Console corner
Metroid Dread review
The word Metroid to anyone over the age of 30 with a penchant for video consoles will instantly conjure images of one of the cornerstones of gaming history.
So when Metroid Dread – the first new entry in the historic Nintendo franchise for mind-boggling 19 years – became the most preordered game on Amazon in the US, UK and Japan recently it came as no surprise.
And today I can happily reveal that Metroid Dread has been well worth the wait.
Set after the events of Metroid Fusion (2002), you control bounty hunter Samus as she faces a robotic enemy on the planet ZDR.
Dread continues along Metroid’s well trodden path of side-scrolling gameplay, but this time with the added layer of stealth.
Free aim and melee attacks – which were added in Samus Returns (2017) – are retained while Samus can also slide and cling to surfaces. The big difference this time around are the stealth elements. And boy are you going to need them. Along the journey Samus faces the almost indestructible EMMI robots. You will soon realise that hiding, reducing noise and using the awesome Phantom Cloak – a camouflage that reduces noise but slows you down
– is essential to progress in Dread.
The added layer of stealth is the game’s crowning achievement.
If an EMMI robot catches you, you get a chance to perform a melee counter and escape – but the stakes are high because if you fail, you die.
Combat is absolutely superb. It is so refreshingly simple, crisp and responsive, especially with the new counter attack system.
There is a haunting quality to the relentless pursuit of the EMMI bots. Once you have been detected, they will never stop hunting you. Fortunately each one cannot leave their designated areas so fleeing is often the best – and indeed sometimes the only – option.
When I fired up Dread the level of anticipation was so high I doubted it could possibly live up to expectations.
Within an hour it had already surpassed them.
I told myself I’d play for a couple of hours. Then an entire weekend passed and I was still hooked.
When I’m not playing Dread I’m thinking about it. And that’s when you know you’re in the presence of a video gaming great.
The new elements, stealth, upgrades and labyrinth-style map that is so satisfying to explore mean this is grade A Metroid like we have never seen.
This is no quick remaster with a bit of gloss to make it look new and fancy. The very foundations that made Metroid so great are added to along with amazing visuals, brilliant combat and hugely rewarding counters.
The Switch has been one 5 of the greatest releases in video console history and Dread is one of the best first party games available.
A triumph.
Rating: 9.5/10