Metroid Dread is an extremely fun action adventure game, with fluid combat and snappy movement. Beams are fun to use with the 360-degree aiming. The slide move is a welcome addition that keeps the momentum going. The bosses are challenging but satisfying to beat. They require you to learn the pattern, and master the fight. But it is slightly disappointing as a Metroid game. Notably, the atmosphere is not very prevalent. I wasn't as immersed in the world, and the soundtrack was less memorable (though it did grow on me). Areas were more distinct and interesting looking than Samus Returns, with good variety, but I just wasn't immersed like the other games. The counter indicator and constant (loud) combat with smaller enemies took the focus away from exploring an alien world. I felt that there weren't as many moments with a moody, oppressive atmosphere that I just wanted to soak in. The game is also fairly linear, even though it takes you through many different areas. You go on a relatively straight path, with little option to do another area first (like in Super Metroid). This could've worked if the game had a more intricate story (like in Metroid Fusion), but there isn't much of one to be found. However, the planet is still extremely fun to explore, thanks to items being placed in every nook and cranny. With fun puzzles to solve to get them. The speed booster in particular had lots of satisfying item puzzles, that took advantage of the movement. The power-ups were all useful, and fun to use. It might be a nitpick, but the graphics look sort of plasticy, and the art style is less grimy and detailed than say, the Metroid Prime games (which were also 3D, on notably less powerful hardware). The backgrounds do look phenomenal, and there's plenty to see, but I felt like the character models could've looked a little bit better. I prefer Metroid to have disgusting, scary looking enemies, but I felt like there was a little bit of missed potential for that here (though that's definitely a nitpick). The EMMI sections were satisfying, and intense. The fights with the robots were especially engaging (partially because of the dynamic camera angle). However, they certainly didn't build much dread, and didn't have as oppressive of an atmosphere as I would've liked. They stay the same throughout the whole game, with little variation to keep you on your toes (to be fair, each one uses a different power-up). They always stay within their zone (which all look the same), and they all have pretty much the same design (just with different colors). Compare this to the SA-X in Metroid Fusion, which showed up unexpectedly (on a first playthrough), in various environments, and you didn't know when it would appear next. I felt that there was a missed potential to really play into that "dread" the game is named after. What if one of the EMMI broke out of its zone unexpectedly, or were infused with the X and took on a more disturbing design? I just felt that there could've been more surprises with them. Though again, I have to admit they were fun, just not "dread" inducing. Bringing up the story again, I felt that it was less impactful then the two previous numbered entries. The cutscenes were very well choreographed, had lots of personality, and we're action packed. But there wasn't much of a narrative, even compared to Super Metroid (which was on the SNES). There were twists to be sure, but nothing was built up. Some new characters were introduced, but they barely interact with Samus, or offer much personality. Even the mandatory sections were Samus must talk to Adam, offer little in the way of character interaction, or expand on the world. The dialogue between Adam and Samus is missing the personality and charm that Fusion had, though to be fair, there is technically a reason for that (if you've beaten the game, you know what I mean). I also think 1-2 text based monologues (like Fusion), would've been decent here, since Samus is seeing the race that raised her, unexpected alive and well. I would've liked to hear a tiny bit of her thoughts. Though definitely not like in Other M. But overall, nitpicks aside, this is still a great game, and I'm glad Metroid is back. It was extremely satisfying to play. I just hope the next entry, will be slightly more atmospheric, than this one.
Review of Metroid Dread
