Metroid Dread is the newest installment of the Metroid series of Nintendo games, and it features the return of Samus, a space bounty hunter working to help save the galaxy. While fans of the series were expecting the release of the 3D game Metroid Prime 4, which was teased four years ago at E3 2017 according to Nintendo Life.com.  Nintendo threw a curveball and announced Metroid Dread on June 15th, 2021. Released on October 8th, 2021, Metroid Dread, is a 2D game and according to Polygon.com, a callback to the most popular Metroid game, Super Metroid.

Metroid Dread is an easy game to pick up for players new to the series or veteran players who have been playing Metroid games since 1987. The game starts with a quick explanation of the story and easily catches anyone up to speed, regardless of if they played the previous games or not. Once on planet ZDR, the main setting of the game, the game provides you with pop-up tutorials to explain the controls to you. The game lets you learn how to play, then run off a bit and explore, but at the same time is subtly guiding you towards your goal. That is the special trait of the Metroid series. The player always can figure out the objective, but getting there is up to them. Once the player gets there though, they realize the game was basically guiding them the whole way through, even if they felt lost.

The gameplay itself is amazing, and it only gets better as Samus unlocks more and more abilities. You start off with only your basic powers, and you have to make your way through the planet ZDR to escape. The combat is fun and keeps you going, as you learn to fight and kill different enemies with your abilities. The parry ability is a big part of this game, as many enemies have attacks you have to parry, and successfully doing this guarantees the kill, and more resources from the enemy. Of course, while combat is fun, traversal is Metroid’s strong suit. Metroid Dread added the ability for Samus to clamber over objects and vault over certain blocks, allowing for speedy and fun-looking movement. Samus can jump, slide, and after a bit of playing, even cling to walls. These movement abilities all come in handy when you’re pitted against Metroid Dread’s main enemies, the E.M.M.I.

The E.M.M.I in Metroid Dread are terrifying new enemies which have their own locations they guard on the map. Samus is completely powerless against these robots, and a primary focus of this game is simply avoiding capture by them. This is where the dread part from the game’s title kicks in. You have to cautiously move throughout a monochrome environment, hoping to stay away from these robots who can kill you in one hit. Kris Naudus from Engadget explains the Metroid Dread experience the best, “A blue field means it’s just sort of around, yellow means it’s aware of your presence, and on red you better run like hell.” Naudus is referring to the colored field of vision projected from an E.M.M.I’s face, and they are correct, when that color is red, Samus needs to run for her life. The E.M.M.I’s are fast, and know the environment they patrol much better than you do, so evading them is extremely difficult. You are forced to run away and attempt to hide before you can leave their zones, otherwise, they will find you, and kill you. The E.M.M.I robots add a fun and challenging change of pace to the game.

Yoshio Sakamoto, the lead producer of the game, has stated during an interview for E3 2021 that “The series has chronicled the uncanny relationship between these Metroids and the heroine Samus, but this game will mark the end to that story arc.” While that quote does create some fear that the series will not continue, it is nice to know that this game will conclude a story that has been going on since 1987. However, almost immediately after that interview, Sakamoto clarifies that Metroid Dread will in fact not be the last game in the series, “As long as the character of Samus exist, I think the story must continue….Metroid Dread concludes a story that spanned thirty-five years…..I can confirm that as fans continue to love Samus, I intend to continue doing what I must.” This is great news for fans of the series, and it’s nice to have closure that this won’t be the last game of this great series. 

So, if you have a Nintendo Switch, go pick up Metroid Dread from either a store, or the Nintendo Shop. Recently, a demo for the game has also been released, so you can try it out even before you purchase the game. The game gets better and better the more you play though, and you are encouraged to continue playing as you work through the game. So, if you are a new fan, an old fan, or someone who has never played a Metroid game before, go and give Metroid Dread a try. You certainly won’t regret it.