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StarTopic Metroid Dread |ST| The Chozon One

Reader mode
TheSpaceBetween said:
Where have you been the last 5+ years 🤪
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good question. the reboot killed my hype back then. But after getting Metroid Dread I can actually look forward to Prime 4.
Because no matter how long it takes....I at least have Dread in the meantime. and chances aren't even that low that I will end up liking it more then Prime.
 
Dread definitely did a lot to make me care again. I have to go into regular Metroid fan hibernations to protect my mental health, and then that new game taste reminds me why I care so much all over again.
 
Pflaumenmus12 said:
good question. the reboot killed my hype back then. But after getting Metroid Dread I can actually look forward to Prime 4.
Because no matter how long it takes....I at least have Dread in the meantime. and chances aren't even that low that I will end up liking it more then Prime.
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I envy you. Prime 4 has occupied a space in my mind every single day since it's announcement lol.
 
While the thread is bumped, I just gotta say, it's still so surreal that Dread is a game that exists. Languishes entirely as a rumor while the series goes into hibernation, only to be revived under the same name and releases as the first wholly original 2D Metroid in 19 years, and to top it off it's one of the most beloved entries in the series. Looking back, it really does feel like a miracle. Fusion still the GOAT though
 
Taking the thread-bump as an excuse to say that Dread has cemented itself as my favourite game of the Switch era, and also that the subtitle for this thread is probably the best I have seen on this forum.

Will definitely replay this gem in October, unless there might be other Metroid content dropping around that time, wink wink, nudge nudge.
 
Paxie said:
While the thread is bumped, I just gotta say, it's still so surreal that Dread is a game that exists. Languishes entirely as a rumor while the series goes into hibernation, only to be revived under the same name and releases as the first wholly original 2D Metroid in 19 years, and to top it off it's one of the most beloved entries in the series. Looking back, it really does feel like a miracle. Fusion still the GOAT though
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It is, indeed, surreal. It's a game I'd waited most of my life for, and then, one day, out of nowhere, it was announced. Just like that!

For me, Dread left a bit to be desired, namely in the music, and lore categories (what happened to the Etecoons and Dachoras?) but I think that's normal, for any game folks have been waiting on for nearly two decades. I still ultimately feel that it's in the upper echelon of Metroid games, and also that its gameplay is easily the best in the series, thus far. I can't wait to see where we go from here. If Nintendo's partnership with MercurySteam continues, I'm fully expecting them to refine their craft even further, the next time around.
 
I just thinking the other day "I haven't played Dread since launch". I might pick it back up after Xenoblade 3 is finished.

Still stuck at 99% on my run though...
 
Aurc said:
It is, indeed, surreal. It's a game I'd waited most of my life for, and then, one day, out of nowhere, it was announced. Just like that!

For me, Dread left a bit to be desired, namely in the music, and lore categories (what happened to the Etecoons and Dachoras?) but I think that's normal, for any game folks have been waiting on for nearly two decades. I still ultimately feel that it's in the upper echelon of Metroid games, and also that its gameplay is easily the best in the series, thus far. I can't wait to see where we go from here. If Nintendo's partnership with MercurySteam continues, I'm fully expecting them to refine their craft even further, the next time around.
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Dread is my second favorite. If it wasn't for the poor music and characterization of Samus it'd easily be my favorite, I'm really happy MS decided on making it Fusion 2.

EDIT: Forgot to put "MS and Nintendo" woops
 
Im playing Dread Mode, at first I thought its going to be frustrating, but not, Im loving it.

-Early grapple beam✅
-Early bombs ✅
-Early Super Missiles✅

Right now im heading to Ferenia. Man I love this game!
 
SMALLVILLE BOY said:
Im playing Dread Mode, at first I thought its going to be frustrating, but not, Im loving it.

-Early grapple beam✅
-Early bombs ✅
-Early Super Missiles✅

Right now im heading to Ferenia. Man I love this game!
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I also thought that Dread would just be this frustrating type of game mode I'll never really play. Thats why I was waiting so long to play it but I absolutely loved my time with it.
 
0
Kreese said:
I still maintain it's one of the best sidescrollers ever made.... if not the best.
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wholeheartedly agree. Can't believe something edged out Tropical Freeze or Super Metroid for me. But here we are.
 
0
-Skip Drogyga Boss Figth ✅

Now Im heading to Ghavoran (But from below this time).
I love the sequence breaking possibilities in this game, the devs nailed it.
 
I love how discussion for this game is still going strong. I see posts every day with people pulling crazy stunts or zero damage boss fights. I don't know if I have it in me to do a speed run or the highest difficulties, but I may revisit the game to try out some sequence breaks.

I haven't played it since October, so I will likely be a bit rusty if I go back to it. It's great how many possibilities the game has for changing things up across playthroughs!
 
Kreese said:
I still maintain it's one of the best sidescrollers ever made.... if not the best.
Click to expand...

It's definitely up there. Music and art direction ultimately hold it back from me putting it above something like Tropical Freeze, which is the complete package in just about every conceivable way. But Dread is just so, sooooo fun to play and replay again and again.
 
Hey y'all!!
I'm on vacation on my university so I'm gonna play my backlog and rent Metroid Dread to drive depression away(Super saved me back in 2018).
I saw it can be completed in 9 hours and 100% in like 15. But the game is hard...
Is 15 days a good amount of time to complete the main story? Just want to know whether I'll rent for 2 weeks or 1 month.
 
Marce-chan said:
Hey y'all!!
I'm on vacation on my university so I'm gonna play my backlog and rent Metroid Dread to drive depression away(Super saved me back in 2018).
I saw it can be completed in 9 hours and 100% in like 15. But the game is hard...
Is 15 days a good amount of time to complete the main story? Just want to know whether I'll rent for 2 weeks or 1 month.
Click to expand...
If you're playing every day, yeah I think you should probably beat it in that time. Depending on how experienced you are at Metroid games and action platformers in general. It's a pretty big game, but there's a very detailed map system, and if the combat is too hard, there's a Rookie mode that makes it a bit easier.

EDIT: Also it's mostly the boss battles that are really hard. And the game is very generous with save points, health refills, and auto-saves. So you rarely lose much time from deaths.
 
Erimgard said:
If you're playing every day, yeah I think you should probably beat it in that time. Depending on how experienced you are at Metroid games and action platformers in general. It's a pretty big game, but there's a very detailed map system, and if the combat is too hard, there's a Rookie mode that makes it a bit easier.

EDIT: Also it's mostly the boss battles that are really hard. And the game is very generous with save points, health refills, and auto-saves. So you rarely lose much time from deaths.
Click to expand...
Thank you very much!! If anything I can just extend for one more week, but I'm probably gonna be playing all day so the two weeks might be enough haha. Gonna rent it rn!!
 
Dread is so good that I - someone who doesn't usually click with Metroidvania or boss fights - finished it within a week of release, and immediately did a Hard playthrough. As far as new first-party Switch games go - or heck, Switch games in general - it's in the tippity top.
 
Aurc said:
They're not available for pre-order yet (will probably be awhile before the E.M.M.I. in particular is up for sale, being that it was just revealed for the first time), but once they are, they'll be here:

GOODSMILE GLOBAL ONLINE SHOP | Homepage

goodsmileshop.com goodsmileshop.com

I'll be sure to post about them, once they go up.
Click to expand...
You're a hero, friend.

I keep getting anxiety any time Good Smile posts any info on them because I think I'm missing the pre-order rush.

And yes I 100% am buying these. (I have 2 of the First4Figures statues so like, money is no object when it comes to my beloved Metroid)
 
Killing Experiment Z-57 with a Shinespark is the most satisfiyng thing I ever had with this game, dude that Boss was tough in dread mode.

images
 
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Seeing the mention of Z-57 reminded me of how cool (no pun intended) the freezing section was. It really made me think back to Fusion having this constantly shifting status quo for each of the sectors. Wish they did more of that.
 
Paxie said:
Seeing the mention of Z-57 reminded me of how cool (no pun intended) the freezing section was. It really made me think back to Fusion having this constantly shifting status quo for each of the sectors. Wish they did more of that.
Click to expand...
I was disappointed that Dread, although framed as taking after Fusion, and having more of a horror focus, was sorely lacking in those "panic events", that made the course of Fusion's story develop in an exciting, unpredictable fashion. Moments such as having to stop the X from sabotaging B.S.L.'s cooling system, Nightmare making a sudden appearance, or the power outage that leads to a confrontation against Yakuza, all went a long way in making it feel as though things were never really going according to plan, even despite the rigid boundaries and direction imposed upon Samus by Adam, and the Federation.

Fusion was, of course, a highly scripted game, limited by the GBA's hardware capabilities in what it could achieve, albeit, with an extremely convincing illusion of spontaneity. Dread obviously succeeds in creating a vastly more complex, dynamic foe than the SA-X, in the E.M.M.I., but despite releasing two decades after Fusion, the sense of horror simply wasn't conveyed nearly as well, I feel. Experiment No. Z-57 attempting to freeze ZDR was a neat Fusion callback, of sorts, but it didn't quite get me to feel the dread that Fusion made me feel.

MercurySteam wants to remake Fusion. That much we know, as it's what they originally pitched to Nintendo, before Sakamoto suggested they should work on a remake of Metroid II, instead. It'd be interesting to see their take on it, to be sure. I only hope they can capture what makes Fusion special to a lot of us, and dial up the horror elements to great extent, as opposed to downplaying them.
 
Aurc said:
I was disappointed that Dread, although framed as taking after Fusion, and having more of a horror focus, was sorely lacking in those "panic events", that made the course of Fusion's story develop in an exciting, unpredictable fashion. Moments such as having to stop the X from sabotaging B.S.L.'s cooling system, Nightmare making a sudden appearance, or the power outage that leads to a confrontation against Yakuza, all went a long way in making it feel as though things were never really going according to plan, even despite the rigid boundaries and direction imposed upon Samus by Adam, and the Federation.

Fusion was, of course, a highly scripted game, limited by the GBA's hardware capabilities in what it could achieve, albeit, with an extremely convincing illusion of spontaneity. Dread obviously succeeds in creating a vastly more complex, dynamic foe than the SA-X, in the E.M.M.I., but despite releasing two decades after Fusion, the sense of horror simply wasn't conveyed nearly as well, I feel. Experiment No. Z-57 attempting to freeze ZDR was a neat Fusion callback, of sorts, but it didn't quite get me to feel the dread that Fusion made me feel.

MercurySteam wants to remake Fusion. That much we know, as it's what they originally pitched to Nintendo, before Sakamoto suggested they should work on a remake of Metroid II, instead. It'd be interesting to see their take on it, to be sure. I only hope they can capture what makes Fusion special to a lot of us, and dial up the horror elements to great extent, as opposed to downplaying them.
Click to expand...
Very well said.

It's odd to me that Dread felt so much less... Organic, in its story events and the way they effect your surroundings, than Fusion - despite being a much more technically advanced game. It didn't feel like that was taken advantage of nearly as much as I would have hoped, especially when it had probably the biggest major event of the two games (a total infection of ZDR) transpire as a result of your actions.

I know a lot of folks decry Fusion's heavy scripting and talk up the EMMI as superior in that the encounters with them are much more dynamic, but personally I don't think that approach lent itself as well to a 2D sidescroller as Fusion's scripting did. It made the game feel tighter and the events feel much more impactful IMO.
 
Aurc said:
I was disappointed that Dread, although framed as taking after Fusion, and having more of a horror focus, was sorely lacking in those "panic events", that made the course of Fusion's story develop in an exciting, unpredictable fashion. Moments such as having to stop the X from sabotaging B.S.L.'s cooling system, Nightmare making a sudden appearance, or the power outage that leads to a confrontation against Yakuza, all went a long way in making it feel as though things were never really going according to plan, even despite the rigid boundaries and direction imposed upon Samus by Adam, and the Federation.

Fusion was, of course, a highly scripted game, limited by the GBA's hardware capabilities in what it could achieve, albeit, with an extremely convincing illusion of spontaneity. Dread obviously succeeds in creating a vastly more complex, dynamic foe than the SA-X, in the E.M.M.I., but despite releasing two decades after Fusion, the sense of horror simply wasn't conveyed nearly as well, I feel. Experiment No. Z-57 attempting to freeze ZDR was a neat Fusion callback, of sorts, but it didn't quite get me to feel the dread that Fusion made me feel.

MercurySteam wants to remake Fusion. That much we know, as it's what they originally pitched to Nintendo, before Sakamoto suggested they should work on a remake of Metroid II, instead. It'd be interesting to see their take on it, to be sure. I only hope they can capture what makes Fusion special to a lot of us, and dial up the horror elements to great extent, as opposed to downplaying them.
Click to expand...
The bolded is what makes Fusion so great to me. Many decried the linearity, but they put the narrative focus to fantastic use and the more I think about it the more I believe that Fusion is the best-paced game I have ever played. If not for both the blackout section and the one immediately after, I would consider it perfect.

I will say, as someone who never properly experienced the fear of SA-X as a kid, the EMMIs are imo better. Like you say, they're more dynamic (which is the rub with SA-X - its encounters are so scripted that once you figure them out, the tension evaporates on subsequent playthroughs), and the "holy shit" moment you get from killing one when it was in 3 feet of you is great. Also, I actually just remembered the Varia Suit sequence in Dread. That's another good example of a Fusion-esque moment.

At first when I heard they wanted to remake Fusion instead of M2, I thought it was good that they got put on something that could get much more use out of a remake. That was until I happened a video of a Fusion hack that had multiple SA-X chasing Samus at once, which put me firmly in the "remake this shit NOW" camp. A Fusion that retains its bomb-ass pacing and realizes the potential of its endgame plot points would be incredible.

As an aside, I think they should continue to iterate on the EMMI/SA-X for Metroid 6 and beyond. Trying to out-maneuver an overpowering, non-scripted enemy throughout an entire map in a game series already all about pathing through the world could really engaging if done in the right amounts. So basically, turn Metroid into 2D Resident Evil. It would actually be nice to see how Nintendo would handle a non-17+ survival horror game, especially since it's been over 2 decades since the original Luigi's Mansion.
 
Aurc said:
I was disappointed that Dread, although framed as taking after Fusion, and having more of a horror focus, was sorely lacking in those "panic events", that made the course of Fusion's story develop in an exciting, unpredictable fashion.
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Meanwhile my roommate had to stop playing the game because the EMMIs were literally giving him panic attacks. I definitely agree that Fusion felt like it had more memorable developments happening on the station though
 
The thing is, maybe Sakamoto & MercurySteam didn’t wanted to make a Fusion 2.0 game. None of the Metroid game are the same if you look closer, they all have their own feel and it’s great this way.
 
Y'all that final boss is hard AF!! I was feeling pain in my hands after I dropped the ball and decided I'm better giving up and keep trying tomorrow.
 
As much as I love Fusion (my favorite 2D Metroid), I don't particularly want a remake of it. I'm much more interested in how they're going to evolve the series now that the story arc has concluded. I'm hoping for some more significant change here. Basically, do something as bold as Other M, but without all the flaws. I know, easier said than done.

At this point, I wonder how many Metroid games Sakamoto has left in him, and I don't want the twilight of his career being spent on remakes.
 
Finished the game at 10:36:02, total of 22:23:13 play time, defeated 438 times (!!!).
Absolutely a masterpiece. One of the best games I've ever played for sure. I don't know just yet if I prefer this over Super and Fusion, but I think I do, everything on it was so perfect I can't put in words. Also is it just me that played Super and Fusion like 4 years ago or Dread really has more difficult boss fights?

damn those plot twists were insane!! When Raven Bleak started to choke Samus I was like "okay I should've missed a quick time event and am going to get a game over or a bad alt ending" then Samus goes full berserk and WOW!!! SHE BECOMING A METROID 😭😭😭😭. The classic scape in 3 minutes sequence being present was great too. Then Adam telling her not to touch the ship, then it's actually her other dad 😢🥺❤️. I got the Metroid Zero Mission art as a reward, anybody knows what that means?.
 
TheSpaceBetween said:
As much as I love Fusion (my favorite 2D Metroid), I don't particularly want a remake of it. I'm much more interested in how they're going to evolve the series now that the story arc has concluded. I'm hoping for some more significant change here. Basically, do something as bold as Other M, but without all the flaws. I know, easier said than done.

At this point, I wonder how many Metroid games Sakamoto has left in him, and I don't want the twilight of his career being spent on remakes.
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I really want to see where the story goes next. Wish we got something like a standalone DLC of what happened right after Dread ends.

But maybe they go on a different route and introduce a new enemy or make a prequel to Metroid 1. Reboot maybe? What if Prime 4 is a reboot of all franchise and unifies the timelines? Idk but I'm really excited for the future. Please Nintendo just announce Prime Remastered already!!
 
ElisaurusWrecks said:
Very well said.

It's odd to me that Dread felt so much less... Organic, in its story events and the way they effect your surroundings, than Fusion - despite being a much more technically advanced game. It didn't feel like that was taken advantage of nearly as much as I would have hoped, especially when it had probably the biggest major event of the two games (a total infection of ZDR) transpire as a result of your actions.

I know a lot of folks decry Fusion's heavy scripting and talk up the EMMI as superior in that the encounters with them are much more dynamic, but personally I don't think that approach lent itself as well to a 2D sidescroller as Fusion's scripting did. It made the game feel tighter and the events feel much more impactful IMO.
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Yup, I agree... with your agreement. 😅 To me, Dread is a 10/10 in the gameplay department, but Fusion is a 10/10 at creating dynamic, compelling story / event progression! I also really wish they let Samus talk to Adam, just like at the end of Fusion. She's suddenly mute again, save for a couple lines. I get why they did it (to lend increased gravitas to that moment where she does talk, which is an incredible one, to be clear), but it's not an organic character progression, to me. More of a regression, imo. I'm interested in hearing what Samus has to say! All the action shots are dope, but there's also a person in that suit, y'know? I know this take is often divisive, and that there's a contingent of the fandom content with Samus uttering hardly a word, for the duration of her mission, but not me. I just can't get behind that.
Paxie said:
The bolded is what makes Fusion so great to me. Many decried the linearity, but they put the narrative focus to fantastic use and the more I think about it the more I believe that Fusion is the best-paced game I have ever played. If not for both the blackout section and the one immediately after, I would consider it perfect.

I will say, as someone who never properly experienced the fear of SA-X as a kid, the EMMIs are imo better. Like you say, they're more dynamic (which is the rub with SA-X - its encounters are so scripted that once you figure them out, the tension evaporates on subsequent playthroughs), and the "holy shit" moment you get from killing one when it was in 3 feet of you is great. Also, I actually just remembered the Varia Suit sequence in Dread. That's another good example of a Fusion-esque moment.

At first when I heard they wanted to remake Fusion instead of M2, I thought it was good that they got put on something that could get much more use out of a remake. That was until I happened a video of a Fusion hack that had multiple SA-X chasing Samus at once, which put me firmly in the "remake this shit NOW" camp. A Fusion that retains its bomb-ass pacing and realizes the potential of its endgame plot points would be incredible.

As an aside, I think they should continue to iterate on the EMMI/SA-X for Metroid 6 and beyond. Trying to out-maneuver an overpowering, non-scripted enemy throughout an entire map in a game series already all about pathing through the world could really engaging if done in the right amounts. So basically, turn Metroid into 2D Resident Evil. It would actually be nice to see how Nintendo would handle a non-17+ survival horror game, especially since it's been over 2 decades since the original Luigi's Mansion.
Click to expand...
Great post! I do still find the SA-X to be more unsettling than the E.M.M.I., but part of that, I suppose, is down to me having played Fusion long ago, as a young kid, and therefor having an extremely high level of bias, in its favor. The rest of it is owed to the SA-X being far more innately connected to Samus than the E.M.M.I. are, obviously due to it being her, but as a remorseless, Terminator-like killing machine.

Most folks don't seem to fully appreciate just why Fusion is so linear. It's a highly deliberate subversion of the previous game (Super), in a few different ways.

Super is among the most open-ended games in the series, offering minimal guidance, and popularizing sequence breaking, enabling Samus to obtain certain upgrades earlier than intended. Fusion, of course, stands in stark contrast to this, imposing heavy restrictions on where Samus is allowed to be, and what upgrades she's permitted to access. This design choice is not an arbitrary one, as the game is specifically structured this manner, in order to snatch away any sense of freedom, or control, that the player may have expected, coming off Super. The gameplay and narrative work in tandem to support each other, with Samus having a near-death experience at the very beginning, subsequently leaving her in the weakest state she's ever found herself in. As if that's not enough, the Federation immediately sends her back out on another mission, as she's the only one who can safely combat the threat of the X!

Throughout the duration of her mission on B.S.L., Samus is made to feel especially powerless, heavily juxtaposed by the fact that she's forced to hide from a twisted copy of herself, mimicking her at the apex of her power. All the while, she contemplates the nature of one's humanity, and whether entities like the SA-X, or Federation computer, could ever be capable of feeling anything resembling human emotion.

At a certain point in the story, we come to find out the Etecoons and Dachoras that Samus saved from Zebes's impending destruction are safe, and the only other organisms aboard the station free from X infection (mirroring their status on Zebes, as being among the only non-hostile life forms left on the planet), as if to serve as a beacon of hope, and a reminder of Samus's own humanity. It's worth noting that saving these friendly critters was completely optional, in Super. There's obviously an ending in which the Etecoons and Dachoras perish, and Samus makes it off the planet alive, but that's not the canonical occurrence. Rather, Samus makes the choice to take that detour, and to save the innocent creatures that aided her previously.

In the end, Samus makes a momentous decision: even despite her weakened state, and despite having taken the Federation's orders for the entire course of the mission, she chooses to enforce her own autonomy, and act in defiance of the Federation's plans... and in doing so, reawakens Adam's humanity, as well. The SA-X may have been highly effective in mimicking Samus's upgrades, but it could never hope to mimic her soul.
KxVcChw.jpg
Click to expand...
It's a recurring theme, in the Metroid series: we save others, and in turn, they save us. Samus and the infant Metroid, Samus and the Etecoons and Dachoras, Samus and Adam. All of it ties right back into that orphaned little girl, who was graciously rescued by bird people, and accepted as one of their own. That's the heart of the Metroid story.

This is something that Dread was missing, to some extent. Samus is so much more than a glorified action figure that scores flashy boss kills. We didn't get any word on what became of the Etecoons and Dachoras (which are more important than a lot of people realize), and we didn't get Samus talking to the Adam that she so clearly would have realized wasn't actually the one she helped find his humanity, back on B.S.L., if she had only been afforded the opportunity to have a conversation with him.

(Along that same wavelength, why on Earth does the real Adam say "The bounty for this mission does not seem appropriate", during the opening cutscene? He should know Samus doesn't give a single fuck in the galaxy about the money, considering she was literally willing to sacrifice her life at the end of Fusion, in order to ensure the demise of the X Parasites... and now they're seemingly back to threaten the peace of the universe, once more. Why ignore that vital character development? Is Adam back to being a generic computer again? Not the greatest writing! You need to respect your characters, and your lore.)

At least there was that exchange with Quiet Robe. Thank goodness for that wonderful scene. In general, though, Other M leans way too hard into a misogynistic depiction of Samus, as a woman ruled by her emotions, whereas Dread overcorrects against that, heading in the complete opposite direction, depicting Samus as little more than a cool robot. Can we get back to middle ground, and showcase her as the well-rounded, brilliant character she is?

(I'm terribly sorry. I somehow ended up turning this post into a Metroid essay, of sorts. It all comes from a place of love, though!)
 
Aurc said:
Yup, I agree... with your agreement. 😅 To me, Dread is a 10/10 in the gameplay department, but Fusion is a 10/10 at creating dynamic, compelling story / event progression! I also really wish they let Samus talk to Adam, just like at the end of Fusion. She's suddenly mute again, save for a couple lines. I get why they did it (to lend increased gravitas to that moment where she does talk, which is an incredible one, to be clear), but it's not an organic character progression, to me. More of a regression, imo. I'm interested in hearing what Samus has to say! All the action shots are dope, but there's also a person in that suit, y'know? I know this take is often divisive, and that there's a contingent of the fandom content with Samus uttering hardly a word, for the duration of her mission, but not me. I just can't get behind that.

Great post! I do still find the SA-X to be more unsettling than the E.M.M.I., but part of that, I suppose, is down to me having played Fusion long ago, as a young kid, and therefor having an extremely high level of bias, in its favor. The rest of it is owed to the SA-X being far more innately connected to Samus than the E.M.M.I. are, obviously due to it being her, but as a remorseless, Terminator-like killing machine.

Most folks don't seem to fully appreciate just why Fusion is so linear. It's a highly deliberate subversion of the previous game (Super), in a few different ways.

Super is among the most open-ended games in the series, offering minimal guidance, and popularizing sequence breaking, enabling Samus to obtain certain upgrades earlier than intended. Fusion, of course, stands in stark contrast to this, imposing heavy restrictions on where Samus is allowed to be, and what upgrades she's permitted to access. This design choice is not an arbitrary one, as the game is specifically structured this manner, in order to snatch away any sense of freedom, or control, that the player may have expected, coming off Super. The gameplay and narrative work in tandem to support each other, with Samus having a near-death experience at the very beginning, subsequently leaving her in the weakest state she's ever found herself in. As if that's not enough, the Federation immediately sends her back out on another mission, as she's the only one who can safely combat the threat of the X!

Throughout the duration of her mission on B.S.L., Samus is made to feel especially powerless, heavily juxtaposed by the fact that she's forced to hide from a twisted copy of herself, mimicking her at the apex of her power. All the while, she contemplates the nature of one's humanity, and whether entities like the SA-X, or Federation computer, could ever be capable of feeling anything resembling human emotion.

At a certain point in the story, we come to find out the Etecoons and Dachoras that Samus saved from Zebes's impending destruction are safe, and the only other organisms aboard the station free from X infection (mirroring their status on Zebes, as being among the only non-hostile life forms left on the planet), as if to serve as a beacon of hope, and a reminder of Samus's own humanity. It's worth noting that saving these friendly critters was completely optional, in Super. There's obviously an ending in which the Etecoons and Dachoras perish, and Samus makes it off the planet alive, but that's not the canonical occurrence. Rather, Samus makes the choice to take that detour, and to save the innocent creatures that aided her previously.

In the end, Samus makes a momentous decision: even despite her weakened state, and despite having taken the Federation's orders for the entire course of the mission, she chooses to enforce her own autonomy, and act in defiance of the Federation's plans... and in doing so, reawakens Adam's humanity, as well. The SA-X may have been highly effective in mimicking Samus's upgrades, but it could never hope to mimic her soul.

It's a recurring theme, in the Metroid series: we save others, and in turn, they save us. Samus and the infant Metroid, Samus and the Etecoons and Dachoras, Samus and Adam. All of it ties right back into that orphaned little girl, who was graciously rescued by bird people, and accepted as one of their own. That's the heart of the Metroid story.

This is something that Dread was missing, to some extent. Samus is so much more than a glorified action figure that scores flashy boss kills. We didn't get any word on what became of the Etecoons and Dachoras (which are more important than a lot of people realize), and we didn't get Samus talking to the Adam that she so clearly would have realized wasn't actually the one she helped find his humanity, back on B.S.L., if she had only been afforded the opportunity to have a conversation with him.

(Along that same wavelength, why on Earth does the real Adam say "The bounty for this mission does not seem appropriate", during the opening cutscene? He should know Samus doesn't give a single fuck in the galaxy about the money, considering she was literally willing to sacrifice her life at the end of Fusion, in order to ensure the demise of the X Parasites... and now they're seemingly back to threaten the peace of the universe, once more. Why ignore that vital character development? Is Adam back to being a generic computer again? Not the greatest writing! You need to respect your characters, and your lore.)

At least there was that exchange with Quiet Robe. Thank goodness for that wonderful scene. In general, though, Other M leans way too hard into a misogynistic depiction of Samus, as a woman ruled by her emotions, whereas Dread overcorrects against that, heading in the complete opposite direction, depicting Samus as little more than a cool robot. Can we get back to middle ground, and showcase her as the well-rounded, brilliant character she is?

(I'm terribly sorry. I somehow ended up turning this post into a Metroid essay, of sorts. It all comes from a place of love, though!)
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What's funny is that in the Japanese script of Other M, Samus's main arc is actually about her constantly telling Adam to fuck off and trying to prove her agency. Not only did Other M steal plot points from Fusion, but its themes too.

Also speaking of Metroid Dread's treatment of Samus, I 100% agree. You're telling me that when she sees a Chozo, the species that raised and quite literally made her who she is today, for the first time in god knows how long and the first thing he does is try to kill her, she doesn't flinch? Just no reaction at all? C'mon now. It's a shame that this point has very muddied by Other M's shadow and that awful comment in that Kotaku article.

(Also, while we're talking about Samus's portrayal, I'm gonna drop a very spicy take: Conceptually, the Ridley scene in Other M was fine. If anything, the number of times Samus fights Ridley before OM actually makes the scene more sensical - the bastard ate her parents, refuses to stay down for good, and when his corpse is pulverised along with the Space Pirates in general, it seems like she might finally be free... and then he comes back. The real reason the scene sucks is that the game surrounding it has very bad storytelling that was compounded by a just-as-bad localization. Also, kind of wrapping around to how that's affected Dread, I hate the idea that if someone is characterized as strong or stoic, they aren't allowed to have a breaking point. The idea that it is "inconsistent" is not only absurd but reinforcing of awful views regarding mental health.

P.S. I don't think the bounty comment was anything too out of line, it can read as concern for Samus or just sarcasm.
 
I'm now a couple of hours into the game, long past where I put it down last time, and wow. I've never been more happy to be wrong; Metroid Dread is fucking fantastic. This reply in particular changed my whole perspective on the game:

Erimgard said:
My advice on EMMIs would be to pay attention to your surroundings and stay on the move. Most of the time it's better to treat the room as a parkour course rather than an operation in stealth. Find obstacles you can loop around to buy yourself time to calm down and think/locate an exit.

What Aurc said about the counters is very important too. The game really tricks you into believing you only get one opportunity when it's two.
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Looking back to my first attempt at a playthrough, this is totally what was causing me a bad time. I leaned way too hard into the game's explanation that an E.M.M.I can hear you, and therefore tried to take it slow...to my frequent demise. Thinking of their zones with a "parkour as fast as you can!" mindset instantly turned the tide! Absolutely loving this game now, can't wait to get back to it tonight.
 
I finished the game at 49% items and still have a week left on the renting. Idk if I ask the person who rented it to me if I can try another game or if I try to catch more items and continue boss rush. I think that I can get tired of the game if I jump on a new playthrough right away? Idk fami help me lol.
 
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