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. skeletorcares
    Oct 27, 2021
    6
    Reminiscent, but modernized. The game is quite hard, but that adds to its value. The maps are huge. Probably the most "adult" game I've played on Switch. Sadly, like most switch games, framerate and performance are an issue for this 2021 game; this game could run better on a PS3.

    * After beating the game, I'm going to lower the score from a 8 to a 6. I beat it in less than 10 hours and    Reminiscent, but modernized. The game is quite hard, but that adds to its value. The maps are huge. Probably the most "adult" game I've played on Switch. Sadly, like most switch games, framerate and performance are an issue for this 2021 game; this game could run better on a PS3.

    * After beating the game, I'm going to lower the score from a 8 to a 6. I beat it in less than 10 hours and there is no replay value. The game was surprisingly linear and no great appeal to complete finding items as the game was already beaten. Hard mode is of no interest to me. I'd wait for a price drop, this is not a "must play" game.    … Expand
  2. kirrwed
    Oct 27, 2021
    6
    This game was probably an 8 or 9 for at least half of it, but it slowly dwindled.

    PROS: The game does produce a decent atmosphere of an abandoned planet, and indoor corridors, often claustrophobic. Some of the controls are very fluid (see the CONS for the bad controls). Jumping, dashing, sliding are all intuitive and responsive, and the animations correspond well to where you are    This game was probably an 8 or 9 for at least half of it, but it slowly dwindled.

    PROS: The game does produce a decent atmosphere of an abandoned planet, and indoor corridors, often claustrophobic. Some of the controls are very fluid (see the CONS for the bad controls). Jumping, dashing, sliding are all intuitive and responsive, and the animations correspond well to where you are trying to move. The upgrades were also fun and did give a sense of getting stronger and better. The metroidvania style of getting abilities to go back and reach new areas were there (although some traveling was too long as described below). The map, although a little daunting for it’s size, did reveal with gradients into emptiness areas where you knew the map extended - which helped give you a sense of where to go. I was only unsure where to go maybe once, despite hearing this was a problem for other players. The map development and upgrades all worked together to provide a key element to any video game - progression. The map also marks key items which is very helpful, especially when backtracking is required. The early EMMI encounters are good, atmospheric, and feel like a good stealth opportunity that invoked tension.

    CONS: Some of the controls are poor. At the top of this list is the shinespark mechanic, which is just atrocious. First, the game does not tell you multiple ways this feature can be used - such as extending the spark by wall bouncing or hitting a slope at the right angle. Another way is doing it in middair. You can look up online how to do these, but the mechanic is still vague to decipher. For instance, you can extend a spark by hitting a spark that is sloped - but not a slope against a wall, as she will end the spark as soon as she hits the wall. The whole thing is unclear, the controls are convoluted and unintuitive, and really soured that feature and any attempt at 100% completion. Even the games instructed method of using shinespark involves depressing L3 in tandem with moving that same stick in a direction. It’s a terribly unnecessary combo requirement that can lead to unwanted results. Related to that, the slide motion and morph ball motion are almost the same (L2 and diagonal down vs L2 and down). I know I and many others have experienced going into ball or slide when we wanted the other. Again, it's an unnecessary setup.

    QTEs - how these remain common in games is vexing. Multiple bosses - and even some of the regular creatures like the worm door guard things early on - need QTEs to beat. The feature remains an unimmersive fault in games and is very prevalent in Metroid Dread.

    Multiple boss fights slip into a cinematic sequence. Most of the time, you have no control over how this unfolds. But at least one fight requires you to continue shooting as part of an on-the-rails cinematic sequence. Of course, the game doesn’t tell you when. Furthermore, there is a fight where one of your weapons doesn’t work during an interactive cinematic - but your other weapons do. So if you tried the non-working weapon first, you could think it was a non-interactive cinematic. Which would result in confusion as to what to do or extend the fight to be finished way longer than necessary.

    The later EMMI encounters pretty much lose stealth as a viable option. You’re better off just bolting to the next area on the map and not care if you’re spotted. They lost their mystique here. And the game trains you early to avail yourself of stealth to succeed at these.

    Getting around also becomes a chore as the map expands. Teleporters and transports can take minutes to get to if you haven’t memorized routes. Eventually, the teleporters all unlock interchangeably, but late in the game. Most of the time, it’s just tedious to get around. Also, the game tells you that a blinking section of the map indicates hidden item. But, early on, there was a spot where you couldn't advance unless you started randomly shooting everywhere (but the map wasn't blinking to indicate anything hidden) to reveal a hidden passage. There is never any instruction about hidden pathways, which you would expect since they told you this with "items." So either passages should be included among hidden “items” or given a similar in-game instruction as “items.” Either way, the game communicated hidden passage rules poorly.

    For even a decent B-level gamer, the boss fights will require much trial and error to learn a “pattern.” And eventually, they can become easy as a result. Although some are just bullet sponges. Some gamers may find this an appropriate part of a challenge. But others will find it redundant, and boring—like learning a deck of memory cards over and over. Thus the “difficulty” is less about the flow of the fight itself, but merely learning a pattern.

    ____
    All in all, the game was largely enjoyable, but largely hurt by unclarity and some bad mechanics    … Expand
  3. 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
  4. 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
  5. sal_4
    Oct 21, 2021
    6
    I'm only giving this a six because of the lack of autosave
    Seriously, this is 2021 and when I die in the middle of collecting upgrades, it is unacceptable to lose half an hour of gameplay just because I didn't go through one of those manual save stations.
    Yeah, that's right manual saves are back ladies and gentlemen. Before you take out the armored robots (EMMI) autosave works well    I'm only giving this a six because of the lack of autosave
    Seriously, this is 2021 and when I die in the middle of collecting upgrades, it is unacceptable to lose half an hour of gameplay just because I didn't go through one of those manual save stations.

    Yeah, that's right manual saves are back ladies and gentlemen. Before you take out the armored robots (EMMI) autosave works well enough. These guys gurds large sections of the map make it hard to travers safely. So, usually you'll do some clean up after taking them out

    Other than losing over 30 minute of play time to this stupid design, the game is great     … Expand
  6. 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
  7. 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.
  8. 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
  9. 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
  10. Locklogic
    Oct 15, 2021
    6
    Great graphics and animations and the world is really deep and beautiful, the game just isn't very fun. LONG TIME Metroid fan and have played every game since Super Metroid but this one is different. The difficulty is pretty high all around but spikes to PUNISHING and often leads to frustrating repetitive deaths. Honestly kind of disowned. let's
  11. 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
  12. 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
  13. 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
  14. hof85
    Nov 1, 2021
    6
    Being a fan of Metroid franchise I was looking forward to this new episode!
    The formula has not been changed but the introduction of the EMMI which is rather fustrating than creating any tension.
    The graphics, level design and gameplay are great however what is this ridiculous level of difficulty? After 5 to 6 hours of play through and around 100 game over; I am giving-up and    Being a fan of Metroid franchise I was looking forward to this new episode!
    The formula has not been changed but the introduction of the EMMI which is rather fustrating than creating any tension.
    The graphics, level design and gameplay are great however what is this ridiculous level of difficulty?
    After 5 to 6 hours of play through and around 100 game over; I am giving-up and disappointed by this new episode that I will only recommand to people that don't mind dying every 5 minutes and 10-15 times in a row against almost each boss.    … Expand
  15. Yohnstoppable
    Jan 10, 2022
    6
    Metroid Dread has some great ideas, and I did have fun with it. But it is flawed and held back by a few minor issues and one majorly not fun mechanic

    What it does well: Controls - The gameplay and combat is the strongest part of the game. The controls are responsive and smooth. New abilities make it a lot of fun to move around and avoid enemies. My only complaint is that some    Metroid Dread has some great ideas, and I did have fun with it. But it is flawed and held back by a few minor issues and one majorly not fun mechanic

    What it does well:

    Controls - The gameplay and combat is the strongest part of the game. The controls are responsive and smooth. New abilities make it a lot of fun to move around and avoid enemies. My only complaint is that some abilities could be mapped better. Particularly any spot you have to run and jump then have both bumpers pressed to aim and fire the grappling hook. The game is a lot more combat focused than exploration focused, which I didn't like, but the controls made that not as bad

    Boss fights - besides the scorpion boss that I found a little tedious, the boss fights were a lot of fun and challenging. I'd say the boss fights are the best part of the game. Some of them are pretty hard at first, but they are very rewarding.

    Collectables - Like other Metroids, it is fun to get upgrades and go looking for secrets. The map blinks when there is a hidden path, which is a nice qol upgrade.

    What it does poorly:

    E.M.M.I encounters - The worst part of the game by far. They are tedious, slow down exploration, and just aren't fun or interesting. And every single one has you do the same boring miniboss fight to get a one time use item so you can kill it. If E.M.M.I. were not in the game I'd probably score it an 8. They ruin the game that much.

    Inconsistent difficulty - I found myself rarely ever dying, then I'd get to a point and die 10 times in a row. Then breezing through puzzles before finding one that isn't remotely intuitive or just badly designed. The 2 bad ones that stick out are standing by something in the foreground to lower the water level, and magically knowing you can shoot through a wall to hit something to explode it. I liked the challenge, but it doesn't seem to know if it wants to be easy or really hard.

    Music - the music is just bad and boring. It is not an exaggeration to say that Super Metroid, a 16 bit game released over 2 decades ago, has much better music

    Story - The story sucks, but that was never a strong point of the series.

    Summary: If you want a more combat oriented Metroid, you'll probably enjoy it. If you are yearning for the more exploration based titles like Super Metroid, you'll probably be disappointed. I really, and I mean REALLY hated the E.M.M.I. encounters.    … Expand
  16. dhammett
    Feb 25, 2022
    6
    As a long time fan of the series this game was a real heartbreak for me. I wanted to like it, but it turned out to be Dark Souls in Samus's power armor.

    The benchmark for every side-scrolling Metroid game is Super Metroid, so I played through both Dread and Super Metroid back to back. They are worlds apart on normal difficulty. Sure, the control scheme of super was clunky (with the    As a long time fan of the series this game was a real heartbreak for me. I wanted to like it, but it turned out to be Dark Souls in Samus's power armor.

    The benchmark for every side-scrolling Metroid game is Super Metroid, so I played through both Dread and Super Metroid back to back. They are worlds apart on normal difficulty. Sure, the control scheme of super was clunky (with the shoulder buttons doing angle up/ angle down aiming, a run button b/c D-pad, and the select button changing weapons) but that's about the only thing that made it any more difficult, and that's something you'll get used to with a little time. Dread has a great control scheme, but unfortunately there are 6 enemies with plot armor that can one shot you no matter how many energy tanks you pick up and you have no choice but to try and bypass them because none of your weapons will damage them until you can get the one thing that penetrates their plot armor, and it's a one-off, so you have to redo that for each one. - not fun

    All I wanted was Super Metroid with better graphics and control scheme, but they had to ruin it. Try again Nintendo, I'm sure you could do it if you tried.    … Expand
  17. Hyperion7361
    Jun 13, 2022
    6
    This was my first Metroid game, and I found it quite entertaining. The skill involved in defeating the many enemies and bosses makes the game challenging and appropriate for more experienced gamers, especially when compared to simpler Switch platformers like Mario. I haven't yet completed the full story, since the game does have a considerable length. A downside, however, is that it canThis was my first Metroid game, and I found it quite entertaining. The skill involved in defeating the many enemies and bosses makes the game challenging and appropriate for more experienced gamers, especially when compared to simpler Switch platformers like Mario. I haven't yet completed the full story, since the game does have a considerable length. A downside, however, is that it can get boring after a while (like most games for me).… Expand
  18. hhedd
    Mar 31, 2023
    6
    6 out of 10. It does not look and play as AAA game and does not cost 60$. The game is made cheap and lazy, a lot of strange puzzles where you have to guess which wall to shoot at. A lot of repetition, which is very boring. I've played other metroidvania and it wasn't so bad there, like The Fist. That game pulled me in with its story, the variety of locations, game mechanics, visuals,6 out of 10. It does not look and play as AAA game and does not cost 60$. The game is made cheap and lazy, a lot of strange puzzles where you have to guess which wall to shoot at. A lot of repetition, which is very boring. I've played other metroidvania and it wasn't so bad there, like The Fist. That game pulled me in with its story, the variety of locations, game mechanics, visuals, music. In metroid there is nothing of this, the music from the last century and there is very little of it, almost the same locations, boring same battles with EMMI, even the cutscenes are almost absent, and on those that are you just look at the emotionless faces, listening to a monotonous dialogue. No wonder I skipped a lot of things in this game, just to get it over with quicker. Battles with bosses are also nothing interesting. I don't understand why fans love this game, they probably just haven't played other games.… Expand
  19. Thunder5555
    Feb 27, 2022
    5
    Good game but meant only for a small demographic of gamers.
    Unless you enjoy insanely difficult games, stay away.
  20. Psyclerk
    Nov 5, 2021
    5
    As a long-time Metroid fan, I was disappointed in this outing. I didn't like revisiting the SA-X gimmick in the EMMI areas. I found the bosses to rely too much on 'gotcha' gameplay, which requires you to either have incredible reflexes or simply die a few times while you learn all the patterns.

    I liked getting all of Samus' toys, but there's nothing really new or compelling about her    As a long-time Metroid fan, I was disappointed in this outing. I didn't like revisiting the SA-X gimmick in the EMMI areas. I found the bosses to rely too much on 'gotcha' gameplay, which requires you to either have incredible reflexes or simply die a few times while you learn all the patterns.

    I liked getting all of Samus' toys, but there's nothing really new or compelling about her abilities in this game. When you get a new ability, you get to use it only once or twice before you're off to the next area. Controls for switching weapons and equipment seemed overly complex, making stuff like grapple beam swinging more difficult than it's ever been.

    There are a lot of cut-and-paste fights, particularly with bosses/mini-bosses. All enemies seem overtuned for damage, and getting more energy tanks doesn't alleviate that. Too many common enemies require the use of the melee counter. The time and reflexes needed to play well are higher than any Nintendo game in recent memory. Rarely did I finish a boss fight or other battle and feel a sense of accomplishment. I usually felt relief that it was over and I had made it through without dying again.

    Having said all this, it looks like a lot of people love this game and I'm in the minority. I give it a 5 out of 10, with a point of that coming from its pedigree. I'm not sure if the series is losing its touch or I've reached a point in my life that I can't commit to these types of games.    … Expand
  21. Promotheus
    Oct 30, 2021
    5
    A perfectly fine entry in the Metroid series but it has some serious drawbacks. The EMMI encounters are very annoying, and I can’t for the life of me understand how they could think that they were a good idea. I absolutely hate stealth sections in games, especially when you shoehorn them in a genre such as an action-adventure game. They should be skippable but are not and just become moreA perfectly fine entry in the Metroid series but it has some serious drawbacks. The EMMI encounters are very annoying, and I can’t for the life of me understand how they could think that they were a good idea. I absolutely hate stealth sections in games, especially when you shoehorn them in a genre such as an action-adventure game. They should be skippable but are not and just become more and more frustrating as the game progresses.

    The SA-X that they obviously were inspired by was scary and much more sparsely inserted in the game. The EMMI seem friendly with their Portal 2-look and feel.

    The next major drawback is the controls. There are just too many buttons and too many combinations to remember. It’s unintuitive and clunky.

    I think the game is a little too hand-holdy in its design, but it is by and large the old Metroid formula that provides a few hours of fun, minus the EMMI-parts. I had no problem with the trial-and-error difficulty. Graphics are not that good, but the Switch is getting old and really underspecced now.    … Expand
  22. landi
    Jun 27, 2022
    5
    To difficult for my taste and also my teenage boy wasn't really able to finish it... But I really liked the style of the game
  23. Focs
    Feb 18, 2022
    5
    Отличная игра если убрать боссов. Мне понравилось, разнообразие способностей, разные биомы (огненные, ледяные, джунгли, база). Красивая графика. Интересный подход к мелким деталям. Например некоторые враги не нападают, но когда появляется враг который может мимикрировать в разных врагов он выдает себя агрессией. В игре прямо не показывают куда идти. По этому вам интересно гонять поОтличная игра если убрать боссов. Мне понравилось, разнообразие способностей, разные биомы (огненные, ледяные, джунгли, база). Красивая графика. Интересный подход к мелким деталям. Например некоторые враги не нападают, но когда появляется враг который может мимикрировать в разных врагов он выдает себя агрессией. В игре прямо не показывают куда идти. По этому вам интересно гонять по локациям и находить секреты. Попутно разбираясь куда вам нужно идти дальше. Что не понравилось. Короткая, босы нуторыне и убиваются по одному паттерну. Нужно повторить 3-6 раз одно и тоже действия. То есть вы бьете его потом нужно либо отразить атаку либо нанести свою атаку. И так по кругу до победы. Так же они довольно однообразные. И частенько повторяются. так же они так сделаны, что вы не чувствуете прогрессии. Вы вроде открываете секретки и новые способности. Но каждый босс сильнее раза в 2 или 3 и по этому не важно на сколько хорошо вы исследовали вам со равно будет тяжело его убить. Да и бой может затянуться а это всегда скучно. Последний бос вообще при лучшем раскладе убивается за 10 минут и у него где то 6 или 7 фаз. В общем пробежать один раз сойдет. Но не более.… Expand
  24. j_obediah
    Oct 12, 2021
    5
    BUYER BEWARE:This game is NOT casual and should have a surgeon general's warning on it.

    The later bosses specifically are essentially designed to make any tendonitis in our hands permanent. The EMMI robots certainly make the game more difficult, so much so that it stops being a shock if you die from them. It's just something that happens and you start over and try again until you    BUYER BEWARE:This game is NOT casual and should have a surgeon general's warning on it.

    The later bosses specifically are essentially designed to make any tendonitis in our hands permanent. The EMMI robots certainly make the game more difficult, so much so that it stops being a shock if you die from them. It's just something that happens and you start over and try again until you figure it out.

    It's very clear that the developers were deathly afraid that this game would be "too easy." If you enjoy combat that is brutal for brutality's sake, then this game *might* give you a challenge, but if you have other life skills that you'd like to hone other than gaming, this game is not for you.

    I gave it a 5 because that won't hurt the game's success, but it will increase the chance that this warning gets to casuals who might think this will be and experience like Super Metroid. It's not. It's WAY harder.    … Expand
  25. Falkenauge
    Oct 17, 2021
    5
    sorry but whoever came up with the Emmis should be fired.
    Without that, the game would have deserved an 8 or 9 but only a 5 from me. 0 fun when you are at the emmis and pure waste of playing time every time you get caught and you get caught very, very often.
  26. kraftw33rk
    Mar 16, 2023
    5
    The game series "Metroid" has been at the top of the gaming tron for me since Super Metroid. For me, the peak of the series is Metroid Prime 1 and then nothing comes for a long time!
    I'm even a fan of the taunted "OtherM" part. Pretty much everything about this game is extraordinary and interesting.
    Of course, I pre-ordered Metroid Dread immediately when it was possible. I enjoyed    The game series "Metroid" has been at the top of the gaming tron for me since Super Metroid. For me, the peak of the series is Metroid Prime 1 and then nothing comes for a long time!
    I'm even a fan of the taunted "OtherM" part. Pretty much everything about this game is extraordinary and interesting.
    Of course, I pre-ordered Metroid Dread immediately when it was possible. I enjoyed playing this game to the max. Music, location and gameplay again create a powerful reverberation that will probably provide a sugar-sweet aftertaste for life.
    Unfortunately, the final boss is way over it, dear developers. The whole game has wonderfully delicately increasing challenges and then comes the final boss, who almost scratches the edge of unfairness and causes me far too much stress. I can't defeat it either. I bought the game at release and after a few days I was in front of the final boss. In the meantime, I've been trying to get this over with with easily five hundred plus attempts in over a year without success. Sorry dear developers, this is not well done! It would be nice if I could change the combat to "easy", but then I have to play the whole game again! I will probably never buy another Metroid game from this developer. Gaming should be fun, not frustrating!
    --
    Die Spieleserie "Metroid" steht seit Super Metroid für mich ganz oben ungeschlagen auf dem Gaming-Tron. Den Gipfel der Serie stellt für mich Metroid Prime 1 dar und dann kommt lange nichts!
    Ich bin sogar ein Fan des verschmäten Teils "OtherM". An diesem Spiel ist so ziemlich alles aussergewöhnlich und interessant.
    Metroid Dread habe ich natürlich instant vorbestellt, als es möglich war. Mit Genuss habe ich dieses Spiel bis an den Anschlag gespielt. Musik, Location und Gameplay erzeugen hier wieder einen wuchtigen Nachhall, der wohl lebenslang einen zuckersüßen Nachgeschmack liefert.
    Leider ist der letzte Endboss deutlich drüber liebe Entwickler. Das ganze Spiel gibt es herrlich zart ansteigende Herrausforderungen und dann kommt der Endboss, der schon nah an der Unfairness kratzt und erheblich zuviel Stress bei mir erzeugt. Es gelingt mir auch nicht diesen zu besiegen. Ich habe das Spiel bei Release gekauft und stand nach wenigen Tagen vor dem Endboss. Diesen versuche ich inzwischen mit locker fünfhundert plus Anläufen in über einem Jahr immer wieder erfolglos hinter mir zu bringen. Tut mir leid liebe Entwickler, das ist leider nicht gut gemacht! Es wäre ja schon gut, wenn ich den Kampf auf "leicht" umstellen könnte, aber dann muss ich gleich das ganze Spiel neu spielen! Ich werde wohl kein Metroid-Spiel dieses Entwicklers mehr kaufen. Spielen soll Spaß machen und keinen Frust erzeugen!    … Expand
  27. 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
  28. 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.
  29. AstralCritic
    Oct 13, 2021
    5
    Highly Over rated as a Metroid game. This is the most on the rails Metroid I have played. Sure the action is highly polished and dynamic, but the cutscene invasion during boss battles are unwanted and only serve as "here is how you beat me" giveaways. Sequence Breaking is a staple of Metroid and this game intentionally prevents that from happening as nauseum. It is anti-Metroid in myHighly Over rated as a Metroid game. This is the most on the rails Metroid I have played. Sure the action is highly polished and dynamic, but the cutscene invasion during boss battles are unwanted and only serve as "here is how you beat me" giveaways. Sequence Breaking is a staple of Metroid and this game intentionally prevents that from happening as nauseum. It is anti-Metroid in my opinion and should be called something else. Nintendo is clearly coasting on Metroid fanbucks. It's a shame. Super Metroid is still the best in the series but this is a different kind of game. Wish I had not bought it. It is subpar in every game mechanic aspect with only the visuals and atmosphere being high quality.… Expand
  30. GeoKorf
    May 18, 2023
    5
    Overhyped game. Good for newbies.

    True good games have got an insufficient amount of cupcakes to make them. And the people who wish to make a good sequel should be put in the position of amateurs like R&D1 staff were at the time... The room was too small and was stinky, with sweat and tears. If you had money and were patronized by Nintendo in every way there is no chance that you are    Overhyped game. Good for newbies.

    True good games have got an insufficient amount of cupcakes to make them.
    And the people who wish to make a good sequel should be put in the position of amateurs like R&D1 staff were at the time... The room was too small and was stinky, with sweat and tears. If you had money and were patronized by Nintendo in every way there is no chance that you are going to create a masterpiece. This is just an over-hyped piece of trash, even with Chozo they cant hold up to Japanese development roots. And also Nintendo being outsourced their franchise to 3rd party. By doing so they completely neglect the fanbase... after Metroid Fusion it was over. AM2R was a good remake, long enough and beautiful enough. if Nintendo had only could see their potential, they were one those who be able to recreate the perfect Metroid 2.5 d remake of M SR. It's a shame but I think Nintendo became something like Konami, too much power too much money too much risks.
    OH, here are some facts the spanish guys who made this game rely on post-modern their destroyed canon of Metroid. Metroid was a good game (DREAD,OTHERM,MSR,FFORCE not included) and its system was very rewarding, you get an upgrade after a really long detour to get it. First, it was a puzzle to find them! Before the puzzle however you have encountered a foe to defeat, and the pace in-game was right and the item was very close to the foe's location, it was challenging and rewarding. But now it's not. Also, do you remember how the staff who made Metroid fusion rely on the changes in the landscape in the game, you know I am not saying there ain't happening in dread, but it's different in a lousy way! Emmi sequences get very repetitive and after a while, you get used to it and it's getting boring. That's my facts. and the difficulty was above normal so you didn't see a lack of details there aren't put in the game, and the puzzles were still solely for this reason. mic drop. welcome to the new age of gaming, they feeding you the wrong retro product!

    P.S.
    I AM PRAYING FOR RETRO DON"T LET US DOWN TRY TO BRING BACK ANDROID JONES ONCE MORE SHOW CHOZO HOW THEY SHOULD BE LIKE HOLY AND TRANSCENDENT, with NO HORIZONTAL EYE LINE. Give em proper design!.

    P.P.S
    PARDON MY FRENCH but 10/10 reviewers have reminded me of a simp who gets to touch **** for 60 bucks for the first time. Or Gollum who gets corrupted by the ring.

    And last but not least i think Yokoi Gunpei san doing shinespark in his grave, bless his soul, you should be ashamed mr Sakamoto! For the last time gather R&D1 and stop outsourcing my beloved franchise. Alien FS is already fallen but Metroid one could take a more interesting route once more! Try to Tell a story from a different point of view, change it get deeper be more thoughtful Metroid always was a more than a game it was mystical experience not emotional rollercoster or speedrun feature was just a addition to alien landscapes and deep narrated "show don't tell" stylized story!

    Ppp.S FOR CHIRST SAKE, How can Kraid Came did came back? You were must to bring back good ol Crocomire aswell lol!    … Expand
  31. Swarthy_bandit
    Jan 16, 2022
    5
    I've never felt more Metroid. I'm 40. So fun and cool. The game, I mean. Me, somewhat.
  32. Shirohae
    Oct 15, 2021
    5
    I liked the game very much, but the emmi passages are just so so frustrating
  33. 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
  34. Uillian
    Oct 12, 2021
    5
    Jogo muitooo bomm, sensacional, não consigo parar de jogar. Jogo top, delícia de jogo.
  35. FreyjasChild
    Oct 13, 2021
    5
    Fantastic addition to the franchise! Interesting story that builds upon the lore, smooth controls, beautiful visuals, huge maps, and killer bosses! As a fan of the franchise since the beginning Dread delivers on all my expectations and exceeds them! ...See you next mission!
  36. 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
  37. baconzaddy
    Oct 16, 2021
    5
    A fantastic return to the Metroid series! The feeling of isolation is back, Samus controls beautifully and when you master the terrain and pick up enough upgrades you’ll be zipping through the map like an unstoppable war machine. The EMMI are terrifying and add stealth gameplay that is fresh and exciting in Metroid. The bosses are unique and challenging! I’m not a super skilled player andA fantastic return to the Metroid series! The feeling of isolation is back, Samus controls beautifully and when you master the terrain and pick up enough upgrades you’ll be zipping through the map like an unstoppable war machine. The EMMI are terrifying and add stealth gameplay that is fresh and exciting in Metroid. The bosses are unique and challenging! I’m not a super skilled player and I did die a few times fighting bosses. But once you learn the attack patterns and get better at melee counters you can make quick work of them and it’s so satisfying! I definitely recommend for fans of Metroidvania games like Hollowknight and Blasphemous.… Expand
  38. Small-Watch
    Oct 20, 2021
    5
    Having played every other game in the Metroid series, Metroid Dread was a must buy for me. Unfortunately having now completed the game, I was left somewhat disappointed for a number of key reasons.

    1. Difficulty The game is noticeably harder than any other Metroid game I have played. I thought Prime 2 on hard mode was hard, but I honestly found Metroid Dread on normal mode harder. I    Having played every other game in the Metroid series, Metroid Dread was a must buy for me. Unfortunately having now completed the game, I was left somewhat disappointed for a number of key reasons.

    1. Difficulty

    The game is noticeably harder than any other Metroid game I have played. I thought Prime 2 on hard mode was hard, but I honestly found Metroid Dread on normal mode harder. I think the reason for this difficulty is that fact that most bosses and enemies now seen to do considerably more damage per hit (usually over 100) which is not the case in previous titles. This is compensated for by the fact that bosses now have a checkpoint outside, but I still find it frustrating to die over and over again to beat one boss, even if this was the intention. Also, I really hate the melee countering, I'm not going to explain why, it just needs to go.

    2. Atmosphere

    Metroid Dread does not have the same feeling of desolation that is characteristic of a Metroid game. The planet feels very mechanical and lacks many natural environments, and the natural areas in the game felt very generic and too similar visually to areas from Super Metroid or Zero Mission, most areas were also filled with enemies, which is fine in most cases, but I felt that certain areas could have done without to help build a stronger atmosphere, especially considering the game is called "Dread".

    3. Music

    This is more a subjective point but I just do not like the music, it is rare for me to complete a game and not remember a single piece of music from it. Most of the music was lacking a consistent tune which makes it just sound like an incoherent jumble of sounds; the same is true for bosses as well unfortunately.

    4. Portrayal of Samus

    I didn't feel that Samus was portrayed in a consistent way with previous games, she felt a lot colder and angrier in this game. In games like Metroid Fusion and to an extent Super Metroid with its intro, Samus occasionally gave short monologues stating her view on the current situation, this is something I think the story would have benefited from, as all we see of Samus in Dread is her killing things which, during some boss battles, make her actually appear somewhat sadistic.

    All in all, while this review might seem rather negative, the game isn't all bad and did have some good moments, I also like the addition of new power ups to keep it fresh, however I just do not feel that the price justifies the game.    … Expand
  39. 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
  40. Gavinxdragon
    Oct 20, 2021
    5
    Awesome entry polished samus returns twitchy combat to perfection, takes care of overreliance on the counter move gives you many toys to play with against bosses and regular enemies. Boss fights are actually hard and will test your skills I enjoyed the change of pace to an actual challenge. The emmi were an interesting experiment that I'd say works on the whole creating as the title saysAwesome entry polished samus returns twitchy combat to perfection, takes care of overreliance on the counter move gives you many toys to play with against bosses and regular enemies. Boss fights are actually hard and will test your skills I enjoyed the change of pace to an actual challenge. The emmi were an interesting experiment that I'd say works on the whole creating as the title says "dread" to reenter their zones and finding where you need to go to progress. Graphically this game is held back by the anemic hardware Nintendo insists on using, its beautiful on the tablet but okayish to good on the dock. The level design is actually fun to backtrack through especially as you gain upgrades making your trips through familiar areas even faster. The story actually gripped me as a conclusion to the main line metroid games seeing the ending and playing it was a real treat loved it. The only knock I have is the music isn't as memorable as past entries but I think that might have been a stylistic choice to go for atmosphere over catchy tune. WORTH 60 dollars 100% going to run through it again on hard mode.… Expand
  41. Jatton
    Oct 23, 2021
    5
    Great game, I highly recommend this for anyone who’s a fan of the Metroid prime franchise
  42. flag0n
    Nov 2, 2021
    5
    I made a Metacritic account just so I can review this game. The first Metroid game I played was Metroid II: Return of Samus for the Gameboy in 1991. I was 4 years old and loved the fact I could play in a hostile, foreboding Sci-Fi world where aliens or the environment could kill you within seconds. My favorite games in the Metroid franchise are the Prime trilogy, with the first one takingI made a Metacritic account just so I can review this game. The first Metroid game I played was Metroid II: Return of Samus for the Gameboy in 1991. I was 4 years old and loved the fact I could play in a hostile, foreboding Sci-Fi world where aliens or the environment could kill you within seconds. My favorite games in the Metroid franchise are the Prime trilogy, with the first one taking the cake. Super Metroid is great too, but I played that much later when it was packaged on the SNES Classic. It's a great game.

    This is one of the worst Metroid games I have ever played. I won't repeat what has already been said about why this game is so marginal and non-Metroid, but I do disagree that the difficulty is a prohibiting factor. Metroid has always been hard, not impossibly hard per se, but the difficulty -- especially at the beginning of the games -- are what draws a lot of people in and creates a sense of investment and reward by the time you finish. Prime 2's beginning (especially the first time you go to the Dark World and fight the first Ing boss) is a great example.

    Metroid Dread fails in nearly every category that makes the franchise unique in a world full of Metroidvania-style games. It's chock full of gimmicky QTE-type reactions and sections that feel uninspired and annoying rather than mysterious and foreboding. There is next to no exploration, and obtaining power-ups seems too twitchy rather than reliant on problem-solving or exploratory skills.

    Metroid has always been a game about being lost, isolated even, in a hostile world. It's always had this feeling that at any moment, you could fall prey to an alien monster or some environmental trap. It's up to you, the player, to overcome all odds and prove to the galaxy that Samus Aran is the baddest bounty hunter, bar none. Metroid Dread, despite its name, does none of these things. I never once felt an ounce of fear, anxiety, or dread. Mostly, I felt boredom during the main game and frustration bordering on anger during the idiotic EMMI sections.

    There are a few redeeming qualities. Controls are tight and fluid. It's got that Nintendo polish and production value going for it. The endgame is fun when you become an unstoppable force with all of your tricks, but it happens so suddenly that the first half of the game (when you are weak) feels like it was made longer just to keep the difficulty artificially inflated. The Chozo storyline is intriguing but unrealized. Finally, a game where we learn about and interact with these guys while playing rather than through lore and flashbacks. If only we had more.

    Nintendo is laughing all the way to the bank with this one. What a joke. Don't be a sucker like me and pay $60 for this crap. Here's an idea: save yourself $45 and buy Hollow Knight on the Switch, or get it on sale on Steam for $7. It's the best Metroidvania game made since Symphony of the Night (1997). I'm serious. Hopefully Retro can redeem what's left of this once-great franchise with Prime 4. It's my last hope as a Metroid fan.

    Gameplay: 7
    Graphics: 7
    Fun Factor: 3
    Sound/Music: 3
    Replayability: 5

    Average. For a Metroid game, what a disappointment. It's as bad as Other M.    … Expand
  43. kusanagui
    Nov 5, 2021
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Adoro esta saga, pero me ha decepcionado, puede que no tenga los mejores gráficos, no me importaría si la jugabilidad fuese buena, pero no es así, tiene unos picos de dificultad sin sentido llegando a ser frustrantes.
    El juego encima es corto, a mí solo me ha durado 15 horas y ya está en la estantería cogiendo polvo, se nota que al principio hay mucho que explorar y después cada vez menos.
    Lo que tampoco me ha gusta es la reutilización de los bosses intermedios en los EMIS y guerreros chozo, visto el primero, vistos todos.
    Y por último no poder reasignar los botones.
    En fin, no es mal juego, yo lo he disfrutado y odiado a partes iguales, si eres fan de la saga debes jugarlo.    … Expand
  44. georgiegs2408
    Nov 14, 2021
    5
    An incredible Metroid sequel with great ambience and challenge. The only missing is the memorable atmospheric music present in most of the titles.
  45. Monkeybottomley
    Dec 28, 2021
    5
    There’s every reason for this to be a great game. For some reason they decided to make it so masochistically hard (with very few periods of relief in the later game) that eventually even my successes stopped feeling rewarding. This game simply makes me feel bad. What’s the point of that?
  46. smolny1
    Jan 22, 2022
    5
    Great metroid game with nice action, good music and interesting story. Watching trailers I was 100% I will skip it. Then I bought it based on early reviews and I love it.
  47. 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.
  48. Endymion_Var
    Feb 23, 2022
    5
    Otro mata marcianos más, y en 2021 con gráficos de Scroll; No veo innovación; sera divertido y nada más
  49. Cannibalxxx
    Apr 18, 2022
    5
    Like all Metroid games it’s tough. However this game seems unnecessarily so. The EMMI sections add some tension to the game but make exploration tedious and overall take away from the playability. The multilevel bosses also seem overly contrived and are designed to just be hard without adding anything to the game. All in all these factors take away from the enjoyment of the game. I got noLike all Metroid games it’s tough. However this game seems unnecessarily so. The EMMI sections add some tension to the game but make exploration tedious and overall take away from the playability. The multilevel bosses also seem overly contrived and are designed to just be hard without adding anything to the game. All in all these factors take away from the enjoyment of the game. I got no satisfaction out of beating the game just a sense of relief I no longer need to finish it.… Expand
  50. Lov3Glov3
    Jun 21, 2022
    5
    Have you ever wanted to run through the same corridor, fighting the exact same enemies in the exact same locations, over and over and over again in hopes of finding something to do? Then Metroid Dread is the game for you. Granted, the combat is very smooth and complimented greatly by the graphics, but the gameplay is so tedious, boring and downright frustrating at times that it's made meHave you ever wanted to run through the same corridor, fighting the exact same enemies in the exact same locations, over and over and over again in hopes of finding something to do? Then Metroid Dread is the game for you. Granted, the combat is very smooth and complimented greatly by the graphics, but the gameplay is so tedious, boring and downright frustrating at times that it's made me put it down and never pick it up again.… Expand
  51. stevemis
    Dec 4, 2022
    5
    Metroid Dread was one of the reasons I bought the console. This game is beautiful, it has great mechanis that make you enjoy the controls and has also a nice atmosphere. But sadly, this game has only that!
    The game has an awful development and no story at all. It forces you to jump between places just to look for power ups in order to move forward. You don't care about what is going on.    Metroid Dread was one of the reasons I bought the console. This game is beautiful, it has great mechanis that make you enjoy the controls and has also a nice atmosphere. But sadly, this game has only that!
    The game has an awful development and no story at all. It forces you to jump between places just to look for power ups in order to move forward. You don't care about what is going on. They created a 3h main story, made it complicated with "difficult" fights ( EMMIs and more ), created a chaos in the maps with the power ups, made it hard to move from one place to the other on the same territory..... I played 10-11 hours and I felt I threw 8 of them. It was not a fun experience and I found myself feeling obliged to finish this just because I bought it. When I realized that I quitted it. Its beauty can't save the bad implementation.    … Expand
  52. DiclofenacNa
    Jul 30, 2023
    5
    This game is pretty good, but the problems hold it back a lot. When you get to just explore, it feels amazing. The controls are great and you feel like you can do anything. Then you go through a one-way door. You can't spam power bombs.
  53. 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
  54. 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
  55. 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.
  56. 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.
  57. robomartion
    Jul 18, 2022
    4
    If you like constantly being chased this is the game for you. Bring back Metroid Prime.
  58. 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
  59. 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
  60. 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
  61. 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
  62. 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.
  63. 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
  64. 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
  65. 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.
  66. 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
  67. 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
  68. 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
  69. 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
  70. 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
  71. 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
  72. 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.
  73. 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
  74. 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
  75. 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
  76. 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
  77. 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?...
  78. pomf
    May 2, 2022
    3
    This game turned out bad because of speedrunners. Speedrunners are cancer. Stop kissing them/xir bums.
  79. 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
  80. 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.
  81. 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.
  82. 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
  83. Barrymore45
    Oct 24, 2021
    3
    Garbage, forgettable music, forgettable exploration, very linear, irritating highly scripted bosses, fun segment for the last 3 minutes and decent graphics earn it a 3 out of ten.
  84. Batou1
    Oct 16, 2021
    3
    Fun game until you get to an e.m.m.i, boss, or have to counter. Metroid peaked with super Metroid and has gone down the **** with samus returns and Metroid dread. Wet fart of an way to end the series.
  85. Lakschman
    Oct 29, 2021
    3
    From all the Metroids (all) and Metroidvanias i played, this one is the worse Metroid and just a medicore Metroidvania.

    Way to hard, way to repetetive, the controls are aweful, the map looks confusing, graphics are ok-ish and the playtime isn't worth the price, especially not for a 2D game. Sometimes you even have to find secrets to find your way. SECRETS to PROGRES. Srsly?
  86. Bazdmeg
    Mar 7, 2022
    3
    Átgondolatlannak érzem, már a játék elején nem tudom megszerezni a boss után a lava suitot, amivel tovább lehetne menni, amiért vissza kell menni valhova a játék elejére, ahova nem tudok ugyanis valami szar elállja az utat. Ezzel semmit nem lehet kezdeni. Most van még 3 út, amihez kell valami morph ball, amit egy teljesen másik pályán lehet csak megszerezni. Na most ezzel mit kezdjek.Átgondolatlannak érzem, már a játék elején nem tudom megszerezni a boss után a lava suitot, amivel tovább lehetne menni, amiért vissza kell menni valhova a játék elejére, ahova nem tudok ugyanis valami szar elállja az utat. Ezzel semmit nem lehet kezdeni. Most van még 3 út, amihez kell valami morph ball, amit egy teljesen másik pályán lehet csak megszerezni. Na most ezzel mit kezdjek. Konkrétan tényleg semerre sem lehet tovább menni, szívesen mutatnám a térképet, de annyit nem ér az egész, leszarom.… Expand
  87. Scubasausage86
    Nov 4, 2021
    3
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Incredibly disappointed. Unskippable cutscenes with really boring story content are the worst part, want to just fire up and play the game? Sorry wait 10 mins first. Die against a boss? Best watch the cut scene again. The game itself is no better than the average indie 2D platformer and a lot worse than most. It Should cost $10 and not $50. This is just Nintendo milking it’s IP, there’s nothing new or impressive here, save your money.… Expand
  88. 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
  89. 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
  90. 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
  91. Lawngnome
    Oct 12, 2021
    3
    The game plays beautifully, and the exploration aspect is as good as it ever was. Even the EMMI zones, despite being stressful, are enjoyable and the mix of stealth and running for your sweet life is at its core fun and never feels unfair. Unfortunately, after the first couple of boss fights... everything completely falls apart. Any progress you make is constantly stopped by boss afterThe game plays beautifully, and the exploration aspect is as good as it ever was. Even the EMMI zones, despite being stressful, are enjoyable and the mix of stealth and running for your sweet life is at its core fun and never feels unfair. Unfortunately, after the first couple of boss fights... everything completely falls apart. Any progress you make is constantly stopped by boss after boss after boss thrown at you and you're forced to grind the same fight until your thumbs bleed or just stop playing altogether. The latter of which is what I did some midway through the game, feeling robbed and cheated. It's also painfully obvious the boss fights are only needlessly difficult for the sake of being difficult, the difficulty itself serving no storytelling purpose, but rather working against it by repeatedly taking the player out of the adventure to stare at the Game Over screen and then watch the same cutscene for the millionth time, or just skip it until you no longer remember what it was even about.

    An otherwise excellent game being ruined by one incredibly stupid, yet clearly deliberate design choice is utterly baffling. It's not fair to condemn the game because of this, but the fact remains it's quite literally unplayable for casual audiences yet doesn't tell you that until later in the game, and the score should reflect that more than anything.    … Expand
  92. Ivanstankevich
    Oct 14, 2021
    3
    Adventuring through dungeons is interesting part of the game. EMMI’s provide good action. But boss battles are too hard to master. They are not about observing pattern but about execution of right combos at right amount of time. It is a pity that there are no options to change difficulty or skip somehow them. In the end I had to abandon the game in the middle because even with hundreds ofAdventuring through dungeons is interesting part of the game. EMMI’s provide good action. But boss battles are too hard to master. They are not about observing pattern but about execution of right combos at right amount of time. It is a pity that there are no options to change difficulty or skip somehow them. In the end I had to abandon the game in the middle because even with hundreds of tries I could not defeat one of bosses (Escue). For other bosses I also spent a lot of time (~1 hour per boss) and the only feeling I had after defeating any boss is a sorrow for throwing away just another hour. Spending not just money, but time for unpleasant and bad game experience just does not worth interesting part of exploring. I read reviews about Dread and about Metroidvania. They claimed it is about exploring. The reality is the game about boss fights. I would not buy it if I knew this thing and I do not recommend majority of people to purchase it.… Expand
  93. CookeKeyes
    Oct 20, 2021
    3
    DREADFUL. Who the hell decided it was a good idea to make invincible enemies who one-shot you a core game mechanic??? The EMIs absolutely ruin this game. If there were no EMIs, it still wouldn’t be a very good game. This is supposed to be a metroidvania, so why am I constantly being forced to follow a linear path that blocks me off from exploring the map after getting new powers (you know,DREADFUL. Who the hell decided it was a good idea to make invincible enemies who one-shot you a core game mechanic??? The EMIs absolutely ruin this game. If there were no EMIs, it still wouldn’t be a very good game. This is supposed to be a metroidvania, so why am I constantly being forced to follow a linear path that blocks me off from exploring the map after getting new powers (you know, that core game mechanic that makes a metroidvania a metroidvania!?)


    This is a complete joke of a metroidvania. The franchise should’ve stayed dead if they thought this was acceptable.    … Expand
  94. Changeling
    Oct 21, 2021
    3
    The metroid old fans want is dead.

    I have been playing this series since Fusion came out on the GBA. I have played Fusion countless times and consider it one of my favorite games. I love Zero Mission (besides the overuse of shinesparks in a 100% run), was not super pleased with Samus Returns, and am very disappointed with Dread. I am on the second area and find that faaaaaar too much of    The metroid old fans want is dead.

    I have been playing this series since Fusion came out on the GBA. I have played Fusion countless times and consider it one of my favorite games. I love Zero Mission (besides the overuse of shinesparks in a 100% run), was not super pleased with Samus Returns, and am very disappointed with Dread. I am on the second area and find that faaaaaar too much of the gameplay revolves around a frustrating experience trying to figure out what I’m supposed to do while trying to not get one-touch killed by the EMMIs. If you like stealth sections where you can aggro an invincible and hard to detect enemy from off screen, this is the game for you. If you were glad that the SAX scenes in Fusion were brief and infrequent, like me, this is not your game. I just want a well designed two dimensional metroidvania with a satisfying power creep and crisp controls. I do not want to try to figure out where to go in between death loading screens. I am extremely disappointed with this game.    … Expand
  95. mvi_irl
    Nov 9, 2021
    3
    The main thing I'll give the game is that it is consistent. On the positive, it looks nice (not amazing but nice) and it sounds fabulous. However, the exploration feels like a dumbed-down version of its predecessors (never fear, you will never have to think about where to go next) and the combat consists of spamming the fire button and twitchy quick-time events (where you only press X).The main thing I'll give the game is that it is consistent. On the positive, it looks nice (not amazing but nice) and it sounds fabulous. However, the exploration feels like a dumbed-down version of its predecessors (never fear, you will never have to think about where to go next) and the combat consists of spamming the fire button and twitchy quick-time events (where you only press X). The story, in short, is dreadful and silly (like Other M silly). Maybe I'm getting old but the controls also felt more convoluted as well but that could just be me.… Expand
  96. Aticus
    Jan 9, 2022
    3
    Despite the name, don't expect this to be in the metroidvania genre -- it's much too linear for that. Rather than exploring an world that gradually opens up, you're ferreted down a set of corridors where the set dressing could pretty much be swapped out for another. There's no world building, no environmental storytelling. I think part of what made Super Metroid, SotN, Hollow Knight,Despite the name, don't expect this to be in the metroidvania genre -- it's much too linear for that. Rather than exploring an world that gradually opens up, you're ferreted down a set of corridors where the set dressing could pretty much be swapped out for another. There's no world building, no environmental storytelling. I think part of what made Super Metroid, SotN, Hollow Knight, and even Dark Souls so appealing was that they presented a cohesive and interconnected world. That feeling is lost as you're through teleporters to completely unrelated areas. So far, it feels like Metroid:Dread is to Super Metroid what Final Fantasy XIII was to Final Fantasy VI.

    The new gimmick added to the game is a set of enemies which are all carbon copies of each other which can instakill you and most of the time are unkillable. This tries to be suspenseful as you run around the portion of the map that they're in -- hence the "Dread" subtitle. They even rumble the joycons like a heartbeat to let you know that you're *supposed* to be scared. But this ends up being tedious, annoying, and boring more than anything else. So it seems like it tried and failed at being a survival horror as well.

    Lastly, the load times. The game has them. For a 2.5D platformer. In the year 2021.

    All in all, if you remove the Nintendo and Metroid branding you end up with a harmless but forgettable title that would have sold on steam for $15-$20 but few people would pick up unless it as on sale for $10 or less. Certainly not with the money.    … Expand
  97. Flickerack
    Mar 30, 2023
    3
    A refreshing take held back by traditionalist game design

    Over the last decades, the metroidvania genre has come a long way. Especially from the indie scene, we've got many great entries. Metroid Dread feels like a time capsule due to its traditional design choices for better and worse. It is always encouraged to expect investment of the player like old games did, but the game is    A refreshing take held back by traditionalist game design

    Over the last decades, the metroidvania genre has come a long way. Especially from the indie scene, we've got many great entries.

    Metroid Dread feels like a time capsule due to its traditional design choices for better and worse. It is always encouraged to expect investment of the player like old games did, but the game is also littered with mechanics that you would not expect from a game released in 2021.

    Here are some examples. The controls expect you to hold 3 buttons, just to fire a rocket, while one would have sufficed, boss difficulty is artificially raised by sponginess and quick time events are back, even necessary to beat nearly every boss. A lot of the bosses are repeated up to 6 times.

    These choices would be fine years ago, but due to fantastic examples like Hollow Knight or Ori and the Will of the Wisps, one knows that the metroidvania genre has come a long way and can do better. A comparison: In Metroid Dread and Hollow Knight, you are given a kind of super-jump in the game. It Hollow Knight you cling to a wall, hold a button and perform this jump. In Metroid Dread, you have to click your stick, run a bit, press down, then B, then the direction while holding B, and then you perform the jump.

    Why this artificial complexity? For a game, that advertises its tight controls, this feels unlike Nintendo, who usually simplify things, which take other games three sub-menus to explain.    … Expand
  98. tdebug
    Jul 8, 2022
    2
    I am fine with platformers, but this one just does not stand out as a good game. Too difficult even on the lowest level and somewhat repetitive. Sadly its just one of those japanese products where lack of good story and interesting gameplay is thought to be compensated by very high difficulty. Nah.
  99. Seriousmite
    Jan 16, 2022
    2
    Dreadful! Should games be about fun? Mercury Steam emphatically says NO. Every design choice in this game seems to be about making sure you're as uncomfortable and miserable as possible. Don't like it? Get out. What you want is not important. This game will not accommodate you. If you want to succeed it will take hard work and rote memorization. Buttons must be pressedDreadful! Should games be about fun? Mercury Steam emphatically says NO. Every design choice in this game seems to be about making sure you're as uncomfortable and miserable as possible. Don't like it? Get out. What you want is not important. This game will not accommodate you. If you want to succeed it will take hard work and rote memorization. Buttons must be pressed precisely. Bosses must be defeated precisely and repeatedly. Things must be done in the proper order. Rules must be followed. Violators will be executed. Any exploration or deviation will not be tolerated. There is only punishment--only pain.

    The brutal design constantly forces you to play the game the way THEY intended it to be played. What you want to do is not important. If you think because you managed to defeat a difficult boss after hours of practice you deserve to be rewarded with a bit of free time to explore and enjoy your new weapon. Think again. The door has been locked behind you. Now have ANOTHER boss, and maybe ANOTHER stealth section where any slip-up, no matter how small, means instant death and repetition. There is no varied pacing in this game. Only brutal challenge after brutal challenge.

    Even if you do manage, for just a moment, to break free from the harsh and rigid DESIGN, what do you expect to find? If you're expecting to find interesting rewards behind that wall, (as you would in any modern indie Metroidvania) YOU. WILL. NOT. You will only find missile upgrades and energy tanks. Nothing else exists in this hellscape. And trust me these same boring relics of the NES era, will be useless to you here anyway. Bosses will utterly destroy you if you haven't memorized the patterns and practiced them to complete perfection, no matter how many you find. A couple more missiles or one extra hit will make no difference.

    The controls are great, though! Thanks, but I hate it.    … Expand
  100. Hack
    Jul 29, 2023
    2
    One of the most frustrating, unfun games I have ever played. I got about halfway through and turned it off and put it onto eBay. It just has zero redeeming features, nothing about Metroid Dread made me want to continue playing but the constant one-shot deaths, obscure puzzles and backtracking certainly made me want to turn it off. Don't go in expecting rewarding difficulty like Dark Souls,One of the most frustrating, unfun games I have ever played. I got about halfway through and turned it off and put it onto eBay. It just has zero redeeming features, nothing about Metroid Dread made me want to continue playing but the constant one-shot deaths, obscure puzzles and backtracking certainly made me want to turn it off. Don't go in expecting rewarding difficulty like Dark Souls, it's just pure BS that will infuriate you. I feel like the game just assumes you've played every Metroid game which I haven't, and that made it a terrible experience as someone new to the franchise.… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

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

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
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.
    Read full review
  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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