This review contains spoilers
I wish so badly I could give this a five star review. It's the first unique 2D Metroid title since 2001. It's on the Switch. Where could it go wrong?
Let's begin with the controls.
They are very similar to Metroid: Samus Returns' controls. That is to say, MercurySteam tried to use every single button on the device for no discernible reason. I found myself constantly doing actions I didn't intend to throughout my entire playthrough. And my hands are nimble and precise. I know analog sticks aren't the best for 2D platformers, but even compared to its brethren on the system, Samus goes in directions you don't want her to. The only compliment I can give is that Samus' physics are as tight as ever, but it's hard to appreciate that when it feels like you're dealing with flight simulator levels of control complexity sometimes.
Next up, the graphics. The Switch is an aging piece of hardware that's the better part of a decade old at this point. But most of the first and second-party games still look amazing since Nintendo knows how to squeeze every drop of performance out of what they make. This? It looks like MercurySteam is still back on the 3DS in spots. Close-ups of Samus' face in particular can be downright uncanny. A lot of textures are muddy when the camera isn't zoomed out. Metroid Prime Remastered, which released 2 years later, shows how Metroid can look good in HD. There are a few pretty locales, but it's overall quite a bit weaker than previous titles.
The art direction in general is very dull compared to the vibrant colors of almost every single game in the series since Super Metroid. Most of the enemies look like your typical sci-fi beastie with none of the flair of its predecessors. Even Kraid just looks gross compared to his last appearance.
The music isn't bad by any means but it's all ambience and no melody for most of the soundtrack. Metroid Fusion, the one that leaned into the horror aspect the most (and was bound by the shackles of the GBA's tinny speakers) still had bombastic tunes that you would listen to outside the game. "Facing a Huge Reaction" and Serris-X's battle theme come to mind. Meanwhile, I forget Dread's tracks even exist half the time.
The gameplay is probably the strongest point of Dread. You're still running around gradually improving Samus' arsenal, doing fun puzzles and engaging in decent boss fights. My only complaint here is the E.M.M.I. More specifically, when it catches you. You barely have a chance to counter it. Ignoring the SA-X's sometimes goofy AI, it gave you a very good challenge but wasn't impossible to survive an attack from. I can count how many times I successfully countered one of those robots on my hands.
I think it's the story that's the nail in the coffin, for me at least. The Chozo are implied to be almost gone by the time Samus is around. Nearly every game contains some of their ruins. The fact they shove two alive ones in only to kill them both almost reminds me of fanfiction from the mid-2000's. Something about Samus' "Metroid DNA awakening" sounds wrong to me, too. Wouldn't that have happened in Fusion? The Metroids were made to be the X's predators. The story feels woefully not thought out, when I was so excited to see where Samus would go next after Fusion.
Overall, it's not the worst game I've played. But the fact it's so mediocre in a series full of shining gems saddens me a bit. It could've been great.
Let's begin with the controls.
They are very similar to Metroid: Samus Returns' controls. That is to say, MercurySteam tried to use every single button on the device for no discernible reason. I found myself constantly doing actions I didn't intend to throughout my entire playthrough. And my hands are nimble and precise. I know analog sticks aren't the best for 2D platformers, but even compared to its brethren on the system, Samus goes in directions you don't want her to. The only compliment I can give is that Samus' physics are as tight as ever, but it's hard to appreciate that when it feels like you're dealing with flight simulator levels of control complexity sometimes.
Next up, the graphics. The Switch is an aging piece of hardware that's the better part of a decade old at this point. But most of the first and second-party games still look amazing since Nintendo knows how to squeeze every drop of performance out of what they make. This? It looks like MercurySteam is still back on the 3DS in spots. Close-ups of Samus' face in particular can be downright uncanny. A lot of textures are muddy when the camera isn't zoomed out. Metroid Prime Remastered, which released 2 years later, shows how Metroid can look good in HD. There are a few pretty locales, but it's overall quite a bit weaker than previous titles.
The art direction in general is very dull compared to the vibrant colors of almost every single game in the series since Super Metroid. Most of the enemies look like your typical sci-fi beastie with none of the flair of its predecessors. Even Kraid just looks gross compared to his last appearance.
The music isn't bad by any means but it's all ambience and no melody for most of the soundtrack. Metroid Fusion, the one that leaned into the horror aspect the most (and was bound by the shackles of the GBA's tinny speakers) still had bombastic tunes that you would listen to outside the game. "Facing a Huge Reaction" and Serris-X's battle theme come to mind. Meanwhile, I forget Dread's tracks even exist half the time.
The gameplay is probably the strongest point of Dread. You're still running around gradually improving Samus' arsenal, doing fun puzzles and engaging in decent boss fights. My only complaint here is the E.M.M.I. More specifically, when it catches you. You barely have a chance to counter it. Ignoring the SA-X's sometimes goofy AI, it gave you a very good challenge but wasn't impossible to survive an attack from. I can count how many times I successfully countered one of those robots on my hands.
I think it's the story that's the nail in the coffin, for me at least. The Chozo are implied to be almost gone by the time Samus is around. Nearly every game contains some of their ruins. The fact they shove two alive ones in only to kill them both almost reminds me of fanfiction from the mid-2000's. Something about Samus' "Metroid DNA awakening" sounds wrong to me, too. Wouldn't that have happened in Fusion? The Metroids were made to be the X's predators. The story feels woefully not thought out, when I was so excited to see where Samus would go next after Fusion.
Overall, it's not the worst game I've played. But the fact it's so mediocre in a series full of shining gems saddens me a bit. It could've been great.