To be quite honest I always thought Metroid Dread was a myth. A rumor that had circulated it's way into being. This the DS-era 2D "Metroid 5" that was always around in the rumor mill. This was based on some leaked game list at a trade show if I recall. But as it turns out that was absolutely the case. It might never have gotten far along but it did exist and didn't resurface until E3 2021. This is a follow-up by Mercury Steam, the same developer of Samus Returns and also some mediocre Castlevania games.
Dread is interesting because it really tries to scale back a bit from where Metroid had been going. There's no talking, no Galactic Federation, just Samus making a few strained expression through her visor. In fact, presentationally it feels very rough. I understand the minimalism but it could have been done a bit better. The game itself is very old-school. Structurally it's similar to all 2D Metroids, there are really no surprises to be had. You move from area to area, unlocking powerups and re-traversing areas with new abilities to get to new places. I can't even say that any of the new abilities are particularly notable. I think if this had come close after Fusion then this might be more of a problem but given the large gap it feels like a lot of games don't. Not to say there wasn't a deluge of Metroidvanias in the mean time but none are this polished. Dread feels really good. Traversal is smooth, the extra abilities like sliding just make it that much more seamless.
Where Dread really diverges is with the EMMI. Each sector has a very large space in the middle you'll have to traverse several time that's guarded by an EMMI. These are basically an upgrade of Fusion's SA-X. Unlike those highly scripted encounters, EMMI encounters are dynamic and can go wrong very quickly. Moving anywhere near them will set them off and they will chase you everywhere in the sector. Getting caught is usually an instant death. You can parry them but it's hard and the timing is random. Without knowing where to go, it's all to common to hit a dead end. While they are tough, they are plenty fair. Dying simply puts you back at the last EMMI door you entered so you don't lose too much time.
Another highlight is the bosses. The boss battles are almost reminiscent of Mega Man X, fast-paced and demanding. Your first encounter is usually a quick death but after a few tries you see the patterns, you see the attack tells, dodging becomes easier and you can slowly build your skill until the boss is a breeze. That is really the sign of a great boss and I am happy that Dread continues the stories franchise history of fantastic bosses. The pacing is also great. I found the game incredibly hard to put down because you're always another 10-15 minutes from a new powerup or boss battle.
Not everything is Dread is so top notch though. The music while perfectly inoffensive doesn't raise to the bar of Super or the Prime series. The controls definitely get a bit too complicated. Couldn't the grapple beam be automatic like in Samus Returns? Did the speed booster really need me to click in the left stick? It should have just been automatic like past entries. The speed booster is also where the game goes absolutely ridiculous with puzzles. This was true of past games but Dread takes it to a new level with extra abilities. Basically, you'll come across a powerup which is sealed off by a speedbooster block in an absolutely baffling place. You then have to trace back to where there's enough of a runway to actually get a speedboost going. Then you need to figure out the exact set of moves like sliding, wall jumping, shinesparking and morph balling to keep your momentum going and finally you need to execute with precision. It demands a lot of the player but it feels really good to pull it off when you finally get it. Though the analog stick can definitely be more of a hinderance.
I went through and 100%'d the game before the final boss just to savor the experience. The end game content is quite lacking but it does seem like the game has some hidden design elements in it too, including secrete ways to defeat bosses. It's all action and no fluff, but I would have liked a little fluff. What I can say is that I'm glad to see the return of the king. There's a lot of games in this genre but they aren't Metroid. Now I have to go back and finish Axiom Verge 2 and that's going to be a struggle.
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