Metroid Dread

brady12

metroid dread. so glad i tried it . my first metroid and iv only played maybe 30 or 60mins of a metroidvania before and even i don't find it too difficult . think difficulty over blown abit ? EMMI encounters tricky alright but i found the parkour / climbing hardest get used to and once i nailed that wasn't too bad .

chrislad

Finished it last night, and traded for Skyward Sword. It was average - some excellent parts, some less so, and it felt a bit rushed in places. As I said earlier, it doesn't seem to have evolved much, and Hollow Knight is a much better game, even ignoring the price differences (Dread is about 3x the price).

The story seemed a bit weird - with big events just tossed in there with no context etc. Anyway, onto the next thing! :)

CiDeRmAn

I must say, I am continuing to love this game, more so than most in recent years.

And it is at least just how damn atmospheric it is, the backgrounds and levels themselves merging, fooling you into believing you are playing through a much larger world.

I was playing Axiom Verge 2 before this and dropped it, just for a little while, to try Dread out... big mistake, the gulk between the two games is obvious, Metroid Dread is just wonderful.

McFly85

Just finished, and it’s a total classic. Enjoyed every minute of it. Loved getting stuck and having to properly go back through the map for bits I could have missed (find more modern Metroidvanias are much more obvious), loved the general feeling of movement and the boss fights were a high point - challenging, memorable and fun!

One of my favourite games this year, definitely

Star Lord

Just finished it this evening too, at around 11:30 play time (which doesn't count time replaying areas after deaths, etc) and 66% collection rate.

Loved every moment of it. Had a couple of bits where I accidentally sequence broke when exploring and trying to collect items etc., so looking forward to getting to 100% collection and timing down the time!

The last boss was definitely the most challenging, to quite a few tries, trying to figure out their different attacks in the different phases, but very, very satisfying.

Mr.Fantastic

On the final boss , Jesus they are tough !

Mr.Fantastic

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118051285#Comment_118051285

Beat him, what a great game. Thoroughly enjoyed it

johnny_ultimate

Finished it last night, had meant to go to bed early but kept inching forward and learning the final boss and at that point may as well just go all in! The second phase is a bit too much of a bullet sponge IMO :P

It's been a while since I've played a game with bosses quite like this. They're absolutely punishing and can decimate your life bar in seconds... and then you learn the patterns and can usually dash your way through multiple stages while barely taking a hit. There are a few bosses they didn't quite nail IMO - one of the later ones, for example, has this annoying left swipe, right swipe, middle swipe combo which is meant to be easily dodgable by jumping... but in the middle swipe the odds are you'll just hit the bosses flailing arms when you're trying to find a safety window. Those moments felt cheap, and generally the 'learn by repetition' approach won't be for everyone. But there is something satisfying about going from insurmountable odds to ninja dodging attacks in the space of a few tries.

The EMMI I was less fond of overall. The middle ones in particular felt a bit too dependent on luck - there'd be times where you'd walk through a door and be all but guaranteed to have to try again due to the robot's positioning. Like many other 'unbeatable' foes in video games (in this case unbeatable til you get the temporary power-up) the one shot kills don't always feel fair. But then there are other times when they work better - the last one you have to fight, for example, is quite satisfying as you're finally agile enough to be moving around the arena at serious speed.

And speed is the word I'd use to sum up Metroid Dread on the whole. There's fierce momentum behind it on the whole - an extremely generous avalanche of power-ups come your way, and the map design is clever enough to always keep funnelling you along the critical path while still having that sense of exploration so essential to the series. I played a fair chunk of the game in a lengthy afternoon-long session last weekend, and it was just totally compelling for quite a few hours in a row: there were always new challenges, new items, new enemies. Samus as her character is particularly determined on her goal this time around, and really it feels like the entire pace and design of the game has focused on achieving that sense of sheer determination and constant progression.

The game doesn't let up, and while it as a result may not offer quite the same sense of mystery and discovery as your Hollow Knights or whatever, it means Dread has its own identity in a very crowded genre.

xckjoo

Finally finished Skyward Sword and kicked this off last night. Plenty of dying and being convinced I had reached a completely dead end. So just like the old games 😁

SuperBowserWorld

Liking the positive reviews on here. Just goes to show the potential there to revive a whole range of 2D video games. That Ghosts and Goblins entry recently showed how not to do it. But this game and e.g. DK Tropical Freeze show there is still a lot of scope in these games if done right.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118058346#Comment_118058346

would have said that all those 3 games are quite different types of games really.

Ghosts and Goblins Resurrection was designed to be hard like the original but with some new accessibility improvements.

It was well-reviewed.

Mr E

GNGR is on sale at the moment actually. About 33% off.

pixelburp

One thing I keep forgetting to do, which is kind of a staple with Metroids, is to shoot the walls to discover passages n all. Have got myself stuck a few times, gone back and forth thinking I missed a door when no, I should have spotted a few notches on the wall that were destructible

CiDeRmAn

I always liked the PS2 era Maximo titles, they revisited the series in 3D and were a lot of fun, plus they had some very cool cover art courtesy of Susumu Matsushita, who did the cover art for Famitsu magazine in Japan. They were rereleased on the PS3, and I think they would work well on the Switch.

I enjoyed the way they didn't try to be the same as the original 2D games, but were very successful in 3D and have aged very well, despite a lot of PS2 titles not looking as good.

Grassey

Speed runs of this game done in <90 mins.

Pretty sure I hadn't even reached my first EMMI by then 🤣

blockfighter

Finally got a bit of time to play this at the weekend. Just finished the first section, about an hour in. Loving it so far. I've no idea where I'm going a lot of the time is my only issue but generally I figure it out after a bit of wandering around. The EMMI chases are tense, love them. But I've no idea when I should be hitting the parry button to block their attacks. Seems random when it works for me. Mostly it doesn't. Other than that I'm very much enjoying it. Took me about 8 goes to beat the first main boss so I feel I'll struggle as the difficulty ramps up later on.

pixelburp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118074090#Comment_118074090

There are two moments you can counter: when the EMMI's arm grabs you, and when its "face" opens up. There is both a visual flash and audio sting that happens, although the timing of these seems to depend from EMMI to EMMI.

blockfighter

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118074190#Comment_118074190

I think the fact that I've been mostly playing with Bluetooth headphones is why I've not been good at that then. The audio lag is probably putting me off slightly with timing. Haven't noticed any flash but will keep an eye out for it, thanks.

pixelburp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118074266#Comment_118074266

No worries. TBH the timing is made intentionally narrow; the parry is much harder to pull off than the standard parry. I might have pulled it off a half-dozen times total, at best.

Mr E

I beat my 4th EMMI last night. I think the game is tough but fair (and one of my GOTY candidates, easily).

Struggling with speedbooster/shinespark but I think it will just take practice.

Star Lord

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118074309#Comment_118074309

Don't think there's too many places in the game that it's actually required that there's any difficulty in building up the speed, unless you're going for 100%.

Then there's some really evil shinespark and chaining required!

CastorTroy

The EMMI counter window does seem random. It could be as soon as its arm is raised/as soon as the faceplate opens, or there could be a second delay before the flash.

xckjoo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118074090#Comment_118074090

I'm probably only a little bit ahead of you but I feel like it does a decent job of balancing exploration (getting lost) with sign-posting where to go. There's been a few times I've thought I'm completely lost but it's usually down to not noticing an area on the map or similar mistakes on my own part.

I'm liking the bosses too. First couple of attempts it feels like they're impossible but once you get the rhythm you start cutting through them. So far it doesn't seem like they're getting harder but I think it's because my skill level is increasing to match. Still struggle to manage the aiming, moving and switching to missiles though

Irish Halo

Completed this earlier, only have 90% items (too many awkward shinespark items and old man reflexes).

I reallly enjoyed it only negatives for me are the QTE's in boss battles that you needed to pull off to move to the next phase.

For me the EMMI's were grand once you worked out that you just run to get out/you get dumped in with the "boss" to get the omega cannon and where best to face them when you have it.

I felt very OP exploring once I had the screw attack (and like 200+ missiles).

To echo an earlier comment the boss battles are tricky at first but once you get the patterns and used to them it is very satisfying defeating one.

I really enjoyed the going back and forth and just exploring after getting a new powerup and seeing what new areas you could visting/upgrades you could now collect, even when I'd forget where I was meant to be going exactly the game seems to steer you in the right direction and I'd be back on the main path and progressing nicely.

CiDeRmAn

I'm on Escue in Ferenia and I absolutely hate it.

And I'm finding my interest in beating it waning...

Star Lord

Think it took me 3 tries to get past that one. Lots of sliding under and jumping over them, with some flash shifting, and pummel them with your newly acquired missiles only when their shielding drops.

sligeach

Even the galaxy’s greatest bounty hunter enjoys the spooky season…

No trick though, here’s a pre-Halloween treat: a demo of Metroid Dread is available now! Download it from Nintendo eShop on Nintendo Switch today.

https://twitter.com/NintendoUK/status/1453630393068969989

Well there's a pleasant surprise.

WeleaseWoderick

Loving this game so far. I reckon I'm about 80-85% of the way through it based on the upgrades I have.

Really enjoying the exploration side of things and Samus is great to control. Particularly when she gets a good few of her powers back.

The boss fights all start off feeling impossible but then you slowly work out the patterns and then it feels great finally beating them.

Already thinking of playing Metroid Fusion after I finish this or tracking down Samus Returns either.

safetyboy

Corpius is pissing me off, he's a bollix, cant get my aim right

pixelburp

I'm absolutely loving the environmental design in this: there's such a huge amount of detail in the backgrounds, and it that really adds a sense of place and atmosphere to every area. Lots of animation and movement that makes the levels feel more than just backdrops; and your actions change those locations. I especially love the laboratory areas, where there are all these stairwells - and corners you can imagine the former staff might have used.

sligeach

Metroid Dread - Discover the Hunter Trailer - Nintendo Switch

https://youtube.com/watch?v=eKC6KZ9wQbs

Won't be watching it though as I haven't played the game yet.

seraphimvc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118086166#Comment_118086166

oh is nothing new there, is for the free demo promotion i guess aha

and ya going the game more, i really appreciate more of the well designed maze/puzzles that they put so much thoughts into them for the players to explore and especially for those who wants to get 100% (i have no idea whats the reward yet lol), truly an immersive experience that i havent experienced for awhile now - this is truly a beautiful successor of Fusion. Except ya goddamn some of items that need funny/advanced shinespark maneuver etc - challenging as **** and i am still stuck on some of them lol.

and because how well designed the game is, it just feels well made, compact and...'content'. Nowadays alot of games feel dragged on - honestly I don't have the time nor I enjoy 'grinding' anymore.

johnny_ultimate

Mark Brown’s video is a predictably excellent design breakdown of how you’re funnelled through the game amid an illusion of exploration and discovery. I wouldn’t recommend watching until you’ve finished the game (or if you don’t care getting spoiled about some power-ups, maps, shortcuts etc…)

https://youtu.be/5pop-cc9kmY

Retr0gamer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118089158#Comment_118089158

How You Didn't get lost in Metroid Dread (unless you are a muppet like David Jaffe).

pixelburp

It has been something I picked up on quick enough; how I kept just fluking my way across the next power up or whatnot. The lack of true exploration has been a little disappointing

SuperBowserWorld

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118089062#Comment_118089062

Yup. Can't stand in your face grindy games. I don't know why this mechanic is popular. It's just lazy game design.

Tried the demo - it's a bit Meh-troid

Nearly 20 years ago when the last Metroid game came out there were few games of this sort

Commendable art style production and game design yes, but now there is a veritable deluge and a fair few good ones at that

CiDeRmAn

Here, where's that stop having fun gif?

Anyone?

seraphimvc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118089231#Comment_118089231

half the comment of that video grilled on david jaffe ahahah

Dread particularly impresses me more on the sequence breaking / item skip this time around (is not new, all previous games have that) - so much thoughts and testers effort put into the game, certainly one of the more polished games i have seen for awhile. Another big compliment this time around - alot of much needed quality of life changes are in Dread, like I think the timer stops whenever you cannot control samus (death screen, loading screens, cut scenes etc) - great for casual players to beat hardmode under 4 hours (like myself) ha.

I did 100% on normal mode and then 'speedrun' it hard mode (just about 3.5 hours lol). Nice game, what can i say - it feels so good to runnnnnn through everything, so satisfying and rewarding!

and ya next mission - Prime 4 when?

Retr0gamer

I saw a comment on twitter along the lines of:

Pre Dread Release: Oh nice, Nintendo are throwing us a bone with a 2D Metroid until Prime 4 turns up.

After playing Dread: How the F* is Prime 4 going to live up to that!

pixelburp

I've reached what I think is the final bit before the Last Boss - at least, that's how the map and story seem to feel at this moment - so think it's fair to give an overall take.

I've loved this, but entirely contextual to the fact this was an unashamed throwback to old-school Metroid games, intentionally ignoring all the gameplay and structural changes to the genre since then. I can see why people might have found his unsatisfying, but when the end product has been this slick and this polished, I happily forgave something this retro.

The number of mini-boss battles got a tad annoying, and sometimes the obvious rail-roading came close to patronising in terms of how little it trusted me to explore on my own - but the overall experience has been a top-tier Metroidvania for me. The bar has been set a little higher.

Retr0gamer

Anyone saying Hollow Knight is the best Metroidvania hasn't finished Hollow Knight because the second half of Hollow Knight is you wandering around the map with too few teleport stations taking out bosses and enemies with ease as you are far too over powered and it's quite dull and feels like you are just mopping it for the last 20 hours. And at 40 hours long it's waaaaaay too long.

And **** the final DLC.

pixelburp

The back half of Hollow Knight isn't great - and don't get me started on it being another one of these games with a 5 second ending 'cos the "real" one's hidden behind a tonne of busywork - but the front half was so great I had a lot of goodwill and emotional investment in the world to plough through things. There were instances where you could tell this was a game born from 3, 4 people because the actual structural aspects lacked polish. Hopefully, Silksong irons out these pacing issues, whichever side of the next millennium it comes out 🤣

WeleaseWoderick

Spent the best part of 2 hours trying to beat the final boss last night before giving up for the night! Definitely progressing in learning the attacks but it is just so punishing of any small mistake. Might be better today when I'm not on a sugar high from robbing all the kids' Halloween treats!

iamtony

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118101965#Comment_118101965

I'm only just passed the second boss. I was struggling but the missus went to bed and I put it on the telly instead of handheld and bet the bastard first try. Maybe it's worth exploring if your playing handheld.

WeleaseWoderick

Another 90 mins tonight and I finally beat the last boss! Nearly cried after getting to the last quick time counter move and messing it up on one of the attempts!!

Amazing game and I think easily my game of the year this year. Metroid Prime 4 can't come soon enough!

xckjoo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118104657#Comment_118104657

On him now myself. The usual craic of getting absolutely nowhere for the first half dozen tries and then slowly starting to get the pattern/not get hit. Great game. Very nicely balanced. Already starting to feel sad it'll be over. Trying to decide what game to get next!

sligeach

The History of Metroid in 2D - Metroid Dread Primer - Nintendo Switch

https://youtube.com/watch?v=vY7CgzISBJk

Walk a mile in Samus Aran’s legendary boots to prepare yourself for the climactic confrontation that awaits in Metroid Dread.

pixelburp

Finished this up tonight, having paused at what indeed was the last boss. Same thoughts as before, albeit having cooled slightly, tempered by the note at the end of my playtime; 9 hours. Few games as polished at this in the genre but I'd have loved more, just a smidge. Maybe some paths to explore beyond the curated experience. I was hoping my theory I had hit the last boss was wrong, ah well.

And I definitely see saw with the dodge mechanic: when it came off I enjoyed it, when tiredness or whatnot made me flub the timing, I hated the damn thing.

sligeach

Some positive news about the sales of Metroid Dread in the US.

Metroid Dread Sales Could Bode Well for the Future of the Series

The game was the highest selling game on Switch across October.

https://www.ign.com/articles/metroid-dread-sales-future-bright-for-series