a gimmick towards mid-game and didn't add much value to the game
    * the power upgrades are all over the place and you barely have a few moments to use it before you get another power upgrade
    * this game is actually very linear in that it provides teleportation points every where
    * some parts of this game have awful level design and you can barely tell the cue points, particularly when you're on a small screen
    * mini-bosses are repeated over and over again and it's OK to be seen twice but not 3 or 4 times
    * counters in boss fights are awful if you miss the counter you have to do some repetitious moves for a few minutes before the counter becomes available again, counters seem more appropriate in a Playstation button-smash game
    * some of the cut-scene close-ups has PS1-level graphics
    * some noticeable frame-rate drops, particularly in boss battles

    Overall it's great to have another 2D Metroid game however a lot of the bad aspects of Samus Returns are in Metroid Dread, there are noticeable glitches in the graphics and bad level design and repetitious bosses. It would have been better if Nintendo just produced it by themselves.    … Expand
  15. ThoughtfulScore
    Nov 3, 2021
    7
    Metroid Dread is a 10 hour action, puzzle, exploration game, with some tricky bosses, and easy trash mobs. The checkpoint/save system is very forgiving, and the level design is intuitive, so pacing is good.
    Replay value is low, as there is basically no story, and little in the way of cool things to discover that aren't part of the main campaign. It feels more like a great GameCube    Metroid Dread is a 10 hour action, puzzle, exploration game, with some tricky bosses, and easy trash mobs. The checkpoint/save system is very forgiving, and the level design is intuitive, so pacing is good.
    Replay value is low, as there is basically no story, and little in the way of cool things to discover that aren't part of the main campaign. It feels more like a great GameCube game, rather than a $60 triple A title in 2021. I enjoyed it, but you don't get great bang for your buck.    … Expand
  16. McBoatface
    Feb 9, 2022
    5
    Fun game. At least the parts between the monotonous EMMI chases and the annoying boss fights where you'll die over and over again until you randomly get the timing right after 15 tries.
  17. Bryon
    Oct 12, 2021
    7
    I have mixed feelings on this one. It's very good for what it is, but it isn't exactly what I was hoping for.

    I'm about 3/4ths of the way through. I'll start with the the good stuff. The graphics are great and the music and sound effects are very good. The movement and control of Samus is the best that this series has ever seen. I am enjoying the story as well. So your basic    I have mixed feelings on this one. It's very good for what it is, but it isn't exactly what I was hoping for.

    I'm about 3/4ths of the way through.

    I'll start with the the good stuff. The graphics are great and the music and sound effects are very good. The movement and control of Samus is the best that this series has ever seen. I am enjoying the story as well. So your basic production value is a solid A.

    There are many intense battles that force you to use all of Samus' impressive array of abilities. Most battles are pretty tough and you feel good when you eventually win.

    Samus is a badass. She is finishing off her boss kills in style. She has all the awesome attitude you would hope for in the galaxy's greatest bounty hunter.

    Now for the bad stuff.

    I've felt from the very beginning like there was a hand on my back pushing me forward instead of letting me explore and discover on my own. That's a HUGE loss from previous Metroids. The game usually doesn't allow you to backtrack easily or at all. I've often acquired a new ability and thought I would go back through previous areas to see what I can open up, but the way is blocked. And the blocking doesn't feel natural. Oh, there is a red statue thing I can't kill. Oh, this door is just shut. I guess it will open when I advance far enough. At this point I'm resigned to just keep moving forward. The game automatically moves you back and forth through the areas. That isn't how Metroid is supposed to work though.

    Unless you are a top level gamer, you will die over and over and over and over again. I don't mind dying some in the beginning, or needing a few tries on a particularly tough boss, but I don't feel like a badass when I die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, succeed. And then do that again for the next EMMI or major boss, and then again and again.

    For games like this where you constantly upgrading, I take enjoyment out of finding all of the upgrades and feeling near invincible in the latter half of the game. But the difficulty stays pretty much the same throughout. Many people like that, but I prefer the extremely powerful feeling I had in the second half of Super Metroid or BOTW.

    So for what it is, Metroid Dread is great. Unfortunately it has lost some of the freedom of exploration and the feeling of power as the upgrades stack up. It's a fun time, but ultimately lost much of what Metroid used to be in favor of more modern quick twitch fights and flights.    … Expand
  18. Zerreth
    Oct 13, 2021
    6
    I hate the control scheme and the **** bullet sponge boss fights that casually hit you 3 energy tanks worth of damage suck balls.
  19. upThere
    Oct 11, 2021
    7
    I'm Conflicted.
    Recursive exploration, 2D platformer-pathfinding and incremental combat-abilities-which-double-as-traversal-mechanics are the legacy of the Metroid & Castlevania series'. This game does those. You're a bounty hunter - work alone, backtrack, find a new way forward & hunt the next objective... It's a refined formula.
    What Dread introduces is portions of the game with an    I'm Conflicted.
    Recursive exploration, 2D platformer-pathfinding and incremental combat-abilities-which-double-as-traversal-mechanics are the legacy of the Metroid & Castlevania series'. This game does those. You're a bounty hunter - work alone, backtrack, find a new way forward & hunt the next objective... It's a refined formula.

    What Dread introduces is portions of the game with an awesome redefinition of that formula - the hunter becomes hunted! All your exploration, traversal + combat abilities are now leveraged toward narrowly escaping aggressively intelligent agile and relentless pursuers.... Heart-pounding adrenaline spikes - what a rush! ... but

    ...7/10 - because it feels like these portions are tacked on, confined to their own mini-games at specific junctures. Otherwise it's business as usual. It leaves me wanting to know what if this awesome reimagining were at the core of the game itself rather than a side-dish - Nintendo could achieve a true redefinition of this otherwise stale genre. . .?    … Expand
  20. StereoRaedioVA
    Oct 20, 2021
    5
    I'm already 3/4 of the way through the game, and it genuinely confuses me how many people praise this game without even beginning to discuss the numerous flaws in its design and overall execution of what it's trying to achieve. First of all, asking "is this game good or bad?" is a difficult question to answer. While it is a Metroid game at heart, it feels as though it's trying to add newI'm already 3/4 of the way through the game, and it genuinely confuses me how many people praise this game without even beginning to discuss the numerous flaws in its design and overall execution of what it's trying to achieve. First of all, asking "is this game good or bad?" is a difficult question to answer. While it is a Metroid game at heart, it feels as though it's trying to add new twists onto the formula and it falls flat at its attempt to do so. The E.M.M.I. are a nuisance and add no difficulty to the game, rather a bothersome hurdle (both figuratively and literally) that continues to irritate me to no end when their spawn just happens to be right at the entrance where I'm coming through or directly in the way of where I need to go, leading to a long, drawn out chase sequence or just sitting and waiting until it decides to go elsewhere, completely pulling me out of the experience in the process. They don't add suspense, they don't add a challenge, and they certainly don't add anything of interest to the gameplay or the story. They're only there to be annoying and to force you into a boss battle you have to repeat time and time again. Yes, you do have to do the same boss battle 4 times at least in order to actually kill the E.M.M.I. and it does not change in any way at any point. Is it challenging? No. interesting? Absolutely not. All it is is the game's way of railroading you to go where it requires you to go at every twist and turn. Speaking of, you have almost little to no say in where you want to explore until half way through the game as the world is designed to force you down one specific path each time you hit a "checkpoint" in the story. Past installments would incentivize exploration for bonus missile ammo, energy tanks, or even possible skips in the progression. This game has none of that, which is odd, as it is of the Metroidvania genre, obviously. The whole point of these types of games is to explore and build up your arsenal past what is required at any given point through open world exploration with a chunk of sections being locked behind powers you unlock later on. When a Metroid game has one linear path at all given times and continuously tells you what you HAVE to do at that moment, going as far as even placing walls or barriers that weren't even in the room prior (yes, this is a thing that happens at several instances in the game), you have a problem. As for the combat, it feels satisfying at the start or right after you get a new upgrade as you're just tearing through everything in your way, but it eventually gets to a point where enemies are just bullet sponges that require you to parry their attacks to kill them, and this includes the major bosses as well. It almost feels like Cuphead with how same-y combat is and how long it takes to kill one enemy until they let you parry their attack for an insta-kill. There's just far too many flaws that were never present until they rushed out this title to hold fans over for the eventual release of Prime 4. Overall, this game seeks to create a fresh experience that can also bring new fans into the series, but ironically steers further away from what made Metroid so much fun.… Expand
  21. Timgriff84
    Oct 25, 2021
    6
    Fun game but doesn’t really do anything to separate itself from all the copies over the years. Outside of the gameplay the graphics are average, sound is poor and story is both dull and badly told. Overall you could class it as a well polished iOS game, although a lot of iOS games have better graphics. It is fun though, get it in a sale.
  22. Gazglum
    Oct 28, 2021
    6
    It's definitely a -decent- game, but by the end I wanted more. It does nothing new with the formula except the EMMI fights which to me were the most boring part of the game. I appreciated the return to old-school labyrinthine maps, but this game costs a lot more than Metroid knock-offs like Ori or Hollow Knight, and they have improved on the formula to make much better games.

    The main    It's definitely a -decent- game, but by the end I wanted more. It does nothing new with the formula except the EMMI fights which to me were the most boring part of the game. I appreciated the return to old-school labyrinthine maps, but this game costs a lot more than Metroid knock-offs like Ori or Hollow Knight, and they have improved on the formula to make much better games.

    The main issue is that the map is boring. There are numerous zones, but each one is just 'generic sci-fi background'. The theming is very slight, and because the connections between zones are handled with a cut-scene you don't have the same sense of excitement tunnelling thorugh a wall back to the beginning and seeing how it all links up organically. Metroid is driven by its exploration and I just wasn't driven to explore this world.

    The world is pretty linear too, the game guides you to your next destination each time. Which is good or bad depending on your preferences.

    Music and atmosphere is forgettable, which is a shame since Super Metroid sticks in my hand as having some of the most atmospheric design of any game I have ever played.

    The pacing of the power-ups is poor, they come so thick and fast by the end that you barely have time to register or use them and there is not enough reward to go back and unlock secrets with them. Just more missiles.

    Finally, though maybe this is just me, my controller would sometimes become semi-unresponsive on the final boss fight when there was too much going on. Made it much more frustrating.

    Maybe I'm just jaded after playing these games for thirty years. And having said all that, the movement controls very nicely, Samus has some REALLY cool little cutscenes, and I have to say that two of the boss fights were absolutely superb and made me laugh with delight.    … Expand
  23. Renzokuken
    Oct 29, 2021
    7
    Metroid dread is on its surface a good, classic Metroid game all about exploring, finding powerups, becoming stronger and conquering bosses in order to reach your goal. Then they added in the EMMI sections and ruined it. They frequently and repeatedly throw you into giant areas of the map where the goal is to stop exploring, stop looking for power ups, and to start running for your lifeMetroid dread is on its surface a good, classic Metroid game all about exploring, finding powerups, becoming stronger and conquering bosses in order to reach your goal. Then they added in the EMMI sections and ruined it. They frequently and repeatedly throw you into giant areas of the map where the goal is to stop exploring, stop looking for power ups, and to start running for your life from a huge one-hit-kill murder robot until you can find the powerup to kill the murder robot (and it's the same power up every single time you just lose it after each kill for no real reason). These sections are very frequent, very annoying, and run contrary to the entire point of a metroid game, exploration. The game tells you that escaping from these robots if you're caught (and you will be caught, since they can engage in all sorts of environmental shenanigans) has a 99% chance of failure. This isn't hyperbole, the window for parrying these enemies to escape is randomly generated, and requires you to pre-input a button press within such a small frame window, it makes Dark Souls' parry system look generous.

    Graphically the game is fairly good, I've noticed some frame drops, but it's very playable. Audio wise it's just OK some classic tracks, mostly ambience, as expected.

    Buy it if you're a die hard Metroid fan, newcomers to the series would probably be better off with one of the older classic style Metroid titles.    … Expand
  24. SavageReviews1
    Oct 14, 2021
    7
    I was really looking forward to this game. I even played all the 2D ones over again in preparation, which might have been a mistake because after playing the previous 4 entries and then playing this one it felt sort of repetitive. It does a few things new but not much. I like the flow of movement and the updated visuals but for better or worse it is still a Metroid game. Its a solid gameI was really looking forward to this game. I even played all the 2D ones over again in preparation, which might have been a mistake because after playing the previous 4 entries and then playing this one it felt sort of repetitive. It does a few things new but not much. I like the flow of movement and the updated visuals but for better or worse it is still a Metroid game. Its a solid game but it doesn't do much new with the formula. After playing games like Ori and Hollow Knight this game just feels lacking in comparison when it comes to new ideas and revitalizing the series. Took me 7 Hours and 35 Minutes to Beat.… Expand
  25. Imgrier6
    Oct 17, 2021
    6
    This is the worst 2d Metroid.
    I have played all of them. QTE was obnoxious.
    Boss fights were too frequent and too boring.
    Being hunted got old fast, it was done better in Fusion. The game is great when it plays like older metroids. I wouldn't recommend it to Metroid fans. I would recommend it to fans of the 3ds castlevania game.
  26. Phils
    Oct 20, 2021
    7
    I finished and enjoyed the game overall, but was left disappointed in many ways. I loved the NES and SNES games back in the day, and appreciated how Dread seemed to mostly maintain that gameplay formula, however things added and changed made Dread more of a disappointment to me. Dread felt imbalanced with so many boss fights that seemed much more challenging than the rest of the game.I finished and enjoyed the game overall, but was left disappointed in many ways. I loved the NES and SNES games back in the day, and appreciated how Dread seemed to mostly maintain that gameplay formula, however things added and changed made Dread more of a disappointment to me. Dread felt imbalanced with so many boss fights that seemed much more challenging than the rest of the game. There was a point starting about halfway in where it seemed like it was one boss battle after another, which became very annoying and frustrating. Unlike past games, backtracking in Dread to find more power-ups yielded few to no rewards as doors are sealed and invulnerable creatures are deliberately placed to block key paths. Only until right before the final boss did I feel like I had the freedom to fully explore, but by then I was eager to just finish this. It was often weird to enter a new map, only to be forced to return to a previous map just a few corridors later. The EMMIs became more annoying than something to dread. I missed Samus's journal-like narration and the game almost never lets us know what Samus is thinking. The story left a lot to be desired as much isn't explained; I expected a lot more considering this was the final story to an ongoing saga. The music wasn't anything great; most was too up-tempo and weren't like the ethereal music of previous games. And maybe the most egregious problem is maybe a light spoiler, although Nintendo confirmed this before release (which apparently I missed then), is that there are no metroids in the game! I really missed seeing and fighting those mysterious energy suckers alike at the end of the NES and SNES games. Sadly, Dread hardly lives up to the original games.… Expand
  27. RatherRipped
    Oct 20, 2021
    7
    Dread is a solid game held back by repetition, frustrating encounters and a hefty price tag. If you've ever played a 2D Metroid game, this is everything you would expect from another entry in the series. It's pretty darn fun to explore the different biomes and slowly upgrade Samus to a sci-fi swiss army knife capable of parrying attacks and blowing stuff up in new and exciting ways.Dread is a solid game held back by repetition, frustrating encounters and a hefty price tag. If you've ever played a 2D Metroid game, this is everything you would expect from another entry in the series. It's pretty darn fun to explore the different biomes and slowly upgrade Samus to a sci-fi swiss army knife capable of parrying attacks and blowing stuff up in new and exciting ways.

    What's not so fun is the trial and error nature of the EMMI encounters and some boss fights. I really like the idea of the EMMI bots and at first I was totally on board. They're kind of like Mr. X or Nemesis if you've ever played Resident Evil. Enter an area with an EMMI and, if they catch you, it's game over. Dread gives you two chances to escape when they grab you, but the timing isn't something that you can do on reaction (at least I can't and I'm a big fan of twitchy games with parry mechanics). It comes down to making a hard read as to when to press the button. Fail and it's game over. Enjoy your obligatory 10 second load screen and gameplay tips! This can make for some really tense moments that I enjoyed, but 5-6 deaths to the same EMMI kind of ruins the effect in my opinion.

    You can kill EMMIs with a certain one time use power up acquired from these odd, blue, metal brain fellas. This is very cool the first couple times you do it. By the 6th, I was rolling my eyes. It was fortunately rewarding to dispatch them because they all give Samus new tools to progress through the game.

    EMMIs and bosses would have been much more fun if the controls were snappier. Dread has one of the worst double jumps in any game I've ever played. I lost so many energy tanks because my jump just wouldn't come out. I died to many an EMMI because Samus would decide not to grab a ledge. These fights require some serious precision and Dread just doesn't deliver on that front. It's close, but not quite there.

    Thankfully, Dread does deliver on other fronts. I quite enjoyed the story as someone who has played almost all of the mainline Metroid games. It does a good job of making you want to keep pushing through and sheds more light on the Chozo. Conversations with the ADAM AI were always interesting and oddly soothing. The world and atmosphere are very diverse and authentically Metroid. The presentation is quite impressive for a switch game.

    This is not a $60 package though. Nintendo is really on one asking that kind of scratch for this game. My completion time according to the ending splash screen was 6 hours and 45 minutes. Considering how often the game repeats itself within such a short runtime, I'm thinking $25-30 would have made a lot more sense.    … Expand
  28. MagnusBelmont
    Oct 18, 2021
    5
    Very disappointed about this opus.
    Its super linear, whenever you try to explore you are blocked.
    You don't have clear objectives, so you just progress and stumble upon every upgrade. Double jump is trigger only if you are spinning, making the feature not always reliable to pull in tight situation. Some repetitive mini-bosses, they are great, but not the fifth encounters. Too much    Very disappointed about this opus.
    Its super linear, whenever you try to explore you are blocked.
    You don't have clear objectives, so you just progress and stumble upon every upgrade.
    Double jump is trigger only if you are spinning, making the feature not always reliable to pull in tight situation.
    Some repetitive mini-bosses, they are great, but not the fifth encounters.
    Too much cutscene for my taste, would have love to play some of those moment instead of just watching them.
    The story is thin in my opinion. Yes, it progress the main metroid/chozo/samus storyline, but this is it. There seem to be a huge past about ZDR and we barely understand it beside that they drain heat from the planet core. Give us more Lore.

    My big appreciation goes to the boss fights. The mechanics are tights and clear to read. Hard enough to learn something.

    Otherwise, it was a very pricy 7h of gameplay.    … Expand
  29. lukeo53
    Oct 12, 2021
    6
    I have been diligently waiting for news on Metroid Prime 4, and when this game was announced, I thought it would be a great game to play while waiting. I expected it to be reminiscent of Super Metroid, and while I certainly did not expect it to be in the same ballpark as the ageless classic, Dread was a let down.

    The pros: The game looks great, and has an interesting plot. The graphics    I have been diligently waiting for news on Metroid Prime 4, and when this game was announced, I thought it would be a great game to play while waiting. I expected it to be reminiscent of Super Metroid, and while I certainly did not expect it to be in the same ballpark as the ageless classic, Dread was a let down.

    The pros:
    The game looks great, and has an interesting plot. The graphics are strong and the game looks amazing without suffering from significant performance issues. I have heard others complain that there have been frame rate drops when using certain abilities in the game, but I have not encountered this. Likewise, the plot is unique and without spoiling it, takes the game in an interesting direction that is tied to Fusion.

    The cons:
    The control scheme is annoying and in my opinion poorly designed. I had hoped that it would be more like Super Metroid in which one could cycle through missiles, super missiles, and the grappling beam. However, in Dread, one has to hold down the various buttons for aiming, grappling, and shooting. This means that if one wishes to fire a missile while grappled to a surface, they have to utilize 4 separate buttons, which can become tedious and frustrating in combat. Aiming with a control stick rather than the control pad seems to make aiming a bit too sensitive at times, and the game offers no way to remap controls to suit individual preference. The other big problem with the game is the map. The map does not do a good job of showing where you should go, and while I do not want the game to hold my hand, it is extremely easy to miss a small feature on the map such as a morph ball tunnel, or bomb slots, which are not marked on the map. As such, one can spend a long time wondering around, being unable to figure out where to go next because the map is too vague, I understand that exploration is a big part of the Metroid series, but this makes it annoying and time-consuming. The game is supposed to be difficult, which I have no problem with, but there is a difference between being difficult and tedious, and this game is more tedious than truly difficult.

    Overall, the game was decent, but not great. I hesitate to even call it good. It definitely has some strong features, but it gets muddled by the game's problems. I feel like this was a hastily created game to keep everyone occupied until Prime 4 releases. I hope that if and when Prime 4 does ever eventually release, Retro does a much better job than the developer did with Dread.    … Expand
  30. markusjoh
    Oct 12, 2021
    7
    The game would be amazing if it wasn't for two major things and one lesser.
    EMMI sequences, they are simply not fun.
    Quicktime events (and the counters system). Heavy rain was a great game despite qt, not because. Never use qt in games and if you do, make it possible to turn them off. The third, and not as big of a problem as the two above, is that it is quite linear. The game keeps    The game would be amazing if it wasn't for two major things and one lesser.
    EMMI sequences, they are simply not fun.
    Quicktime events (and the counters system). Heavy rain was a great game despite qt, not because. Never use qt in games and if you do, make it possible to turn them off.
    The third, and not as big of a problem as the two above, is that it is quite linear. The game keeps blocking the way back to force you do into.a certain sequence. The old great metroid games didn't do this. Once you open something up, you are free to move around as you please.
    Given these I think Im nice when I give it a 7.    … 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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