Eveyone has their "game of life". For me that game is Metroid Fusion, so I have to admit that it'll be hard to be completely unbiased this time.
Starting Metroid Dread brought me right back where I left it's predecessor all those years ago, and that already felt like a surprise. The story won't make much sense to those who haven't played any other game of the series, but you won't lose too much this way; it's a fun and enjoyable story with some fan service and some twists for those who know the games though.
I Think Metroid is at its best when it's in pixel art, but I was pleasantly surprised with the art direction here. It captures perfectly what metroid is all about: exploring scary alien places, and disintegrating monsters. The cutscenes were really, really good and fun to watch/interact with. The sense of dread and exploration is accentuated by some great background art. It never feels scary as its predecessor, but the atmosphere is there (probably, again, this depends on my preference of pixelart over 3d). The ost is good but not memorable, and only a few of the tracks captivated me.
Metroid Dread is as much metroid as you can be. The game isn't too long, but it's so fine tuned as a metroidvania that it doesn't feel unsatisfying for being too short nor diluted. The enemies are all fun to destroy and even when you don't have many abilities, the general flow of the game feels fantastic. Speaking of the abilities, you'll be equipped with all the classic metroid ones, and some new ones that don't revolutionize the formula, but make it a bit fresher. All the bosses are a lot of fun to beat, and the recurring ones change that tiny bit everytime so that they don't become boring (The E.M.M.I.s are a bunch of bitches but their sections of the game always put you on edge). Upgrading samus is always the best feeling, and as i play more metroidvania I came to the conclusion that Metroid games still are the very best ones in that specific aspect. The shooting is a lot of fun, and you're equipped with a lot of abilities that often change how you play. There' also a billion little secrets, that always reward you with more life or ammos (often understanding how to get to a certain reward is better than the reward itself). Not everything is this good though: I really don't like how the map works, and it often feels confusing. Travelling from place A to B is always an hassle, and as much as I like the movement in the game, some kind of fast travel would have been very much appreciated. Also the level desing, while not bad per se, is very weird. In the first half of the game you aren't able to explore as much as you'd like, and if you make the wrong turn, you'll be blocked from accesing that certain area for quite a while. I don't really understand the reasons behind this choice, and much less i understand why the world is separated in watertight compartments from which you can move only with predifined routes, expecially since thery're never easy to access.
This is not a perfect game, not the best Metroid or Metroidvania, but I very much enjoyed it. The flow of the game and general movement feel so good that you can forgive its faults. In the end I found what i had hoped, i.e. a really fun, and a bit nostalgic and old designed, game with a lot of heart but also a lot of Game.
Starting Metroid Dread brought me right back where I left it's predecessor all those years ago, and that already felt like a surprise. The story won't make much sense to those who haven't played any other game of the series, but you won't lose too much this way; it's a fun and enjoyable story with some fan service and some twists for those who know the games though.
I Think Metroid is at its best when it's in pixel art, but I was pleasantly surprised with the art direction here. It captures perfectly what metroid is all about: exploring scary alien places, and disintegrating monsters. The cutscenes were really, really good and fun to watch/interact with. The sense of dread and exploration is accentuated by some great background art. It never feels scary as its predecessor, but the atmosphere is there (probably, again, this depends on my preference of pixelart over 3d). The ost is good but not memorable, and only a few of the tracks captivated me.
Metroid Dread is as much metroid as you can be. The game isn't too long, but it's so fine tuned as a metroidvania that it doesn't feel unsatisfying for being too short nor diluted. The enemies are all fun to destroy and even when you don't have many abilities, the general flow of the game feels fantastic. Speaking of the abilities, you'll be equipped with all the classic metroid ones, and some new ones that don't revolutionize the formula, but make it a bit fresher. All the bosses are a lot of fun to beat, and the recurring ones change that tiny bit everytime so that they don't become boring (The E.M.M.I.s are a bunch of bitches but their sections of the game always put you on edge). Upgrading samus is always the best feeling, and as i play more metroidvania I came to the conclusion that Metroid games still are the very best ones in that specific aspect. The shooting is a lot of fun, and you're equipped with a lot of abilities that often change how you play. There' also a billion little secrets, that always reward you with more life or ammos (often understanding how to get to a certain reward is better than the reward itself). Not everything is this good though: I really don't like how the map works, and it often feels confusing. Travelling from place A to B is always an hassle, and as much as I like the movement in the game, some kind of fast travel would have been very much appreciated. Also the level desing, while not bad per se, is very weird. In the first half of the game you aren't able to explore as much as you'd like, and if you make the wrong turn, you'll be blocked from accesing that certain area for quite a while. I don't really understand the reasons behind this choice, and much less i understand why the world is separated in watertight compartments from which you can move only with predifined routes, expecially since thery're never easy to access.
This is not a perfect game, not the best Metroid or Metroidvania, but I very much enjoyed it. The flow of the game and general movement feel so good that you can forgive its faults. In the end I found what i had hoped, i.e. a really fun, and a bit nostalgic and old designed, game with a lot of heart but also a lot of Game.
freak_4517
8 months ago