- Publisher: Nintendo
- Release Date: Oct 8, 2021
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- Critic score
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Nov 30, 2021In a lot of ways, Metroid Dread is exactly the game that people who’ve been waiting 20-odd years for a new 2D Metroid could want: authentic and mostly true to its roots, but with enough new ideas thrown into the fold that it doesn’t just feel like a retread. Given the pedestal that Metroid gets put on, that’s an impressive achievement in itself. But it’s also uneven in that aim, sometimes clinging too closely to the past, and other times losing sight of what made the older games the classics that they are. Ultimately, what you get out of Metroid Dread will depend on what you expect from Metroid in the first place, but if you want an accomplished exploration platformer and can put up with a bit of frustration and narrative bloat along the way, you’re in good hands here.
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Oct 27, 2021I simply don’t think this stands as tall as Super Metroid, Zero Mission, Prime, Fusion, or even Samus Returns. But to a Metroid fan it is worth playing and realize that these are problems I found with the game; other people haven’t had the same issues. However, to anyone who has never played a Metroid game before, I don’t think this is the place to start. I think it feels too different from the rest of the series (neither a good or bad thing) and the moments in the story that hit really well only do so because of everything that has happened before in previous titles.
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Oct 20, 2021A bit fastidious sometimes, often original, Metroid Dread is kinda stuck between two worlds. Handling the game is counter-intuitive, but there's some great new additions and you'll find a well balanced difficulty. The game brings a new slice of mythology that has been expected forever now.
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Oct 6, 2021Metroid Dread is a good Metroid-style game, but does little more.
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Oct 6, 2021Frustrating boss battles and cumbersome controls distract from an otherwise fun and isolating adventure.
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Oct 6, 2021I left Metroid Dread feeling quite conflicted about it. On the one hand, I do think it is fundamentally well designed, and the main gameplay element - the robot stalkers - are woven into the Metroid formula beautifully. On the other hand, that Metroid formula is getting long in the tooth and Dread doesn't do nearly enough to revitalise it. Dread is fine. It's not just nearly memorable enough for a game that fans have been waiting so many years for now.
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Oct 19, 2021Perhaps I am asking too much. We don’t pry for depth from Mario as he rescues his princess, or ask what motivates Tom Nook in his real estate empire. Like pretty much all Nintendo’s games, with their long legacies and perfect jumps, this feel good to play, and that should be enough: but I don’t come to a Nintendo title for enough. I left Dread feeling that perhaps the real legacy of 2D Metroid will be the games it inspires, rather than the games themselves.
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Oct 28, 2021Metroid Dread can't commit to giving players an action-packed power fantasy or a suspenseful adventure against the odds. It's quick, short, and snappy -- all things that can be good when used right, but not at all what Metroid Dread set out to deliver.
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Oct 6, 2021Metroid Dread is a superb demonstration about how to make a 2D action platformer with tons of exploration and backtracking. Definitely, a must for Metroid fans. [Recommended]
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Oct 6, 2021If "classic 2D adventure on Switch" puts the same tingle in your spine as it does mine, Mercury Steam will not lead you astray with this impressive sequel. Buy.
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Oct 10, 2021And that’s where Dread absolutely thrives: simple, focused ideas that are brilliantly executed. It’s smooth and satisfying in the hands, lean and exciting throughout the entire adventure and mixes its old school roots with fresh ideas that keep it ahead of the curve its forebears drew in the first place. That mix of new and old is a lot to balance in a game – let alone a portable one – but Dread makes it look easy. It’s both Nintendo’s best first-party game of the year and the perfect companion to a Switch OLED, should you be picking one up for launch day.
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Oct 6, 2021While Metroid Dread sticks a bit too close to a familiar formula, it's still one of the best action games of 2021.
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Oct 6, 2021A stylish, visually sumptuous return for 2D Metroid, and an adventure that proudly sits alongside the series' best. [Eurogamer Essential]
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Oct 8, 2021I’m glad that Dread really goes for it, that it wants to make you feel hunted and disadvantaged and that it’s willing to feel hostile in order to accomplish that. The result is a feeling that survival itself is a reward more meaningful than all the upgrades in the world, a feeling I rarely get from games anymore. But ZDR never captivated me the way previous Metroid settings have, and as a conclusion to the story arc, Dread seems to misunderstand what made the early chapters resonate. Samus is wonderful, a survivor, an icon, and she endures. But when I think back on my time with her over the past several decades, Dread will forever dwell in the shadows of my favorite Metroid memories.
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Oct 6, 2021Dread reimagines the Metroid format with confidence and care, and it trusts the player to make leaps along the way. While following its interwoven path of epic boss fights, satisfying upgrades, and otherworldly environments, all I could think was that this is the Metroid game I’ve been waiting for. It easily stands astride the best entries in the series, and I eagerly await a follow-up in the year 2040. [Polygon Recommends]
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Oct 6, 2021It nails the classic feel of a Metroid game while updating it with wonderfully detailed visuals, more satisfying combat, and new areas that briefly turn it into a stealth horror experience. But all of that comes to a grinding halt when you have to fight three bosses in a short span, each of which requires either fast reflexes or pattern memorization to get through — or both. Instead of punctuating the quiet exploration with intense battles, the copious boss encounters instead turn into a slog. Dread features some of the most beautifully dark and solemn moments in the franchise — but you’ll have to be prepared to really fight to see it all.
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Oct 16, 2021Metroid Dread sharply refines (but doesn't reinvent) Nintendo's 35-year-old ideas in a gorgeous and slick new package.
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 2,257 out of 2649
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Mixed: 148 out of 2649
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Negative: 244 out of 2649
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Oct 10, 2021
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Oct 11, 2021This review contains spoilers, click full review link to view.
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Oct 10, 2021