Metroid Dread review: Day of the Dread

Metroid returns to its 2D action-platformer roots after a 19 year hiatus and finally finishes a storyline that started in 1986. Developer Mercury Steam has taken what's made the series so great in the past, added its own flair and given us an adventure that feels retro yet fresh in equal measure. It's a challenge for sure, but one that's highly rewarding.

Clever room design and puzzle structure; Nice new combat abilities for Samus; Stunning 2D graphics; Puts the Metroid in Metroidvania;

Progression isn't always clear; Some bosses take a lot of trial and error to beat;

Metroid Dread review

Metroid Dread creates a palpable level of tension that we hope to see more of in Samus's future adventures. However, we couldn't shake the underlying feeling that the Metroid formula, as a whole, needs a severe shake-up. Metroid Dread certainly has its moments where it dares to break the mold but, all too often, it resorts to the same tactics that helped the series first stand out in 1986. Nintendo single-handedly invented an entire sub-genre when it released Metroid all those decades ago, but sadly Samus's latest mission fails to further her legacy in any meaningful way.

E.M.M.I. is an unsettling foe; Challenging boss fights; Countless secrets to discover;

Easy to get lost at times; The structure feels far too familiar; Long load times

Metroid Dread Review

Excellent combat; Great range of weapons and upgrades; Jaw-dropping cinematic cutscenes ; Stealth sections add variety ;

Recycled mini boss battles; May be too difficult for some;

Metroid Dread review review

A world dripping with atmosphere; Samus has never felt this good to control; The EMMI encounters can be thrilling; Solid 60fps performance in handheld mode;

A lot of combat – maybe a bit too much; If you want a game to tell you where to go next you might get frustrated;

Metroid Dread review: The queen is back, all hail the queen

Dread has always been a driving force in the Metroid franchise. It’s what you feel in Metroid 2: Return of Samus when exiting planet SR388 in eerie silence, as the final baby of a species you’ve just eradicated lovingly follows behind. It’s a feeling that hangs in the air all through Metroid Fusion, as Samus helplessly hides from a dead-eyed parasitic doppelganger that stalks her. Metroid Dread, the first original 2D Metroid game in 19 years, doubles down on that brand of sci-fi anxiety to create a true Nintendo horror game. The basics of the series are still entirely present. It’s an adventure game where Samus explores a mysterious planet sector by sector, gets a steady drip of power-ups, and scours every corner she can for secrets. But the backdrop is more unnerving this time. Four games worth of reckless missions come back to haunt Samus in a more story-driven game where history actually matters. Metroid Dread reclaims the “Metroidvania”’ throne with one of Nintendo’s most difficult...

Genuinely creepy; Fine-tuned combat; Tough, but fair bosses; Rewarding exploration; Detailed environments;

Slow start; Some repetitive bosses;