Cantaim
Shriekbat
Yay! And yea then I know the exact spot you were stuck on haha. Was staring at my map for 15-20 minutes last night trying to figure out the spot I was supposed to go to.Yup! I did figure it out from there though, so it worked out
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StarTopic Metroid Dread |ST| The Chozon One
- Thread starter Aurc
- Start date
Jimmy Joe
Good ol' Jimmy Joe
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Having just beaten this for the first time:
This might be the best-playing Metroid I've ever played, and that would include the Metroid-likes, even Hollow Knight
It's just so satisfying. What a great game. I'm going to be jumping into Hard mode immediately when I next sit down with it
This might be the best-playing Metroid I've ever played, and that would include the Metroid-likes, even Hollow Knight
It's just so satisfying. What a great game. I'm going to be jumping into Hard mode immediately when I next sit down with it
Cantaim
Shriekbat
Just beat the game now. What a phenomenal game and a spectacular follow up to Samus Returns. Really hope Nintendo and Mercury Steam continue to work together on 2D Metroid. Samus Returns and Dread are great additions to the series and I'd love to see what they come up with next.
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You probably have to ballspark from another room!
Dmax3901
Shriekbat
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Ok so now that I've slept on it since beating it I have some thoughts.
I loved this game, really enjoyed playing it from beginning to end. Everything that could've gone wrong.. didn't.
However. I do feel like Metroidvanias have developed in different directions since the last 2D Metroid (2002). Games like Hollow Knight, Blasphemous and Ori come to mind.
It seems Nintendo very much wanted to do a modern version of the Fusion formula, which they've achieved without a doubt.
But there is something that lingers in the back of my head about playing a game to 100% completion in under 9 hours with no postgame (other than playing again on hard mode I guess). I just... wish there was something a little more? Like an area you can only get to after reaching 100% and completing a series of secret tasks and that has really challenging enemies or something like that.
Maybe in Metroid 6...
I loved this game, really enjoyed playing it from beginning to end. Everything that could've gone wrong.. didn't.
However. I do feel like Metroidvanias have developed in different directions since the last 2D Metroid (2002). Games like Hollow Knight, Blasphemous and Ori come to mind.
It seems Nintendo very much wanted to do a modern version of the Fusion formula, which they've achieved without a doubt.
But there is something that lingers in the back of my head about playing a game to 100% completion in under 9 hours with no postgame (other than playing again on hard mode I guess). I just... wish there was something a little more? Like an area you can only get to after reaching 100% and completing a series of secret tasks and that has really challenging enemies or something like that.
Maybe in Metroid 6...
Hero of Hyrule
Frieren the Slayer
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So
... sigh
Experiment ZD-57. So freakishly difficult lol. Any tips?
Experiment ZD-57. So freakishly difficult lol. Any tips?
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Here's a bit of a tip:
You can shinespark into him on the second phase to trigger an instakill right after the "flappy bird" attack. Also, make extensive use of the Storm Missiles.
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Ballsparking in general was my issue, I didn't even know that was a thing!
Weird that you bring up Ori considering it suffers from the same issue. I 100%d the first one in under 8 hours with zero guides or help, it was way too short.
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It’s okay. They let you pick up the expansions for those before you get the actual thing. it’s the last one
Dmax3901
Shriekbat
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Oh yeah I just meant Ori as an example of a different take on the formula, not necessarily that it's what I wanted from Metroid.
Magic-Man
Perseus Jackson
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You gotta go to Cataris. It's just really confusing wording from ADAM.
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He tells you to go to the area in the game where you directed the lava flow, right? And when he told you that, he told you it from the first area of the game, right? So just go to the elevator that connects the two areas. DON'T use the portal (it might still connect to the area you're supposed to go, not sure, but it will also be slower).
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There's really only one path available to you at that point. Just keep an eye out for ball bomb blocks.
Thanks. Can you give me a general area of where to look? I've been running back and forth for ages now lol
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Yeah, I'm just going to be disappointed now when it's not announced.
Still cleaning up 100% before starting hard mode. I feel like I'm going to play through this game several times.
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Just keep going right from the Adam room, as far as you can go. If you're stuck where I think you're stuck it'll be a small nook near the top of a vertical area.
Just beat the game with 100% in 12hrs.
Absolutely loved the game. The E.M.M.I. sections were a great evolution of the SA-X from Fusion. I greatly appreciated the quick save before the E.M.M.I. doors; otherwise those death sequences would have been unbearable.
As hard as the bosses could be at times; the Shinespark puzzles wrecked me. Even when I knew how to tackle to puzzles I just kept having issues with the controls.
I can't wait to see what Mercury Steam does next.
Absolutely loved the game. The E.M.M.I. sections were a great evolution of the SA-X from Fusion. I greatly appreciated the quick save before the E.M.M.I. doors; otherwise those death sequences would have been unbearable.
As hard as the bosses could be at times; the Shinespark puzzles wrecked me. Even when I knew how to tackle to puzzles I just kept having issues with the controls.
I can't wait to see what Mercury Steam does next.
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Kraid
R
Ray00101
Guest
I’m glad this game doesn’t track your deaths…does it? 
+10 if so after this last guardian fight.
+10 if so after this last guardian fight.
Thank you
Chris Walken
Tektite
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- He
Just beat Metroid Dread.
I'm going to let it cool down so I know where to put it, but right now I think it's the only one that can rival or even surpass Super Metroid.
One of the best metroidvanias ever created, thos is the best Seitch title with BOTW, without doubt.
Mercury steam just nailed it.
I'm going to let it cool down so I know where to put it, but right now I think it's the only one that can rival or even surpass Super Metroid.
One of the best metroidvanias ever created, thos is the best Seitch title with BOTW, without doubt.
Mercury steam just nailed it.
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Finished the game a few hours ago. I really liked it. Out of the Metroid games I've beaten, though, it's probably my least favorite. Which isn't saying much, since I've only beaten Metroid Prime, Zero Mission, Fusion, and Super, all of which are amazing games.
That all being said, there's a LOT of fantastic things going on ...
A lot more could be said about the game, but in the end I'm happy. I want to sit on it and process it a little, and most importantly replay it to see how it holds up to scrutiny, as all Metroid games should. I'm really excited to try hard mode later this year.
Overall, definitely one of the better games I've played this year. I'll have to finish more of the games that have come out recently to see exactly where it lands.
I think what's really surprising is that Mercury Steam's decision to make separate areas rather than one interconnected world has gone down so well with so many of the fans. Honestly, it doesn't ruin the game or anything, but it is a decision made where the alternative would have been vastly preferable, in my opinion. I feel like it's one of those things where you don't think about it much at first, but once you do you realize how much missed potential there is, and maybe that's why it hasn't been talked about much. Of course, the entire game is built around different areas only being accessible through teleporters, elevators, or lifts, so there would be aspects of the game that would have to be heavily reconsidered. I imagine some areas might not be as big, since it seems like areas were probably made larger to compensate (some areas almost have multiple biomes, thus making them almost seem like multiple areas), but even then a lot of areas aren't too large to connect.
For the sake of backtracking and linearity ... having these areas divided up just isn't the best. Parts of the game feels almost unnatural with how you'll do a few things in an area, then dart back to another area, all because a computer said so. Of course, as the game goes on you get more into a "groove" and this also starts happening less and/or more naturally, but it still isn't a preferable solution to exploration in my opinion. Seeing how the areas connected in the older games was sensational, especially for worldbuilding. Some of the ways you loop around in say Super Metroid are just great, and really make you feel like you've explored all the little nooks & crannies of this detailed world. And Dread just never really gives the same sensation, even if some of the loops within an area are actually quite clever.
Another thing, while I do agree that Mercury Steam's combat has ultimately been an improvement over the original games, at the same time the priorities for these games seems a bit too skewed in my opinion. In the "Metroidvania"/"Search Action" equation, Metroid was always more exploratory than almost all its contemporaries. The old games almost go out of their way to trivialize combat at times, with stuff like the shinespark or screw attack killing enemies very easily. Super Metroid, the most acclaimed of the 2D games, is also the title with the most gimmick boss fights of the series. With stuff like Crocomire or Draygon, it focuses a lot more on being original or interesting than being a traditionally hard 2D sidescroller. Dread on the other hand is REALLY combat focused, which can sometimes ruin the pacing of the game. Especially later in the game when you've explored almost every area and the amount of new exploration starts to die down. I'll also note that I'm surprised that Mercury Steam doubled-down reusing boss fights in a repetitive way after getting so much critique for it in Samus Returns, honestly it was never detrimental to the gameplay experience, but I can't say the Chozo fights were that intriguing after a while either.
Also, while the movement in Dread is absolutely fantastic, getting into Super Metroid proper recently with some in-depth mechanics and light sequence breaking has REALLY spoiled me. I miss the depth that the walljumping used to have, not only was it hard to execute but you could do so much with it. There seems to be a lot of sequence breaking with Dread, but not a lot of movement options that aren't pre-baked into the game, which is unfortunate. Of course, the simplifying of the moveset was done by the GBA games Fusion and Zero Mission, but honestly those felt just a tiny bit better to control anyways, though that might just be because of the simpler controls or a placebo effect as a result of the pixel art presentation.
Having the last few items be upgrades that are usually acquired earlier in the game makes it seem like you are just picking them up just to pick them up, with not a lot of benefit on your journey or "wow" factor upon acquiring them. In general, a lot of the "new" seems to be earlier in the game, which is a bit disappointing. By the end of the game, I don't think I was actually presented with much more ideas than one could get in Super or Fusion, which are about 6-8 hours shorter on a first playthrough, too.
For the sake of backtracking and linearity ... having these areas divided up just isn't the best. Parts of the game feels almost unnatural with how you'll do a few things in an area, then dart back to another area, all because a computer said so. Of course, as the game goes on you get more into a "groove" and this also starts happening less and/or more naturally, but it still isn't a preferable solution to exploration in my opinion. Seeing how the areas connected in the older games was sensational, especially for worldbuilding. Some of the ways you loop around in say Super Metroid are just great, and really make you feel like you've explored all the little nooks & crannies of this detailed world. And Dread just never really gives the same sensation, even if some of the loops within an area are actually quite clever.
Another thing, while I do agree that Mercury Steam's combat has ultimately been an improvement over the original games, at the same time the priorities for these games seems a bit too skewed in my opinion. In the "Metroidvania"/"Search Action" equation, Metroid was always more exploratory than almost all its contemporaries. The old games almost go out of their way to trivialize combat at times, with stuff like the shinespark or screw attack killing enemies very easily. Super Metroid, the most acclaimed of the 2D games, is also the title with the most gimmick boss fights of the series. With stuff like Crocomire or Draygon, it focuses a lot more on being original or interesting than being a traditionally hard 2D sidescroller. Dread on the other hand is REALLY combat focused, which can sometimes ruin the pacing of the game. Especially later in the game when you've explored almost every area and the amount of new exploration starts to die down. I'll also note that I'm surprised that Mercury Steam doubled-down reusing boss fights in a repetitive way after getting so much critique for it in Samus Returns, honestly it was never detrimental to the gameplay experience, but I can't say the Chozo fights were that intriguing after a while either.
Also, while the movement in Dread is absolutely fantastic, getting into Super Metroid proper recently with some in-depth mechanics and light sequence breaking has REALLY spoiled me. I miss the depth that the walljumping used to have, not only was it hard to execute but you could do so much with it. There seems to be a lot of sequence breaking with Dread, but not a lot of movement options that aren't pre-baked into the game, which is unfortunate. Of course, the simplifying of the moveset was done by the GBA games Fusion and Zero Mission, but honestly those felt just a tiny bit better to control anyways, though that might just be because of the simpler controls or a placebo effect as a result of the pixel art presentation.
Having the last few items be upgrades that are usually acquired earlier in the game makes it seem like you are just picking them up just to pick them up, with not a lot of benefit on your journey or "wow" factor upon acquiring them. In general, a lot of the "new" seems to be earlier in the game, which is a bit disappointing. By the end of the game, I don't think I was actually presented with much more ideas than one could get in Super or Fusion, which are about 6-8 hours shorter on a first playthrough, too.
That all being said, there's a LOT of fantastic things going on ...
The amount of time it takes to get the morph ball is AMAZING. I LOVE IT. It has to be one of the best parts in any Metroid game, ever. I know I just complained about normal Metroid items being acquired too late in the game, but in my mind the way they executed the morph ball was just masterful, for a few reasons. It's an example of a developer including a new move that is useful and doesn't trivialize the traditional movement mechanics. The slide is a much better complement to the morph ball than the spring ball was to bomb jumping in Super Metroid/Zero Mission, and having to go through about 20-25% of the game on your first playthrough without the morph ball is brilliant because of this. You actively wish you had the morph ball as you realize just how much stuff requires it that can't be done with the slide. In fairness, the reverse isn't so much true. The morph ball kind of does make the slide irrelevant, as opposed to a basic movement option making a later upgrade irrelevant. But still, you can get some early momentum out of, say, sliding into a morph ball.
The balancing of the parry mechanic with just playing the game normally is REALLY good. I'm actually surprised how good it is and I imagine it took a lot of tinkering and caused a lot of headaches. Generally, if you want to gain some rewards back, you can kill a few enemies with a parry, which is much quicker than "grinding" for health and ammo was in earlier games. However, if you just want to play the game and have more consistent pacing while traversing, using beams or missiles is still pretty fast, sometimes slower or faster than just parrying depending on the enemy A.I. This is a lot better than what I've played of Samus Returns (which was about 2.5 hours or so), where parrying was always the correct move because it took so long to kill enemies normally, and thus it was always a pace breaker.
This game looks seriously amazing. The lighting, the shadows, the rendering ... its all (okay, except for some of the terminals) so crisp and clean. Seriously, some of the lighting, shadows and rendering make me think just how far the Switch has come, when a 2D game that is not being used as a benchmark for the system can look this delicious and run at 60fps. I'd almost say it is actually one of the better looking Switch titles the library has to offer, but I'd have to really think about it ...
I really like how creative the E.M.M.I. destruction gameplay segments are. Figuring out how to best use the small environment you're given ... locked in ... is just amazing. It allows you to admire the rooms the developers came up with a lot more, and what scenarios they've crafted. It's almost like a platformer in a weird way, not literally through gameplay but in how it all fits together, not a lot of action games really put this kind of emphasis on spacing in relation to the environment and in exactly this kind of way.
Also, the last two suits are amazing and possibly my favorite suit designs for Samus ever, Samus basically looking like the Seltas Queen from Monster Hunter is not something I knew I needed in my life! The art direction in general is great in this game. And the sound design ... a lot has been said about it, and it all is true. Its so atmospheric and engrossing.
The balancing of the parry mechanic with just playing the game normally is REALLY good. I'm actually surprised how good it is and I imagine it took a lot of tinkering and caused a lot of headaches. Generally, if you want to gain some rewards back, you can kill a few enemies with a parry, which is much quicker than "grinding" for health and ammo was in earlier games. However, if you just want to play the game and have more consistent pacing while traversing, using beams or missiles is still pretty fast, sometimes slower or faster than just parrying depending on the enemy A.I. This is a lot better than what I've played of Samus Returns (which was about 2.5 hours or so), where parrying was always the correct move because it took so long to kill enemies normally, and thus it was always a pace breaker.
This game looks seriously amazing. The lighting, the shadows, the rendering ... its all (okay, except for some of the terminals) so crisp and clean. Seriously, some of the lighting, shadows and rendering make me think just how far the Switch has come, when a 2D game that is not being used as a benchmark for the system can look this delicious and run at 60fps. I'd almost say it is actually one of the better looking Switch titles the library has to offer, but I'd have to really think about it ...
I really like how creative the E.M.M.I. destruction gameplay segments are. Figuring out how to best use the small environment you're given ... locked in ... is just amazing. It allows you to admire the rooms the developers came up with a lot more, and what scenarios they've crafted. It's almost like a platformer in a weird way, not literally through gameplay but in how it all fits together, not a lot of action games really put this kind of emphasis on spacing in relation to the environment and in exactly this kind of way.
Also, the last two suits are amazing and possibly my favorite suit designs for Samus ever, Samus basically looking like the Seltas Queen from Monster Hunter is not something I knew I needed in my life! The art direction in general is great in this game. And the sound design ... a lot has been said about it, and it all is true. Its so atmospheric and engrossing.
A lot more could be said about the game, but in the end I'm happy. I want to sit on it and process it a little, and most importantly replay it to see how it holds up to scrutiny, as all Metroid games should. I'm really excited to try hard mode later this year.
Overall, definitely one of the better games I've played this year. I'll have to finish more of the games that have come out recently to see exactly where it lands.
Dmax3901
Shriekbat
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Did you like follow a guide or anything? I'm vaguely interested in trying it but don't wanna get halfway through and realise I wasted 30 mins and won't beat it under 4 hours.
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Not trying to be rude and it’s not just you but the “lack of interconnection” is just such a bizarre take to me because when has that not been the case for Metroid? Literally every game’s zones are connected by elevators or whatever. I’m pretty sure the only time that’s not the case in Super is blowing up the glass tube merging Brinstar and Maridia.
Prime literally has zero areas not connected by elevators, it’s like the exact same format as Dread. Hell Dread even blends environments (for example as you get close to Cataris elevator in Artaria, you encounter some lava rooms.)
Now if you’re saying you just want Metroid to do that in general, I get it. But I’ve seen some people comparing it negatively to past games when it’s literally the exact same scenario and I don’t get it.
It’s definitely a loading time thing
Nisaba
Gamer of the Cosmos~
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I just want to say....Metroid Dread is AMAZING!! I'M CRYING
Samus is such an absolute unit....a badass....a queen....she is the moment
It's so good and I'm not even done yet
I think I'm only like 50% - 60% done (6hrs in)?? I'm trying to go slow and savour it.....also the bosses are hype but also hard but not in a badly designed way....it's beautiful ;u;
Samus is such an absolute unit....a badass....a queen....she is the moment
It's so good and I'm not even done yet
I think I'm only like 50% - 60% done (6hrs in)?? I'm trying to go slow and savour it.....also the bosses are hype but also hard but not in a badly designed way....it's beautiful ;u;
I just beat Drogyga....boy that was annoying underwater lol
That cutscene with Quiet Robe and Samus was so intense, I totally got so hype when Samus spoke gahhh
Also....I don't think I'm very good at fighting the robot chozo warriors, those guys are intense rip
That cutscene with Quiet Robe and Samus was so intense, I totally got so hype when Samus spoke gahhh
Also....I don't think I'm very good at fighting the robot chozo warriors, those guys are intense rip
Sterok
Rattata
Nah, this was my third run, so I more or less knew the route and how to fight the bosses.
Jimmy Joe
Good ol' Jimmy Joe
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This game feels instantly replayable in a way that other entries in the genre don't
Some Metroid-likes are so full, so packed to the brim with content and backtracking, that one might play them once and then never again. Dread is balanced in a way that makes me really enjoy the thought of cutting down playthrough time to a half, or even a third, of my initial game
Some Metroid-likes are so full, so packed to the brim with content and backtracking, that one might play them once and then never again. Dread is balanced in a way that makes me really enjoy the thought of cutting down playthrough time to a half, or even a third, of my initial game
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I really feel like I’m taking my sweet time compared to some of you. Y’all have got 100%, sometimes more than once, and done a hard mode run in the time it’s taken me to get 3/4 through my first playthrough!
A few thoughts from tonight’s play session:
A few thoughts from tonight’s play session:
-Lol it’s funny how the space jump makes the double jump completely irrelevant
-loved fighting two chozo robots at once, that was badass
-FINALLY got the gravity suit (and it’s the best it’s ever looked too)
-the BIG boss in Cataris scared me at first cause it looks so much like a Diggernaught-type fight, but it wasn’t nearly as hard as that robot motherfucker.
-loved fighting two chozo robots at once, that was badass
-FINALLY got the gravity suit (and it’s the best it’s ever looked too)
-the BIG boss in Cataris scared me at first cause it looks so much like a Diggernaught-type fight, but it wasn’t nearly as hard as that robot motherfucker.
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Magic-Man
Perseus Jackson
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Add a spoiler tag for the thoughts please.
brennywhy
The Baby
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Literally took me like 20 goes to beat that one lmao. I'm a lot further now and that's still probably the one I struggled the most with.has been kicking my butt so I’m exploring to try and get an extra energy tank but all I can find is missiles. At least I have lots of those nowKraid
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It's been a while since I've played any of them except Super (only about a year for the 2D games, which was the first time I got into them ironically enough, but about six years since Prime, which was also the first time I played that game) which I replayed a few months ago, so excuse me if I have bad memory, but I don't think this is the case.
From what I remember, Zero Mission is also very interconnected. A lot of online maps only highlight the elevator connections, but there is quite a few horizontal paths that are unlockable and merge the stages together. Super Metroid has a decent amount of elevators, but they're usually the first way or the last way you get into/out of an area, basically just an intro/outro to an area. In actuality, there is almost always a way one area connects to another that is natural (I.E. actually exists even without humanoid-made elevators). Tourian connects to Criteria, Critera connects to Wrecked Ship, and on a second layer Maridia connects to Brinstar. The only area that doesn't have another natural connection is Norfair. Obviously accounting for depth and themeing, not every area is going to have a non-elevator connection, but Super has at least one for almost every area.
Fusion and Samus Returns are pretty bad at this, but especially in regards to Fusion I wonder if the criticism of it being so linear ended up overshadowing this aspect of it, so the moment less linear games did it (Samus Returns and Dread), people didn't complain about the elevators. It's actually funny that you say this, because the final stretch of Fusion is so cool because the game starts interconnecting areas from what I remember (albeit in a very linear and scripted fashion).
Prime is a bit different and given I only played it once and that was 6 years ago, I'll admit that I remembered when you mentioned it just how elevator focused it was (which is funny because I've definitely made that connection prior to Dread that it is too elevator focused). Prime is not especially good at it either, but I will say at least Tallon Overworld has Sunken Frigate (technically not considered its own area I think but its about as long/longer than the Wrecked Ship from Super Metroid, which is its own area) and Impact Crater (actually considered one I think) directly linked to it. I'll also add the Prime games really have quite different goals from the 2D games, and that my expectations for Dread are based on the 2D ones. It's not like I'm asking for scan logs, for example.
It's possible though that you misunderstood my comment since you said
Fusion and Samus Returns are pretty bad at this, but especially in regards to Fusion I wonder if the criticism of it being so linear ended up overshadowing this aspect of it, so the moment less linear games did it (Samus Returns and Dread), people didn't complain about the elevators. It's actually funny that you say this, because the final stretch of Fusion is so cool because the game starts interconnecting areas from what I remember (albeit in a very linear and scripted fashion).
Prime is a bit different and given I only played it once and that was 6 years ago, I'll admit that I remembered when you mentioned it just how elevator focused it was (which is funny because I've definitely made that connection prior to Dread that it is too elevator focused). Prime is not especially good at it either, but I will say at least Tallon Overworld has Sunken Frigate (technically not considered its own area I think but its about as long/longer than the Wrecked Ship from Super Metroid, which is its own area) and Impact Crater (actually considered one I think) directly linked to it. I'll also add the Prime games really have quite different goals from the 2D games, and that my expectations for Dread are based on the 2D ones. It's not like I'm asking for scan logs, for example.
It's possible though that you misunderstood my comment since you said
The problem isn't the elevator connection, it's that that's ALL Dread has. Elevators are fine, but it used to be that areas that connected horizontally did so naturally, and that was much preferable. Given that Zero Mission and Super Metroid are pretty much the gold standard for 2D Metroid map design, and that Mercury Steam talked a lot about taking inspiration from Super Metroid, I don't think it's that crazy to think the game should have went in that direction, either.
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GrislyRaccoon
Moblin
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In super most areas was separated by elevators. Only in zero mission places were fairly interconnected.
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Aaand done! 100%, a bit more than 11 hours. What a game. Probably my favorite 2D Metroid. It was just a blast to play through. My one minor complaint in the beginning was that it was a bit too fast paced but I think that ends up working in the game's favor. I do generally prefer slower paced Metroidvanias but this worked well for Dread.
Kinda sad Raven Beak bit it at the end, he would've been a fun recurring antagonist. But I guess if Sakamoto wanted to make a clean break from the first 5 games it might not have been ideal to have the final villain of those games sticking around. Hopefully it doesn't affect his chances of getting into the next Smash, 'cause I predict he'll gain a following for that. In any case it is Metroid and he's made mention of cloning already, so he might still be back in the future.
Anyways, tremendous final boss fight. Thought his second phase had a bit too much health, especially considering it's the only phase with no way to regen resources, but that's basically my only complaint. Took me 4 tries, which was a lot fewer than I was expecting from what I had heard about the fight. Of course, the fact that I went for 100% before the fight probably made it easier, though I was already pretty much topped out on health at least before the victory lap.
Shame Samus wasn't captured at the end so we couldn't have a "The Last Metroid is in Captivity" moment. The Metroid Suit was cool, as was the buildup to it. I wonder if Quiet Robe X cured her Metroid-ness completely or if it was just a temporary measure.
Excited to see where Nintendo and Mercury Steam take the series from here! Provided Dread is a success and they keep working together, of course
Anyways, tremendous final boss fight. Thought his second phase had a bit too much health, especially considering it's the only phase with no way to regen resources, but that's basically my only complaint. Took me 4 tries, which was a lot fewer than I was expecting from what I had heard about the fight. Of course, the fact that I went for 100% before the fight probably made it easier, though I was already pretty much topped out on health at least before the victory lap.
Shame Samus wasn't captured at the end so we couldn't have a "The Last Metroid is in Captivity" moment. The Metroid Suit was cool, as was the buildup to it. I wonder if Quiet Robe X cured her Metroid-ness completely or if it was just a temporary measure.
Excited to see where Nintendo and Mercury Steam take the series from here! Provided Dread is a success and they keep working together, of course
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I'm pretty sure this is not correct, unless you mean that each area didn't connect to literally every other area in the game, which would obviously be true. Each area, except for one, had a natural connection to at least one other area in Super Metroid. Both Zero Mission and Super Metroid do this pretty well. Albeit in both games some of these connections are optional/not main-path.
Super Metroid:
Crateria connects to Wrecked Ship, Cretia Connects to Tourian, 3 places naturally connected. On the second layer Brinstar and Maridia also connect without elevators.
Norfair is the only place with no connections beside elevators.
Zero Mission:
Crateria connects to Chozodia, Chozodia connects to the Space Pirate Mothership, Kraid connects to Ridley, Kraid connects to Norfair.
The only place(s) that seem to have no connection besides elevators are Ridley and Tourian.
Both games more or less use a "layer" system. The map at the bottom isn't likely to have any natural connections, because ... well, it's at the bottom. It just makes thematic sense. But areas that are on the same layer tend to be connected pretty naturally, whether optional or not.
Moltres006
Moblin
And the subtitle of Metroid 6 is.......
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Hmmm I never really thought that was the case tbh. I mean the wrecked ship and tourian were more sub areas to me, but I get what you mean. Super definitely is mostly elevators for the critical path.
Zero Mission I’ll give you it’s been a while since I played it and that very well could be the case and I think I do remember more blended connections, but that also is a very compact game compared to Dread
GrislyRaccoon
Moblin
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Agreed on this take as well.
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I understand your and Grisly's perspectives, and I definitely think it's fair. I believe my map comparison does a pretty good job of illustrating my point. But honestly I would say even without Wrecked Ship and Tourian, it doesn't change the point all too much. The cool thing about horizontal connection between areas is A ) It solidifies the places you're visiting are part of a real, breathing world and B ) it doesn't stop gameplay flow. Saying that some areas are bigger than others and thus smaller areas don't really count doesn't really change that you have 3 separate areas interconnected, because the point of areas in a Metroid game isn't their size, it's how critical the items in them are to progression and that those areas are extremely distinct from one another. The point isn't a numbers game of areas, the point is that a decent chunk of the game is spent traversing areas that feel connected in a tangible way. Even if we took out those areas, in Super for example, wouldn't Brinstar and Maridia be the biggest section of the game map wise, and some of the longest parts in the entire game too?
I don't know, as someone who played both Super and Zero relatively recently, I feel I personally would be downplaying the incredible worldbuilding to say there is not a fair amount of horizontal progression, or that it is not one of the great elements of those games. Even if some of it is optional, I mean ... this is 2D Metroid we're talking about. But I totally get how some people don't see it this way, or don't personally care, or see it as a nitpick. Just, I wouldn't say it has always been this way, at least not for the two best 2D Metroid games it wasn't.
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I will say I think if they could do it, they would. I agree with you that It’s of course a great thing. I just really think the elevators/shuttles are a loading time thing, exactly how primes are (down to the Samus riding it animation).
In fact I’d argue they really wanted to, going by how the environments blend the closer you get to the elevator transitions (Artaria becoming hot as you near Cataris, more rocks and water as you near Burenia from Dairon). So I think they were definitely paying attention to the world building thing you were talking about
