Metroid Dread Reviews
If "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.
For as long as the Metroid series has existed in both 2D and 3D planes, it has long been held that Retro Studios are the only team outside of Nintendo to have approached Metroid with such admirable care and passion for the series, while at the same time understanding how best to build on the foundation.
Metroid Dread is hard, but it's hard in a really good way. The kind of way that makes you sometimes want to toss your controller, but doubles your resolve while doing so. It's smooth, quick, and makes Samus feel fast and powerful as much as it possibly can without turning into an action platformer
Metroid Dread is nearly the perfect return for Samus, and only some difficulty spikes rain on the parade. This is a tight, responsive 2D Metroid experience that constantly impresses and surprises in equal measure and is the perfect way to launch the new Switch model.
Metroid Dread is a triumphant return for both Samus Aran and developer MercurySteam.
Where the studio succeeds—and where Metroid Dread elevates from noble and flawed effort to inspired riff—is in its embrace of the unreachable.
Its playability matched with MercurySteam doing right by Samus Aran has turned me into even more of a fan of Metroid. Even beyond the context of my own affinity toward the character and world, Metroid Dread is some of the most fun I’ve had with a game in 2021. It’s a contender for game of the year.
Metroid Dread meets - and arguably surpasses - its lofty expectations, with demanding gameplay, clever level design and an ambitious story.
In design terms, what most impressed me about “Metroid Dread” was how the developers guide you through the game’s sprawling areas. Although there is ample incentive to backtrack after Samus acquires a new powerup, the game never wasted my time. At no point was I needlessly sent crisscrossing over environments to determine where to go next. Usually, when Samus acquires a new powerup, there is a place nearby where she can use it to open a previously-unexplored suite of rooms. The game does not lack internal momentum.
As the game industry has proven throughout the years, the Metroid formula is worth iterating and reiterating upon. Now that the formula is back home in the original series that created it, here’s hoping Nintendo remembers this too.
Metroid Dread sharpens everything that makes Metroid enjoyable, while more fully realizing its horror ambitions.
We’ve seen Metroidvania games like Hollow Knight nail the formula in recent years, but Metroid Dread proves there’s nothing better than the franchise that started it all.
Metroid Dread is yet another fantastic return to form for Samus. ZDR is an absolute blast to explore with secrets everywhere and satisfying bosses to fight. However, the game is held back by some strange design decisions, areas that blend together, and controls that are far too complicated.
Samus Aran's return after 20 years is welcome – but other games have taken up her mantle in the meantime
Metroid's Nintendo Switch debut is an intricate and challenging sci-fi adventure
With a near-perfect balance of nods to the past and fresh ideas, Metroid Dread brings cinematic flair, fast-paced action and a surprising story to the side-scrolling classic. This is the comeback fans have been waiting for.
This new episode still tends to rally new players to its cause. Fans will appreciate the few revelations around Samus Aran and on the universe of the game, neophytes meanwhile, will be delighted to make their weapons on this masterful opus. Metroid Dread is a real success both in terms of its level design, gameplay and atmosphere. I can only recommend this game despite the potential difficulty that may put off some players. An adventure that we will not get enough of doing and redoing while waiting for a sequel.
Review in French | Read full review
Mercury Steam picks up where Nintendo left last, and they do it in style. Metroid Dread offers the same old "Metroidvania" concept as before, but also adds brand new elements and features that surprise. The "just one more time" feeling is also constant and won't let us go until we really sort it all out.
Review in Swedish | Read full review
I 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.
Samus Aran's latest 2D mission boasts consistently high thrills in exploration and combat to provide a worthy sequel to a highly-regarded game that came out 19 years ago.