Metroid Dread Review | WGTC

WGTC: “Metroid Dread can't commit to giving players an action-packed power fantasy or a suspenseful adventure against the odds.”

[Jin_Sakai]

Won’t be getting clicks from me. The game has an 89 Metacritic and an 88 userscore. This review seems way out of place.

[ZeekQuattro]

I read it for shits and giggles. They compare its gameplay to Hades and Dead Cells. Because you know Metroid Dread is a rogue-lite apparently. Any game now where you collect power ups is a Hades clone. lmao One of the more suspect reviews I've seen in recent memory.

[oldenjon]

Oh because review culture is totally fair and unbiased, and because gamers are highly intelligent independent thinkers, right? I agree with several of the points made in this review. There are several other Dread reviews that give it a perfect score w/ criticism of any kind. It's certainly not perfect. One thing is certain, and it's that Dread has everyone high as a kite.

[Tacoboto]

Because it's a well-made game that hits the notes fans of the franchise and the genre like. There's a difference between disagreeing on opinions and opinions being wrong - and this review definitely falls into that "wrong" category.

"...trading in exploration for a string of fast-paced combat sequences that don’t actually utilize these new abilities."

If you play the game for even an hour you know this is not true.

[Neonridr]

one thing is certain is that Dread is a really good game and one of the best Metroid's in the series. Judging by the fact that the game sits at a very good score on Metacritic, explain how this person is right over everyone else? Why not share what you agree with? You beat the game already and can formulate your own thoughts? Or are you just part of the other crowd that wants to hate on everything Nintendo?

[oldenjon]

@Tacoboto That was actually one of my chief complaints with the game. Flash shit was the only ability that stood out as being a necessary and logical part of the games design and progression. Spin boost is superseded by early space jump. Crossbomb is totally unnecessary because bomb jump. There are some crazy things you can do with speedboost / shine spark that you won't even discover until the 100% end-game challenges and would've played better as story puzzles. People are getting stuck early-game because you don't have morph ball / bomb and shooting walls isn't intuitive yet. Abilities basically boil down to dumbed-down door opening tools, and get replaced by the next flashy tool pretty soon after. Dread's progression and level design are honestly a poorly thought-out mess. Mercury Steam just don't know how to craft a world that tells its story through progression, atmoshphere, and level design. Getting lost, puzzle-solving, and exploration are suppose to be part of the experience. It just feels like they threw all the metroid concepts in a randomizer and focused on giving Samus tight controls and increasing difficulty. If you've played Super, you'd know that it just doesn't feel natural at all.

[oldenjon]

@Neonridr I feel like the best things about Metroid Dread are borrowed from modern metroidvanias, namely difficulty and boss design. It does some fun new things with metroid mechanics, but you can play the game without ever discovering them so they're like afterthoughts. It's just not cohesive. Honestly, this game doesn't need more praise. It needs objective and challenging reviews. I feel it's being analyzed through the lens of what a modern Metroidvania should be, not what a mainline sequel to the last AAA / home console 2D metroid should be. This is Mercury Steams first attempt at an original metroid game, and they need all the criticism they can get so they know what to focus on for the next entry. People seem like they don't understand what made metroid special in the first place. Maybe go study Super?

[CrimsonWing69]

I mean you have to ask yourself why it has everyone high as a kite.

[oldenjon]

@CrimsonWing69 Because its the first 2D metroid sequel made in a very long time, a metroidvania which is a very popular genre rn, also nostalgia and excitement that Nintendo made a non-casual game. Nowadays, the average consumer only knows Samus Returns, Metroid Prime or Smash Bros. and wasn't around for the glory days of 2D Metroid. Anyways, this issue is not unique to Dread; Nintendo gets praise just for being Nintendo all the time.

[oldenjon]

@Daymbas I'm a preteen but you can't even manage a single coherent / legible sentence or avoid using petty insults to get a point across? Uhhhhh OK. Good effort though, the bullet points are cute. Longer response incoming...

[oldenjon]

@Daymbas There is a clear dichotomy between the handheld (metroid 2, fusion) and home console games (Metroid 1, Super Metroid). Your observation about 'open' and 'gated' iterations can be explained by games in the first category being relegated to handheld consoles, lower production values and design sensibilities. Dread should fit into the latter category. It's designed for home consoles and priced like a AAA title.

Super Metroid is absolutely dripping with atmosphere. There is no filler or wasted space. Literally everything is memorable from the bosses, music, areas to whatever else. It literally pioneered a new genre. Dread isn't pioneering anything, there's nothing noteworthy about the music, it has you playing the same minibosses over and over, there's nothing really organic or innovative about the level-design and areas it includes. Everything is just there because it was there before, which goes to show you how good Super Metroid really is.

Many aspects of Super are deliberate and organic. Like giving you morph ball and bomb before it asks you to break walls to progress to new areas or find items. Half the shit is plain sight in Dread, it's a bizarre mix of handholding and old metroid design that isn't intuitive to anyone. You say only a handful of people know bomb jump is a thing, but this game undeniably references old mechanics. How the fuck are you supposed to know you need to shoot a ceiling or floor to progress to a new area when it doesn't provide an intuitive means for figuring that out? This game has you doing that same exact thing 2 or 3 times in the early game. David Jaffe called it bad design and he's totally right.

Don't even get me started on the early and uniquely OP screw attack, or the derivative Star Wars storyline. Yeah, apparently Samus is a Jedi and Darth Vader is her dad. I could go on and on like this, but I don't think anything I say can change your mind so what's the point?

[yoshatabi]

@oldenjon you have a lot of free time for arguing over nothing. Nitpicking

[John_McClane]

I'm sure the game is fine but why not do a next gen Metroid?

[BrainSyphoned]

#1 This game looks and plays great
#2 Metroidvania games don't need a Gen tag
#3 Looking for a next gen game on a handheld console that was the weakest machine out there when it released 4 years ago is a little much.

I personally don't want to see a 3D Metroid till the next Nintendo system.

[ScootaKuH]

You mean like...Metroid Prime 4? I bought a Switch 6 months after launch on that promise and here we are 5 years later and still no sign. I've long sold my Switch since then

[Teflon02]

Dread looks okay at most. Plays good, but nothing new.
All games should be able to progress to a certain extent. The game has alot of lazy graphical choices to make things easier on themselves instead of making things look impressive

3 isn't an excuse. It's called acceptance. Doesn't make it right. That game should have been a better game performance wise. Games look better and are way more demanding playing better lol. The games good. But come on. This is a game made like every other game in the genre that maxes at $40 for $60 but people cry about $70 games lol. Like nahhhh. It's like the Zelda remake for $60 lol. Straight scam prices people defend llol

[Yui_Suzumiya]

Kind of like the reviews for Cyberpunk which unfairly crucify it.

[PhillyDillyDee]

Looks like someone has an axe to grind. I’m playing this right now and I absolutely love it. I woke up earlier to play it a bit before work this morning. When a game does that to me, I know its good.

[Neonridr]

Can't please everyone it seems. I'm only about an hour or so in but I'm enjoying every minute of it so far. Looks gorgeous too.

[Tacoboto]

"Boss fights are most often frustrating because I know exactly what needs to be done but lack the precision to execute without practice"

And the comparison to Hades and Dead Cells. And the reviewer doesn't want to explore because it only makes "the numbers go up".

Talk about (1) not knowing the game you're playing, (2) not having any idea what genre the game you're playing is in, and (3) complaining about boss fights because you don't know how to aim...

I like the Sex and the City movie ad that appeared before the editorial content too.

[oldenjon]

Dude, they're talking about progression and even people who love dread are admitting its off in this game. Bad reviews are one thing and poor reading comprehension is another....

[Aghashie]

Holding a button to free aim, while holding another to switch to missiles, while tapping another button to actually fire... While running left and right, jumping and/or quick dashing to avoid hits doesn't feel like a lot for you, then I envy you.

I enjoyed M.Dread but damn, I would've appreciated the option to remap my controller at least.

So yeah, aiming can be difficult when you need to hold two buttons, tap a third and aim at the same time.

[Neonridr]

that's why we have fingers. Nothing wrong with using your left index finger to free aim, left thumb to move, right index to select missiles, right thumb to shoot. You aren't always free aiming either, so it's less of a problem.

[Dandizzle]

I just know for me personally, I'm absolutely loving the game.

[Lexreborn2]

For me the boss fights are pretty trash, Giant floating Eye know down so you can kill an emmi. Fought the underground dragon like monster and the sequences were pretty meh. Shooting until I got to a Rocket shooting on-rails interaction to watch Samus flaunt a arrogant demeanor for killing an organic creature manipulated for the planets energy consumption. It was actually a sad fight to me vs an engaging one, even killing the metal clad eyes is a bit extreme to accomplish a quick task.

I feel like I am enjoying the game purely on nostalgia, because it feels extremely familiar. Others may find that worth praising but I just don't.

[Einhander1971]

It's fantastic, can't stop playing it. Games of this quality are few and far between. Quality from Nintendo and Mercury steam.

[RyanShutup]

I already know this low score is because the game was too hard for them... no way in hell it deserves this low of a score. It's on par with Super Metroid.

[Lord_Sloth]

Haven't read the review but I can't put this game on par with Super Metroid simply because the EMMI feels overused and out of place for the series (slightly frustrating to me personally) and it feels more like the game is herding you rather than just letting you explore.

[RyanShutup]

Fair point. I didn't mind them too much, but it did seem like the power ups came too rapidly and that might have been due to getting an upgrade every time you beat an EMMI.

[GenWorld]

I aint clicking that at all lmfao

[CrimsonWing69]

What in the hell? This is hands down the best Metroid game I’ve played. This is what gets me about reviews, just call these “ My opinion and why you should care what I think,” because objectively this game is not a 5/10.

[metalgod88]

First of all, a 5.0 rating system is a complete joke. Secondly, anyone who gives this game less than a 70 is either a troll, hates Metroid type games, or couldn't figure out how to get past the Emmis lol.

Metroid Dread is a fantastic game and harkens back to the old 2D games. Is it perfect? No way. But is it a good game? Oh yeah, it's awesome.

[DaleCooper]

I'm 4 hours into this game and extremely impressed. Can't wait to play more!

[Kaii]

"Their words have been featured at Polygon, WIRED, The Washington Post, and elsewhere." lol
If you are not good at the "X" gaming genre, don't review it. I can't gauge this person's mindset when they have zero reviews up on popular titles.

Probably why I pref gameplay reviews over-written ones nowadays, this person is probably besties with the Polygon reviewer who had issues shooting demons with the pistol In Doom. x)

[ApocalypseShadow]

Looks like another case of a contrarian review and poor reviewer. I know such a person who would think this review deserves to be seen because it's an "opinion" when it's just trash and should not be posted on N4G.

Metroid has not only a great review score average, but gamer score average that matches. Tells you right there that this review is garbage.

[oldenjon]

Ridiculous groupthink circle jerking. You obviously haven't witnessed the avalanche of perfect or near perfect score reviews with not one single criticism of the game. That's actual trash. This is just a review from someone who genuinely did not like the direction MS has taken Metroid, which is something I wholeheartedly agree with.

[got_dam]

The game is great. I've hit some crazy difficulty spikes,but that's more the way I'm playing rather than the game itself. I'm not too good at finding the Etank upgrades. I. Love. This.game.

[Fntastic]

Not everyone is gonna like something that others like, i think pokemon sucks ass and custom robo arena is way better, many would beg to differ but it won't change my opinion.

Unfortunately most are sheep and just go with what gets high scores, regardless if they're gonna like the game or not.

[ChubbyBlade]

Wow. This was an awful review. Why are they comparing it to hades and dead cells? They’re not even the same genre. Is this person not aware Metroid has been around since the 80s?

Also they can’t beat bosses because they need to practice? Is this some kind of joke? It’s a boss. They’re not supposed to be easy.

[oldenjon]

It's comparing Dread's progression to those games, not calling Dread a roguelike. A lot of people are complaining about the bosses which just proves that MS didn't really pace the difficulty or prepare the user properly. Not great design for a metroid game, basically amateur hour.

[babadivad]

K

[plmkoh]

Understandable, this was a mixed Metroid.

Apologists are just are doing Metroid a disfavor for not admitting it. Metacritic proves it, reviews are either very high or very low. User scores are also fairly clear.

[ChubbyBlade]

It really isn’t. Literally looking at the scores, as you suggest, proves your own point wrong. A few outliers saying it’s bad doesn’t mean it’s mixed. That’s not how scores work.

[plmkoh]

Not really. This is one of the lowest scoring Metroids mainline games especially for a 2D game in it's pedigree. You might think it has the same score as Fusion but that game was scored in a time when 8/10 meant something and it only has 50 reviews versus this with 110+.

Mercurysteam needs to go, they are good imitators of Metroid but I don't think they have the spark to make it special. I'm not interested in Metroid just to be a whatever game.

[oldenjon]

@plmkoh <---- this guy gets it. Honestly, Nintendo just waited too fucking long and diluted the brand with all the metroid spin-offs and cameos. This game feels like it has no idea what it wants to be and is just cashing in on the current popularity of metroidvanias.

[Neonridr]

you guys are probably burner accounts of each other. Clearly you guys are the outliers, don't give me this BS about how you are right and the majority are wrong.

[cerpintaxt44]

lmao stfu

[northpaws]

Finished 100%, loved every minute of it, boss fights are so satisfying, just wish it would be a bit longer. I was a little slow (took too many tries on bosses), but still finished everything in 11 hours.

[moongrim]

the score is wrong, if you read the review at the end he gave it a 3.5 our of 5 not a 2.5

[Stanjara]

What is this, David Jaffe club?

[Atomicjuicer]

Its a 10/10 game.

[Father__Merrin]

It's not that bad people seem to like it