“Metroid Dread” is the newest entry in the long-running Metroid series by Nintendo, after a four-year wait. This game follows the same platform style as its predecessors and plays exclusively on the Nintendo Switch.
The game opens as the player learns about a disease that must be eradicated and the only one immune is the main character, bounty hunter Samus Aran. She travels to the planet only to crash and must fight an unknown being and after losing she wakes up deep underground with minimal powers. Throughout the rest of the game, the player fights and collects items to power up and unlock previously inaccessible areas.
As expected of a big Nintendo game, the art throughout the entire game is detailed but it really stands out in the cut scenes before a boss battle or unlocking a new area. The soundtrack makes you feel right there in-game and the sound design of the E.M.M.I, one of the main enemies, and other enemies were spot on and really makes the player feel immersed. Although the enemies are fictional the mechanical grinding for the E.M.M.I or the rattling movements of a scorpion-like boss put the player right in Samus’ place creating real tension for the player.
Also providing tension is the amazing art and the subtle detail that draw you in. All the different lightings depending on the area you were in was incredibly cool. The game is able to subtly hint at the condition of different areas as you go through like in the doorway of hot zones there is a faint red glow. Then in E.M.M.I zones there is a grayscale background to contrast the bright white of the E.M.M.I and once defeated, it reverts back to normal colors. On top of that, all the different boss designs were really creative and showed a lot of attention to detail. They create an individual ambiance for each boss that pulls you further into the game and helps build suspense.
But this game is not without its downfalls as the storyline is a little lacking. It’s really simple, as you play as Samus and after getting your power taken away must fight your way back to the surface while regaining your power. This was pretty normal for a platform shooter so it wasn’t disappointing. Despite the lack of story, the different bosses made up for it so as long as you don’t go in expecting a mind-blowing storyline, the gameplay experience is unaffected.
However, the mechanics of the gameplay can be a little tricky to learn especially as a beginner. A lot of the time the player has to use difficult controls that make it hard for me to maneuver and fight enemies. After finally figuring out the controls, the game progressed at a good pace with only a few places where I was unsure of what to do. There are just enough challenges to make it enjoyable, but not so much that it discouraged me. The boss fights were definitely difficult and it took quite a few tries to learn the pattern, but once I did I felt accomplished and relieved.
“Metroid Dread” is a solid addition to the Metroid series; it is definitely a fun game that is good to enjoy casually, but I don’t think it’s worth the $60. When compared to indie games, that can be a third of the price, such as “Hollow Knight” that are in the same genre of platform games, “Metroid Dread” doesn’t hold up as much. Despite all this, if you have the resources and enjoy platformer-type games it is definitely worth checking out.
