There was a worry that because of all the MetroidVanias that have sprung up since Fusion, that the mother of them all wouldn't be able to keep up but I'm glad to announce: Metroid's still got it. Dread brings so much refinement to the 2D Metroid formula that it is genuinely scary at points, Samus is so amazingly agile and responsive now that every moment of down time is still exhilarating. Not to mention how cool she's shown to be - especially in those special boss counters. The story is less in your face as Fusion but moreso than Super Metroid and I think it strikes a good balance between the two styles of storytelling. The EMMI robots were fun adversaries making for many stressful encounters but I don't think they ever reach the same heights as the moments with the SA-X in the last game. The bosses, however, are so amazingly fun to take down; they constantly keep you on your toes with new attacks that don't ever feel cheap - every time I died to one I knew exactly what I did wrong and what to improve on. The puzzle solving was also very enjoyable, so much so that I fully completed my first Metroid game with this one. I really hope we can continue to get more 2D Metroids from MercurySteam since they made such a gem with Dread.

Reviewed on Feb 19, 2022


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