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Metroid Dread Discussion (Nintendo Switch) [game]
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9.22/10 from 14 user ratings |
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Welcome to the official discussion thread for Metroid Dread on the Switch!
To start, please add this game to your log, add it to your collection (if applicable), and (when you are ready) rate it using the link above!
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06/15/21, 23:21 |
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And the credits roll. Final time was 15 hours something, 100%. (How the F did some of you 100% it in under 10 hours? Or did I read that wrong? Too lazy to go back and check.)
Wow. I mean, tough to say where it will fall long-term but at the moment I'd say DEFINITELY my favorite 2d Metroid after Super. For overall Metroid I'd put it behind Super and Prime, maybe Prime 2, but... that's about it. And honestly it's a better 2d Metroid than Prime 2 was a 3d Metroid, I just think I prefer 3d Metroid nowadays. Just a bit.
Challengewise it didn't feel that bad! I was actually hoping it would push me a bit more. Some of the boss fights were definitely tough, the end boss especially, but not in the "banging my head against the wall because I feel like I'm making no progress" way. They're kind of all the type where you learn the patterns then they aren't that bad. What I want to see from Metroid though (and just like, more games in general) is challenging areas outside of the bosses. There were a few points where it got a little hairy but usually it was just the bosses pushing me. I guess they don't want to make it too rough outside of boss fights because they want you to feel free to explore. But still!
Kind of tempted to jump right into hard mode but I think I'll try to give it a few years and come back when I've forgotten enough for it to feel fresh.
Um, so why was there a random picture of Metroid Zero Mission at the end? It's some kind of "ending reward"? I imagine you get others if you get better times, play on hard mode, etc.?! |
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Beat Dread a couple days ago! Now simultaneously taking it through Hard Mode and trying to 100% Normal. I feel like there's still some speedrunnin' to do before I can call this one done, but here are my current thoughts on Nintendo's biggest game of 2021:
THE GOOD
-By and large, Samus feels great. She's more agile and nimble than ever, she's speedy and feels really powerful in the endgame as she should. The combat is the best Metroid has ever been, and considering my favorite game of all time is in this series, that's saying something.
-The environmental detail and atmosphere are a huge step forward for MercurySteam, making Samus Returns' areas look pretty drab in comparison. I wasn't sure at first that I'd like the way the game looked, but the end result was worthy of the series I think. While I'll always wonder what a super-detailed HD Metroid game will look like, the additional camera movements and dynamic animations highlighted certain sequences with a feel all their own.
-What's most surprising to me with Dread is that it's quickly become this really hardcore speedrunning/sequence-breaking thing. And I really wasn't expecting that at all after Samus Returns largely gated players off from doing things like that and had very little area interplay.
-Some of the boss fights are real spectacles. Even the first boss, Corpius, is balanced, memorable and fun and ranks among my favorites in Metroid. But Kraid, Z57, and the final boss all are memorable as well, especially Kraid which was my favorite moment of the game. Every boss killed me at least once, and several multiple times. I appreciated putting in the extra effort to battle them. While I did think the checkpoint system could be overly-generous, I'd like to think it gave them free reign to make the battles tougher.
-Wacky secrets like the Morph Bombs before Kraid show that the devs slyly put these breadcrumbs down to get players' minds working. I enjoyed trying to figure out this little puzzle, although admittedly I had to look up how to cross one of the rooms because it involved some seriously bizarre techniques.
THE OKAY
-The story was interesting enough to keep me invested throughout, by and large. ENDING SPOILERS Don't really know why this has to be the "last chapter" though, any more than something like Fusion or even Super. What really happened at the end here that'd prevent Samus from going to some other planet that threatens everyone with X, Metroid, and/or Chozo DNA? I mean, Dread's story is basically similar to something like Prime 1: bad guys get control of deadly organic substance, Samus has to clear it all out. I almost wish she would've kept the Metroid Suit, as it would've denoted a more significant change to the future of the series than anything else that happened here.
-The EMMI are fun but almost a bit too much of them maybe? I dunno, will have to see how they hold up upon replays. The generous checkpoints kind of take away some of the tension, but I'm not sure if the solution is having fewer checkpoints because then it might be frustrating...
-The level design is largely good. Lots of secrets, a sufficient amount of backtracking and some fun puzzles to figure out, and even nifty sequence-breaks. But it can be a real headache to re-traverse at points. Going for 100% showed me that the game is just full of one-way doors that really don't need to be there, and elements like the Teleportals feel kind of half-baked and phoned in. I also would've liked a bit more distinction gameplay-wise between zones, as they all played similarly whether it was a locked-off secret lab or an overgrown underground forest. More area-specific moments like directing the lava flow, messing with the lights or traversing underwater would've been welcome.
THE BAD
-Clicking L3 to activate the Speed Booster!? What in the heck were they thinking? This single decision (well, and the lack of button-mapping) kind of demotivates me from ever seriously trying to speed run this game. I hate clicking sticks, and it's even worse when you have to click then move the stick to dash like in Dread and other recent games (Resident Evil 2). Why is this such a common industry thing now?? IT'S AWFUL
-No button mapping. I really want to Phase Shift with ZR! Let me put my Smash Bros skills to use!
-Outside of the great fights listed above, several of the bosses were a little phoned in or paced strangely. We had a whopping 4 battles EACH of Robot Chozos and Chozo Soldiers, totaling 8 miniboss fights when I feel like half that number would've been sufficient (1. Robot Chozo, 2. Double Robot Chozos, 3. Chozo Soldier, 4. Shield Chozo Soldier X). Escue and Golzuna are basically slightly bigger versions of regular enemies. Drogyga was big and unique but kind of died in a disappointingly quick manner.
-EDIT: The music! What happened? Is Kenji Yamamoto actually composing or is someone else handling it? The only non-returning song that I kinda liked was Burenia's, which was sorta close to what I expect a Metroid song to accomplish. I guess the boss themes were fine. But many of the songs were way too subtle to the point of being underwhelming or actually kinda chintzy and weak-sounding (Ghavoran, a shame because it's one of the most visually striking areas). I think I'm ready for Hip Tanaka to come back, personally...
All in all though, a pretty great game so far. It's kind of hanging around Fusion/Zero Mission/Prime 3 level for me at the moment, which is a good place to be. |
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