I think going for 100% completion on a first playthrough might've soured my thoughts just a smidge; this is easily the most cruel out of all the Metroid games (maybe besides the Prime games) when it comes to item completion because every other pickup is some kind of extreme shinespark puzzle. It was fun at first and it makes incredibly clever use of the mechanic, but I wish there was more variety in how items were hidden.

The EMMI also start out fantastic and keep you on your toes, but there's a point where they start to become less terrifying and more tedious instead. I really wish there was more the player could do to go up against the EMMI when they're caught instead of essentially a guaranteed instant game over; maybe making the timing window more forgiving but adding more significant consequences for breaking free would've been more interesting. Despite that, Dread is outstanding in every other regard and is a true return to form for the series. It's everything I could've asked for more than two decades ago and lives up to every expectation.