100% completion.
Metroid Dread probably shouldn't exist - let alone be this good. Truly floored with the quality on display here. My hopes for the game were high, but honestly not too high after Samus Returns. The official remake of 2 was good, but sugar coated metroid quite a bit. It did however innovate the gameplay and combat a lot and I'm glad to see those ideas expanded on even further.
Dread is the best feeling metroid game ever made. It continues the snappy fast paced feel of samus returns without putting too much reliance on the counters. It feels amazing and even looks amazing. Samus animates so well here. This is the best she has ever looked. The level design here is also outstanding. It strikes the perfect balance of previous 2d metroid games. Its far less linear than fusion but not as intensely open as Super. I still prefer that aspect of super over dread, but I love that dread ends up with its own identity instead of desperately trying to imitate what previous games did. This is the perfect sequel. A true metroid 5. It's honestly amazing how unapologetic it is with its continuing story - as if there was never a 20 year gap in between this and fusion. I truly feel like mercury steam learned so much remaking metroid 2. They took every criticism to heart and ended up making one of the best entries in the series. Even visually this game shocked me. Samus returns lacked a lot of atmosphere and interesting environments. The use of lighting and backgrounds in Dread is great. It really is a gorgeous game at times and has such a strong visual identity when compared to the rest of the series. I'll reiterate this point here as well - it isn't trying to be fusion or super, its trying to be dread. I have some nitpicks but nothing that hindered my experience. The cut to credits is sort of jarring after how bombastic the finale is. Sometimes the map pushes you to certain areas due to story events (but shortly opens up again before it feels too restrictive). 100% completion was shockingly easy (though this is likely due to my experience with the series. Surely it will not be a breeze for newcomers). It also made my playthrough 14 hours long as opposed to most people beating it in 6-7, so it's still very time consuming if you enjoy the grind.
The hype of this game should have lead to disappointment. This is my favorite game series, and suddenly I have Metroid 5 and it stands alongside the best games in the series, and prime 4 is on the horizon. It warms my heart that so much care is being put into metroid again. Samus returns felt like a toe in the water, and dread is a cannonball. I can only pray that the quality shown here is a sign of the future. This is the happiest a game has made me in a long time. I feel incredibly satisfied and I can't wait to try out hard mode.
Metroid Dread probably shouldn't exist - let alone be this good. Truly floored with the quality on display here. My hopes for the game were high, but honestly not too high after Samus Returns. The official remake of 2 was good, but sugar coated metroid quite a bit. It did however innovate the gameplay and combat a lot and I'm glad to see those ideas expanded on even further.
Dread is the best feeling metroid game ever made. It continues the snappy fast paced feel of samus returns without putting too much reliance on the counters. It feels amazing and even looks amazing. Samus animates so well here. This is the best she has ever looked. The level design here is also outstanding. It strikes the perfect balance of previous 2d metroid games. Its far less linear than fusion but not as intensely open as Super. I still prefer that aspect of super over dread, but I love that dread ends up with its own identity instead of desperately trying to imitate what previous games did. This is the perfect sequel. A true metroid 5. It's honestly amazing how unapologetic it is with its continuing story - as if there was never a 20 year gap in between this and fusion. I truly feel like mercury steam learned so much remaking metroid 2. They took every criticism to heart and ended up making one of the best entries in the series. Even visually this game shocked me. Samus returns lacked a lot of atmosphere and interesting environments. The use of lighting and backgrounds in Dread is great. It really is a gorgeous game at times and has such a strong visual identity when compared to the rest of the series. I'll reiterate this point here as well - it isn't trying to be fusion or super, its trying to be dread. I have some nitpicks but nothing that hindered my experience. The cut to credits is sort of jarring after how bombastic the finale is. Sometimes the map pushes you to certain areas due to story events (but shortly opens up again before it feels too restrictive). 100% completion was shockingly easy (though this is likely due to my experience with the series. Surely it will not be a breeze for newcomers). It also made my playthrough 14 hours long as opposed to most people beating it in 6-7, so it's still very time consuming if you enjoy the grind.
The hype of this game should have lead to disappointment. This is my favorite game series, and suddenly I have Metroid 5 and it stands alongside the best games in the series, and prime 4 is on the horizon. It warms my heart that so much care is being put into metroid again. Samus returns felt like a toe in the water, and dread is a cannonball. I can only pray that the quality shown here is a sign of the future. This is the happiest a game has made me in a long time. I feel incredibly satisfied and I can't wait to try out hard mode.