I heard a handful of claims before playing Dread that it was THE best Metroid game. Surely this was hyperbole, right? Surely. And then as I played more and more, I understood. Every new ability, every old ability, every cutscene, every boss fight. More and more, my image of Metroid Fusion as the pinnacle was slowly being overwritten by this masterpiece. The level design can't be described in any way other than immaculate.

Each zone is fun to navigate and presents its unique set of challenges and they are all sensibly interconnected. It is designed in such a way that it is fun to both blast through as fast as you can, as well as methodically as you fill in every square on the map like an insane person (me). Mechanics such as the counter and other new abilities add a lot of great depth to the combat, and from a narrative perspective this is unquestionably my favourite portrayal of Samus.

I could go on and on about how wonderful Metroid Dread is, but the best thing I can say is to just play it. This is an unmissable entry in the Metroidvania genre and it absolutely shows that Mercury Steam know exactly what they are doing with the IP. I really do hope we continue to see side scrolling Metroid games, especially if they will be of this caliber.