Newbie here, Dread was my first ever Metroid game: No regrets. I absolutely LOVED this game, despite how hard it kicked my butt at times. I kept at it, learned patterns, figured out mechanics, eventually overcame challenges, and all of those steps were a blast. New players might not get the same experience as veterans, but I’d say we still get a fantastic time. Can’t wait to play through again.
The prime series is fantastic, but if you're a younger or newer gamer it might be difficult to adapt to the controls if you decide to play the original GameCube versions, try to play it on the Wii or Wii U if you can! Motion controls might sound like a bad thing but they are implemented incredibly well for the prime trilogy
Even as a veteran, this game sucker punched me a few times with some cheap shots, specifically the EMMIs, but no victory worth gaining is ever easily obtained. Keep at it and enjoy this fantastic franchise
Fun fact about the EMMI counters: The timing for the counters is random. Every time an EMMI catches you, the counter window is different. I like that design choice, as it keeps the EMMI’s as a constant threat, instead of just something you learn to parry.
Fun fact#2: there are actually 2 parry windows during the encounters with the Emmi. The first parry window always seemed easier for me. I could never parry the second. Feels so good to parry an Emmi though.
Actually, it can trigger four different animation, two with the emmi on each side of Samus. These can also have two different timings each. You can find a slo-mo breakdown here on UA-cam.
Samus controls like an absolute _dream_ in this game. With all the mobility tools and sequence breaks (some clearly even intentional by the devs), I can't wait to see what speedruns of this game will look like in a few years.
I've been keeping a loose watch on the speed-running record for Dread since it released. Every day has seen the record go lower and lower. It's already down to an hour and a half. That's pretty insane. For my first run I did as many sequence breaks as I could and it was a lot of fun (early grapple, bomb, super missiles, and gravity suit). Early gravity suit kind of just breaks everything else. I definitely shouldn't have had the screw attack when I did. Had it before space jump.
I guess there’s something wrong with my controller becauae I had a lot of problems with the analog stick when I hit down, randomly changing direction and jump just literally not working sometimes
I think he meant that in the old ones like super metroid you could beat the bosses just by spamming the super missles. In the new one it's much more about Learning the attack patterns of the bosses and using your missles when the time is right
I've heard people whining that there's too much manual aiming and I'm just thinking 'have you tried actually using the storm missiles?'...and on top of that I don't think there's too much manual aiming anyway. It works SO well once you get used to the L button and analog control.
"Casual players will get to Kraid in a couple of hours" And if dread is your first metroid game, it'll take you a couple of hours to figure out how to beat him, yes this is a confession, I died to Kraid a lot.
Don't feel bad, I've been playing Metroid for all 35 years its been around and I still died to this version Kraid a half-dozen times at least. ProTip: don't try to be cooler than Samus and slide under the Belly Shots; just hit the Morph Ball trigger and save yourself tons of pain. A lesson I was far too slow to learn.
@@harlannguyen4048 via youtube as it was mentioned in passing on a video of something else. i think its anazing that sort of detail is baked in to this hame though. awesome
Metroid Dread singlehandedly brought new life to a dormant series. Also Jirard didn't mention it, but this game utterly makes Samus more of a badass than ever before, she has this swagger, confidence and body language where she just owns everything.
i think part of this might be because she knows that she can also kick her own ass or at least maybe out run because the S-AX is an absolutely unit of a creature who has all of samus' abilites and is easily able to kill you if you are caught off gaurd
I just entered GameStop wondering if I should get Metroid Dread or No More Heroes 3, when this notification popped up. Call it a divine message, but Metroid here I come!
28:04 WOW, that is awesome! I remember seeing that morphball tube on the map while doing 100% cleanup, and I was confused as to why that would be there when you have no reason to be over in that spot after killing Kraid. That's so cool that the developers not only knew that attentive players would be able to get the morph bomb early, but went out of their way to add an insta-kill method to the fight as a reward for doing so. I love that kind of rewarding game design.
I loved this game so much, my only complaint is something you also touched on, is that the environment melted a bit too much together, but its such a small thing for me.
I think those massive EMMI zones are the biggest issue because they all have that same style so the actual biological areas don't get much chance to leave their own impression before they start getting mixed with adjacent zones leading into the transports and elevators.
@@Maurilustrador I agree that the music wasn't memorable. The environments are fine if a bit samey in most locations. But most of all I wanted better music. It works fine while playing, but none of it noteworthy. I would still give this game 5 stars, I'm just a fan of unnecessarily over the top music that this game is missing. Loved the game though.
After waiting almost 20 years we finally got “Metroid Dread” which was originally going to be a Nintendo DS game. Hopefully Nintendo keeps giving Metroid new games. The franchise deserves it.
@@ok_uh_eli_i_guess376 I don’t think Prime needs a whole remake, but I’d absolutely love a remaster with higher resolution textures and maybe some of zero mission’s treatment with some extra journey for Samus before Metroid Prime 2 occurs :))
This game definitely has the best Boss fight, controls, and combat in the series. It's so fluid to control and move around the world. Also the story is so good and has a logical main villain of the storyline. Also it wraps up everything well and opens some neat possibilities for the future of the franchise
I'd say the only thing it needs to be the absolute best metroid in everyway is a bit more atmosphere, maybe some more lighting job on certain areas... It's not that the game has bad atmosphere, but Super's is still better
I agree that the boss fights are fantastic but… why do we have to fight 7 central units that are identical to one another… the same could be said about the chozo warriors but each of those boss fights have a few differences which make them feel unique. All the central units do is add a few more lasers to dodge…
Experiment z 57 is now my favorite boss Kraid and Raven Beak rank pretty high too I'd say, probably second and third favorites That's uncalculated though
Amazing how far the devs went in making you feel completely and totally helpless against the E.M.M.Is. The timing window for the counter changes every time,they can change their patrol routes on a whim, if you think they’re gonna take the long way to you they’ll likely look for the shorter alternate route to get to you. I lost count of how many times I’m backed into a corner cloaked thinking to myself: “please go away please go away please go away” only for it to stay in the room just a few feet a way.
This might have not been intentional, but with the parries, there was something that focused on the machine side of the EMMI. While the counter is random, it will always happen in a predictable time window. It will be prone to attack right after it’s eye flashes twice in the counter cutscene. Since the counter window is literally frame perfect, it only helps a little, but it shows that the emmi are robots, programmed to do one thing in similar timings
@@Howitchewstofeel5gum really? I found it pretty useful. Many times when I was trying to locate another exit I managed to tuck into a corner using morph ball and stay locked while it scanned the area and moved on. I thought it was a nice addition, useful without negating the terror or dealing with them
Best part of Dread is that we get to hear Samus speak for the first time (no, Other M doesn't count). And we get to see her be herself. From her cool, confidence to her unbridled rage. There are SO many other things to love about Dread, but this video already hit many of them. Super Metroid hs always been my favorite in the series, but Dread has taken the top spot now. It truly is a masterpiece.
@@KaigaKarasuma exactly but I’d say hearing a voice isn’t as important as the smoothest and best feeling gameplay of the series. I don’t play video games because of the voice acting, often times in spite of it like BOTW’s Zelda voice direction.
I never got lost in this game, and that's not a brag. It's actually amazing how intuitive the "intended" path is in this game. Each upgrade usually leaves you pretty close to where you need to use it to progress, while oftentimes blocking unnecessary backtracking in subtle ways (such as dropping you off a small cliff you can't jump past upon entering a room in the early game, or utilizing water to hinder retracing, or the lava flows changing and closing doors you just passed through in order to open the way forward instead) and it's a marvel how well it all flowed- especially without the game holding your hand. Even more amazing is that none of this is infallible and it's entirely possible to get lost if you get distracted instead of constantly trying to connect the dots. From a game design standpoint, it's beautifully done. An open ended game with a followable thread of logic. I also like how this game is very "Show, don't tell" when it comes to bosses. The very first boss, its easy for new players to know to use missiles to deal damage because Samus uses one in the intro cutscene and it's the only way she was able to get a reaction, so logically that's what the player should do too. For Kraid, Samus shot him straight in the mouth in the cutscene and he recoils hard. Better follow suit! Everything has its logic without needing to hold your hand. (Except for sometimes with Adam. He's a little forward with the Emmi debriefs.)
Yea I loved it too but I will say I wish the basic enemies were a little more difficult but I guess thats never really been a thing in metroid games. Rarely is someone gonna die by basic enemies and in dread once u get the spin jump its all over lol other than that I loved the game didnt get bored once
1st Metroid I ever played. And I suck at games like Hollow Knight, Dark Souls, etc. But Metroid Dread was FANTASTIC. Yeah it was difficult but I kept wanting to go back for more after dying 20 times in each boss fight. Loved the game so much I 100% one play through & want to go back through the even harder difficulty now.
I've been playing since Super Metroid and love these games. Yet I still suck at them. The bosses also gave me a lot of trouble and hundreds of deaths. But I never felt like giving up. Most of the bosses actually are not that hard ones you know what to do. I just defeated the final boss on hard mode without getting hit. Took me 3 hours or so to learn what he can do but ones I did he kind of was a joke.
@@MrTerrorzone2012 Yeah I've also been playing since Super Metroid... I've never finished any of them though haha. Actually I haven't finished many games at all...
Same. I actually only know Metroid bc I play samus in smash. Kraid wrecked me multiple times because I kept trying to spam missiles into his mouth while aiming and running around. It wasn’t easy sailing from there, but I definitely got better at controlling samus for it.
I was lucky enough to get this incredible game for Christmas, and I just today (9th January 2022) beat it. It was my first Metroid game, and is an absolute must-play. If you haven't played the others, I would also recommend watching a story explained video on UA-cam. Can we just agree, this should have won Game Of The Year?
The entire time I was playing this I was thinking “man I can’t wait to hear what the Completionist will have to say about this”. It’s always good to hear someone who shares my passion for Metroid.
I enjoyed it thoroughly, but my true appreciation of the game actually came with the late game puzzles, while going for 100%. Seems like nintendo is giving some respect to the speedrunners (and Dachora). It feels so good to control Samus. A great way to modernize some concepts from older Metroids.
So far the only puzzle that I dislike (Motly because I tried it for 2 maybe 3 hours and got frustrated) is that one missile tank in Burenia that requires a double slope multiroom beam shinespark.
The game is hard, but entirely fair. As the load screens when you die often remind you, "every attack can be avoided." And it is absolutely true. It is hard but you can do it. The game is fair.
Also think it's worth saying that the checkpoints are super good. Even on hard mode you start before a boss or the door that leads to the EMMI area if you die. And not sure but think if you go in low health and die a bunch you start with full health before a boss.
@@SlaveKnightGael Measuring the difficulty of a game by the severity of the punishment for failing is reductionist. You do not learn anything new by retreading parts of the levels that you already mastered and had nothing to do with your failing. It is literally senseless, a waste of time and mostly a relic of the time where game overs forced the players to put another quarter in to try again. Dark Souls, the pinnacle of "Git gud" games, always places checkpoints near bossfights. While the enemy placement and leveldesign of DS are sometimes unfair, the checkpoints almost always aren't. Long ways back to bossfights are just unnessecary obstacles that PREVENT players from learning fast.
The final boss deciding to start the fight with his melee rush is pretty hard to dodge, but that's only because it comes out so quick after the fight actually starts.
My dad has been non stop playing Metroid Dread since he got it 5 days. He got stuck on one of the bosses for about 2 or 3 hours. To me this game looks amazing, I love Samus’ armour and the enemies look quite intimidating.
Tbh Samus' suit is one of the downsides of the game for me lol it looks weird and almost cartoony in it's design. I know the classic Varia suit is supposed to be destroyed in Fusion but it wouldn't have been that much of a stretch to find a way to make her new suit more in line with the kind of great designs we saw in the games that already established what her armor looks like in high polygon 3D games (aka the Prime games and especially since Prime 2 and 3).
14:50 I came to realize part of the reason that occurs is because, while each section might have different backgrounds and color palettes, the _foreground_ is largely black. If you go look at Super, Fusion, or Zero Mission, you'll see each area has the foreground colored with the general theme. I haven't seen people bring this up much, but I think it was a large part of why I felt Dread was lacking slightly in regards to atmosphere.
This game is difficult, but in a way that makes you want to complete it, it’s about learning, not just killing you. And for that reason, I think I’ve enjoyed it more than super. Super is great because you can sequence break in so many ways, this game is great because you know that on your next playthrough, you’ll be ready to cut stomp everything the game throws at you, and I love it
The difficulty was one of the best things about it in my opinion. I would die 10-15 times or so on a boss. But every time I died I felt like it was my fault, and I learned more about how to progress the next time. Even the new stuff like the EMMI gave me that vibe. I would die and then learn what to do the next time
@@JJ_5289 For me the best part about the bosses were that they weren't about actually hitting the boss, but about finding out when to hit the boss because just attacking relentlessly will just get you killed since the boss will hit you while you're on your assault.
It's downright heretical to consider this game better than Super. A decent effort from MercurySteam, but it can't barely scratch the level of Super (which is not a bad thing by the way, the standards are just way too high)
Yeah this game got difficulty spot on imo. Quick checkpoints for tough encounters and while bosses have relatively simple moves, they have decent variety and they come fast with fairly tight windows. Makes boss fights feel rhythmic when you figure out their patterns. And as I think about it the whole game feels rhythmic as you get better at the movement and mechanics.
@@RRRRRRRRR33 No one said this game is better than Super. OP simply said that they enjoyed Dread more than Super. And thats fine. Are you really going to say its impossible for someone to enjoy one Metroid game more than the others. I personally enjoyed playing through Fusion and Prime more than Super, but then, Fusion and Prime were my first Metroid games. I appreciate what Super did with non-linearity, but I just prefer Fusions jump physics and animations more. And Prime and its 3d.
Right? I also never held the speed boost. I would just charge my shinespark then jump and sometimes even use it and then charge it again. It's funny I never used the Shinespark unless needed. This game made me a pro at it
Yeah it's pretty cool how there's more than one way to solve them. I'm still surprised at how people did certain puzzles differently. Shinespark is incredibly flexible and once you understand it fully, the techniques you can pull off is breathtaking to watch.
I've never even considered playing a Metroid game but all this hype around Dread got me to play Super Metroid. I think I'm close to fighting Ridley and the game is amazing so far! Probably will play Dread sometime in the future.
It's a clichê by now, but metroid fusion (4) is highly recommended after this and before dread. And of course zero mission for metroid 1 and samus returns (or the amazing fan remake AM2R) for metroid 2, some people even consider the fan remake better than the official, for me it feels more classic while the official feels more advanced, both very much worth your time. Super metroid is metroid 3, just to be clear. Have fun, you will love the ending in super metroid, it was on a whole another level at the time.
@@scottmcnaughton934 The moment I realized exploration and figuring things out for yourself was king in SM made it one of the greats for me. I love bringing up a map and using that to figure out where secrets are hidden.
@@tcrpgfan That's why the series is so beloved, and also why its never sold well. If you can learn how to explore its fantastic, but its such a high barrier for most people. I guess most people want more guidance in their games or aren't very observant or something. Zero Mission also has a lot of exploration, but it also gives you a lot of guidance, it just so happens that all the guidances can be bypassed and the game can be played and explored in a vast array of styles. Its another one to play if you can, but it takes multiple playthroughs to see just how amazing the level design is. try a low% run of it to see how much can be skipped!
Ey, nooit gedacht een bekende te spotten hahaha Gotta try Super Metroid myself then. Same as you, I played the first one with all this hype, but it didn’t catch me and I quit after a few minutes. Super is probably better to start. Have you fought Ridley het? How was it?
This is my first Metroid and I finished it. Needless to say, I loved it. The only reason I'd die is because it's my fault: pressed the wrong button, got too greedy, etc. It taught me humility and pride in equal portions. Now I am gonna play the older Metroid games.
if you loved this one then you NEED to play super metroid, it's on the snes emulator if you have nintendo online or if you have a pc then do it that way
I’m also voting that you need to play Super Metroid on the switches SNES emulator. It holds up perfectly well but it’s even more challenging and has even less hand holding.
@@kirbywithaknifeisawesome6028 It's worth at least checking out due to how important it is to the gaming industry, but people really should play Zero Mission first.
@@Texticy I've played this one and just forced myself to play Super Metroid. Maybe because I never played Super as a kid but the jump off the wall thing SUCKS! The feel of Super Metroid is classic and I like it but nothing beats the free flowing controls in Metroid Dread. It's more AWESOME to me than Super!
Man Dread is just a treat. ESPECIALLY those speed booster puzzles, man they make your brain WOOOORK. I love Metroids running habit of not teaching you the nuances of powerups, like how you can wall jump, morphball, and slide with speed booster.
(Minor spoiler for one of the powers you get / thing I wish I knew) When I got the speed boost power, I came across a few blocks that could break with speed, but there wasn’t a long hallway to build up speed. I was convinced that I would get a power later that would shorten the run up. When checking online where to find this power-up, I discovered that there is no such upgrade, you just gotta do some crazy stunts, it take some skill, but the rewards are worth it! Love this game!
I feel really really dumb that I had to look up a video to confirm something that I KNEW. In the part that he shows with the two ramps I kept slamming against the ramps and then falling down. The problem was that I keep releasing the joystick instead of keep going left. I guess I though samus would just keep going on her own.
E-tanks parts are just Pieces of heart from Zelda. As someone who hasn't been waiting for how many years for a Metroid game, since I only experienced my first one a few months back, I enjoyed Metroid Dread way more than I thought. I struggled playing Super metroid as my first game, but I was determined and I never felt like I wasn't enjoying myself. However, I already had a bit of knowledge from watching others so it isn't the same as a blind playthrough. Dread was hard, and only one time I got a bit frustrated. I did get lost though, but most of the time is was my fault for not paying attention fully to my surroundings. Though I feel like with getting used to the controls, if you take a break and come back it takes a bit to get a handle on them again. Also quitting the game after a story thing telling you where to go and then coming back later not remembering was a bad idea on my part which didn't help. All in all, still not sure if I would say I'm a "metroid fan" but did I enjoy dread? absolutely.
The Adam sections are recorded in your log, so if you ever forget again you can pause and hit R to go to the log screen where you can reread the Adam stuff. Even beyond that, progress is pretty easy in this game, you never have to go far out of your way to progress, you usually just go to the nearest object that your most recent Item unlocks. This is viewed easily on the map by highlighting the object and it shows you all of them in the area, and there is usually only ones on the path of progress and none in the side paths. Hope that helps!
I went into Dread not expecting a whole lot, I was excited sure, but didn't know if it could live up to the hype or legacy of pervious Metroid games. Having just finished it today I will definitely say that Metroid Dread Kicks ass. The controls are buttery smooth, the Boss battles are fantastic, and Dread definitely lives up to it's namesake. Mercury Steam clearly understands what makes a Metroid game great while still finding a way to make Dread feel like a fresh experience in the series. I think most importantly this game is a master class in design. Dread respects the players intelligence by not Holding your hand or always pointing you in what direction to head towards. It allows you to figure things out through your own devices. It does an amazing job at subtly directing you where to go next through its environmental and map designs, and it certainly doesn't hold back the punches with the difficulty. When you complete Dread you really feel like you've accomplished something phenomenal, which was something I realized i hadn't experienced from a new game in quite a while.
Hi, new player of Metroid here to talk about my experience with Dread! I had already played a few Metroidvanias before, but I never had actually completed them because I got stuck and simply lost interest after a while of simply runing around a confusing maze. Metroid Dread looked very interesting, but I didn't knew if I would like it because I wasn't sure if I would get stuck. Still, I decided to give it a try. And I couldn't be happier about it. I have just finished the game a few hours ago, my first Metroidvania ever finished. The graphics were really awesome, the progression was just right, the moveset was fluid and responsive, the E.M.M.I.s scared the crap out of me, and the game never really felt frustrating as a whole. ¿Did I get stuck a few times? Yes, absolutely, I had to look up on the internet how to progress through the game especially because I am not used to analysing every corner of a room; strangely, the game would never feel unfair in that sense. I would always be locked inside a tiny area, and after a bit of trial and error find my way out. That's what happened most of the time, but there was one instance where I had to look up a long part of the game; outside of that there was not really that much problem. Going throught the maze didn't feel confusing for me, but it felt rewarding and awesome, especially with the amazing moveset and great graphics. It felt as if the game would lead the way for me, while not leading the way for me. How the developers did it I do not know, but it's one of the best experiences I have ever felt in a videogame. About the difficulty of some bossfights, well, they are pretty tough, but not impossible. Again, simple trial and error would do the trick. Especially at the end the bosses would be pretty difficult (which is expected). But if you know Samus's arsenal well enough you can actually beat them quite quickly. And the best part was that there were a lot of checkpoints, so every time I died I wouldn't have to go through an area to fight the same boss and die again, (which was something that put me off in most other Metroidvanias) it was almost like hitting a repeat button, which was really satisfying. In the end, despite it being somewhat short of a game, I am really glad I bought my first Metroid ever. I'm even happier that I was able to enjoy it so much despite the difficulty and the creepy and confusing setting, I was genuinly able to appreciate it and get into it fairly easily. So to all of you players who are doubting if you should get this game or not, I would say give it a shot! You will need some patience, but Metroid Dread will feel rewarding and amazing. I for sure am glad I jumped at the opportunity to grab the game!
I am a Metroid fan for a long time and to hear that people who never played Metroid are really enjoying Dread is really awesome! I'm really glad that you enjoyed it :D
congratulations on beating the game! Its no easy feat! As someone who has been playing Metroid for 30 years, I'm so happy this series is getting the revival it deserves
As someone who never completed a metroid game, I freaking LOVED this game. I had played Fusion and a bit of Zero Mission, but never felt super compelled to continue. There were definitely a couple moments where I was dumb and missed some shootable blocks, but I always felt the game did a great job of nudging me in the right direction. I probably won't 100% the game, but I'm really glad I enjoyed it as much as I did
21:36 I know it's a bit personal but to me getting an energy tank kind of felt like receiving a full heart container after a zelda boss but a tank part felt like a heart piece or a spirit orb and It was actually felt not bad because full energy tanks where rare but parts where more easy to find(then tanks. I know that doesn't mean it's easy to get) then tanks.
I'm working on the final boss after a week of nonstop play whenever I had a free moment and I still can't master the shinespark puzzles. Seeing you do a few of them in this video alone motivates me to try but a part of me just doesn't care for the frustration when you have to be Ultra Instinct Goku to beat the bosses. That I'm itself is a skill to master I can be proud of
As far as I'm concerned, Dread is an all-time classic! The type of game that I can see myself sitting down and playing through another 10+ years from now!
This was my first ever Metroid game, and in fact, my first game in the "metroidvania" genre, and I LOVED it. Was the only game I was playing for like 5 days straight until I beat it. Dread has me craving more Metroid, so I'm really excited because I want to play the other entries in the series.
Super Metroid is a straight up classic and probably the best game on the SNES. Fusion is excellent and a very important entry in the franchise, especially in setting up Dread! Zero Mission is a remaster of the original title and has some surprises! The Prime trilogy is an absolute must play and some of the best Metroid out there! A lot of people would probably tell you to skip Other M, but don't listen to em! Even if you don't end up loving the game, it's definitely worth at least a one-time experience. I think, while not perfect, it is a much better entry than people give it credit for!
I hope you’ve dabbled in some other Metroidvanias since then but I feel like it’s important to state that this game is EXTREMELY linear and newbie friendly for a Metroidvania game. (Based on my experience from other Metroidvanias). I constantly got lost in Super Metroid, Castlevania Symphony of The Night, Castlevania Aria of Sorrow, and Hollow Knight but never once in Dread. The other games I’ve stated are the only other Metroidvanias I’ve played and completed and luckily I hit the holy grail, each one of these games I played was breathtakingly phenomenal and fun and I couldn’t recommend them enough but get ready to feel what its like to be lost and familiarize yourself to every room.
Just beat Dread earlier tonight and considering it was my first 2D Metroid (previously played the Prime series) it’s now among my favorites of all time. Now onto Super Metroid! Great video as always!
"Completing Metroid Dread reminded me that I'm pretty freaking good at video games." Honestly, true. Actually collecting some of those power ups and upgrades reminded me of those Super Metroid shine sparking videos I used to watch on that Metroid speedrunning site. Only difference was it was me doing the actions. It is the most empowering thing about this game.
Same. And I loved how even with all the action and focus on combat they didn't skimp on any exploration or design of the environments. And they didnt dumb down the difficulty to bring in new players
Great video Jirard! It's a fantastic time to be a Metroid fan. This is a masterful return to one of the greatest Nintendo franchise of all time. The exploration, the boss fights, the sense of urgency and DREAD, I welcome it all. MercurySteam deserves the mad respect for giving the franchise the much return and i give them a round of applause for their hard work on this game. Without a doubt, one of the best games i played this year.
This was my first Metroid game. I’m familiar with the lore of the franchise, but I’ve never actually played one. It was a difficult game, but after the easiness of Pokémon brilliant diamond it was a welcome surprise to actually push myself in a game again. I loved it and will definitely be revisiting it again in the future
You're saying all the things I was feeling. This was my first Metroid ever, plus I rarely play any action games because I'm not particularly good at them. Yet I never felt like anything I was trying was impossible. I honestly almost felt encouraged by how the bosses telegraph their attacks and how death is a slap on the wrist. Literally all I had to do was study the moves, figure out how to get around them, and I was set. The only actual trouble I had was the Shinespark puzzles, and seeing how you did the toughest ones I had trouble with, I have to laugh because I don't think I even used the easiest methods to pull them off, so I made it needlessly complicated for myself lol Aside from the Shinespark stuff, the main game itself never felt TOO hard. I had an absolute blast and I can't wait to forget how to do everything in a few weeks or months so I can play it all again with a fresher brain.
This is one I actually did a 100% and took about 16 hours. A couple of those hours being just doing some of those speed boost challenges. Figuring them out wasn't too hard but the execution on some of them is so tight it's ridiculous. Loved the whole experience and the end boss/ending was beyond hype.
As someone who had never touched a Metroid game before Dread, damn was it hard but it was great. Took 8 hours for my first playthrough. Not sure if 100% completion is what I want to do, but doing all those shinespark tricks and seeing all the hidden skips in the game really makes me think of how detailed the game is. I didn't even know you can shinespark into the Experiment until I watched this (wish I knew that before I fought it for the first time but hey I just got to experience the full thing)
I hope you enjoy going for 100% or speedrunning it, it really is such a satisfying way to play the game and is the reason the game encourages multiple runs through it. If you do plan on playing the older games, just know that the Missile doesn't uncover as many blocks as they do in this game, so you'll have to get used to using bombs to find stuff. This is kinda ironic but I see veterans struggle so much because they don't think to missile everything and instead wait until they finally get bombs to search around, which come much later than in prior games.
8 hours sounds like nothing for game that is supposed to be a huge MAZE full of DREAD, they have no idea what made Metroid great. And is really easy and combat is lacking everything
@@idate-ir8wm Dude said 8 hours without 100%, which is pretty on par with the Prime games length at 100% and FAR longer than any other 2D Metroid. So the length isn't a problem, there are a million other good games out there, if you are done with Dread and don't want to replay it, then find another game. The maze part of the game was toned down because this is likely a lot of people's first Metroid and that aspect of the series is one of the reasons it never sells. I'm sure the next game will be more willing to be maze-like. The combat is the same as previous games with some extras on top, it isn't lacking in any way, and its plenty hard but the series was never known for its difficulty anyways. You act like you know what's best for the series, but you sound like you don't actually know anything about it, you'd have to clarify what you mean otherwise.
@@idate-ir8wm Sounds like you haven't even played the game, nor any other Metroid game. 8 hours is a lot for a 2D Metroid. Super Metroid can be beaten casually in like 4-5 hours even if you have no idea what you're doing. I 100% Fusion in under 4 hours without doing an optimal run. Dread is by FAAAAR the hardest Metroid game. Even regular enemies can deal an entire energy tank of damage per hit.
@@SlaveKnightGael I disagree, its the hardest, and its the most fair, both statements can be true at the same time. Reddit is not the place to go if you want honest opinions, you'll only get whatever gets the most upvotes, and saying this game is not hard surely gives a lot of karma
Always been a fan of Metroid from a distance as I've never been able to play any previous ones. So this was my first REAL Metroid experience and it was absolutely amazing. I'm glad I managed to do a 100% run in 10 hours similar to Jirard! Makes me feel good about my skills as a newbie lol
First time Metroid series player here, and oh boy, what an introduction Dread is, I wasn’t originally going to get it, but after seeing more and seeing your review along with others, I decided to get it. I FREAKING LOVED it, the visuals, gameplay, music, abilities, bosses, I think I’m now a full blown Metroid fan, that is the extent of this game’s power and awesomeness!
Play the Prime Trilogy. Incredible games. But don't go into them expecting a Dread-like experience. The right state of mind is to consider the 2D Metroid games and the 3D Metroid Prime games as two different faces of a same coin: different gameplay, slower moves, different feels, but it's so fucking good all the same.
The fact that the game is so forgiving with its checkpoints is such a massive improvement, it means that you don't constantly have to seek out a save room (and potentially backtracking quite a bit) in order to prepare for a boss fight, you can save at your leisure.
@@SlaveKnightGael Metroid 1 - Only difficult cause you have no idea where to go Zero Mission - Much easier than Dread Return of Samus - Haven’t played it but doesn’t look bad at all Super Metroid - Only somewhat hard the first time Fusion - Harder than Super but still manageable Samus Returns - Harder than the previous games Prime 1 - challenging but still easier than dread Prime 2 - Ok this one is much harder than dread Prime 3 - Easy Calling it painfully easy compared to the rest is completely wrong, the only harder game in the series is Prime 2 which went too far and became frustrating for a lot of people this game doesn’t hold your hand at all and doesn’t pull punches in the later bosses. It has lenient checkpoints, but I’d argue this is a good thing as it prevents you from having to travel and find upgrades that you may have already found again. Compared to most modern games, Dread is much more challenging
@@SlaveKnightGael ok, I see what you’re saying. Those games are definitely more punishing than dread, and you can’t just carelessly retry every sequence you mess up since there’s a large punishment for failing. But those sequences still require you to learn and adapt. I very rarely beat a boss on my first attempt in dread, while in ZM, I didn’t die a single time outside of the ZSS section. However, ZM was definitely more frustrating because of the strict checkpoints in the ZSS section. I think that in Dread Hard Mode, they should’ve made the checkpoints work like they did in Super, where you have to be careful of messing up. But for first time players/normal mode? They made the right choice imo
@@troykv96 He did say he on twitter he 100% the game without guides. And I believe him if he learned this on his own. This game made me use the shinespark in so many weird ways for items that I started using it on bosses in hard mode and learned the same thing. It's fun to try stuff like that (just not on the last boss)
I didn’t know you were supposed to attack his arms in that one part (i thought you just had to dodge the purple stuff), so I fought him for 55 minutes non-stop.
I remember people having their doubts back when Samus Returns came out. I actually could see how some of the new mechanics there weren't always implemented perfectly, but I'm amazed how they actually adressed those criticisms in Dread. They put less emphasis on Aeon abilities while still keeping them useful. While it probably could still use some work, the maps are still way more visually distincts. (Although it could be thanks to the better hardware) And they managed to balance the melee counter in a way that still made it really useful, but not to the point of completely overshadowing just shooting enemies down normally. I remember those 3 being the biggest gripes in Samus Returns and it really seems like they've taken them to heart. They care about making those games as good as they can make them. So yeah, I also believe that 2D Metroid is in good hands.
Dread was the first Metroid game I’ve ever played. I knew very little about Metroid going in but I absolutely loved it. The abilities, movement, and combat feel amazing and the game was so fun I 100%’d it. And I think it did a good job explaining the story for new players like me.
Minor story correction from a lore nerd here: Samus doesn't lose her powers from physical amnesia, she loses her powers because Raven Beak takes them from her while she's unconscious. He actually places some of those powers in strategic locations to lure Samus up towards him as she gets stronger, while putting others inside the EMMIs to upgrade them. That's why they have some of Samus's abilities.
This is my first Metroid game I absolutely love it! The difficulty, the lvl design, the movement, it's all amazing. No wonder this series sparked a whole genre! I haven't beat the game yet, but im still having a blast!
Just remember that the In Game Time (IGT) does not count time between deaths, resetting to the last time before you died, so your run time can be way WAY greater than what you see in the end.
I feel like Dread did something that a lot of franchises are afraid to do, like Pokémon- it grew up with its fan base. When the first game came out many were probably kids, or young adults. Now here we are all these years later, and the game is challenging, rewarding, and just as fascinating.
Yes!! I was waiting for this video! Thanks, Jirard! 18:52 Whoa, you can do it that way?! I came at that from a completely different angle! It’s so cool how a lot of these puzzles have multiple solutions.
12:32 I haven't played a Metroid game in my life but I was able to figure things out fairly well. I think the first area you're in does a pretty good job clueing you in on the existence of hidden blocks.
It's been about a month but I finally completed my first run through of this. I have to say, I totally agree with what he said at one point in the video, with the immense maps, it's easy to find yourself in a loop in areas. But once you finally figure out where you've been and where you need to go, its an awesome feeling. This game is awesome. I'll definitely play it again at some point to improve my time. Also, love the ending. Totally unexpected
This is my first Metroid and now one of my favorite games of all time. The difficulty creates this sense that I've learned and grown with every victory and is so satisfying. When I die, I feel like I've gotten a step closer to figuring it out. I The mobility is so fun, and the game is beautiful. I now want to soeedrun it and in so excited. It took me close to 40 actual hours to beat the game the first time, but I was also in no rush and 100%ed it
I adored this game. I played through normal mode in a couple days, and I couldn't quit. Immediately turned around and 100%'ed hard mode. Love it. It's a feeling I haven't had in quite a while.
Never played a Metroid game before but Hollow Knight helped me get acquainted with this style of gameplay. The difficulty is completely fair and I never got frustrated when dying. Definitely gonna check out the older ones lol.
the older game lack a bit movement but DREAD lacks everything a Metroid game has and they are giving you a better feeling of DREAD. It blows my mind how a recycle with added elements that often ruin the core game is called great, and EMMI are the biggest joke they are the ones selling DREAD but oh wait dont worry the zones dont matter because you are almost always invis and need nothing even remotely smart to get past them but you can even parry them. Im so sad something like this is a Metroid game, i really dont want Metroid Prime 4 now, they will ruin it 100%
Being a newbie and Metroid Dread being my first Metroid game, it did not turn me away. I played the demo and a little of Super Metroid and new I wanted to play the full thing. I picked it up from my local library and beat it in around 2 months and have no regrets. I even got 100% of the items to help me beat the final boss. It was difficult at times but it just made it more rewarding.
I just finished this game. Got all collectibles and upgrades and lemme tell you.. as hard as some spark challenges can get or regardless of having to back track due to E.M.M.I sections it was all worth it. This game is bad ass and the story is the cherry on top 👏🏻 if this is your first Metroid game I HIGHLY recommend you play it!! And if your a veteran like myself, you will definitely love this 👍🏻 10/10
26:29 The cutscenes actually do add to the ingame clock even if you skip them, its why speedrunners have higher ingame time than real time on their runs
I may have gotten into the franchise back in 2017 thanks to Samus Returns. When Dread was announced, I was excited. But when Sakamoto mentioned that the game was planned 19 years ago I got excited even more.
The difficulty definitely played a role in these critics bashing the controls. There's really no other game on the switch that utilizes the controls quite like Dread. I'd imagine they only played a portion of it, or had this be the first Metroid game they've ever played and were under the impression that they were just easy exploration games. Then they got a gigantic rude awakening. This game is brutal.
@@andreseh87 There are a few things that are iffy, like the way speed boosting works and how it's sometimes difficult to get out of morph ball, but they're pretty minor problems. Overall, excellent controls and responsiveness.
I’m 33 years old and this is the first Metroid I ever played. I felt in love, by far my favorite 2021 game and I play 95% of the time PS5 games. A bunch of mechanics were new to me and sometimes I had to go to UA-cam to see where to go next, but in general the game is a masterpiece and I just hope I don’t have to wait 20 years to play another one.
Ey but anyone gonna say anything how absolutely GLORIOUS the Varia Suit is in this game? Like good god, the level of detail on that classic Red/Orange is insane
Dread was my first Metroid game, and really my only issue with dread was all the hidden blocks, having to missile things randomly for the texture to indicate what I needed to do to break it just felt like a time sink. Everything else was incredible, the atmosphere was excellent, the progression is satisfying, the controls are super fluid (if occasionally a little hard on the hands), and the boss fights were intense and incredibly gratifying to figure out and complete. I really hope this rekindles the franchise and we see another Metroid game in the future
Hidden blocks have always been a part of Metroid, that said I never actually liked the mechanic, just kinda got conditioned to it over the course of Fusion lol. The pulse scan should be a default ability from now on
@@jadeanimepiano6143 I very much dislike the scan pulse and it should especially not be early game because then there would be no point to hidden blocks at all. They would just be an element of tedium without substance. I think the x-ray visor in Super Metroid also raises this issue, but it and the pulse radar in Dread are at least spaced such that they do not completely invalidate a major design element.
Definitely try out the others. If you love Dread you will love the others too. You'll notice their age, especially with controls and graphics, but the spirit is just as amazing
The series has advanced so much since the first one. While the NES Metroid did a lot of great things, I don't think it aged well. Super Metroid set the standard for the series, and you just can't look back from it since then.
Play zero mission, it's pretty much the same a bit easier however they added some extra fluff to the story, and also give Super Metroid as shot as well.
You keep going on in this video about how lamentable the lack of accessibility is, but I feel the opposite -- in a modern gaming landscape filled to the absolute brim, ESPECIALLY from Nintendo, with hand-holding and "aw poor little billy can't beat it on his first try? let's just beat the stage for him then so he can see the whole game :)" mentality, Dread is an absolute breath of fresh air in being a rare mainline, forefront, major company major release that pulls absolutely no punches and challenges even longtime veterans of the series. It's such a rare, rare thing man, and is so fitting and perfect for Metroid. Let it be this way.
This was my first entry to the Metroid series and I'm in love. As someone who's a soulsborne fanatic and love a tough as nails game this scratch my itches of exploration, great gameplay, and that feeling of overcoming the impossible. 👍👍
I’ve never played a Metroid game other than a few touch’s in Super Metroid. But I did pretty fine with Dread, at least I wasn’t put out by it’s tough nature. I’m probably an outlier though, since I play lots of difficult games Edit: I realized that I basically just summed up how Jirard felt, even using the same word choice (outlier)!
I actually think the difficulty is the one thing making this game such a big hit with newcomers. I think we finally got to the point where gamers do want a challenge. The main concern from veterans was if Metroid's exploration was too difficult for newcomers, but Dread is incredibly straightforward and easy, there is really no chance at getting lost in this game. Which definitely helps since it will be a lot of peoples first Metroid and it helps get them used to its style of gameplay. But that is something I hope they feel confident bringing back, the rich exploration. This game is really straightforward, but other games like Hollow knight are a bit too obtuse at times, I think the older Metroids get a great balance of it. Or perhaps the gameplay just suits me better than Hollow knight's?
i feel like an alien, i hate the game because this is not a Metroid and how is hard? is using counter for way to much missiles and health hard? and spamming missiles? jump every other second THATS IT
This was my first Metroid game and I absolutely loved it and now I’m officially a Metroid fan, I 100% completed normal mode and I’m about to start my hard mode playthrough and I can’t wait to dive into some of the older games too!
This was my first real Metroid. I died to almost every boss and EMMI. And I loved learning how I fucked up and needed to adjust. Especially with the Kraid fight. I'd seen others fight him in Super, and I was really surprised by how different it seemed, while also doing something similar to the old Kraid
The Prime games were my first introduction into Metroid, so this game was a bit of a shock when I got it. I love the 3D aspect of the prime games and I wasn’t sure how they were going to up the “wow” factor in a 2D platformer. I. WAS. BLOWN. AWAY. At this game. Great story telling, great graphics. Just all around A+ game. I need to go back and play the first games now that I have a handle on this 2D aspect.
This game existing is a miracle. This game being so good is an even greater miracle. This game finally getting the sales this series has always deserved, at this point I just wanna cry at how good this all is. Metroid is back. SAMUS is back. *And this time, she's here to stay.*
Totally agree man. The whole game felt like a throwback. Difficult bosses, no hand-holding, big focus on exploration. A lot of modern games hold your hand the whole way through. It was so refreshing
@@Atlessa If someone could make a good and successful Metroid Warriors game I would be impressed, given how little characters there are in the main series that could make good fighters in that game.
Dread is an excellent and a super fun 2D Metroid game. One of the best playing entry in terms of movement feel in the series. I hope this game sells extremely well so that we may actually _"See You Next Mission!",_ but without the 19 year gap of real life years. Though I still think for me personally, the best Metroid in the series is still the effin horror game that is Metroid Fusion on the GBA.
I just beat Metroid Dread a few days ago, and...WOW. Words cannot describe how amazing the game truly is. It has easily become one of the greatest games I have ever played in recent years, and might be my new favorite Metroid Game.
As someone who's never played metroid beyond a few minutes metroid dread is my first proper metroid gaming experience and its awesome. I've gotten stuck in loops of the map a few times and I've needed tutorials to help understand it. But it feels awesome to play
I’m 14 years old and I’ve almost exclusively played Nintendo games, and I’ll just say that it was fun, it was hard and exhilarating. But not to the point exhausting that I don’t know what to do or it’s hard. This is my first Metroid game and it was amazing. Discovering every nook and cranny is very fun for me but it’s not to the point frustrating finding out what to do next or it’s to hard. I might even just pick up samus returns for 3DS
It feels so weird to say “Metroid Dread” even now. All the love to the Metroid players who waited almost 20 years for this game. Hopefully, we can get a new Kid Icarus too 😂 🥲
it is a fitting Name, it took 20 years to make a game that never managed to give me even one "metroid moment" and i never felt lost, kinda what made metroid what it is. All they did was either done poorly and hurting the game or adding things to make core gameplay elements not present anymore. In the end after 20 years im really sad and angry at myself for expecting an evolution of the 20 year old game i loved but they couldnt even make a metroid after 20 years. Nothing in the game has depth
@@idate-ir8wm well, that was a decision, not a design failure. There is a boss keys video showing all the small and smart ways to control you into following the right path. I think that as a very good way to introduce people into it, especially after so long since new mainline entries, but I do understand it might feel like pokemon games getting easier and more babyhanding with time so I guess I kinda can see your point (though the combat is still hard😅).
A new Kid Icarus game would be awesome. Or, maybe even better, if they turned it into a full-fledged anime. The animated segments were great, and there needs to be an entire show like that.
I would like a mode where they could show up outside of there zones if you have not delt with the one in that area and you have been to that part with other conditions to where they can show up to balance it.to me it seems like if something like that was implemented right would keep you on your toes but that's just me
The only time I've ever completed a game before watching Jirard do a video on it. Granted, I needed some help figuring out how to aquire some of the items and I need to play through hard mode one more time for the last few photos, but overall, this game is a blast.
I definitely gave this game a 100% run my first time through! It was super satisfying to get a lot of the collectibles, particularly how a lot of the puzzles work. The speed boost puzzles in particular were often EXTREMELY cool.
Really loved my time with Metroid Dread from start to end. It plays great, the challenge is satisfying, the exploration, pacing and sense of progression is truly fantastic. I love how bold this game is in these regards and the developers didn't hold back just to make the game more accessible. Many people will want to see what Metroid is all about and what it feels like to overcome the labyrinth and bosses ahead of them, getting stronger and more capable as a player as they progress. This game will hopefully capture that for many newcomers but also satisfy long time players like myself who appreciate all the references to previous titles and trying to track down every secret and upgrade. I never found death's cheap or encounters overwhelming, finding a nice balance that kept you on your toes but once you figure things out, it starts to get much more manageable. I certainly felt like Fusion was in some ways far more unforgiving with the SA-X encounters and general difficulty, which could catch you by surprise but the challenge has always been present and should always remain so it's satisfying when you overcome it. I disconnect entirely from people who want a game to hold their hand and make things straight forward when you are in a hostile environment and Samus has to escape at all costs. It's all part of the fun and tension of the game. I definitely agree that as the game goes on, it really surprises and delights as you reach new areas as the game opens up. Clearing each area was so nice because everything was thoughtfully designed and really flowed together nicely, where even going off the path of progress, there was always a sense that you are moving forward and can navigate effectively with transport around the map, your abilities and handy map. I never was lost without any idea of what to do or where the game was leading me. All marks of great game design and a clear vision. It's so great that this team have continued this 2D series with such a high bar set as each main entry were some of the best of the system they were on. I can definitely say they have just about nailed that here. I will say that the atmospheric music, some of the big areas blurring together and some mini boss reuse/maybe giving a grander end to the EMMI enemy type than sort of discarding them were small nitpicks on a stellar game that any Metroid fan has to play straight away. Definitely a 9/10 for me. It is hard with the perfect refinement of the formula, the isolated and captivating alien planet and influences of Super Metroid can't quite be surpassed for me but I would say this is close second which is very impressive and welcome to see. Hopefully there will be strong sales from word of mouth of fans and many people wanting to know what all the hype is about for a new entry after many years. Maybe that will secure the Prime Trilogy in HD leading into Prime 4 soon. I have always been a believer that they want to know that Prime 4 is finishing up, like one year out for certain before they announce and release MP Trilogy HD to build up the excitement and give everyone the original trilogy before moving into P4. We will see what the future holds but I am glad Metroid is back and is to the same high caliber that made the series one of the most iconic and respected to this day alongside Mario and Zelda.
Newbie here, Dread was my first ever Metroid game: No regrets. I absolutely LOVED this game, despite how hard it kicked my butt at times. I kept at it, learned patterns, figured out mechanics, eventually overcame challenges, and all of those steps were a blast. New players might not get the same experience as veterans, but I’d say we still get a fantastic time. Can’t wait to play through again.
Play Super Metroid if you can, you won't regret it, it holds up pretty well. Also the Prime series, all three games are excellent!
The prime series is fantastic, but if you're a younger or newer gamer it might be difficult to adapt to the controls if you decide to play the original GameCube versions, try to play it on the Wii or Wii U if you can! Motion controls might sound like a bad thing but they are implemented incredibly well for the prime trilogy
Even as a veteran, this game sucker punched me a few times with some cheap shots, specifically the EMMIs, but no victory worth gaining is ever easily obtained. Keep at it and enjoy this fantastic franchise
Welcome to the fandom, son.
same for me, but at least i know the lore of the past games
Fun fact about the EMMI counters: The timing for the counters is random. Every time an EMMI catches you, the counter window is different. I like that design choice, as it keeps the EMMI’s as a constant threat, instead of just something you learn to parry.
Fun fact#2: there are actually 2 parry windows during the encounters with the Emmi. The first parry window always seemed easier for me. I could never parry the second. Feels so good to parry an Emmi though.
@@dbgt777 Especially that yellow Sonic wannabe trashcan on speed.
Actually, it can trigger four different animation, two with the emmi on each side of Samus. These can also have two different timings each. You can find a slo-mo breakdown here on UA-cam.
It’s random when it takes place, but undocked it’s frame-perfect, docked you get a 2 frame gap
Another fun fact: EMMIs are *slightly* easier to parry underwater, because they are also slowed down by it
Samus controls like an absolute _dream_ in this game. With all the mobility tools and sequence breaks (some clearly even intentional by the devs), I can't wait to see what speedruns of this game will look like in a few years.
The extreme tightness of the animations and controls makes it feel that much better every time you obtain a new upgrade! Masterpiece, in my opinion!
I was honestly _shocked_ at how well Samus controls in this game, considering I am _not_ used to playing 2D games with an analog stick!
People are already speedrunning Dread in 1hr20mins
I've been keeping a loose watch on the speed-running record for Dread since it released. Every day has seen the record go lower and lower. It's already down to an hour and a half. That's pretty insane. For my first run I did as many sequence breaks as I could and it was a lot of fun (early grapple, bomb, super missiles, and gravity suit). Early gravity suit kind of just breaks everything else. I definitely shouldn't have had the screw attack when I did. Had it before space jump.
I guess there’s something wrong with my controller becauae I had a lot of problems with the analog stick when I hit down, randomly changing direction and jump just literally not working sometimes
"Gone are the days of spamming missiles to destroy bosses"
Storm Missiles: *Are we a joke to you?*
Ikr? I literally only used them for practically everything once I got them
I think he meant that in the old ones like super metroid you could beat the bosses just by spamming the super missles. In the new one it's much more about Learning the attack patterns of the bosses and using your missles when the time is right
Storm is so nice for dodging and still being able to get big damage
@@JJ_5289 Not really. After I got the Storm Missiles, bosses were cake
I've heard people whining that there's too much manual aiming and I'm just thinking 'have you tried actually using the storm missiles?'...and on top of that I don't think there's too much manual aiming anyway. It works SO well once you get used to the L button and analog control.
"Casual players will get to Kraid in a couple of hours"
And if dread is your first metroid game, it'll take you a couple of hours to figure out how to beat him, yes this is a confession, I died to Kraid a lot.
Did you discover the secret way to kill Kraid?
Don't feel bad, I've been playing Metroid for all 35 years its been around and I still died to this version Kraid a half-dozen times at least.
ProTip: don't try to be cooler than Samus and slide under the Belly Shots; just hit the Morph Ball trigger and save yourself tons of pain. A lesson I was far too slow to learn.
@@harlannguyen4048 via youtube as it was mentioned in passing on a video of something else. i think its anazing that sort of detail is baked in to this hame though. awesome
I never died to phase one. Said fuck it and explored a bit. Found grapple beam and morph bombs and it was so satisfying
I died to all the bosses a lot. Took me 15 hours and 20 minutes to finish the game, and this is my 2nd metroid game.
Metroid Dread singlehandedly brought new life to a dormant series.
Also Jirard didn't mention it, but this game utterly makes Samus more of a badass than ever before, she has this swagger, confidence and body language where she just owns everything.
Right? After some of the bosses she's just destroying them or just looking at them as they die like a total badass! Love that more people noticed that
@@MrTerrorzone2012 and then when the boss tries to take you down with them, excellent
The exaggerated swagger of a bounty hunter
i think part of this might be because she knows that she can also kick her own ass or at least maybe out run because the S-AX is an absolutely unit of a creature who has all of samus' abilites and is easily able to kill you if you are caught off gaurd
@@lapislazoli They absolutely nailed the fact that she is, in fact, experienced.
"When I would get a Quarter Tank, I would be like 'Yaaaaay...'"
Every Zelda fan when they get a Heart Container
Heart Piece
Every time I play a Zelda game I usually only get a SINGULAR heart from pieces per game
@@lindenwong5393 I think he was speaking of BOTW in which there are only heart containers
BOTW and Tears still had Heart Pieces, in the form of Shrine Souls.
I just entered GameStop wondering if I should get Metroid Dread or No More Heroes 3, when this notification popped up. Call it a divine message, but Metroid here I come!
I’ve played all the way to the final boss- you will NOT be disappointed!!!
NMH fans gonna be pissed when they read this
Good luck my friend
I'd sugest you start with Zero Mission
Both are fantastic! Had a great time with NMH3 but Dread is GOTY for me personally. Happy hunting!
I’m a huge nmh fan but Dread really is something special. Check out NMH3 later though! It’s a blast!
28:04 WOW, that is awesome! I remember seeing that morphball tube on the map while doing 100% cleanup, and I was confused as to why that would be there when you have no reason to be over in that spot after killing Kraid. That's so cool that the developers not only knew that attentive players would be able to get the morph bomb early, but went out of their way to add an insta-kill method to the fight as a reward for doing so. I love that kind of rewarding game design.
I was wondering the same thing! Such a cool detail.
I loved this game so much, my only complaint is something you also touched on, is that the environment melted a bit too much together, but its such a small thing for me.
That + the music is very forgettable, I’d love more memorable melodic music.
Play super Metroid if you haven’t it’s environments are close to perfect
I think those massive EMMI zones are the biggest issue because they all have that same style so the actual biological areas don't get much chance to leave their own impression before they start getting mixed with adjacent zones leading into the transports and elevators.
I disagree
@@Maurilustrador I agree that the music wasn't memorable. The environments are fine if a bit samey in most locations. But most of all I wanted better music. It works fine while playing, but none of it noteworthy. I would still give this game 5 stars, I'm just a fan of unnecessarily over the top music that this game is missing. Loved the game though.
After waiting almost 20 years we finally got “Metroid Dread” which was originally going to be a Nintendo DS game. Hopefully Nintendo keeps giving Metroid new games. The franchise deserves it.
What’s strange is that this feels like a finale lol
I really hope the rumors are true about the full on remake of Metroid prime 1!
Imagine someone made a fan de-make for DS
@@ok_uh_eli_i_guess376 I hope they're not true, because that would mean Metroid Prime Trilogy on Switch isn't happening.
@@ok_uh_eli_i_guess376 I don’t think Prime needs a whole remake, but I’d absolutely love a remaster with higher resolution textures and maybe some of zero mission’s treatment with some extra journey for Samus before Metroid Prime 2 occurs :))
This game definitely has the best Boss fight, controls, and combat in the series. It's so fluid to control and move around the world. Also the story is so good and has a logical main villain of the storyline. Also it wraps up everything well and opens some neat possibilities for the future of the franchise
Agreed
I'd say the only thing it needs to be the absolute best metroid in everyway is a bit more atmosphere, maybe some more lighting job on certain areas... It's not that the game has bad atmosphere, but Super's is still better
I agree that the boss fights are fantastic but… why do we have to fight 7 central units that are identical to one another… the same could be said about the chozo warriors but each of those boss fights have a few differences which make them feel unique. All the central units do is add a few more lasers to dodge…
@@Just_Shaun i mean, that's why they are so fast and easy, also, i think you don't fight the first and last, or at least not the last
Experiment z 57 is now my favorite boss
Kraid and Raven Beak rank pretty high too I'd say, probably second and third favorites
That's uncalculated though
I’m so glad this game is selling well. A good wake up call to Nintendo that says “hey! This is a good series people want to play!”
Maybe they can actually port the other Metroid games to switch thanks to this game.
you're thinking too highly of nintendo
@@thestarwolf3312 you can actually play super Metroid on the switch through the snes emulator. I’d love fusion or zero mission too
@@DeInevitable I’m honestly not. I’m speaking highly of Mercury steam
I just wish they would make a boss rush game for Metroid. I hate getting lost and not knowing where to go but I love the boss fights
Amazing how far the devs went in making you feel completely and totally helpless against the E.M.M.Is. The timing window for the counter changes every time,they can change their patrol routes on a whim, if you think they’re gonna take the long way to you they’ll likely look for the shorter alternate route to get to you. I lost count of how many times I’m backed into a corner cloaked thinking to myself: “please go away please go away please go away” only for it to stay in the room just a few feet a way.
This might have not been intentional, but with the parries, there was something that focused on the machine side of the EMMI. While the counter is random, it will always happen in a predictable time window. It will be prone to attack right after it’s eye flashes twice in the counter cutscene. Since the counter window is literally frame perfect, it only helps a little, but it shows that the emmi are robots, programmed to do one thing in similar timings
@@kirbywithaknifeisawesome6028 either way by the end of the game you will learn to feel absolute Dread whenever you so much as hear beeping sounds.
There’s actually 2 counter opportunities each time. When it grabs and you and when it stabs at you.
Was more annoying than anything IMO. I'd always resort to running through the whole area because the Phantom Cloak was so utterly useless.
@@Howitchewstofeel5gum really? I found it pretty useful. Many times when I was trying to locate another exit I managed to tuck into a corner using morph ball and stay locked while it scanned the area and moved on. I thought it was a nice addition, useful without negating the terror or dealing with them
Best part of Dread is that we get to hear Samus speak for the first time (no, Other M doesn't count). And we get to see her be herself. From her cool, confidence to her unbridled rage. There are SO many other things to love about Dread, but this video already hit many of them. Super Metroid hs always been my favorite in the series, but Dread has taken the top spot now. It truly is a masterpiece.
No there are many many better aspects of Dread.
@@SchmergDergen All a matter of opinion and definitepy correct. So many things about Dread are SO good. It's a total package for sure.
@@KaigaKarasuma exactly but I’d say hearing a voice isn’t as important as the smoothest and best feeling gameplay of the series. I don’t play video games because of the voice acting, often times in spite of it like BOTW’s Zelda voice direction.
@@SchmergDergen Perhaps I misrepresented my feelings. Hearing Samus speak Chozo was the cherry on top of what I already stated is a masterpiece.
She's such a badass in this game.
I never got lost in this game, and that's not a brag. It's actually amazing how intuitive the "intended" path is in this game. Each upgrade usually leaves you pretty close to where you need to use it to progress, while oftentimes blocking unnecessary backtracking in subtle ways (such as dropping you off a small cliff you can't jump past upon entering a room in the early game, or utilizing water to hinder retracing, or the lava flows changing and closing doors you just passed through in order to open the way forward instead) and it's a marvel how well it all flowed- especially without the game holding your hand. Even more amazing is that none of this is infallible and it's entirely possible to get lost if you get distracted instead of constantly trying to connect the dots. From a game design standpoint, it's beautifully done. An open ended game with a followable thread of logic.
I also like how this game is very "Show, don't tell" when it comes to bosses. The very first boss, its easy for new players to know to use missiles to deal damage because Samus uses one in the intro cutscene and it's the only way she was able to get a reaction, so logically that's what the player should do too. For Kraid, Samus shot him straight in the mouth in the cutscene and he recoils hard. Better follow suit! Everything has its logic without needing to hold your hand. (Except for sometimes with Adam. He's a little forward with the Emmi debriefs.)
I got lost... because i sequence broke on accident with some creative bomb jumping.
There’s a reason the ADAM briefings are so weird though…
@@mattblack3813 yeah, like that time is he said Raven Beak is so handsome.
Adam is supposed to act a bit fishy and give very particular briefings and knowledge to manipulate Samus.
Yea I loved it too but I will say I wish the basic enemies were a little more difficult but I guess thats never really been a thing in metroid games. Rarely is someone gonna die by basic enemies and in dread once u get the spin jump its all over lol other than that I loved the game didnt get bored once
The dev-included one shots for the bosses for sequence breaking or performing better than usual are so cool, I love when you get rewarded like that
1st Metroid I ever played. And I suck at games like Hollow Knight, Dark Souls, etc. But Metroid Dread was FANTASTIC. Yeah it was difficult but I kept wanting to go back for more after dying 20 times in each boss fight. Loved the game so much I 100% one play through & want to go back through the even harder difficulty now.
I spent 2 hours just fighting Kraid (I totally forgot I could morph ball)
I've been playing since Super Metroid and love these games. Yet I still suck at them. The bosses also gave me a lot of trouble and hundreds of deaths. But I never felt like giving up. Most of the bosses actually are not that hard ones you know what to do. I just defeated the final boss on hard mode without getting hit. Took me 3 hours or so to learn what he can do but ones I did he kind of was a joke.
I thought Hollow Knight was easier, bit I've yet to beat Dread yet. Maybe I'm in a tuff spot
@@MrTerrorzone2012 Yeah I've also been playing since Super Metroid... I've never finished any of them though haha. Actually I haven't finished many games at all...
Same. I actually only know Metroid bc I play samus in smash. Kraid wrecked me multiple times because I kept trying to spam missiles into his mouth while aiming and running around. It wasn’t easy sailing from there, but I definitely got better at controlling samus for it.
I was lucky enough to get this incredible game for Christmas, and I just today (9th January 2022) beat it. It was my first Metroid game, and is an absolute must-play. If you haven't played the others, I would also recommend watching a story explained video on UA-cam. Can we just agree, this should have won Game Of The Year?
The entire time I was playing this I was thinking “man I can’t wait to hear what the Completionist will have to say about this”. It’s always good to hear someone who shares my passion for Metroid.
I enjoyed it thoroughly, but my true appreciation of the game actually came with the late game puzzles, while going for 100%. Seems like nintendo is giving some respect to the speedrunners (and Dachora). It feels so good to control Samus. A great way to modernize some concepts from older Metroids.
@@JackgarPrime What’s that reward? I haven’t seen anyone mention under 2 hours reward
@@thefonzpart I misremembered
@@thefonzpart Galleries my guy. Original art for all 2D Metroid games :)
Late game puzzles brought me around. The emmi stuff can go away heh
So far the only puzzle that I dislike (Motly because I tried it for 2 maybe 3 hours and got frustrated) is that one missile tank in Burenia that requires a double slope multiroom beam shinespark.
The game is hard, but entirely fair. As the load screens when you die often remind you, "every attack can be avoided." And it is absolutely true. It is hard but you can do it. The game is fair.
Also think it's worth saying that the checkpoints are super good. Even on hard mode you start before a boss or the door that leads to the EMMI area if you die. And not sure but think if you go in low health and die a bunch you start with full health before a boss.
@@SlaveKnightGael not always.
@@SlaveKnightGael i mean starting all the way from the last save is just tedious. And the easiest? Debatable
@@SlaveKnightGael Measuring the difficulty of a game by the severity of the punishment for failing is reductionist. You do not learn anything new by retreading parts of the levels that you already mastered and had nothing to do with your failing. It is literally senseless, a waste of time and mostly a relic of the time where game overs forced the players to put another quarter in to try again. Dark Souls, the pinnacle of "Git gud" games, always places checkpoints near bossfights. While the enemy placement and leveldesign of DS are sometimes unfair, the checkpoints almost always aren't. Long ways back to bossfights are just unnessecary obstacles that PREVENT players from learning fast.
The final boss deciding to start the fight with his melee rush is pretty hard to dodge, but that's only because it comes out so quick after the fight actually starts.
My dad has been non stop playing Metroid Dread since he got it 5 days. He got stuck on one of the bosses for about 2 or 3 hours.
To me this game looks amazing, I love Samus’ armour and the enemies look quite intimidating.
Your dad been waiting a long time
@@Aluran Haven't we all?
@@Atlessa amen
Tbh Samus' suit is one of the downsides of the game for me lol it looks weird and almost cartoony in it's design. I know the classic Varia suit is supposed to be destroyed in Fusion but it wouldn't have been that much of a stretch to find a way to make her new suit more in line with the kind of great designs we saw in the games that already established what her armor looks like in high polygon 3D games (aka the Prime games and especially since Prime 2 and 3).
14:50 I came to realize part of the reason that occurs is because, while each section might have different backgrounds and color palettes, the _foreground_ is largely black.
If you go look at Super, Fusion, or Zero Mission, you'll see each area has the foreground colored with the general theme. I haven't seen people bring this up much, but I think it was a large part of why I felt Dread was lacking slightly in regards to atmosphere.
I watch this Metroid video a few times a week… I just love the commentary on Metroid!
This game is difficult, but in a way that makes you want to complete it, it’s about learning, not just killing you. And for that reason, I think I’ve enjoyed it more than super. Super is great because you can sequence break in so many ways, this game is great because you know that on your next playthrough, you’ll be ready to cut stomp everything the game throws at you, and I love it
The difficulty was one of the best things about it in my opinion. I would die 10-15 times or so on a boss. But every time I died I felt like it was my fault, and I learned more about how to progress the next time. Even the new stuff like the EMMI gave me that vibe. I would die and then learn what to do the next time
@@JJ_5289 For me the best part about the bosses were that they weren't about actually hitting the boss, but about finding out when to hit the boss because just attacking relentlessly will just get you killed since the boss will hit you while you're on your assault.
It's downright heretical to consider this game better than Super. A decent effort from MercurySteam, but it can't barely scratch the level of Super (which is not a bad thing by the way, the standards are just way too high)
Yeah this game got difficulty spot on imo. Quick checkpoints for tough encounters and while bosses have relatively simple moves, they have decent variety and they come fast with fairly tight windows. Makes boss fights feel rhythmic when you figure out their patterns. And as I think about it the whole game feels rhythmic as you get better at the movement and mechanics.
@@RRRRRRRRR33
No one said this game is better than Super. OP simply said that they enjoyed Dread more than Super. And thats fine. Are you really going to say its impossible for someone to enjoy one Metroid game more than the others. I personally enjoyed playing through Fusion and Prime more than Super, but then, Fusion and Prime were my first Metroid games. I appreciate what Super did with non-linearity, but I just prefer Fusions jump physics and animations more. And Prime and its 3d.
I love how almost all of the Shinespark puzzles shown in this video is solved entirely different from how I did them~ Awesome
Yeah, I had that happen too. Managed to cut it really close with some of those. Especially the ones near the stations in Cataris and Ferenia.
Especially that one in Ferenia where you need to bomb then shinespark.
For players of the older games, it takes some getting used to that you can just maintain your speed boost by running and jumping without stopping.
Right? I also never held the speed boost. I would just charge my shinespark then jump and sometimes even use it and then charge it again. It's funny I never used the Shinespark unless needed. This game made me a pro at it
Yeah it's pretty cool how there's more than one way to solve them. I'm still surprised at how people did certain puzzles differently. Shinespark is incredibly flexible and once you understand it fully, the techniques you can pull off is breathtaking to watch.
I've never even considered playing a Metroid game but all this hype around Dread got me to play Super Metroid. I think I'm close to fighting Ridley and the game is amazing so far! Probably will play Dread sometime in the future.
It's a clichê by now, but metroid fusion (4) is highly recommended after this and before dread. And of course zero mission for metroid 1 and samus returns (or the amazing fan remake AM2R) for metroid 2, some people even consider the fan remake better than the official, for me it feels more classic while the official feels more advanced, both very much worth your time. Super metroid is metroid 3, just to be clear.
Have fun, you will love the ending in super metroid, it was on a whole another level at the time.
Super Metroid is one of the all time greats, glad you're enjoying it
@@scottmcnaughton934 The moment I realized exploration and figuring things out for yourself was king in SM made it one of the greats for me. I love bringing up a map and using that to figure out where secrets are hidden.
@@tcrpgfan That's why the series is so beloved, and also why its never sold well. If you can learn how to explore its fantastic, but its such a high barrier for most people. I guess most people want more guidance in their games or aren't very observant or something.
Zero Mission also has a lot of exploration, but it also gives you a lot of guidance, it just so happens that all the guidances can be bypassed and the game can be played and explored in a vast array of styles. Its another one to play if you can, but it takes multiple playthroughs to see just how amazing the level design is. try a low% run of it to see how much can be skipped!
Ey, nooit gedacht een bekende te spotten hahaha
Gotta try Super Metroid myself then.
Same as you, I played the first one with all this hype, but it didn’t catch me and I quit after a few minutes. Super is probably better to start.
Have you fought Ridley het? How was it?
This is my first Metroid and I finished it. Needless to say, I loved it. The only reason I'd die is because it's my fault: pressed the wrong button, got too greedy, etc.
It taught me humility and pride in equal portions. Now I am gonna play the older Metroid games.
if you loved this one then you NEED to play super metroid, it's on the snes emulator if you have nintendo online or if you have a pc then do it that way
That’s all well and good, but no matter what you do, do NOT play metroid for the NES. It did not age well at all and you are better off playing super
I’m also voting that you need to play Super Metroid on the switches SNES emulator. It holds up perfectly well but it’s even more challenging and has even less hand holding.
@@kirbywithaknifeisawesome6028 It's worth at least checking out due to how important it is to the gaming industry, but people really should play Zero Mission first.
@@Texticy I've played this one and just forced myself to play Super Metroid. Maybe because I never played Super as a kid but the jump off the wall thing SUCKS! The feel of Super Metroid is classic and I like it but nothing beats the free flowing controls in Metroid Dread. It's more AWESOME to me than Super!
Man Dread is just a treat. ESPECIALLY those speed booster puzzles, man they make your brain WOOOORK. I love Metroids running habit of not teaching you the nuances of powerups, like how you can wall jump, morphball, and slide with speed booster.
(Minor spoiler for one of the powers you get / thing I wish I knew)
When I got the speed boost power, I came across a few blocks that could break with speed, but there wasn’t a long hallway to build up speed. I was convinced that I would get a power later that would shorten the run up. When checking online where to find this power-up, I discovered that there is no such upgrade, you just gotta do some crazy stunts, it take some skill, but the rewards are worth it! Love this game!
I feel really really dumb that I had to look up a video to confirm something that I KNEW.
In the part that he shows with the two ramps I kept slamming against the ramps and then falling down.
The problem was that I keep releasing the joystick instead of keep going left. I guess I though samus would just keep going on her own.
E-tanks parts are just Pieces of heart from Zelda. As someone who hasn't been waiting for how many years for a Metroid game, since I only experienced my first one a few months back, I enjoyed Metroid Dread way more than I thought. I struggled playing Super metroid as my first game, but I was determined and I never felt like I wasn't enjoying myself.
However, I already had a bit of knowledge from watching others so it isn't the same as a blind playthrough. Dread was hard, and only one time I got a bit frustrated. I did get lost though, but most of the time is was my fault for not paying attention fully to my surroundings. Though I feel like with getting used to the controls, if you take a break and come back it takes a bit to get a handle on them again. Also quitting the game after a story thing telling you where to go and then coming back later not remembering was a bad idea on my part which didn't help. All in all, still not sure if I would say I'm a "metroid fan" but did I enjoy dread? absolutely.
@Craig Adams Just a bit of typo man, don't worry about it.
With how hard enemies hit in this game It may as well be Zelda heart pieces
Other M actually the game that introduced Energy Parts
@@kratosgow342 We don't talk about Other M here.
The Adam sections are recorded in your log, so if you ever forget again you can pause and hit R to go to the log screen where you can reread the Adam stuff. Even beyond that, progress is pretty easy in this game, you never have to go far out of your way to progress, you usually just go to the nearest object that your most recent Item unlocks. This is viewed easily on the map by highlighting the object and it shows you all of them in the area, and there is usually only ones on the path of progress and none in the side paths. Hope that helps!
This is one of the best games I’ve ever played. And I’ve never loved a Metroid before. So PLEASE pick it up. It’s a true masterpiece
New Metroid player, absolutely loved it. It felt amazing to finally beat a boss after learning all their attacks and exploring the entire map.
I went into Dread not expecting a whole lot, I was excited sure, but didn't know if it could live up to the hype or legacy of pervious Metroid games. Having just finished it today I will definitely say that Metroid Dread Kicks ass. The controls are buttery smooth, the Boss battles are fantastic, and Dread definitely lives up to it's namesake. Mercury Steam clearly understands what makes a Metroid game great while still finding a way to make Dread feel like a fresh experience in the series. I think most importantly this game is a master class in design. Dread respects the players intelligence by not Holding your hand or always pointing you in what direction to head towards. It allows you to figure things out through your own devices. It does an amazing job at subtly directing you where to go next through its environmental and map designs, and it certainly doesn't hold back the punches with the difficulty. When you complete Dread you really feel like you've accomplished something phenomenal, which was something I realized i hadn't experienced from a new game in quite a while.
Hi, new player of Metroid here to talk about my experience with Dread!
I had already played a few Metroidvanias before, but I never had actually completed them because I got stuck and simply lost interest after a while of simply runing around a confusing maze. Metroid Dread looked very interesting, but I didn't knew if I would like it because I wasn't sure if I would get stuck. Still, I decided to give it a try.
And I couldn't be happier about it. I have just finished the game a few hours ago, my first Metroidvania ever finished. The graphics were really awesome, the progression was just right, the moveset was fluid and responsive, the E.M.M.I.s scared the crap out of me, and the game never really felt frustrating as a whole.
¿Did I get stuck a few times? Yes, absolutely, I had to look up on the internet how to progress through the game especially because I am not used to analysing every corner of a room; strangely, the game would never feel unfair in that sense. I would always be locked inside a tiny area, and after a bit of trial and error find my way out. That's what happened most of the time, but there was one instance where I had to look up a long part of the game; outside of that there was not really that much problem. Going throught the maze didn't feel confusing for me, but it felt rewarding and awesome, especially with the amazing moveset and great graphics. It felt as if the game would lead the way for me, while not leading the way for me. How the developers did it I do not know, but it's one of the best experiences I have ever felt in a videogame.
About the difficulty of some bossfights, well, they are pretty tough, but not impossible. Again, simple trial and error would do the trick. Especially at the end the bosses would be pretty difficult (which is expected). But if you know Samus's arsenal well enough you can actually beat them quite quickly. And the best part was that there were a lot of checkpoints, so every time I died I wouldn't have to go through an area to fight the same boss and die again, (which was something that put me off in most other Metroidvanias) it was almost like hitting a repeat button, which was really satisfying.
In the end, despite it being somewhat short of a game, I am really glad I bought my first Metroid ever. I'm even happier that I was able to enjoy it so much despite the difficulty and the creepy and confusing setting, I was genuinly able to appreciate it and get into it fairly easily. So to all of you players who are doubting if you should get this game or not, I would say give it a shot! You will need some patience, but Metroid Dread will feel rewarding and amazing. I for sure am glad I jumped at the opportunity to grab the game!
I am a Metroid fan for a long time and to hear that people who never played Metroid are really enjoying Dread is really awesome! I'm really glad that you enjoyed it :D
congratulations on beating the game! Its no easy feat!
As someone who has been playing Metroid for 30 years, I'm so happy this series is getting the revival it deserves
As someone who never completed a metroid game, I freaking LOVED this game. I had played Fusion and a bit of Zero Mission, but never felt super compelled to continue. There were definitely a couple moments where I was dumb and missed some shootable blocks, but I always felt the game did a great job of nudging me in the right direction. I probably won't 100% the game, but I'm really glad I enjoyed it as much as I did
21:36 I know it's a bit personal but to me getting an energy tank kind of felt like receiving a full heart container after a zelda boss but a tank part felt like a heart piece or a spirit orb and It was actually felt not bad because full energy tanks where rare but parts where more easy to find(then tanks. I know that doesn't mean it's easy to get) then tanks.
I'm working on the final boss after a week of nonstop play whenever I had a free moment and I still can't master the shinespark puzzles.
Seeing you do a few of them in this video alone motivates me to try but a part of me just doesn't care for the frustration when you have to be Ultra Instinct Goku to beat the bosses.
That I'm itself is a skill to master I can be proud of
I'm so proud of myself for solving every single shinespark puzzle without a guide.
As far as I'm concerned, Dread is an all-time classic! The type of game that I can see myself sitting down and playing through another 10+ years from now!
Already on my fourth playthrough, it’s so damn fun
i really hope that Metroid continues down the Sci-Fi/Horror route in the future, even just in an atmospheric way, the isolation alone creates tension.
This game was so damn good
It was ridiculous how good it was. Gave me all kinds of feels since Fusion was my favorite game.
I bought it a few days ago. Literally couldn't put it down. I was blown away. They did an excellent job
This was my first ever Metroid game, and in fact, my first game in the "metroidvania" genre, and I LOVED it. Was the only game I was playing for like 5 days straight until I beat it. Dread has me craving more Metroid, so I'm really excited because I want to play the other entries in the series.
If you have switch online, you can play Super Metroid. That’s the first one I played and it was REALLY good. Metroid Fusion is also really great.
In addition to the amazing earlier entries into Metroid I also highly recommend trying out some of the Castlevania titles as well.
Super Metroid is a straight up classic and probably the best game on the SNES. Fusion is excellent and a very important entry in the franchise, especially in setting up Dread! Zero Mission is a remaster of the original title and has some surprises! The Prime trilogy is an absolute must play and some of the best Metroid out there! A lot of people would probably tell you to skip Other M, but don't listen to em! Even if you don't end up loving the game, it's definitely worth at least a one-time experience. I think, while not perfect, it is a much better entry than people give it credit for!
I hope you’ve dabbled in some other Metroidvanias since then but I feel like it’s important to state that this game is EXTREMELY linear and newbie friendly for a Metroidvania game. (Based on my experience from other Metroidvanias). I constantly got lost in Super Metroid, Castlevania Symphony of The Night, Castlevania Aria of Sorrow, and Hollow Knight but never once in Dread. The other games I’ve stated are the only other Metroidvanias I’ve played and completed and luckily I hit the holy grail, each one of these games I played was breathtakingly phenomenal and fun and I couldn’t recommend them enough but get ready to feel what its like to be lost and familiarize yourself to every room.
Just beat Dread earlier tonight and considering it was my first 2D Metroid (previously played the Prime series) it’s now among my favorites of all time. Now onto Super Metroid! Great video as always!
"Completing Metroid Dread reminded me that I'm pretty freaking good at video games."
Honestly, true. Actually collecting some of those power ups and upgrades reminded me of those Super Metroid shine sparking videos I used to watch on that Metroid speedrunning site. Only difference was it was me doing the actions. It is the most empowering thing about this game.
This was my first Metroid game and I LOVED IT. So much style, flashy action and personality. I couldn't put it down until the very end.
Same. And I loved how even with all the action and focus on combat they didn't skimp on any exploration or design of the environments. And they didnt dumb down the difficulty to bring in new players
Great video Jirard! It's a fantastic time to be a Metroid fan. This is a masterful return to one of the greatest Nintendo franchise of all time. The exploration, the boss fights, the sense of urgency and DREAD, I welcome it all. MercurySteam deserves the mad respect for giving the franchise the much return and i give them a round of applause for their hard work on this game. Without a doubt, one of the best games i played this year.
This was my first Metroid game. I’m familiar with the lore of the franchise, but I’ve never actually played one. It was a difficult game, but after the easiness of Pokémon brilliant diamond it was a welcome surprise to actually push myself in a game again. I loved it and will definitely be revisiting it again in the future
You're saying all the things I was feeling.
This was my first Metroid ever, plus I rarely play any action games because I'm not particularly good at them.
Yet I never felt like anything I was trying was impossible. I honestly almost felt encouraged by how the bosses telegraph their attacks and how death is a slap on the wrist. Literally all I had to do was study the moves, figure out how to get around them, and I was set.
The only actual trouble I had was the Shinespark puzzles, and seeing how you did the toughest ones I had trouble with, I have to laugh because I don't think I even used the easiest methods to pull them off, so I made it needlessly complicated for myself lol
Aside from the Shinespark stuff, the main game itself never felt TOO hard. I had an absolute blast and I can't wait to forget how to do everything in a few weeks or months so I can play it all again with a fresher brain.
This is one I actually did a 100% and took about 16 hours. A couple of those hours being just doing some of those speed boost challenges. Figuring them out wasn't too hard but the execution on some of them is so tight it's ridiculous.
Loved the whole experience and the end boss/ending was beyond hype.
As someone who had never touched a Metroid game before Dread, damn was it hard but it was great. Took 8 hours for my first playthrough. Not sure if 100% completion is what I want to do, but doing all those shinespark tricks and seeing all the hidden skips in the game really makes me think of how detailed the game is. I didn't even know you can shinespark into the Experiment until I watched this (wish I knew that before I fought it for the first time but hey I just got to experience the full thing)
I hope you enjoy going for 100% or speedrunning it, it really is such a satisfying way to play the game and is the reason the game encourages multiple runs through it. If you do plan on playing the older games, just know that the Missile doesn't uncover as many blocks as they do in this game, so you'll have to get used to using bombs to find stuff. This is kinda ironic but I see veterans struggle so much because they don't think to missile everything and instead wait until they finally get bombs to search around, which come much later than in prior games.
8 hours sounds like nothing for game that is supposed to be a huge MAZE full of DREAD, they have no idea what made Metroid great. And is really easy and combat is lacking everything
@@idate-ir8wm Dude said 8 hours without 100%, which is pretty on par with the Prime games length at 100% and FAR longer than any other 2D Metroid. So the length isn't a problem, there are a million other good games out there, if you are done with Dread and don't want to replay it, then find another game. The maze part of the game was toned down because this is likely a lot of people's first Metroid and that aspect of the series is one of the reasons it never sells. I'm sure the next game will be more willing to be maze-like.
The combat is the same as previous games with some extras on top, it isn't lacking in any way, and its plenty hard but the series was never known for its difficulty anyways. You act like you know what's best for the series, but you sound like you don't actually know anything about it, you'd have to clarify what you mean otherwise.
@@idate-ir8wm Sounds like you haven't even played the game, nor any other Metroid game. 8 hours is a lot for a 2D Metroid. Super Metroid can be beaten casually in like 4-5 hours even if you have no idea what you're doing. I 100% Fusion in under 4 hours without doing an optimal run. Dread is by FAAAAR the hardest Metroid game. Even regular enemies can deal an entire energy tank of damage per hit.
@@SlaveKnightGael I disagree, its the hardest, and its the most fair, both statements can be true at the same time. Reddit is not the place to go if you want honest opinions, you'll only get whatever gets the most upvotes, and saying this game is not hard surely gives a lot of karma
Just beat the game on Hard mode, damn what a game. I’ve beaten them all but this one was special.
Praying they continue to make Metroid Games
Always been a fan of Metroid from a distance as I've never been able to play any previous ones. So this was my first REAL Metroid experience and it was absolutely amazing. I'm glad I managed to do a 100% run in 10 hours similar to Jirard! Makes me feel good about my skills as a newbie lol
First time Metroid series player here, and oh boy, what an introduction Dread is, I wasn’t originally going to get it, but after seeing more and seeing your review along with others, I decided to get it. I FREAKING LOVED it, the visuals, gameplay, music, abilities, bosses, I think I’m now a full blown Metroid fan, that is the extent of this game’s power and awesomeness!
Play the Prime Trilogy. Incredible games. But don't go into them expecting a Dread-like experience. The right state of mind is to consider the 2D Metroid games and the 3D Metroid Prime games as two different faces of a same coin: different gameplay, slower moves, different feels, but it's so fucking good all the same.
The game is difficult, but not punishing. Every attack is avoidable. The game checkpoints very often and throws you back in. Save points are a plenty.
The fact that the game is so forgiving with its checkpoints is such a massive improvement, it means that you don't constantly have to seek out a save room (and potentially backtracking quite a bit) in order to prepare for a boss fight, you can save at your leisure.
This is how it should be. Very challenging, never frustrating
It wasn’t forgiving to my thumbs haha there were some moments where my thumbs were screaming from the input demand
@@SlaveKnightGael Metroid 1 - Only difficult cause you have no idea where to go
Zero Mission - Much easier than Dread
Return of Samus - Haven’t played it but doesn’t look bad at all
Super Metroid - Only somewhat hard the first time
Fusion - Harder than Super but still manageable
Samus Returns - Harder than the previous games
Prime 1 - challenging but still easier than dread
Prime 2 - Ok this one is much harder than dread
Prime 3 - Easy
Calling it painfully easy compared to the rest is completely wrong, the only harder game in the series is Prime 2 which went too far and became frustrating for a lot of people
this game doesn’t hold your hand at all and doesn’t pull punches in the later bosses. It has lenient checkpoints, but I’d argue this is a good thing as it prevents you from having to travel and find upgrades that you may have already found again. Compared to most modern games, Dread is much more challenging
@@SlaveKnightGael ok, I see what you’re saying. Those games are definitely more punishing than dread, and you can’t just carelessly retry every sequence you mess up since there’s a large punishment for failing. But those sequences still require you to learn and adapt. I very rarely beat a boss on my first attempt in dread, while in ZM, I didn’t die a single time outside of the ZSS section. However, ZM was definitely more frustrating because of the strict checkpoints in the ZSS section.
I think that in Dread Hard Mode, they should’ve made the checkpoints work like they did in Super, where you have to be careful of messing up. But for first time players/normal mode? They made the right choice imo
The Experiment was definitely the hardest boss fight for me in the game, so to hear Jirard say, "This fight isn't very hard," made me go, "...what."
Well, apparently he shinesparked the second phase.
Same here even after knowing how to dodge all his attacks he still was a pain in the ass.
@@troykv96 He did say he on twitter he 100% the game without guides. And I believe him if he learned this on his own. This game made me use the shinespark in so many weird ways for items that I started using it on bosses in hard mode and learned the same thing. It's fun to try stuff like that (just not on the last boss)
I didn’t know you were supposed to attack his arms in that one part (i thought you just had to dodge the purple stuff), so I fought him for 55 minutes non-stop.
@@jordanwoods462 it took me quite a while before I figured that out too XD
Mercury Steam should keep working on 2D Metroid from now on. I’m totally down for it.
They've definitely found their niche!
I remember people having their doubts back when Samus Returns came out. I actually could see how some of the new mechanics there weren't always implemented perfectly, but I'm amazed how they actually adressed those criticisms in Dread. They put less emphasis on Aeon abilities while still keeping them useful. While it probably could still use some work, the maps are still way more visually distincts. (Although it could be thanks to the better hardware)
And they managed to balance the melee counter in a way that still made it really useful, but not to the point of completely overshadowing just shooting enemies down normally.
I remember those 3 being the biggest gripes in Samus Returns and it really seems like they've taken them to heart. They care about making those games as good as they can make them. So yeah, I also believe that 2D Metroid is in good hands.
I hated the melee counter in Samus Returns.
I LOVE (!!!) the melee counter in Dread.
That alone tells you how much they improved it.
Since they won't get to return to Castlevania anytime soon ( _but they should_ ), I'm absolutely down for that too.
Dread was the first Metroid game I’ve ever played. I knew very little about Metroid going in but I absolutely loved it. The abilities, movement, and combat feel amazing and the game was so fun I 100%’d it. And I think it did a good job explaining the story for new players like me.
Minor story correction from a lore nerd here: Samus doesn't lose her powers from physical amnesia, she loses her powers because Raven Beak takes them from her while she's unconscious.
He actually places some of those powers in strategic locations to lure Samus up towards him as she gets stronger, while putting others inside the EMMIs to upgrade them. That's why they have some of Samus's abilities.
Was this ever explained in the game? Or is this just inference?
This is my first Metroid game I absolutely love it! The difficulty, the lvl design, the movement, it's all amazing. No wonder this series sparked a whole genre! I haven't beat the game yet, but im still having a blast!
Can I just say how much I appreciate the intro? Shaving for a "level up" scene was well worth it my friend. It looks amazing.
Will look for a compilation later
Maybe he’ll have one for a special event??
Just remember that the In Game Time (IGT) does not count time between deaths, resetting to the last time before you died, so your run time can be way WAY greater than what you see in the end.
I feel like Dread did something that a lot of franchises are afraid to do, like Pokémon- it grew up with its fan base. When the first game came out many were probably kids, or young adults. Now here we are all these years later, and the game is challenging, rewarding, and just as fascinating.
I love this game so much and I instantly fell in love with it. Samus just moves so fast and running around feels so good.
Yes!! I was waiting for this video! Thanks, Jirard!
18:52 Whoa, you can do it that way?! I came at that from a completely different angle! It’s so cool how a lot of these puzzles have multiple solutions.
Metroid Dread may be one of my new favorite metroidvania, and a true masterclass in level design. GOTY 2021 HANDS DOWN!!!!
It better be, lol!
12:32 I haven't played a Metroid game in my life but I was able to figure things out fairly well. I think the first area you're in does a pretty good job clueing you in on the existence of hidden blocks.
It's been about a month but I finally completed my first run through of this. I have to say, I totally agree with what he said at one point in the video, with the immense maps, it's easy to find yourself in a loop in areas. But once you finally figure out where you've been and where you need to go, its an awesome feeling. This game is awesome. I'll definitely play it again at some point to improve my time. Also, love the ending. Totally unexpected
This is my first Metroid and now one of my favorite games of all time. The difficulty creates this sense that I've learned and grown with every victory and is so satisfying. When I die, I feel like I've gotten a step closer to figuring it out. I
The mobility is so fun, and the game is beautiful. I now want to soeedrun it and in so excited. It took me close to 40 actual hours to beat the game the first time, but I was also in no rush and 100%ed it
I adored this game. I played through normal mode in a couple days, and I couldn't quit. Immediately turned around and 100%'ed hard mode. Love it. It's a feeling I haven't had in quite a while.
Can’t wait to play it myself, I haven’t played Metroid since prime, and I didn’t even get far into it
I hope you enjoy it
I recommend prime 1 + 2, i started playing them recently they are soo fuckin good
Yo don't feel bad it took me 10 years till after prime 1 to finish it and echoes
Never played a Metroid game before but Hollow Knight helped me get acquainted with this style of gameplay. The difficulty is completely fair and I never got frustrated when dying. Definitely gonna check out the older ones lol.
the older game lack a bit movement but DREAD lacks everything a Metroid game has and they are giving you a better feeling of DREAD. It blows my mind how a recycle with added elements that often ruin the core game is called great, and EMMI are the biggest joke they are the ones selling DREAD but oh wait dont worry the zones dont matter because you are almost always invis and need nothing even remotely smart to get past them but you can even parry them. Im so sad something like this is a Metroid game, i really dont want Metroid Prime 4 now, they will ruin it 100%
@@idate-ir8wm Eh
I digress on all these points and judging from sales so do most people.
@@idate-ir8wm ratio
Being a newbie and Metroid Dread being my first Metroid game, it did not turn me away. I played the demo and a little of Super Metroid and new I wanted to play the full thing. I picked it up from my local library and beat it in around 2 months and have no regrets. I even got 100% of the items to help me beat the final boss. It was difficult at times but it just made it more rewarding.
I just finished this game. Got all collectibles and upgrades and lemme tell you.. as hard as some spark challenges can get or regardless of having to back track due to E.M.M.I sections it was all worth it. This game is bad ass and the story is the cherry on top 👏🏻 if this is your first Metroid game I HIGHLY recommend you play it!! And if your a veteran like myself, you will definitely love this 👍🏻 10/10
26:29 The cutscenes actually do add to the ingame clock even if you skip them, its why speedrunners have higher ingame time than real time on their runs
I may have gotten into the franchise back in 2017 thanks to Samus Returns. When Dread was announced, I was excited. But when Sakamoto mentioned that the game was planned 19 years ago I got excited even more.
that blows my mind even more, its lacking in every aspect besides graphic. even the music is not great.
The difficulty definitely played a role in these critics bashing the controls. There's really no other game on the switch that utilizes the controls quite like Dread. I'd imagine they only played a portion of it, or had this be the first Metroid game they've ever played and were under the impression that they were just easy exploration games. Then they got a gigantic rude awakening. This game is brutal.
The best kind of brutal
Critics? You mean the self-proclaimed authorities in the field? Why would anyone care what they have to say
The game controls are so tight and Samus handles masterfully. The combat is tough but fair. Those critics are a bunch of hacks.
@@andreseh87 There are a few things that are iffy, like the way speed boosting works and how it's sometimes difficult to get out of morph ball, but they're pretty minor problems. Overall, excellent controls and responsiveness.
@@romulus_ Literally a single button press to toggle morph ball unless you feel like you absolutely _need_ to double-tap up/down.
I’m 33 years old and this is the first Metroid I ever played. I felt in love, by far my favorite 2021 game and I play 95% of the time PS5 games. A bunch of mechanics were new to me and sometimes I had to go to UA-cam to see where to go next, but in general the game is a masterpiece and I just hope I don’t have to wait 20 years to play another one.
Ey but anyone gonna say anything how absolutely GLORIOUS the Varia Suit is in this game? Like good god, the level of detail on that classic Red/Orange is insane
Dread was my first Metroid game, and really my only issue with dread was all the hidden blocks, having to missile things randomly for the texture to indicate what I needed to do to break it just felt like a time sink. Everything else was incredible, the atmosphere was excellent, the progression is satisfying, the controls are super fluid (if occasionally a little hard on the hands), and the boss fights were intense and incredibly gratifying to figure out and complete. I really hope this rekindles the franchise and we see another Metroid game in the future
I wish we got the scan Aeion ability early on like in Samus Returns. That would have made it less of a time sink
Hidden blocks are a core concept of the metroid franchise, and they're far less annoying in Dread than in fusion
Hidden blocks have always been a part of Metroid, that said I never actually liked the mechanic, just kinda got conditioned to it over the course of Fusion lol. The pulse scan should be a default ability from now on
@@jadeanimepiano6143 I very much dislike the scan pulse and it should especially not be early game because then there would be no point to hidden blocks at all. They would just be an element of tedium without substance.
I think the x-ray visor in Super Metroid also raises this issue, but it and the pulse radar in Dread are at least spaced such that they do not completely invalidate a major design element.
@@mpr6181 if anything, I feel finding hidden blocks was way too easy in this game.
This was my”first” Metroid game. I’ve played around with the nes Metroid game but never beat it. I love dread and It’s pretty fun.
Definitely try out the others. If you love Dread you will love the others too. You'll notice their age, especially with controls and graphics, but the spirit is just as amazing
@@bcdfezz I’ll definitely do that.
The series has advanced so much since the first one. While the NES Metroid did a lot of great things, I don't think it aged well.
Super Metroid set the standard for the series, and you just can't look back from it since then.
Play zero mission, it's pretty much the same a bit easier however they added some extra fluff to the story, and also give Super Metroid as shot as well.
@@agamersinsanity I'd say play Zero Mission after Dread, then Super, then fusion. If you still want more play AM2R or Samus Returns
Who knew the word "Dread" would induce such happiness?
I loved this game. This is my favorite game of 2021.
It’s defiant my 2021 game of the year contender, doom eternal was my 2020 goty
You keep going on in this video about how lamentable the lack of accessibility is, but I feel the opposite -- in a modern gaming landscape filled to the absolute brim, ESPECIALLY from Nintendo, with hand-holding and "aw poor little billy can't beat it on his first try? let's just beat the stage for him then so he can see the whole game :)" mentality, Dread is an absolute breath of fresh air in being a rare mainline, forefront, major company major release that pulls absolutely no punches and challenges even longtime veterans of the series. It's such a rare, rare thing man, and is so fitting and perfect for Metroid. Let it be this way.
This was my first entry to the Metroid series and I'm in love. As someone who's a soulsborne fanatic and love a tough as nails game this scratch my itches of exploration, great gameplay, and that feeling of overcoming the impossible. 👍👍
You have to play Metroid prime remastered. It's also amazing.
I’ve never played a Metroid game other than a few touch’s in Super Metroid. But I did pretty fine with Dread, at least I wasn’t put out by it’s tough nature. I’m probably an outlier though, since I play lots of difficult games
Edit: I realized that I basically just summed up how Jirard felt, even using the same word choice (outlier)!
Same!
Same, I fycked around with hallow knight but I love the from software games and there was the whole puzzle like elements with the bosses and map
I actually think the difficulty is the one thing making this game such a big hit with newcomers. I think we finally got to the point where gamers do want a challenge.
The main concern from veterans was if Metroid's exploration was too difficult for newcomers, but Dread is incredibly straightforward and easy, there is really no chance at getting lost in this game. Which definitely helps since it will be a lot of peoples first Metroid and it helps get them used to its style of gameplay. But that is something I hope they feel confident bringing back, the rich exploration. This game is really straightforward, but other games like Hollow knight are a bit too obtuse at times, I think the older Metroids get a great balance of it. Or perhaps the gameplay just suits me better than Hollow knight's?
@@GBDupree Not really sure, great point(s) though. I am so so happy with the difficulty
i feel like an alien, i hate the game because this is not a Metroid and how is hard? is using counter for way to much missiles and health hard? and spamming missiles? jump every other second THATS IT
This was my first Metroid game and I absolutely loved it and now I’m officially a Metroid fan, I 100% completed normal mode and I’m about to start my hard mode playthrough and I can’t wait to dive into some of the older games too!
This is the one we’ve been waiting for
This was my first real Metroid. I died to almost every boss and EMMI. And I loved learning how I fucked up and needed to adjust. Especially with the Kraid fight. I'd seen others fight him in Super, and I was really surprised by how different it seemed, while also doing something similar to the old Kraid
The Prime games were my first introduction into Metroid, so this game was a bit of a shock when I got it. I love the 3D aspect of the prime games and I wasn’t sure how they were going to up the “wow” factor in a 2D platformer. I. WAS. BLOWN. AWAY. At this game. Great story telling, great graphics. Just all around A+ game. I need to go back and play the first games now that I have a handle on this 2D aspect.
This game existing is a miracle.
This game being so good is an even greater miracle.
This game finally getting the sales this series has always deserved, at this point I just wanna cry at how good this all is.
Metroid is back. SAMUS is back. *And this time, she's here to stay.*
Totally agree man. The whole game felt like a throwback. Difficult bosses, no hand-holding, big focus on exploration. A lot of modern games hold your hand the whole way through. It was so refreshing
Yep. Pretty sure Dread is gonna be what Awakening (and 3H) was to Fire Emblem.
Bounty Hunter Warriors when?
@@Atlessa If someone could make a good and successful Metroid Warriors game I would be impressed, given how little characters there are in the main series that could make good fighters in that game.
Dread is an excellent and a super fun 2D Metroid game. One of the best playing entry in terms of movement feel in the series. I hope this game sells extremely well so that we may actually _"See You Next Mission!",_ but without the 19 year gap of real life years. Though I still think for me personally, the best Metroid in the series is still the effin horror game that is Metroid Fusion on the GBA.
I just beat Metroid Dread a few days ago, and...WOW. Words cannot describe how amazing the game truly is. It has easily become one of the greatest games I have ever played in recent years, and might be my new favorite Metroid Game.
As someone who's never played metroid beyond a few minutes metroid dread is my first proper metroid gaming experience and its awesome. I've gotten stuck in loops of the map a few times and I've needed tutorials to help understand it. But it feels awesome to play
I’m 14 years old and I’ve almost exclusively played Nintendo games, and I’ll just say that it was fun, it was hard and exhilarating. But not to the point exhausting that I don’t know what to do or it’s hard. This is my first Metroid game and it was amazing. Discovering every nook and cranny is very fun for me but it’s not to the point frustrating finding out what to do next or it’s to hard. I might even just pick up samus returns for 3DS
If you’re into old games, absolutely check out super Metroid, it’s considered by many to be the best Metroid experience
It's a shame that Samus Returns is already getting so expensive.
It feels so weird to say “Metroid Dread” even now. All the love to the Metroid players who waited almost 20 years for this game. Hopefully, we can get a new Kid Icarus too 😂 🥲
If they release can't Icarus uprising for switch it's going to be a good time
it is a fitting Name, it took 20 years to make a game that never managed to give me even one "metroid moment" and i never felt lost, kinda what made metroid what it is. All they did was either done poorly and hurting the game or adding things to make core gameplay elements not present anymore. In the end after 20 years im really sad and angry at myself for expecting an evolution of the 20 year old game i loved but they couldnt even make a metroid after 20 years. Nothing in the game has depth
Well now that Sakurai's done with Smash, he may focus his work on other stuff, even Kid Icarus.
@@idate-ir8wm well, that was a decision, not a design failure. There is a boss keys video showing all the small and smart ways to control you into following the right path.
I think that as a very good way to introduce people into it, especially after so long since new mainline entries, but I do understand it might feel like pokemon games getting easier and more babyhanding with time so I guess I kinda can see your point (though the combat is still hard😅).
A new Kid Icarus game would be awesome. Or, maybe even better, if they turned it into a full-fledged anime. The animated segments were great, and there needs to be an entire show like that.
I will never get tired of the E.M.M.I, great implementation. Also this is hands down the best atmospheric soundtrack of any Metroid.
I would like a mode where they could show up outside of there zones if you have not delt with the one in that area and you have been to that part with other conditions to where they can show up to balance it.to me it seems like if something like that was implemented right would keep you on your toes but that's just me
The only time I've ever completed a game before watching Jirard do a video on it. Granted, I needed some help figuring out how to aquire some of the items and I need to play through hard mode one more time for the last few photos, but overall, this game is a blast.
I definitely gave this game a 100% run my first time through! It was super satisfying to get a lot of the collectibles, particularly how a lot of the puzzles work. The speed boost puzzles in particular were often EXTREMELY cool.
Luckily I managed to play both zero mission and fusion and when playing this game, I can’t describe how fresh this game felt. It’s amazing.
Really loved my time with Metroid Dread from start to end. It plays great, the challenge is satisfying, the exploration, pacing and sense of progression is truly fantastic.
I love how bold this game is in these regards and the developers didn't hold back just to make the game more accessible. Many people will want to see what Metroid is all about and what it feels like to overcome the labyrinth and bosses ahead of them, getting stronger and more capable as a player as they progress. This game will hopefully capture that for many newcomers but also satisfy long time players like myself who appreciate all the references to previous titles and trying to track down every secret and upgrade.
I never found death's cheap or encounters overwhelming, finding a nice balance that kept you on your toes but once you figure things out, it starts to get much more manageable. I certainly felt like Fusion was in some ways far more unforgiving with the SA-X encounters and general difficulty, which could catch you by surprise but the challenge has always been present and should always remain so it's satisfying when you overcome it. I disconnect entirely from people who want a game to hold their hand and make things straight forward when you are in a hostile environment and Samus has to escape at all costs. It's all part of the fun and tension of the game.
I definitely agree that as the game goes on, it really surprises and delights as you reach new areas as the game opens up. Clearing each area was so nice because everything was thoughtfully designed and really flowed together nicely, where even going off the path of progress, there was always a sense that you are moving forward and can navigate effectively with transport around the map, your abilities and handy map. I never was lost without any idea of what to do or where the game was leading me. All marks of great game design and a clear vision.
It's so great that this team have continued this 2D series with such a high bar set as each main entry were some of the best of the system they were on. I can definitely say they have just about nailed that here. I will say that the atmospheric music, some of the big areas blurring together and some mini boss reuse/maybe giving a grander end to the EMMI enemy type than sort of discarding them were small nitpicks on a stellar game that any Metroid fan has to play straight away. Definitely a 9/10 for me. It is hard with the perfect refinement of the formula, the isolated and captivating alien planet and influences of Super Metroid can't quite be surpassed for me but I would say this is close second which is very impressive and welcome to see.
Hopefully there will be strong sales from word of mouth of fans and many people wanting to know what all the hype is about for a new entry after many years. Maybe that will secure the Prime Trilogy in HD leading into Prime 4 soon. I have always been a believer that they want to know that Prime 4 is finishing up, like one year out for certain before they announce and release MP Trilogy HD to build up the excitement and give everyone the original trilogy before moving into P4. We will see what the future holds but I am glad Metroid is back and is to the same high caliber that made the series one of the most iconic and respected to this day alongside Mario and Zelda.