One of Nintendo’s flagship properties is Metroid and more recently the Metroid Prime series. While fans have been waiting on news for Metroid Prime 4 which was first revealed at E3 2017, there’s currently no update except developers are continuing to work on the game. That didn’t stop Nintendo, however, from announcing a brand new mainline Metroid title that delivers classic gameplay with upgraded abilities and a new story.
Metroid Dreadtakes place after the eradication of the X parasite in 2002’s Metroid Fusion. On planet ZDR a strain of the parasite was discovered and robots called E.M.M.I. created by the Galactic Federation were sent to take care of the threat. Now, it seems they’re unresponsive and Samus is sent to investigate only to find them roaming about and attacking her using sound and visual detection. Playing this game requires utilizing Samus' old skills and new features. You are equipped with the blaster and missile launcher to take down creatures. There are close-range melee attacks and counters that are useful against certain enemies but she now has the ability to freely aim at targets.
The Spider Magnet allows Samus to electro-magnetically cling to surfaces such as walls or elevators to traverse various areas and sliding along the ground is a new way to squeeze through tight spaces when the Morph Ball cannot. Some boss fights require her to slide underneath to gain an upper hand. Even with all this in her arsenal, the E.M.M.I. are impervious to attacks. They’re going to be the primary threat against Samus so making use of a new ability, the Phantom Cloak, will come in handy. It camouflages her entire body for a short period of time to go undetected. If you are walking around while using it, its energy runs out quicker and starts taking away health points.
[embed width=“698”]https://youtu.be/afUI8nIrGgI
You’ll have to use a lot of sneaky maneuvers when dealing with these enemies, but this goes in line with traditional Metroid gameplay from the past. Samus can only use what is available to her until a power-up is obtained. Trekking through this alien world, going back and forth between areas that were previously inaccessible and exploring even deeper are all at the core of Metroid Dread.
We also get a glimpse at a Chozo character which ties in to Samus' past as she was adopted by them. This game is being developed to appeal to both old school fans of the series and newcomers who want to experience Metroid for the first time. The team at Nintendo have once again partnered with MercurySteam (developers of Metroid: Samus Returns) to create another strong entry in the Metroid series. Dread has actually been in the works for a long time after going through a couple of cancellations before MercurySteam was able to collaborate and help bring this game’s vision into reality.
As everyone anticipates information for Metroid Prime 4, fans can look forward to this exciting new title. Metroid Dread takes everything we love about the action side-scroller series to dangerous extremes. It will come as anice additionto the Switch library along with its ownamiibofigures and collectible steelbook edition. A launch date of October 8 gets us even more eager to check it out in just four months.
