The animations on Samus are so nice. I love how when she walks up to a wall with a hole in it that you can’t go through yet she puts her hand above it and peeks through. Just everything feels nice.
I actually did a double take when I first noticed that. I actually thought I saw that wrong, but no, there is THAT much attention to details. ALL the animations are completely spot-on and very, very sleek.
Yeah same i'm only a few into hours into Dread and I can already tellthere's a good variey of enemies I've even gotten caught meleeing enemies and taken damage it's really cool the difficulty is perfect
I like how they made it so that when you die you don't automatically go back to the last save point. There are checkpoints at certain areas that make it so that when you're making progress, all your progress doesn't go away when you die. For instance if you're killed by an E.M.M.I you just go back to before you entered the E.M.M.I. zone at the door where you came in.
@@icantaim4sht836 they're tough to deal with for sure. I can sometimes parry them and get away but I die to them a lot. I don't try to sneak and be stealthy. I just run and let them chase me as I make my way somewhere.
To be fair, no game is actually perfect... With that having been said, I am convinced that Dread comes the closest to perfect that any game can, especially within the Metroidvania genre. Anyway, love your videos!
I think its better than super metroid (lets be honest the controls are way better) but from the overall package Prime is more or less superior. Regardless its good we can have this talk after Other M.
Just wait until you get to the last 1/3-1/5 of the game... (You'll get 3 major upgrades very quickly back to back. That's the starting point of what I mean.) It quickly goes downhill to samus returns territory.. (relatively minor spoiler below, the existence of series staple upgrade and how it isn't useful) The best bit: You fight a boss almost immediately after getting the screw attack... and you can't jump over it because you're fighting in a tiny room. I wanted to love this game, and I did love the first 2/3. But.. When I'm counting boss damage in number of tanks it depletes in one hit, and there is one very narrow method of defeating a boss, and it's throwing upgrade after upgrade at me to shove me to the end of the game... I can't even enjoy the story revelations because of how frustrated I am with the game now. I'm going to beat it, but out of obligation, rather than any desire to play more of it. Mercury steam seems to have an issue with pacing, and difficulty curves. And provoking the desire to explore. The map was designed to funnel you, not unfold itself. I'm done venting, have a nice day.
@@stevenn1940 i think this could be improved with higher budget, you can tell dread runs on fumes. The end feels rushed. Although; Not agreeing but I do understand where you coming from.
@@vaulttraveler3478 The problem is design philosophy. Metroid, traditionally, has always been about staying back from danger, shooting, and dodging (for combat. The counter mechanic is antithetical to that point. Not to mention the whole "exploration" portion of metroidvanias, which this ratchet style of mapmaking (going forward prevents you from going back, until you reach the next tooth in the gear) is also antithetical to.
i want the positive backlash from this to pave the way for More titles, and prime 4. or even freaking make a Metroid fighting game for the hell of it Would you pay 20 bucks or more to see Rundas from prime 3 do a subzero move finisher? i sure would.
Metroid has REALLY needed more love from Nintendo, they pretty much ignore most of the time, and even though they gave Dread a lot of publicity, so far there hasn't been all that much else. I'd love some new Metroid merch.
I put in nearly 5 hours last night after I got my copy. That doesn't sound like a lot but I have a hard time sitting down to play a single game for that long any more and this game did it for me. Love it.
Yeah, I know how difficult it can be to sink a considerable amount of time to a game these days. But every once in awhile, you get that game that just hooks you no matter what. Dread is certainly one of them.
Also played an extreme length of time so that I started having issues because half my hand went numb and the controls became quite hard to work with. Beat the game anyway, not even a heart attack was going to stop me
Thought the same thing! "Maybe I can try one of those speedruns! I really like the game, and would want to try for it on this" And its early where people aren't using crazy glitches yet so its still pure! Let me beat it at my slow pace first though!
This! I’ve put in 4 hours so far and every upgrade feels useful and necessary to further exploration. They even managed to make wide shot useful and necessary to progress which is crazy and I love it
Prepare to due to the final boss a lot. I'd suggest going for 100% it helps. Especially the missiles. Be patient. Wait for openings. Once you get the attack telegraph's memorized discover how to best avoid them. I found the best way to damage the boss was to move and shoot and stop to aim right after an attack. Hope this helps. Because you sure are gonna need it.
This game feels like how a HD Metroid should be. It's just really exciting being able to continue where Fusion ended after near two decades. I really hope this games sells well enough to revitalize the franchise.
@@mellomoose_ No need for that. They could just put Samus in new environments. A game where she has to fight in an interstellar war. A remaster of Hunters with multiple playable characters. Or maybe she confronts the space pirates on their homeworld.
"I'm so happy" is literally what I thought when I started playing the game yesterday. Like, seriously. I didn't even know adults could feel this much happiness. It could, in part, be due to nostalgia, because playing this really brought me back to when I first played Metroid Prime 3 over a decade ago. However, the game itself is also just undeniably good. There were so many surprises, I was just constantly in awe.
I played through all 4 2D Metroids for the first time in the last month. Dread is pure bliss for me. I’ve played it nonstop this weekend - even took a sick day on Friday.
@@RPG_Hacker well, I loved it when i first played it, but my main gripe with Other M is the controls. Idk how i managed to play it back then without my thumb hurting from the D-pad 😂
the game is genuinely difficult, and that was only on normal mode. can't imagine what the actual hard mode is like 😱 really tempted to do a perma death run. would be incredibly tense with the EMMI's and their incredible ability to take you out on the spot
quick tip for emmis: you actually get 2 chances to parry them if they catch you. be cautious and wait for the eye to open before you hit the button, if you hit it too early you won't be able to parry again in time.
As a long time fan, just finished Metroid Dread and I have to say, this game is just perfection. Everything I wanted is here and Samus is just a pure badass. Without a doubt my GOTY
Since you finished the game i need to know, does the timer still determine how much we see of samus at the end? Because idk if i want to go fast or take it slower to enjoy more of the game
@@danielcm4237 I haven't made up my mind about that yet, both are amazing and both have their strengths and weaknesses. I will take my time for some multiple playthroughs to get a better understanding of the game to make a judgment.
Actually letting out hard breaths after EMMI segments, love how the game forces you to go back and forth through them, really a nice spin on the backtracking common in Meteoidvanias.
The pose Samus takes in the cinematic after you land the finishing blow on the cloaking ability monster before she charges her beam is practically a copy paste of one of the concept arts revealed for Dread YEARS ago. Was one of those "AAAAaah look at that! There it is! DEJA VU." moments I had.
I am actually playing Metroid Dread while stuck in a hotel. The gravity of this game existing STILL hasn’t sunk in. I stayed up until 4 AM because I lost track of time it was so good! Going in spoiler free was the right call, and I hope you continue to enjoy Dread as much as I have, Arlo!
I was supposed to get up at 5am to drive across the state to go to a wedding. My copy didn't arrive until 7pm! So I said "11pm or 12am latest then to bed" I turned it off at 2am. Then back on at 2:20am, and fell asleep at 6am. And I didn't go to the wedding
@@sup3rAVATARtlafAN Without spoiling anything? The game feels like a love letter to fans of the franchise, yet at the same time, it does a fantastic job of explaining things to newcomers. If you have Switch Online, I would try Super Metroid first, see if the gameplay works for you.
A little tip for those who have trouble with the EMMI's. Stop treating them like it's a game of hide and seek and more like a game of tag. The EMMI's and by extension, their zones, are training tools. They are there to train you on the more advance application of your movement based abilities and navigational skills. Once I started thinking like that, the EMMI's were much easier for me to deal with.
I was gonna say hide and seek wasn't really working for me even with the phantom cloak so for me it was literally memorize the route and do it as quick as possible 🤣🤣
IGN's full review: 5 minutes. Nintendo life's full review: 10 minutes. Arlo's impressions before the review itself: 16 minutes. the entire review will probably be something like 40 minutes, like the excellent one on skyward sword. and thats why Arlo's reviews are the best
Also: you can sort of free aim whilst moving. You can move the stick diagonally whilst running and samus can aim in that direction. It's not technically the full free aim option but you can aim in a small arc infront of you.
Arlo, just a note, there are lots of cinematics throughout the game, especially about 25% of the way in for a story beat, and at the end. There are also amazing ones before each boss, and theyre all as good as the first one
@@sspectre8217 I love in the intro of [redacted] it really shows Samus knows what she is doing because she doesn't flinch at all and hits the weak point
Considering the explosion of the Metroidvania genre and the huge marketing and preorder stats, I think it's definitely going to get the love it rightfully deserves.
Im glad they took their time making it, I wouldn't be surprised to learn that a quarter of the development time was spent polishing and optimizing it. It really feels like they left no stone unturned for how they could make it better
I don't think it's a bad game but it isn't a 60 dollar game. I mean there are cheaper sidescrolling exploration games that do a lot more or just as much as what metroid does.
I played a few hours of it. Oh my god. It's better than everything I hoped for. I can't believe how good it is. It's so refined, the levels are so well designed and paced, and just... It's been a long 26 years, and somehow, this exists, and we have hope this franchise will finally what it deserves.
I can't pull myself away from it! I can't believe how incredible the game is. It is so fluid, challenging, scary, smart, and fun. It is easily my GOTY.
i’ve never played a metroid game before and so far dread is one of my favorite games this year. the mechanics are so clean, kinda reminds me of hollow knight in a way!
Well,since hollow knight is a metroidvania, taking a lot of inspiration from super metroid, makes sense, I do think Hollow Knight introduced a lot of people to this genre.
I can't remember the last game that has pulled me in so much that I sat there and played it for 5+ hours straight...it's so rare now that I'm in a new busy position in work and taking a Masters class while being married with four kids. My oldest son (who is also a huge Metroid fan) sat next to me almost the entire time. It was a long wait, but this is an incredible game. I can't say it was worth the wait, but it's one of those rare games that has pulled me in and I can't wait to play it more.
What amazes me is how the further in you get, the more captivating the game is. It doesn't just wow you in the first hour, right up until the credits it just keeps getting better and better. I finished my first play-through today and can say it's the most gratifying game a Metroid fan could ever ask for.
feels completely surreal to be playing a brand new 2d metroid on a tv. i’m in love with it so far! my only real problem is the music so far, it does set the atmosphere well but when you look at the amazing tunes games like super and the prime games had it’s a shame they’ve gone for this more ambient kind of score (unless it changes later)
It sounds amazing. The music is so great especially when you load back into the game and hear the menu and in-game return music. When you fight E.M.M.Is and when you fight certain boss battles, the music is phenomenal! I’m nearing the stages to get to the final boss and I’m sure you’ll be impressed with some of the tunes you hear if you listen ☺️
@@spaghettigamer798 yeah, it’s this weird trend with metroid that’s been going on a while, other m had zilch in the way of memorable new songs (had a very bare soundtrack anyway) and samus returns was mostly ambience when it wasn’t remixing music from older games. music in metroid is a huge part of why i love these games, and while i definitely still adore dread, it is a shame the music doesn’t reach the heights of the rest of the series when pretty much everything else about the game does for me. the parts of the game where remixes of classic songs play (lower brinstar for example) gave me goosebumps, just wish the composer here had tried to make tracks for Dread that could end up iconic and used in the same way in future games. ah well, i’m hopeful prime 4 won’t disappoint when it comes to the music at least!
It's honestly one of the few reasons I'm acutally watching these sponsorships. I'm skipping most of them - but the Arlos Raycon ads are a must-watch! :)
The movement in this is so damn slick, ESPECIALLY when we throw in the upgrades. The new shine spark feels soooooo good every time you fly across the screen
Samus has always been able to move fast, given the series' philosophy on speed running. However, with her new slide, speed booster, & new Flash Shift, and you can literally have DBZ-like battles with the arm cannon now, it's great.
This is the first time I recall _enjoying_ how the wall jump feels in a Metroid game. Loving it so far. It's also definitely taken notes from other Metroidvanias that have been released in the indie explosion of the genre - The pin system, for example, feels like it's stolen from Hollow Knight and done in a way more suitable for Metroid. And that's not a bad thing. I have criticisms, and there are some things that it could be doing that would be more to my specific tastes, but overall... This is pretty much exactly how a 2021 core Metroid title should play like.
Man, the wall jump was the bane of my existence in Super Metroid. I almost gave up after trying nearly 50x in Super Metroid, but Dread's wall jump is flawless and smooth. It just works.
@@BassBwoy3 YEah. I'm even willing to forgive Super for its really awkward wall jump, both because of how novel wall jumps in games were at the time and because the game's designed so that finding out about the wall jump is almost like getting a new ability (except you have it right from the start on subsequent plays), but... That doesn't make it less bloody awkward.
Stephen. Well u gotta remember that it was an SNES that was kinda limited at the time before modernized it in the future games on other console. I'm not saying you're bad at it. Just have to learn an difference between classic and modern games. No matter how good or bad the games are.
Mmm, I don't know, wall jump was this semi-secret technic allowing all sorts of skips, so I thought it's difficulty was fine. And the pin system most likely preceded HK, even if you limit yourself the genre. Hollow Knight didn't even have them until the first dlc I think.
I dunno how they are in other games, but having to press INTO the wall to wall jump threw me off so hard. I'm used to press into the wall then press away, or only press away. that, plus the very odd way the screw jump works (I'm told that *is* the norm for metroid) really made a lot of shinespark puzzles and bosses more annoying than they would have been. final boss just kept smashing me up against the wall and it took me ages to get good enough at slipping out.
One of my favorite things is that the game often teaches you "how" to react to things instead of "showing" you. Its a nice refresher to not have map markers and to have to figure things out myself.
@@Tsukune2001 (tears and stammering) Dread is only better, because MercurySteam hasn't remade Super yet. You'll see!! Theres a reason one's called Super!! Hahaha. Joking.
I picked up Samus returns on 3ds and played about 5 or 6 hours to get my feet wet in the series, but nothing could prepare me for how incredibly good Dread feels to play.
Samus Returns isn't even a great Metroid game. It's good, don't get me wrong, but every single one of my problems with it were fixed in Dread, and I could not be happier to finally have this game. To beat it was somewhat melancholy, but I only got 63% of items, so I know I'll be replaying for 100% and a better time. I'm glad newcomers to the series are also having a blast with Dread.
@@Ridku13 The game was adapting Metroid 2, a game made to be linear, to be a nonlinear game with backtracking. Also, the combat was very stop and go, with enemies being really bullet-spongy and almost requiring the melee counter early on to kill them in a decent amount of time. Aiming while in the run is great in Dread, but in Samus Returns its strangely limited to 45 degree angles like in some of the previous games. Nothing wrong with octodirectional aiming, but it just means that you stop more often on Samus Returns to line up shots. The touch screen is kinda a garbage way to switch beams and items when they could've used the New 3DS' features, and I could go on and on. Point is that its good, but very flawed.
I wouldn't go that far, but it is a Top 5 Metroid game without a doubt. It's way better than Samus Returns, better than Prime 3, and I think it's up there with Fusion and Zero Mission,
One of the things I've always said about Nintendo that makes their games genuinely fun is that they understand the importance of making the movement itself fun!
I was, just moments ago, playing Metroid Dread myself. After defeating a boss I decided to take a break for a moment. I pulled up youtube and thought to myself, "I wonder what Arlo's first impressions are?" RUclips opened and the first video to be seen was, sure enough... :)
Same! I'm 2 bosses after a big story reveal. I got the first 2 phases down. Decided to break and eat lunch & saw this so watch while refuel. Its going to be a long night! Just me or do bosses take minimum 20 tries? One was so rediculusly high maybe like 40-50 I looked up a guide, which revealed nothing I just needed to do it better lol. Other than that been walkthrough free. I usually reserve those if I'm lost for hours/tried everything I can think of. Luckily this game doesn't need them you learn it through trial then fly through early phases of bosses that wiped you at the start
I like how Nintendo didn't water down the game one bit like they seem to do with some of their other series... (looking at you paper mario), it's hard as all heck and I love it. I've gotten lost so many times, being my first time really playing a metroid game I assume that's how you know it's a good metroid.
They’ve done different approaches, Dread follows more so the line of Super Metroid where you are venturing on your own, figuring things out for yourself. Dread guides you subtly, but still, I’ve also gotten lost one or two times
Will admit I had to look at a guide on the one part I was stuck on but other than that I am loving Dread so far. I will definitely need to play another Metroid game after this
I applaud this game for making it feel open-ended, but still guiding you so that you aren't impossibly lost. On repeat playthroughs, I noticed several moments where I could skip upgrades or obtain them in different orders, yet nothing felt obtuse. The only time I ever needed a guide was for a single optional upgrade. That's it, everything else I was capable of doing by myself because the game is really clever in telling you what to do, you just need to listen.
At least with the newest paper Mario they did VERY well with their limitations. Yeah the limitations were dumb, but they were able to pull off something really high quality
This game was that perfect balance between some of the stuff my water brain couldn't figure out in Super (spent 3 hours before looking up that I had to bomb that pipe) and outright giving you the map layout like Samus Returns. Outside of the speedboost control tips I heard going in, I was able to 100% this game on my own and it was super satisfying to do so. My only gripe is the map legend feature could stand out a bit more when you search an item. I spent an hour looking for the last upgrade that I had already uncovered hours prior, but couldn't get because it required power bombs.
This is my first Metroid game, and I gotta say I'm really enjoying the game more than I thought I would. The atmosphere, the combat, the fucking E.M.M.I scaring the shit outta me, the fact that I can be stuck for half an hour wandering the map aimlessly before finding where I should go.. it's all amazing I now understand why Metroid fans were so desperate for a new game
This is kinda like playing MGS3 first in that Dread has all of the best parts of previous games as well as some improvements, but hopefully you enjoy your time enough to go back and play the others! At least SM, Fusion, and the Primes, imo
I set an alarm early so I could go to the store and pick up my copy of metroid dread. I was working the night shift so I wouldnt be able to get it after work and would have to get it on my way to work and play it after. I woke up to find my early alarm had been turned off. It was then I went downstairs to find my wife had bought me the special edition AND the amiibo pack, she switched off my alarm herself and set up the surprise. So lucky to have her
Without giving any spoilers, I will say that the second boss battle had me giddy with excitement, and kicked my ass plenty but was so satisfying once I beat it!
Without giving spoilers, I was thoroughly entranced by this game, until the final fifth, then the quality kind of dropped off a cliff. I'm actually very sad (and upset of course) about it
@@stevenn1940 (spoiler below, ish) Was it about the gameplay shift that happens after a certain major change to the map and enemies? I wasn't a huge fan of that at first. But I loved the final boss once I figured out what the heck I was doing. I'm not the biggest fan of the timed parries in cutscenes but they certainly are a way to mix things up and add more cinematics.
The emmis are genuinely scary. When I went into the first real emmi zone, I kinda knew what to expect from the E3 teaser. I knew they would chase you, but I didn't think that they were going to be so GOOD at it. They always manage to intercept me and absolutely murder me. Also, the melee/counter mechanic is so fun. I also haven't gotten very far, but I've constantly left rooms and re-entered just so i can keep countering the bat dudes. It's such a quick and satisfying interaction. I need to get better at the sprint melee, though.
I about had a heart attack when I managed to evade the second Emmi only to go through a door to end up face to face with it again and died immediately xD The atmosphere and "dread" felt I'm this game is so good.
This game is so satisfying. Funny story… I actually picked up a copy of the game in a small New England store on vacation a few days before release. Had fun that day
@@maxattack3853 Some stores do that. They're not allowed to but they don't care. Back when Pokemon Black&White were released I also got it a day early lol
'You know when you have that intense NEED to talk to someone, and you're like 'who do I talk to'?' As a PhD student who has to consciously stop herself from calling people who literally don't care at three in the morning to just ramble, I felt that in my bones.
@@gigabyte2248 😁 A kind, indulgent stranger! I am writing a history of British popular children's literature in the nineteenth century, attempting to trace how social norms around race, gender, religion, class, etc. were first taught through children's media, and how those ideas became embedded into mainstream society. Please, please tell me yours!
@@yakumorisuke9403 That sounds really interesting! From what I know as a lowly engineer, that era was pretty big on societal conformity, so I bet there's some juicy things in children's media. Mapping the progression of these ideas must surely keep you busy - what interesting stuff have you found so far? I'm in engineering, specifically semiconductor devices. My PhD was on putting insulators on infrared-sensing diodes (in an atomically-neat and tidy way) - insulators are a great way to deactivate surface defects and a great middle-layer for control structures, if you get them right. My postdoc has been in semiconductors for power electronics. The silicon carbide devices I work on are steadily replacing silicon in the drive electronics of electric cars - they're still harder to make (and still have some quirks), but they're more efficient, so you don't need as big a battery pack and can get more range for less cost and weight. The Tesla Model 3 was the first car to use SiC electronics, but Hyundai are starting to use it, and my boss has a project with BMW too.
@@gigabyte2248 Wow, how interesting! I don't know a huge amount about semiconductors, but my parents are both engineers, and my mother has repeatedly expressed concern over the increased reliance on batteries inherent in a greater use of electric cars. We can switch to renewable energy to power them, but once they are no longer useable, dismantling them safely is difficult and inefficient - so a system that allows for smaller batteries that last longer sounds like a wonderful step forwards! My research is primarily focussed on trying to determine the differences between what expensive novels, accessible only to the children of the very wealthy, were teaching in comparison to the very cheap literature that working class children could afford to buy with their own wages. A lot of the surface differences revolve around whether the work was being written for profit, such as the cheap serial fiction that produced stories like Sweeney Todd, or were written by 'patrons' like the Religious Tract Society, who wanted to 'improve' the poor. In truth, however, religion was pretty profitable throughout the century, and the do-good publishers realised pretty fast that their stories needed to be interesting to sell, so they are far more intertwined than has previously been thought. There's also a level of irony when reading a book written by the rich for and about the poor that means that a lot of the morals they wanted to teach don't quite come across correctly. The same with conversations about race - a lot of poor children in London and the other big cities were non-white, and the utter ignorance of supposedly educational works about the Empire would be funny if it wasn't so sad. Right now, I'm writing about fantasy. Alice in Wonderland and other famous novels were out of reach for most children, but they still got their fill of fairies and ogres through fairy tales and short stories, but unlike the famous works, their morals were sincere. The overall picture is of children from different social classes essentially being taught to think about lessons and norms in different ways.
@@yakumorisuke9403 That is very interesting indeed! The stuff about 'improving' the poor is very interesting, and probably still very relevant today. The stuff about the rich being out-of-touch with the poor is *definitely* still relevant. And I bet you could do an entire PhD on just the fairy tales alone. I basically spent my entire COVID lockdown(s) reading about and going full nerd on electrification and electric vehicles. Batteries are, themselves, a hugely interesting topic. The biggest reason electric vehicles are still so expensive is that we need *huge* quantities of batteries - the battery in my Nissan Leaf, which is not particularly large, is 500 times bigger than the one in my laptop. Over the next decade, human civilisation is going to get building a lot more batteries. I could bore you for far too long about battery chemistry minutia, but basically don't worry too much about battery supply stuff. Electric car batteries should outlive the car (as long as they're properly designed, which the Nissan Leaf's isn't) and live an extra 5-10 years as a stationary backup battery, but recycling is already being used at small scales. They actually just crush/shred the battery whole (because, like you said, disassembling it is a pain), then magnetically extract the valuable nickel and cobalt and separate the rest of the stuff using mining techniques. Newer chemistries are on the way: ultra-high-capacity solid-state batteries and, more importantly, lithium-iron-phosphate batteries that use more common raw materials. I'm hoping to run away from academia and into something like engineering of vehicle chargers, or battery manufacture, or electric vans/trucks or something - I've developed a taste for it, after my current project at work on automotive stuff and my lockdown reading :)
Fantastic game, definitely a GOTY contender. The difficulty so far has been pretty much perfect, as you say, it's tough, but fair, and the difficulty really helps keep you on your toes and contributes to the already powerful atmosphere.
@@VideoGameAnimationStudy I've never felt it to be unbalanced, and I played very low e tanks and never went out of my way to get missiles or e tanks unless they were In front of me. I am surprised Nintendo, who usually prefers to make games more accessible or usually has an easy mode did this, but I am so glad they did. I didn't find anything unbalanced
@@rpgfanatic9719 Alright, I've been upset with this game because of the final fifth of the game and how it goes downhill quickly... but bloodstained ritual of the night was terrible out of the gate. I played for 2 hours and I wanted a refund of not just of my money, but my time as well.
@@keaton3258 Did you beat the game? There's a boss that isn't the final boss that deals 2.5 energy tanks worth of damage per hit. I also only grab upgrades if they're near me. I had 10ish tanks. You do the math. Also the mechanics of the final boss. And the pacing of the final portions of the game.
Guessing that means you also haven’t played other games like Hallow Knight, or just metroidvanias in general? If this is fun for you so far I would recommend games like those.
The movement is so good, but I originally disliked the wall jump for requiring next to no skill to perform. That is until I found out it carries the momentum of the Speed Booster.
Just finished this a little while ago. Everything about it is perfect. Don’t let it be a year til you finish it. It’s too good to put off. Great story. Great looking. Amazing play. Instant classic.
The one thing about the controls that stood out to me is that not only does Samus automatically go into morph ball when you either pull her up into a narrow gap or slide into one, she also automatically goes back to normal as soon as she can. There is no delay at all, she just keeps moving. I wound up using the slide all the time because you lose no speed at all when you have to get through a gap. That said, I really wish I could just 45-degree aim. Free-aim is nice, but when things are frantic and I just want to move and shoot at an angle I just really want the old fashioned diagonal aiming.
GOTY for me. It is short, but doesn't have any fluff. E.M.M.I are terrifying and Samus (especially in cutscenes) feels like the badass bounty hunter we all love.
Metroid Dread is actually longer than the typical 2D Metroid game, it's actually as long as a Metroid Prime game (those can be completed in around 7 to 11 hours), though if you are a speed running master, then you can finish the game much earlier than usual. Most 2D Metroid games can be finished around 3-6 hours (even with 100% completion), with Super Metroid (considered the best Metroid game ever made) being possible to complete in 4 hours. With Metroid it isn't about just doing one playthrough from start to finish and be done with it, you gotta do multiple playthroughs to get better at it and be faster in finishing the game with as many items acquired as possible. Metroid incentivizes speed running and 100% item completion across multiple playthroughs.
SPOILER (a pretty early one tho): I love how in the cutscene for the Kraid Boss fight, while Kraid seems to be having a PTSD tantrum, Samus just stands in front, staring him point blank in the face while just casually loading a charge beam and firing it in his face, no f*cks given at all. Like "Yeah, been a while, whatever. Just shut up and fight me already."
I've played every 2D Metroid, some several times. I just replayed Super, finishing minutesbefore starting Dread. Dread has blown me away so far. Ive beaten 3 EMMIs and 1 other boss, so I still have a long way to go, but I'm in love. The movement only gets better, Arlo.
I ordered the spacial edition and can't wait to play it. It should arrive later today. I hope it's as good as everyone says (I have weird tastes in videogames) Edit for clarification: I have played every other 2D Metroid game, but never beaten any. Update: It arrived last night and I got in an hour or so of playtime. I absolutely love it. It feels better to control than every other 2D game so far. My only problem with the game so far is the E.M.M.I. robots not being scary or anything, but just annoying. They fill you with a sense of dread going into an E.M.M.I. zone, which was intended, but not the right kind I guess.
One thing I find super impressive with the cutscenes and action scenes. They are super well choreographed and you can see Samus Express a tone if personally in how she acts in them. They are so cool.
Just finished 100 percenting the game on normal, and the ending blew me away. This game somehow lived up to every expectation I had of a Fusion sequel, save for the less impactful music. Now I'm gonna immediately go into a hard mode playthrough. It's sooooooo good.
Even the first room is so well designed, a huge bridge where you just get to *be* Samus. I spent a good 5 minutes just running back and forth flipping and sliding and enjoying the waterfall in the background.
I love this game so much! 10/10 game of the year! Clean, gorgeous, lots of fun, and lots of secrets. Reminds me of playing Super Metroid for the first time!
I just got to my first major plot revelation after several hours in. I’m definitely not the fastest in the world but the pace of this game has been so great with how it withholds the info and keeps you intrigued and guessing as to what is happening on ZDR.
I honestly wasn’t sure what to expect myself being this was gonna be a follow up to Fusion which was a little too linear/handhold-y for my taste, especially after playing Super Metroid again which tells you almost nothing and let’s you explore… I think they got the balance right here. I especially appreciate the Omega Cannon reminders when you acquire it again.
I can't believe it's actually real and in my hands either... It really does feel great to play. The slide and running counter are a masterstroke, and the power-ups I've acquired so far just keep adding to the fluidity of traversal and combat. Really enjoying it
I played (and streamed) Zero Mission, AM2R, Super Metroid, and Metroid Fusion all just in the last 4 months and then just played through Dread. What an incredible ride. This series just went from largely ignored to Top 5 for me.
I am glad you are enjoying Metroid Dread. I need to get into the series when I have the chance. I hope Nintendo brings back more of there older, lesser-known franchises.
This is my first Metroid and it’s so fun! I got stuck once, but was able to find the hole I needed to shoot lol The dread of the EMMI is real. It’s a relief and a bit sad to kill them. I miss the rush after they’re gone!
This game is solid, for someone with a physical disability (myself) I feel like it could be a tad more accessible, but even then only just barely. I personally was not impressed by the E.M.M.I.s though... because their starting location is random when you ender one of there zones it can lead to a lot of unfair deaths... also... yeah... the bosses are brutal. I have gotten stuck on every single one so far, for at least a bit. They kind of remind me of the frustration I felt fighting Nightmare in Fusion. It's extremely good and very fun, but this game won't be for everybody in the same way that some other games are.
I'm really struggling with the game too, last year I had an accident with a saw and almost chopped off my left forearm. 3 surgeries and months of therapy later, I have numbness in 3.5 fingers, so I can't tell if I'm touching a button, my finger movement is very slow and my reflexes aren't fast, and my thumb and pointer finger move at the same time, because they took a tendon from my pointer finger and put it in my thumb because my thumb was paralyzed. The game is very hard for me, especially aiming and the sliding mechanism. I tried for hours to get past the first boss, I'm about to try again. Wish me luck. I'm hoping playing these games will be like occupational therapy for me. Side note, I also used to play bass and guitar, I can't even hold a string still anymore
I'm actually losing sensation in my fingers due to diabetic neuropathy. This might be the last game that requires physical dexterity Ill be able to play.
Metroid fans with physical disabilities group rise up!!! I’m dyspraxic which heavily affects a lot of fine motor stuff, but gaming and drumming have been my OT lol. Would you guys say the challenge level is comparable to Samus returns? (which was brutal but I eventually beat it)
@@TheSenateOfficial It's by far the most unforgiving Metroid yet. I could imagine this being nigh impossible for people with certain disabilities. Maybe specialized controllers could help but I'm not sure how many are compatible with the switch.
I'm not sure what to feel about it, honestly. In some ways, it's a vast improvement on the Metroid formula. Free aim, the slide and/or slide into morphball, the cinematic button-prompts to pile on the damage, the counter, the levels looking very varied and fantastic, it's all great! The downsides though is clear when you use the teleporters. In Super, Fusion and Zero, after you're fully equipped and going back exploring, the world opens up with 'roads' or rather common used pathways that connect to the off-shoot rooms, and the most common used pathways end up connecting to each other for convenience. More often than not, two common pathways are parallel to eachother are somehow connected, but in Dread, it happens often that you cut off a pathway and you have to traverse a DOZEN ROOMS to get to an EXIT YOU BLOCKED OFF IN THE SAME ROOM during an earlier run. Why you can't destroy these with Power Bombs when you return is such an oversight. Also, morphball feels terrible. I know, some people prefer it having heaviness and weight, but rolling is far, FAR slower than running. You can tell they really didn't want to include much in the way of morphball puzzles. Heck, much of the cinematic shots in a fight never include the moprhball.
once i played metroid dread i knew that arlo would adore it. the fact that the full review is still not out just reaffirms that. gimmie another big fat review.
I’ve always been more of a 3D Metroid fan but I’m looking forward to seeing if Dread will convert me. I’m more then happy to support the Metroid team while they work on Prime 4
It's dangerously addictive in the beginning. I'm getting to the point now though where locations are blending together and figuring out where to go in the massive map is getting really difficult. Worse part is I can't just look it up because the game is so new.
Just remember, always go to the nearest elevator/tram/teleporter after a boss or powerup, they lead you where they want you to go without saying it. And if you hit a locked door, just look for the nearest unlocked door, that's usually the way forward.
@@peco595 I've been putting down a map marker at the spot I think I need to go after getting a power up so I can backtrack and explore without forgetting where I was supposed to go next
I felt the opposite, was playing in short sessions at first, and after the first half there was so much momentum I couldn't stop playing. Very satisfied.
This game is challenging and somewhat frustrating at points. But when you overcome the boss battles and samus does her badass finishers it all feels worth it.
oh boy is it good. i kinda never played metroid. i played prime on game cube, but i was so young i dont even remember. i liked turning into a ball. but man they nailed everything huh. it even runs smoothly. more so than any game, seriously. props to the team
Would love to hear some of your real time reactions to certain parts of this game later on. Any chance you'd consider recording the rest of your playthrough and uploading some clips?
The first time I played I was SO TENSE I was literally sweating. The controls are nice and the combat is nice and fluid, but the chases are too much tension for me at 10 PM after a tense day at work.
@@TheOriginalDarkGlitch I've managed it a few times, but... Can't get it consistently. Two opportunities for what as far as I can tell is a couple of frame window. Which... Weirdly feels fair in this case, in any other QTE situation it wouldn't.
I had zero knowledge or interest in the Metroid series until I started watching your videos, but your relentless enthusiasm and pure love for this fantastic series compelled me to order dread day one. You’ve spawned a Metroid fan! (Oh and Pikmin too!)
This is my first time commiting to a Metroid game. I've started several of them in the past but never stuck with one long enough to get hooked. But this game, ohhhhhh, it's so good! I'm about 3 hours in and absolutely loving it!! Update: One week later and I'm about 11 hours in. Every area on my map is at 100% and I'm gearing myself up emotionally to face the final boss. What a game!!!
I've been playing Metroid Dread ever since it launched. I'm close to one hundred percenting everything and almost near the end of the story. And I'm happy to report that this game, is *hella frickin' good.* It's fast, fluid, and has the best gameplay feel in terms of a 2D Metroid title to date.
My father introduced me to Super Metroid when I was about 6. 33 now and just introduced Dread to my 4 year old boy. We played for a good while last night and today I took him to the park where he ran around holding his right arm "Hey what are you doing bud?" "Gettin the EMMI, SHHHH" I think I've created another fan :) Here's to the future of Metroid 🍻
I love that Dread strikes a perfect balance between linearity and freedom. My favorite parts of Metroidvanias are just running around figuring out where to go next. Dread has plenty of moments like that, but also has many instances of linear progression. Switching between those two game styles is so fun because the game hands you a bunch of abilities, then lets you choose whether to backtrack and get optional upgrades or to continue with forward progression. But even then, in order to continue with forward progression you still need to explore, so you’re bound to pick up a few of those optional upgrades on your way to the next linear segment. I wish more games would blend these two styles, because it gives a sense of forward progression even when I’m just running around figuring out where to go next.
I disagree (although I'm not saying this is bad). It's very linear, just gives the occasional illusion of freedom. It is true that sometimes you can run around looking for where to go- and in a game that has freedom, that means looking for WHICH path to take. In Dread, often times you're looking for THE path to take, which is an important distinction. It doesn't guide you along the path, but there still IS a specific path of powerups and areas that you need to follow. The only exception are a few sequence breaks that, while very cool, most people won't encounter on their first playthrough (and many not at all). I'm not saying this as a criticism of the game, (It's the way most metroid games, like super, are) but I disagree that it's free. The only time it's free is in the exploration of the limited section you have access to, but even then I wouldn't really say that makes the gameplay style "free." It's like how in a standard platformer you can explore a level freely, but you still need to go through the levels in a specific order, meaning the overall gameplay style is linear. Similarly, in dread, although you can sometimes explore a section of an area freely, you need to go through those sections, and areas as a whole, in a specific order (For an early-ish game example, finding the magma redirection terminals in Cataris to let you progress to the next section of Cataris. You can freely explore each section, but to explore Cataris as a WHOLE it's a linear process of finding and activating those magma terminals to then let you move through the area freely.) The game also often blocks your way back, preventing you from backtracking until you find a power up or way around. (meaning preventing you from backtracking until you progress). I guess compared to most STANDARD platformers, yes, it's very free. But compared to the metroidvania genre, many tend to be more open in terms of the order you can get the abilities and explore the areas. The best known example of a more free metroidvania is probably Hollow Knight, which, after a certain point, lets you go in pretty much any direction so long as you can figure out how.
@@JacobPDeIiNoNi I've actually found that there's plenty of times where Dread doesn't force you on a set path, even during the linear segments. For example, I'm currently playing through the game for my second time. On my first run, after getting the Morph Ball, I went all the way back through Cataris and Artaria and ended up grabbing some additional upgrades instead of going towards Kraid and using the teleporter for a fast-track to the Varia Suit. I went straight to the teleporter on my second run and went straight for the Varia Suit, which locked me out of getting those upgrades unless I wanted to backtrack even further than I had before. Not only that, but as I was going around getting all of the items once I unlocked all of my abilities on my first run, I stumbled across several optional areas that I could have accessed long before that point which I would have found if I had backtracked and tried out my new abilities. Sure, Dread does lock you into linear segments, but there ARE segments of freedom. From what I've found, there's sort of a pattern to it. The game will give you a few new abilities back-to-back, then give you the opportunity to either move forward or backtrack and use those abilities to nab upgrades you couldn't before. If you pass up those opportunities of freedom like I did with the mindset of "I'll do it later," then you end up missing out on some really fun - and even challenging - optional areas. For example, I didn't touch any of the lava areas in Cataris besides the required ones until the end of the game, and thus I was able to breeze through them thanks to the Space Jump and Gravity Suit. Same goes for a whole chunk of the left side of Ferenia and the duct system in Elun. I DID backtrack a lot in Artaria, however, and because of that when I went back for 100% item completion before tackling the second half of Hanubia I had found 75% of the items in Artaria, while the other areas weren't above 40%. The freedom Dread gives you between its linear segments is only an illusion if you don't actually use it. Obviously you won't be able to do _everything_ at once in an area, as the nature of a Metroidvania typically prevents this, but that doesn't mean you can't do _anything_ .Dread gives you moments of freedom to go wherever your current toolkit can take you. Also, I don't think the comparison to Hollow Knight is fair. It doesn't really have the same "get keys to get more keys" structure that most other Metriodvanias have. There are roadblock sections that require you to have a certain ability, but I've found there's really only one, maybe two of these sections per ability. I'm not saying that's a bad thing, because it isn't. Its just that Dread and HK have different design philosophies.
@@TheBooBomber609 I get what you mean, but I just think there's a distinction between freedom to backtrack/explore your current area, and freedom in how you progress. Hollow knight was my first metroidvania, so it probably gave me a skewed point of reference as to how free they usually are. I guess being able to progress in multiple different ways is unusual, which I didn't really know. I do think it's fair to compare them since they are the same genre, but I agree they have different design philosophies (I just think those design philosophies make hollow knight more free overall). I think I get what you mean though, I just didn't understand from my perspective of how free metroidvanias usually are.
@@JacobPDeIiNoNi Hollow Knight was my first, too (unless I'm forgetting a game). I think HK leans more towards the Castlevania side of the scale than the Metroid side. I haven't really played the Castlevania games like Symphony of the Night or Aria of Sorrow, but from what I've seen those games are more about combat and tend to be more open-ended, with the abilities you unlock being either extra movement options or only used once to get past a specific roadblock (again, not totally sure about this). I've played a bunch of Metroidvanias since HK, and from what I can tell most of them lean more Metroid, with semi-linear gameplay and an emphasis on the "get keys to get more keys" design philosophy. Some of these that come to my mind are Blasphemous, Cave Story, Supraland, and of course Metroid Fusion. In contrast, there aren't many Metroidvanias that lean more towards the Castlevania side without dipping into a completely different genre. HK is the only one that I can really think of, while games like Dead Cells or Dark Souls take inspiration from the genre, but end up being something else entirely. I kinda wish more devs would try to do what HK did and make a Metroidvania that offers you a bunch of different paths to take. But, that comes with its own problems, as you'd need to be able to account for where the player could be with any toolkit at any point in the game in order to prevent softlocks. It's cool that Team Cherry was able to pull it off, but in doing so they had to disregard that addicting feeling of steady progression that many other games in the genre have. It worked out in their favor, obviously, but they had to sacrifice some core philosophies and commit to their own philosophy in the process, which is probably why HK - and now Silksong - took so long to be released. It's not a style of Metroidvania that most devs can pull off, which is most likely why most Metroidvanias lean towards semi-linear progression and backtracking for goodies. It's a tried-and-true formula that's incredibly addicting when done right, kinda like the Soulsborne games (though I don't think anybody's gotten close to truly nailing that style yet).
The animations on Samus are so nice. I love how when she walks up to a wall with a hole in it that you can’t go through yet she puts her hand above it and peeks through. Just everything feels nice.
I actually did a double take when I first noticed that. I actually thought I saw that wrong, but no, there is THAT much attention to details. ALL the animations are completely spot-on and very, very sleek.
When you run, slide and then aim she does this awesome tacticool pose. There are so many amazing details in this game.
@@Creamcups when you parry something midjump and kill it, watch how Samus moves. Its mesmerizing
You can also barely notice her crawl headfirst into a roll, then nicely into a morph ball.
I really appreciate that the enemies are varied and don't just require meleeing everyone. it makes every enemy feel more unique
Yeah same i'm only a few into hours into Dread and I can already tellthere's a good variey of enemies I've even gotten caught meleeing enemies and taken damage it's really cool the difficulty is perfect
It helps that melee is much more mobile and fluid.
I like how they made it so that when you die you don't automatically go back to the last save point. There are checkpoints at certain areas that make it so that when you're making progress, all your progress doesn't go away when you die. For instance if you're killed by an E.M.M.I you just go back to before you entered the E.M.M.I. zone at the door where you came in.
So far I've only witnessed checkpoints at EMMI zones and bosses, every other death has sent me to my last save :(
@@the_mystical_pigeon There are some switches and stuff like that that also provide checkpoints.
@@the_mystical_pigeon I don't think I've died outside of bosses and EMMI zones. So I wasn't aware.
EMMIs almost ruined this game for me. They were intended to make you feel tense and scared. But it just made me annoyed.
@@icantaim4sht836 they're tough to deal with for sure. I can sometimes parry them and get away but I die to them a lot. I don't try to sneak and be stealthy. I just run and let them chase me as I make my way somewhere.
It was such a massive relief to see that they are treating Samus like the absolute force of nature that she was in olden times.
She's such a badass in this game. The way she just silently charge beams bosses in their death cutscenes is chilling
It could be that we're still in the honeymoon period but this is a Top 3 Metroid game for me. Along with Super and Prime.
To be fair, no game is actually perfect... With that having been said, I am convinced that Dread comes the closest to perfect that any game can, especially within the Metroidvania genre.
Anyway, love your videos!
I think its better than super metroid (lets be honest the controls are way better) but from the overall package Prime is more or less superior.
Regardless its good we can have this talk after Other M.
Just wait until you get to the last 1/3-1/5 of the game... (You'll get 3 major upgrades very quickly back to back. That's the starting point of what I mean.)
It quickly goes downhill to samus returns territory.. (relatively minor spoiler below, the existence of series staple upgrade and how it isn't useful)
The best bit: You fight a boss almost immediately after getting the screw attack... and you can't jump over it because you're fighting in a tiny room.
I wanted to love this game, and I did love the first 2/3. But.. When I'm counting boss damage in number of tanks it depletes in one hit, and there is one very narrow method of defeating a boss, and it's throwing upgrade after upgrade at me to shove me to the end of the game... I can't even enjoy the story revelations because of how frustrated I am with the game now. I'm going to beat it, but out of obligation, rather than any desire to play more of it.
Mercury steam seems to have an issue with pacing, and difficulty curves. And provoking the desire to explore. The map was designed to funnel you, not unfold itself.
I'm done venting, have a nice day.
@@stevenn1940 i think this could be improved with higher budget, you can tell dread runs on fumes. The end feels rushed.
Although; Not agreeing but I do understand where you coming from.
@@vaulttraveler3478 The problem is design philosophy. Metroid, traditionally, has always been about staying back from danger, shooting, and dodging (for combat. The counter mechanic is antithetical to that point. Not to mention the whole "exploration" portion of metroidvanias, which this ratchet style of mapmaking (going forward prevents you from going back, until you reach the next tooth in the gear) is also antithetical to.
Hopefully this leads into a beautiful Metroid Renaissance.
i want the positive backlash from this to pave the way for More titles, and prime 4. or even freaking make a Metroid fighting game for the hell of it Would you pay 20 bucks or more to see Rundas from prime 3 do a subzero move finisher? i sure would.
I just want the prime trilogy on switch..
I haven't played Echos
@@TheEel228 Other M did the whole fighting game thing... XD yeah not quite ready for a 10 year hiatus agian just yet
Metroid has REALLY needed more love from Nintendo, they pretty much ignore most of the time, and even though they gave Dread a lot of publicity, so far there hasn't been all that much else. I'd love some new Metroid merch.
@@Silath01 echoes is such a good game
I put in nearly 5 hours last night after I got my copy. That doesn't sound like a lot but I have a hard time sitting down to play a single game for that long any more and this game did it for me. Love it.
I played for 10 hours straight and got to the ZIPPY ZOOM FLASH DASH let’s go baby
Dude, I can't play video games at all anymore but Nintendo game always manage to grab and keep my interest.
Yeah, I know how difficult it can be to sink a considerable amount of time to a game these days. But every once in awhile, you get that game that just hooks you no matter what. Dread is certainly one of them.
Also played an extreme length of time so that I started having issues because half my hand went numb and the controls became quite hard to work with. Beat the game anyway, not even a heart attack was going to stop me
Playing this one of my first thoughts was "oh I am SO looking forward to speedruns of this"
Thought the same thing! "Maybe I can try one of those speedruns! I really like the game, and would want to try for it on this"
And its early where people aren't using crazy glitches yet so its still pure! Let me beat it at my slow pace first though!
Gonna be so epic to watch people just blast past the EMMI sections.
Same here, it’s just so fluid and good. It’s pretty linear tho
This! I’ve put in 4 hours so far and every upgrade feels useful and necessary to further exploration. They even managed to make wide shot useful and necessary to progress which is crazy and I love it
@@TheKingsPride how far are you?
agreed Nintendo finaly made a game for the fans, exactly what we wanted. I'm only a few hours in can't wait to play more
I finished the game just now. Enjoy the ride!
Prepare to due to the final boss a lot. I'd suggest going for 100% it helps. Especially the missiles. Be patient. Wait for openings. Once you get the attack telegraph's memorized discover how to best avoid them. I found the best way to damage the boss was to move and shoot and stop to aim right after an attack. Hope this helps. Because you sure are gonna need it.
Let's also show Mercury Steam some love! They made 2 great Metroid games in less then 5 years!
Nintendo did only publish it... MercurySteam made the game for the fans... and thats not even a Nintendo only Team.
Yeah. Mercurysteam did an great job on it.
This game feels like how a HD Metroid should be. It's just really exciting being able to continue where Fusion ended after near two decades. I really hope this games sells well enough to revitalize the franchise.
I heard that this will be the final chapter, but I hope they will find a way to continue the franchise
@@andrea9342 they could reboot it or start a new metroid series starring someone new
@@mellomoose_ sakamoto said that he knows How to keep the story going, but it depends on nintendo to make more games
@@mellomoose_ No need for that. They could just put Samus in new environments.
A game where she has to fight in an interstellar war.
A remaster of Hunters with multiple playable characters.
Or maybe she confronts the space pirates on their homeworld.
Just let the franchise have a final chapter. The best things have endings.
"I'm so happy" is literally what I thought when I started playing the game yesterday. Like, seriously. I didn't even know adults could feel this much happiness. It could, in part, be due to nostalgia, because playing this really brought me back to when I first played Metroid Prime 3 over a decade ago. However, the game itself is also just undeniably good. There were so many surprises, I was just constantly in awe.
I played through all 4 2D Metroids for the first time in the last month. Dread is pure bliss for me. I’ve played it nonstop this weekend - even took a sick day on Friday.
It’s not due to nostalgia, first timer here, it’s just super good in general 😊
Finally someone who loves Prime 3! 😄
@@IAmNotASandwich453 Oh yeah, I love almost all the Metroids. Even the ones people generally dislike. I even love Other M.
@@RPG_Hacker well, I loved it when i first played it, but my main gripe with Other M is the controls. Idk how i managed to play it back then without my thumb hurting from the D-pad 😂
the game is genuinely difficult, and that was only on normal mode. can't imagine what the actual hard mode is like 😱
really tempted to do a perma death run. would be incredibly tense with the EMMI's and their incredible ability to take you out on the spot
Holy shit. I didn’t even realize there was a permadeath mode. Jesus that would be so hard against the EMMIs
Pokémon Sword and Shield > Metroid Dread
Damn I didn’t expect to see you here. Like your content btw
@@simpsonsfanatic777 bait
quick tip for emmis: you actually get 2 chances to parry them if they catch you. be cautious and wait for the eye to open before you hit the button, if you hit it too early you won't be able to parry again in time.
As a long time fan, just finished Metroid Dread and I have to say, this game is just perfection. Everything I wanted is here and Samus is just a pure badass. Without a doubt my GOTY
In all of the ways a game you can beat in hours still can have a nice position on Goty like Doom games
Since you finished the game i need to know, does the timer still determine how much we see of samus at the end? Because idk if i want to go fast or take it slower to enjoy more of the game
Is it better than Super Metroid?
@@memestealer6348 the reward at the end is a bit diffrent, but there are some. Let's say it's not what you expect
@@danielcm4237 I haven't made up my mind about that yet, both are amazing and both have their strengths and weaknesses. I will take my time for some multiple playthroughs to get a better understanding of the game to make a judgment.
Actually letting out hard breaths after EMMI segments, love how the game forces you to go back and forth through them, really a nice spin on the backtracking common in Meteoidvanias.
metroid dread looks like moving concept art. as far as im concerned thats literally the best compliment you can give a game lol
The pose Samus takes in the cinematic after you land the finishing blow on the cloaking ability monster before she charges her beam is practically a copy paste of one of the concept arts revealed for Dread YEARS ago. Was one of those "AAAAaah look at that! There it is! DEJA VU." moments I had.
I am actually playing Metroid Dread while stuck in a hotel. The gravity of this game existing STILL hasn’t sunk in. I stayed up until 4 AM because I lost track of time it was so good! Going in spoiler free was the right call, and I hope you continue to enjoy Dread as much as I have, Arlo!
I was supposed to get up at 5am to drive across the state to go to a wedding. My copy didn't arrive until 7pm! So I said "11pm or 12am latest then to bed" I turned it off at 2am. Then back on at 2:20am, and fell asleep at 6am. And I didn't go to the wedding
I’ve never played a Metroid game so I’m on the fence with this, is it truly that amazing
@@sup3rAVATARtlafAN Without spoiling anything? The game feels like a love letter to fans of the franchise, yet at the same time, it does a fantastic job of explaining things to newcomers. If you have Switch Online, I would try Super Metroid first, see if the gameplay works for you.
I appreciate the willpower it takes to pull yourself away from the game to record this video
Can't imagine. And I bet he's gonna say something about that at the end or something haha, maybe not though
Couldn't be me
Riiight? That's what I thought!
I've got to wait until next weekend so I can play with my brother since we wanted to play it together. And I've only been waiting since 2002!
@@giygas_9577
Let me tell you, It'll be worth the wait. You and your brother are gonna love it.
A little tip for those who have trouble with the EMMI's. Stop treating them like it's a game of hide and seek and more like a game of tag. The EMMI's and by extension, their zones, are training tools. They are there to train you on the more advance application of your movement based abilities and navigational skills. Once I started thinking like that, the EMMI's were much easier for me to deal with.
I was gonna say hide and seek wasn't really working for me even with the phantom cloak so for me it was literally memorize the route and do it as quick as possible 🤣🤣
@@lilaclover1018 Hide and seeks worked relatively well for me until the sixth EMMI. At that point it was full speed ahead.
Based on early demo play a mix of hide n seek and tag has worked ok for me lol
Speed is key with the EMMIS
I always kind of thought of it like that.
But it gets more hide-and-seeky when you get the (spoilers)
Phantom cloak
IGN's full review: 5 minutes. Nintendo life's full review: 10 minutes. Arlo's impressions before the review itself: 16 minutes. the entire review will probably be something like 40 minutes, like the excellent one on skyward sword. and thats why Arlo's reviews are the best
I wonder if Arlo has another three hour review in him ;)
Yeah I was thinking it was going to have a specific title like the BOTW or Origami King ones
So where the bloody hell is his actual Dread review!!?
5 months later and we’re still waiting 😭
@@dtm2911 Its arlo's way to make us wait and then drop a 1 and a half hour review, Im relling ya
Also: you can sort of free aim whilst moving. You can move the stick diagonally whilst running and samus can aim in that direction. It's not technically the full free aim option but you can aim in a small arc infront of you.
It works for boss fights and that’s what’s matter.
Also, right stick aiming would suck because you actually need your action buttons all the time.
Metroid dread is so good. That’s all that needs to be said.
K cause samus returns wasn't that great
@@Matanumi I thought it was alright. then again, Im biased towards anything including ridley
whatever still not interested
Waiting on Prime 4 which will be good. Don't care about Fusion nor this games backstory.
@@Matanumi neither is Dread. 2 weeks all the hype will die down and will be forgotten after the Diamond and Pearl demakes.
@@matguimond92 I sincerely doubt that.
Arlo, just a note, there are lots of cinematics throughout the game, especially about 25% of the way in for a story beat, and at the end. There are also amazing ones before each boss, and theyre all as good as the first one
I love the [redacted] one, Samus feels so badass with 0 f**ks given
You should edit out that spoiler. People will get riled up around here for that.
@@gunsunnuva8346 I thought it was alright since he's in the trailer, but ok
@@sspectre8217 I love in the intro of [redacted] it really shows Samus knows what she is doing because she doesn't flinch at all and hits the weak point
Love how they show how badass Samus is during those scenes.
This is one of the smoothest switch games by a mile. If this doesn't get the love it deserves ill be devastated.
Considering the explosion of the Metroidvania genre and the huge marketing and preorder stats, I think it's definitely going to get the love it rightfully deserves.
Im glad they took their time making it, I wouldn't be surprised to learn that a quarter of the development time was spent polishing and optimizing it. It really feels like they left no stone unturned for how they could make it better
I don't think it's a bad game but it isn't a 60 dollar game. I mean there are cheaper sidescrolling exploration games that do a lot more or just as much as what metroid does.
@@rpgfanatic9719 2d sidescrollers can be just as good if not better than most 3d games released today.
@@joe6772 I never said a word about 3D games.
Everyone: “the killer robot is alive so I’ll explore this area later”
Arlo: “I’m fast af boi”
I played a few hours of it.
Oh my god. It's better than everything I hoped for. I can't believe how good it is. It's so refined, the levels are so well designed and paced, and just... It's been a long 26 years, and somehow, this exists, and we have hope this franchise will finally what it deserves.
I can't pull myself away from it! I can't believe how incredible the game is. It is so fluid, challenging, scary, smart, and fun. It is easily my GOTY.
i’ve never played a metroid game before and so far dread is one of my favorite games this year. the mechanics are so clean, kinda reminds me of hollow knight in a way!
Well that's probably because Hollow Knight is a metroidvania, which is a genre that Metroid has helped pioneer^^
Well,since hollow knight is a metroidvania, taking a lot of inspiration from super metroid, makes sense, I do think Hollow Knight introduced a lot of people to this genre.
Metroid is the original Metroidvania, hence the genre name, so that makes sense. Welcome to the fandom, always accepting new members :)
After this if you enjoy it go back to the older ones if you can, maybe not the very first 2 games but the remakes, super and fusion are all awesome.
Nice to see u here, the smartest RUclipsr @nickisnotgreen
I can't remember the last game that has pulled me in so much that I sat there and played it for 5+ hours straight...it's so rare now that I'm in a new busy position in work and taking a Masters class while being married with four kids. My oldest son (who is also a huge Metroid fan) sat next to me almost the entire time. It was a long wait, but this is an incredible game. I can't say it was worth the wait, but it's one of those rare games that has pulled me in and I can't wait to play it more.
The only reason I think this one hasn't is that I often feel the need to take a break due to how intense the EMMI segments are. Not a bad thing.
What amazes me is how the further in you get, the more captivating the game is. It doesn't just wow you in the first hour, right up until the credits it just keeps getting better and better. I finished my first play-through today and can say it's the most gratifying game a Metroid fan could ever ask for.
feels completely surreal to be playing a brand new 2d metroid on a tv. i’m in love with it so far!
my only real problem is the music so far, it does set the atmosphere well but when you look at the amazing tunes games like super and the prime games had it’s a shame they’ve gone for this more ambient kind of score (unless it changes later)
It sounds amazing. The music is so great especially when you load back into the game and hear the menu and in-game return music. When you fight E.M.M.Is and when you fight certain boss battles, the music is phenomenal! I’m nearing the stages to get to the final boss and I’m sure you’ll be impressed with some of the tunes you hear if you listen ☺️
Thats actually my only nitpick. Ferenia was the only ares with good music (the one from the trailer), but the rest seems to be mostly... Subpar.
@@IAmNotASandwich453 Ataria II, Cataris II, and Burenia's themes are fantastic, just off the top of my head.
I feel the same. There are some tracks later on that are cool but it’s much more ambient than prime and super.
@@spaghettigamer798 yeah, it’s this weird trend with metroid that’s been going on a while, other m had zilch in the way of memorable new songs (had a very bare soundtrack anyway) and samus returns was mostly ambience when it wasn’t remixing music from older games. music in metroid is a huge part of why i love these games, and while i definitely still adore dread, it is a shame the music doesn’t reach the heights of the rest of the series when pretty much everything else about the game does for me. the parts of the game where remixes of classic songs play (lower brinstar for example) gave me goosebumps, just wish the composer here had tried to make tracks for Dread that could end up iconic and used in the same way in future games.
ah well, i’m hopeful prime 4 won’t disappoint when it comes to the music at least!
I love how the Raycon sponsorships actually have a story and continuity lol
We’re getting on Internet Comment Etiquette levels of ads
It's honestly one of the few reasons I'm acutally watching these sponsorships.
I'm skipping most of them - but the Arlos Raycon ads are a must-watch! :)
@Layla what a nice comment, really rolls off the tongue. What a human comment.
The movement in this is so damn slick, ESPECIALLY when we throw in the upgrades. The new shine spark feels soooooo good every time you fly across the screen
Oh, i didn't know the speed booster was in this one, nice.
Samus has always been able to move fast, given the series' philosophy on speed running. However, with her new slide, speed booster, & new Flash Shift, and you can literally have DBZ-like battles with the arm cannon now, it's great.
@@brinst_ar hope you like it because there are some difficult upgrades that requires skill to get.
@@maximumforce8275 thats a good sign
@@Drangelon have you played the first 2 games?
I’m watching this after having just beat the first boss. This is my first Metroid. It’s really fun so far!
Welcome to Metroid
Good to see you're liking it
I just got to Kraid!
I beat the second boss just recently, game is still amazing!
After you beat dread, consider trying out super metroid available though the Nintendo online membership
This is the first time I recall _enjoying_ how the wall jump feels in a Metroid game. Loving it so far. It's also definitely taken notes from other Metroidvanias that have been released in the indie explosion of the genre - The pin system, for example, feels like it's stolen from Hollow Knight and done in a way more suitable for Metroid. And that's not a bad thing.
I have criticisms, and there are some things that it could be doing that would be more to my specific tastes, but overall... This is pretty much exactly how a 2021 core Metroid title should play like.
Man, the wall jump was the bane of my existence in Super Metroid. I almost gave up after trying nearly 50x in Super Metroid, but Dread's wall jump is flawless and smooth. It just works.
@@BassBwoy3 YEah. I'm even willing to forgive Super for its really awkward wall jump, both because of how novel wall jumps in games were at the time and because the game's designed so that finding out about the wall jump is almost like getting a new ability (except you have it right from the start on subsequent plays), but... That doesn't make it less bloody awkward.
Stephen. Well u gotta remember that it was an SNES that was kinda limited at the time before modernized it in the future games on other console. I'm not saying you're bad at it. Just have to learn an difference between classic and modern games. No matter how good or bad the games are.
Mmm, I don't know, wall jump was this semi-secret technic allowing all sorts of skips, so I thought it's difficulty was fine. And the pin system most likely preceded HK, even if you limit yourself the genre. Hollow Knight didn't even have them until the first dlc I think.
I dunno how they are in other games, but having to press INTO the wall to wall jump threw me off so hard. I'm used to press into the wall then press away, or only press away. that, plus the very odd way the screw jump works (I'm told that *is* the norm for metroid) really made a lot of shinespark puzzles and bosses more annoying than they would have been. final boss just kept smashing me up against the wall and it took me ages to get good enough at slipping out.
One of my favorite things is that the game often teaches you "how" to react to things instead of "showing" you. Its a nice refresher to not have map markers and to have to figure things out myself.
Been trying to stay of social media until I finish the masterpiece that is Dread, oh how we have waited for this moment
Is not masterpiece is a nice game but not close to Super Metroid
@@jordyaguilar946 it's not close to super Metroid. It's far far better.
@@jordyaguilar946 remove your nostalgia goggles my friend. This game is better then super Metroid.
@@Tsukune2001 (tears and stammering) Dread is only better, because MercurySteam hasn't remade Super yet. You'll see!! Theres a reason one's called Super!!
Hahaha. Joking.
I picked up Samus returns on 3ds and played about 5 or 6 hours to get my feet wet in the series, but nothing could prepare me for how incredibly good Dread feels to play.
Samus Returns isn't even a great Metroid game. It's good, don't get me wrong, but every single one of my problems with it were fixed in Dread, and I could not be happier to finally have this game. To beat it was somewhat melancholy, but I only got 63% of items, so I know I'll be replaying for 100% and a better time. I'm glad newcomers to the series are also having a blast with Dread.
@@Emberson-9000 what are the problems with samus returns 3ds?
@@Ridku13 is a remake of gb game. The level design is a little labrintic to do some padding. But the bosses and controls are very good
@@Ridku13 The game was adapting Metroid 2, a game made to be linear, to be a nonlinear game with backtracking. Also, the combat was very stop and go, with enemies being really bullet-spongy and almost requiring the melee counter early on to kill them in a decent amount of time. Aiming while in the run is great in Dread, but in Samus Returns its strangely limited to 45 degree angles like in some of the previous games. Nothing wrong with octodirectional aiming, but it just means that you stop more often on Samus Returns to line up shots. The touch screen is kinda a garbage way to switch beams and items when they could've used the New 3DS' features, and I could go on and on. Point is that its good, but very flawed.
I can't wait to see a 4 hour retrospect of this game from you in the future 🙌🏾
Edit: 27 minutes then... I'll take it
How to make a 4 hour review of a 13 hour game by Arlo
Inb4 people a year from now comment “actually it’s a 6 hour retrospective”
I feel like retrospect isn’t the right word for a game that got released literally yesterday
@@garrettthompson580 Idk it sounded cool, lmao
this is literally a GOTY type game. it's even better than dare i say it, Super Metroid
I wouldn't go that far, but it is a Top 5 Metroid game without a doubt. It's way better than Samus Returns, better than Prime 3, and I think it's up there with Fusion and Zero Mission,
One of the things I've always said about Nintendo that makes their games genuinely fun is that they understand the importance of making the movement itself fun!
Yes! This is why I love Nintendo
I was, just moments ago, playing Metroid Dread myself. After defeating a boss I decided to take a break for a moment. I pulled up youtube and thought to myself, "I wonder what Arlo's first impressions are?" RUclips opened and the first video to be seen was, sure enough... :)
Same!
I'm pretty far though the game and i have to say the boss fights are awesome, enjoy.
Same! I'm 2 bosses after a big story reveal. I got the first 2 phases down. Decided to break and eat lunch & saw this so watch while refuel. Its going to be a long night!
Just me or do bosses take minimum 20 tries? One was so rediculusly high maybe like 40-50 I looked up a guide, which revealed nothing I just needed to do it better lol. Other than that been walkthrough free. I usually reserve those if I'm lost for hours/tried everything I can think of.
Luckily this game doesn't need them you learn it through trial then fly through early phases of bosses that wiped you at the start
I JUST TOOK DOWN KRAAAIIIDDDD
I like how Nintendo didn't water down the game one bit like they seem to do with some of their other series... (looking at you paper mario), it's hard as all heck and I love it. I've gotten lost so many times, being my first time really playing a metroid game I assume that's how you know it's a good metroid.
They’ve done different approaches, Dread follows more so the line of Super Metroid where you are venturing on your own, figuring things out for yourself. Dread guides you subtly, but still, I’ve also gotten lost one or two times
Will admit I had to look at a guide on the one part I was stuck on but other than that I am loving Dread so far. I will definitely need to play another Metroid game after this
I applaud this game for making it feel open-ended, but still guiding you so that you aren't impossibly lost. On repeat playthroughs, I noticed several moments where I could skip upgrades or obtain them in different orders, yet nothing felt obtuse. The only time I ever needed a guide was for a single optional upgrade. That's it, everything else I was capable of doing by myself because the game is really clever in telling you what to do, you just need to listen.
At least with the newest paper Mario they did VERY well with their limitations. Yeah the limitations were dumb, but they were able to pull off something really high quality
This game was that perfect balance between some of the stuff my water brain couldn't figure out in Super (spent 3 hours before looking up that I had to bomb that pipe) and outright giving you the map layout like Samus Returns. Outside of the speedboost control tips I heard going in, I was able to 100% this game on my own and it was super satisfying to do so. My only gripe is the map legend feature could stand out a bit more when you search an item. I spent an hour looking for the last upgrade that I had already uncovered hours prior, but couldn't get because it required power bombs.
This is my first Metroid game, and I gotta say I'm really enjoying the game more than I thought I would. The atmosphere, the combat, the fucking E.M.M.I scaring the shit outta me, the fact that I can be stuck for half an hour wandering the map aimlessly before finding where I should go.. it's all amazing
I now understand why Metroid fans were so desperate for a new game
This is kinda like playing MGS3 first in that Dread has all of the best parts of previous games as well as some improvements, but hopefully you enjoy your time enough to go back and play the others! At least SM, Fusion, and the Primes, imo
And Zero Mission.
I love when Arlo’s genuinely happy and excited about things
I set an alarm early so I could go to the store and pick up my copy of metroid dread. I was working the night shift so I wouldnt be able to get it after work and would have to get it on my way to work and play it after. I woke up to find my early alarm had been turned off. It was then I went downstairs to find my wife had bought me the special edition AND the amiibo pack, she switched off my alarm herself and set up the surprise. So lucky to have her
Does Arlo use specific accessibility controls? I can’t imagine big blue puppet hands go well with the standard controllers.
He probably has to use the Sega Activator
Idk if Arlo has big hands, but the Pro Controller works great for big hands
@@recentlydeleted Yeah dude, he would have that or some modern U Force design that was custom built.
Without giving any spoilers, I will say that the second boss battle had me giddy with excitement, and kicked my ass plenty but was so satisfying once I beat it!
Without giving spoilers, I was thoroughly entranced by this game, until the final fifth, then the quality kind of dropped off a cliff.
I'm actually very sad (and upset of course) about it
@@stevenn1940 I would love for you to elaborate under a spoiler warning, I thought the final boss was amazing
@@nicke.8622 the final boss was great
@@stevenn1940 (spoiler below, ish)
Was it about the gameplay shift that happens after a certain major change to the map and enemies? I wasn't a huge fan of that at first. But I loved the final boss once I figured out what the heck I was doing. I'm not the biggest fan of the timed parries in cutscenes but they certainly are a way to mix things up and add more cinematics.
The emmis are genuinely scary. When I went into the first real emmi zone, I kinda knew what to expect from the E3 teaser. I knew they would chase you, but I didn't think that they were going to be so GOOD at it. They always manage to intercept me and absolutely murder me.
Also, the melee/counter mechanic is so fun. I also haven't gotten very far, but I've constantly left rooms and re-entered just so i can keep countering the bat dudes. It's such a quick and satisfying interaction. I need to get better at the sprint melee, though.
I about had a heart attack when I managed to evade the second Emmi only to go through a door to end up face to face with it again and died immediately xD The atmosphere and "dread" felt I'm this game is so good.
the emmis are genuinely scary, like they really put the Dread in Metroid DREAD
I didn't expect Adam to have a tron-esque voice, but together with everything else, art direction in this game is amazing
I’ve been checking back regularly for the official Arlo review. I need it.
This game is so satisfying. Funny story… I actually picked up a copy of the game in a small New England store on vacation a few days before release. Had fun that day
how did they sell it before release? also what store?
@@maxattack3853 Some stores do that. They're not allowed to but they don't care. Back when Pokemon Black&White were released I also got it a day early lol
@@bladewolfsbane7400 if that'd a a thing why don't we see gsmeplay early?
The AI programming for the EMMI must be nuts. I've never felt so much panic running from something in a videogame.
Alien Isolation?
@@RavenDwyre Haha ysah..
Metroid Fusion?
@@littlebadassgaming Metroid Fusion wasn't that bad compared to the EMMIs
It only gets better arlo!! It’s so good. I can’t wait to hear your thoughts on everything when you finish!
Yeah, that's what impressed me the most. Everything just kept ramping up. My GOTY
"Great thing about having the channel" we are all imprisoned by Arlo's 20 minute rants about a bounty hunter
'You know when you have that intense NEED to talk to someone, and you're like 'who do I talk to'?' As a PhD student who has to consciously stop herself from calling people who literally don't care at three in the morning to just ramble, I felt that in my bones.
Please tell me about your PhD! I promise I won't tell you about mine or my postdoc unless you ask ;)
@@gigabyte2248 😁 A kind, indulgent stranger! I am writing a history of British popular children's literature in the nineteenth century, attempting to trace how social norms around race, gender, religion, class, etc. were first taught through children's media, and how those ideas became embedded into mainstream society. Please, please tell me yours!
@@yakumorisuke9403 That sounds really interesting! From what I know as a lowly engineer, that era was pretty big on societal conformity, so I bet there's some juicy things in children's media. Mapping the progression of these ideas must surely keep you busy - what interesting stuff have you found so far?
I'm in engineering, specifically semiconductor devices. My PhD was on putting insulators on infrared-sensing diodes (in an atomically-neat and tidy way) - insulators are a great way to deactivate surface defects and a great middle-layer for control structures, if you get them right. My postdoc has been in semiconductors for power electronics. The silicon carbide devices I work on are steadily replacing silicon in the drive electronics of electric cars - they're still harder to make (and still have some quirks), but they're more efficient, so you don't need as big a battery pack and can get more range for less cost and weight. The Tesla Model 3 was the first car to use SiC electronics, but Hyundai are starting to use it, and my boss has a project with BMW too.
@@gigabyte2248 Wow, how interesting! I don't know a huge amount about semiconductors, but my parents are both engineers, and my mother has repeatedly expressed concern over the increased reliance on batteries inherent in a greater use of electric cars. We can switch to renewable energy to power them, but once they are no longer useable, dismantling them safely is difficult and inefficient - so a system that allows for smaller batteries that last longer sounds like a wonderful step forwards!
My research is primarily focussed on trying to determine the differences between what expensive novels, accessible only to the children of the very wealthy, were teaching in comparison to the very cheap literature that working class children could afford to buy with their own wages. A lot of the surface differences revolve around whether the work was being written for profit, such as the cheap serial fiction that produced stories like Sweeney Todd, or were written by 'patrons' like the Religious Tract Society, who wanted to 'improve' the poor. In truth, however, religion was pretty profitable throughout the century, and the do-good publishers realised pretty fast that their stories needed to be interesting to sell, so they are far more intertwined than has previously been thought. There's also a level of irony when reading a book written by the rich for and about the poor that means that a lot of the morals they wanted to teach don't quite come across correctly. The same with conversations about race - a lot of poor children in London and the other big cities were non-white, and the utter ignorance of supposedly educational works about the Empire would be funny if it wasn't so sad. Right now, I'm writing about fantasy. Alice in Wonderland and other famous novels were out of reach for most children, but they still got their fill of fairies and ogres through fairy tales and short stories, but unlike the famous works, their morals were sincere. The overall picture is of children from different social classes essentially being taught to think about lessons and norms in different ways.
@@yakumorisuke9403 That is very interesting indeed! The stuff about 'improving' the poor is very interesting, and probably still very relevant today. The stuff about the rich being out-of-touch with the poor is *definitely* still relevant. And I bet you could do an entire PhD on just the fairy tales alone.
I basically spent my entire COVID lockdown(s) reading about and going full nerd on electrification and electric vehicles. Batteries are, themselves, a hugely interesting topic. The biggest reason electric vehicles are still so expensive is that we need *huge* quantities of batteries - the battery in my Nissan Leaf, which is not particularly large, is 500 times bigger than the one in my laptop. Over the next decade, human civilisation is going to get building a lot more batteries. I could bore you for far too long about battery chemistry minutia, but basically don't worry too much about battery supply stuff. Electric car batteries should outlive the car (as long as they're properly designed, which the Nissan Leaf's isn't) and live an extra 5-10 years as a stationary backup battery, but recycling is already being used at small scales. They actually just crush/shred the battery whole (because, like you said, disassembling it is a pain), then magnetically extract the valuable nickel and cobalt and separate the rest of the stuff using mining techniques. Newer chemistries are on the way: ultra-high-capacity solid-state batteries and, more importantly, lithium-iron-phosphate batteries that use more common raw materials. I'm hoping to run away from academia and into something like engineering of vehicle chargers, or battery manufacture, or electric vans/trucks or something - I've developed a taste for it, after my current project at work on automotive stuff and my lockdown reading :)
Fantastic game, definitely a GOTY contender. The difficulty so far has been pretty much perfect, as you say, it's tough, but fair, and the difficulty really helps keep you on your toes and contributes to the already powerful atmosphere.
I actually found the difficulty to be a tad unbalanced with boss battles, but they were still satisfying to accomplish!
@@VideoGameAnimationStudy I've never felt it to be unbalanced, and I played very low e tanks and never went out of my way to get missiles or e tanks unless they were In front of me. I am surprised Nintendo, who usually prefers to make games more accessible or usually has an easy mode did this, but I am so glad they did. I didn't find anything unbalanced
I completely disagree. I think bloodstained was bigger than this and there are bigger games coming out that promise more gameplay variety.
@@rpgfanatic9719 Alright, I've been upset with this game because of the final fifth of the game and how it goes downhill quickly... but bloodstained ritual of the night was terrible out of the gate. I played for 2 hours and I wanted a refund of not just of my money, but my time as well.
@@keaton3258 Did you beat the game? There's a boss that isn't the final boss that deals 2.5 energy tanks worth of damage per hit. I also only grab upgrades if they're near me. I had 10ish tanks. You do the math.
Also the mechanics of the final boss. And the pacing of the final portions of the game.
I haven’t played many 2d games that aren’t level to level platformers. I fucking love dread so fra
Guessing that means you also haven’t played other games like Hallow Knight, or just metroidvanias in general? If this is fun for you so far I would recommend games like those.
Ori entered chat
I played some last night and had a blast! Samus's movement is on point, and the game has a legit sense of tension. Can't wait to jump on again!
The movement is so good, but I originally disliked the wall jump for requiring next to no skill to perform. That is until I found out it carries the momentum of the Speed Booster.
Just finished this a little while ago. Everything about it is perfect. Don’t let it be a year til you finish it. It’s too good to put off. Great story. Great looking. Amazing play. Instant classic.
The one thing about the controls that stood out to me is that not only does Samus automatically go into morph ball when you either pull her up into a narrow gap or slide into one, she also automatically goes back to normal as soon as she can. There is no delay at all, she just keeps moving. I wound up using the slide all the time because you lose no speed at all when you have to get through a gap.
That said, I really wish I could just 45-degree aim. Free-aim is nice, but when things are frantic and I just want to move and shoot at an angle I just really want the old fashioned diagonal aiming.
GOTY for me. It is short, but doesn't have any fluff. E.M.M.I are terrifying and Samus (especially in cutscenes) feels like the badass bounty hunter we all love.
Metroid Dread is actually longer than the typical 2D Metroid game, it's actually as long as a Metroid Prime game (those can be completed in around 7 to 11 hours), though if you are a speed running master, then you can finish the game much earlier than usual.
Most 2D Metroid games can be finished around 3-6 hours (even with 100% completion), with Super Metroid (considered the best Metroid game ever made) being possible to complete in 4 hours.
With Metroid it isn't about just doing one playthrough from start to finish and be done with it, you gotta do multiple playthroughs to get better at it and be faster in finishing the game with as many items acquired as possible. Metroid incentivizes speed running and 100% item completion across multiple playthroughs.
Don't think dread is short especially if your aiming for 100%
SPOILER (a pretty early one tho):
I love how in the cutscene for the Kraid Boss fight, while Kraid seems to be having a PTSD tantrum, Samus just stands in front, staring him point blank in the face while just casually loading a charge beam and firing it in his face, no f*cks given at all. Like "Yeah, been a while, whatever. Just shut up and fight me already."
@@awakenedcrowl I love how Samus looks like the real boss in the boss fight cutscenes.
@@awakenedcrowl with that boss fight I love the way she casually dodges a spike before he dies.
I've played every 2D Metroid, some several times. I just replayed Super, finishing minutesbefore starting Dread. Dread has blown me away so far. Ive beaten 3 EMMIs and 1 other boss, so I still have a long way to go, but I'm in love. The movement only gets better, Arlo.
I ordered the spacial edition and can't wait to play it. It should arrive later today. I hope it's as good as everyone says (I have weird tastes in videogames) Edit for clarification: I have played every other 2D Metroid game, but never beaten any.
Update: It arrived last night and I got in an hour or so of playtime. I absolutely love it. It feels better to control than every other 2D game so far. My only problem with the game so far is the E.M.M.I. robots not being scary or anything, but just annoying. They fill you with a sense of dread going into an E.M.M.I. zone, which was intended, but not the right kind I guess.
I also have a weird taste in videogames. And Dread is utterly fantastic.
@@swishfish8858 That's good to hear
Update us the moment it arrives!
@@stevenwhitear I will
Hope you like it! I've been loving it. Not a perfect game of course but it's everything I've wanted from Dread
One thing I find super impressive with the cutscenes and action scenes. They are super well choreographed and you can see Samus Express a tone if personally in how she acts in them. They are so cool.
Just finished 100 percenting the game on normal, and the ending blew me away. This game somehow lived up to every expectation I had of a Fusion sequel, save for the less impactful music. Now I'm gonna immediately go into a hard mode playthrough. It's sooooooo good.
One day he's got to put the Raycon story arc into one big video.
That needs to happen!
@@PaladinGamingOfficial Seriously. They're comedy gold.
As someone who, so far, has only finished Metroid Other M, I'm really loving it, despite some VEEERY minor nitpicks!
Finished the Game 100% today, this is the best 2D Metroid. It just gets so much right.
I want to see Arlos reaction when he finishes.
Even the first room is so well designed, a huge bridge where you just get to *be* Samus. I spent a good 5 minutes just running back and forth flipping and sliding and enjoying the waterfall in the background.
Seeing how happy he is while being in such an early stage of the game is great! Just wait until you clear your first few areas! You’re gonna love it!
I love this game so much! 10/10 game of the year! Clean, gorgeous, lots of fun, and lots of secrets. Reminds me of playing Super Metroid for the first time!
I just got to my first major plot revelation after several hours in. I’m definitely not the fastest in the world but the pace of this game has been so great with how it withholds the info and keeps you intrigued and guessing as to what is happening on ZDR.
I honestly wasn’t sure what to expect myself being this was gonna be a follow up to Fusion which was a little too linear/handhold-y for my taste, especially after playing Super Metroid again which tells you almost nothing and let’s you explore… I think they got the balance right here. I especially appreciate the Omega Cannon reminders when you acquire it again.
I can't believe it's actually real and in my hands either... It really does feel great to play. The slide and running counter are a masterstroke, and the power-ups I've acquired so far just keep adding to the fluidity of traversal and combat. Really enjoying it
Just got through my first play through. I was left speechless at the ending and just kinda sat for 20-30 minutes. Very good
Finally had the time to beat it and WOW. I'm excited for your review.
I imagine Arlo has been playing Metroid Dread every second of his free time since yesterday lmao
He say by the way in video he playedcit just 1 or 2..
So nope
@@michaeljijus980 Yeah i just finished watching the video so yeah thats true
I can’t wait for your reaction. This game is sooooooooooo good!
Just finished earlier today.
Might actually be my favorite game in the entire franchise. So fantastic.
This is my first Metroid game and I’m absolutely in love!! I’m about 8 hours in and I think this is my game of the year so far! ❤️
This is one of those games where every second I’m not playing it it’s like “OH GOD I WANNA BE PLAYING IT NOOOO”
I played (and streamed) Zero Mission, AM2R, Super Metroid, and Metroid Fusion all just in the last 4 months and then just played through Dread. What an incredible ride. This series just went from largely ignored to Top 5 for me.
I am glad you are enjoying Metroid Dread. I need to get into the series when I have the chance. I hope Nintendo brings back more of there older, lesser-known franchises.
This is my first Metroid and it’s so fun! I got stuck once, but was able to find the hole I needed to shoot lol The dread of the EMMI is real. It’s a relief and a bit sad to kill them. I miss the rush after they’re gone!
This game is solid, for someone with a physical disability (myself) I feel like it could be a tad more accessible, but even then only just barely. I personally was not impressed by the E.M.M.I.s though... because their starting location is random when you ender one of there zones it can lead to a lot of unfair deaths... also... yeah... the bosses are brutal. I have gotten stuck on every single one so far, for at least a bit. They kind of remind me of the frustration I felt fighting Nightmare in Fusion. It's extremely good and very fun, but this game won't be for everybody in the same way that some other games are.
I'm really struggling with the game too, last year I had an accident with a saw and almost chopped off my left forearm. 3 surgeries and months of therapy later, I have numbness in 3.5 fingers, so I can't tell if I'm touching a button, my finger movement is very slow and my reflexes aren't fast, and my thumb and pointer finger move at the same time, because they took a tendon from my pointer finger and put it in my thumb because my thumb was paralyzed. The game is very hard for me, especially aiming and the sliding mechanism. I tried for hours to get past the first boss, I'm about to try again. Wish me luck. I'm hoping playing these games will be like occupational therapy for me. Side note, I also used to play bass and guitar, I can't even hold a string still anymore
I'm actually losing sensation in my fingers due to diabetic neuropathy. This might be the last game that requires physical dexterity Ill be able to play.
Metroid fans with physical disabilities group rise up!!! I’m dyspraxic which heavily affects a lot of fine motor stuff, but gaming and drumming have been my OT lol. Would you guys say the challenge level is comparable to Samus returns? (which was brutal but I eventually beat it)
@@TheSenateOfficial It's by far the most unforgiving Metroid yet. I could imagine this being nigh impossible for people with certain disabilities. Maybe specialized controllers could help but I'm not sure how many are compatible with the switch.
What options would you like to be included?
I'm not sure what to feel about it, honestly.
In some ways, it's a vast improvement on the Metroid formula. Free aim, the slide and/or slide into morphball, the cinematic button-prompts to pile on the damage, the counter, the levels looking very varied and fantastic, it's all great!
The downsides though is clear when you use the teleporters. In Super, Fusion and Zero, after you're fully equipped and going back exploring, the world opens up with 'roads' or rather common used pathways that connect to the off-shoot rooms, and the most common used pathways end up connecting to each other for convenience. More often than not, two common pathways are parallel to eachother are somehow connected, but in Dread, it happens often that you cut off a pathway and you have to traverse a DOZEN ROOMS to get to an EXIT YOU BLOCKED OFF IN THE SAME ROOM during an earlier run. Why you can't destroy these with Power Bombs when you return is such an oversight.
Also, morphball feels terrible. I know, some people prefer it having heaviness and weight, but rolling is far, FAR slower than running. You can tell they really didn't want to include much in the way of morphball puzzles. Heck, much of the cinematic shots in a fight never include the moprhball.
once i played metroid dread i knew that arlo would adore it. the fact that the full review is still not out just reaffirms that. gimmie another big fat review.
I’m 5 hours in, loving it. My first Metroid game ever. I even love the EMMI’s. They are so cute and scarry
I’ve always been more of a 3D Metroid fan but I’m looking forward to seeing if Dread will convert me. I’m more then happy to support the Metroid team while they work on Prime 4
It's dangerously addictive in the beginning. I'm getting to the point now though where locations are blending together and figuring out where to go in the massive map is getting really difficult. Worse part is I can't just look it up because the game is so new.
Just remember, always go to the nearest elevator/tram/teleporter after a boss or powerup, they lead you where they want you to go without saying it.
And if you hit a locked door, just look for the nearest unlocked door, that's usually the way forward.
IGN actually already has a walkthrough in case you get to a point where you need one.
@@peco595 I've been putting down a map marker at the spot I think I need to go after getting a power up so I can backtrack and explore without forgetting where I was supposed to go next
I felt the opposite, was playing in short sessions at first, and after the first half there was so much momentum I couldn't stop playing. Very satisfied.
@@MisterL777
it's possible I just haven't gotten there.
I ended up getting lost and found the pulse radar after beating Kraid 😄
This game is challenging and somewhat frustrating at points. But when you overcome the boss battles and samus does her badass finishers it all feels worth it.
oh boy is it good. i kinda never played metroid. i played prime on game cube, but i was so young i dont even remember. i liked turning into a ball. but man they nailed everything huh. it even runs smoothly. more so than any game, seriously. props to the team
Would love to hear some of your real time reactions to certain parts of this game later on. Any chance you'd consider recording the rest of your playthrough and uploading some clips?
The first time I played I was SO TENSE I was literally sweating. The controls are nice and the combat is nice and fluid, but the chases are too much tension for me at 10 PM after a tense day at work.
Just accept death when you get caught lol that parry might as well not even be there.
Same had to mute the music its to much on my blood pressure
I legit almost crapped myself when I was caught by the EMMI for the first time.
I don't know if I'd be able to handle it since I already have an overactive nervous system. 😓 it sounds like it's a really good game though
@@TheOriginalDarkGlitch I've managed it a few times, but... Can't get it consistently. Two opportunities for what as far as I can tell is a couple of frame window. Which... Weirdly feels fair in this case, in any other QTE situation it wouldn't.
This game made me a Metroid fan, its so good
I had zero knowledge or interest in the Metroid series until I started watching your videos, but your relentless enthusiasm and pure love for this fantastic series compelled me to order dread day one. You’ve spawned a Metroid fan! (Oh
and Pikmin too!)
only playing through the first hour or two, i was freaking out all day. seeing how Samus puts her hand on a wall if you walk up to it just KILLED me
This is my first time commiting to a Metroid game. I've started several of them in the past but never stuck with one long enough to get hooked. But this game, ohhhhhh, it's so good! I'm about 3 hours in and absolutely loving it!!
Update: One week later and I'm about 11 hours in. Every area on my map is at 100% and I'm gearing myself up emotionally to face the final boss. What a game!!!
I've been playing Metroid Dread ever since it launched. I'm close to one hundred percenting everything and almost near the end of the story. And I'm happy to report that this game, is *hella frickin' good.* It's fast, fluid, and has the best gameplay feel in terms of a 2D Metroid title to date.
Make sure you counter when you see the flash, especially in boss fights, or you’ll miss some really cool stuff
My father introduced me to Super Metroid when I was about 6. 33 now and just introduced Dread to my 4 year old boy. We played for a good while last night and today I took him to the park where he ran around holding his right arm
"Hey what are you doing bud?"
"Gettin the EMMI, SHHHH"
I think I've created another fan :)
Here's to the future of Metroid 🍻
I love that Dread strikes a perfect balance between linearity and freedom. My favorite parts of Metroidvanias are just running around figuring out where to go next. Dread has plenty of moments like that, but also has many instances of linear progression. Switching between those two game styles is so fun because the game hands you a bunch of abilities, then lets you choose whether to backtrack and get optional upgrades or to continue with forward progression. But even then, in order to continue with forward progression you still need to explore, so you’re bound to pick up a few of those optional upgrades on your way to the next linear segment. I wish more games would blend these two styles, because it gives a sense of forward progression even when I’m just running around figuring out where to go next.
I disagree (although I'm not saying this is bad). It's very linear, just gives the occasional illusion of freedom. It is true that sometimes you can run around looking for where to go- and in a game that has freedom, that means looking for WHICH path to take. In Dread, often times you're looking for THE path to take, which is an important distinction. It doesn't guide you along the path, but there still IS a specific path of powerups and areas that you need to follow. The only exception are a few sequence breaks that, while very cool, most people won't encounter on their first playthrough (and many not at all). I'm not saying this as a criticism of the game, (It's the way most metroid games, like super, are) but I disagree that it's free.
The only time it's free is in the exploration of the limited section you have access to, but even then I wouldn't really say that makes the gameplay style "free." It's like how in a standard platformer you can explore a level freely, but you still need to go through the levels in a specific order, meaning the overall gameplay style is linear. Similarly, in dread, although you can sometimes explore a section of an area freely, you need to go through those sections, and areas as a whole, in a specific order (For an early-ish game example, finding the magma redirection terminals in Cataris to let you progress to the next section of Cataris. You can freely explore each section, but to explore Cataris as a WHOLE it's a linear process of finding and activating those magma terminals to then let you move through the area freely.) The game also often blocks your way back, preventing you from backtracking until you find a power up or way around. (meaning preventing you from backtracking until you progress).
I guess compared to most STANDARD platformers, yes, it's very free. But compared to the metroidvania genre, many tend to be more open in terms of the order you can get the abilities and explore the areas. The best known example of a more free metroidvania is probably Hollow Knight, which, after a certain point, lets you go in pretty much any direction so long as you can figure out how.
@@JacobPDeIiNoNi I've actually found that there's plenty of times where Dread doesn't force you on a set path, even during the linear segments. For example, I'm currently playing through the game for my second time. On my first run, after getting the Morph Ball, I went all the way back through Cataris and Artaria and ended up grabbing some additional upgrades instead of going towards Kraid and using the teleporter for a fast-track to the Varia Suit. I went straight to the teleporter on my second run and went straight for the Varia Suit, which locked me out of getting those upgrades unless I wanted to backtrack even further than I had before.
Not only that, but as I was going around getting all of the items once I unlocked all of my abilities on my first run, I stumbled across several optional areas that I could have accessed long before that point which I would have found if I had backtracked and tried out my new abilities.
Sure, Dread does lock you into linear segments, but there ARE segments of freedom. From what I've found, there's sort of a pattern to it. The game will give you a few new abilities back-to-back, then give you the opportunity to either move forward or backtrack and use those abilities to nab upgrades you couldn't before. If you pass up those opportunities of freedom like I did with the mindset of "I'll do it later," then you end up missing out on some really fun - and even challenging - optional areas. For example, I didn't touch any of the lava areas in Cataris besides the required ones until the end of the game, and thus I was able to breeze through them thanks to the Space Jump and Gravity Suit. Same goes for a whole chunk of the left side of Ferenia and the duct system in Elun. I DID backtrack a lot in Artaria, however, and because of that when I went back for 100% item completion before tackling the second half of Hanubia I had found 75% of the items in Artaria, while the other areas weren't above 40%.
The freedom Dread gives you between its linear segments is only an illusion if you don't actually use it. Obviously you won't be able to do _everything_ at once in an area, as the nature of a Metroidvania typically prevents this, but that doesn't mean you can't do _anything_ .Dread gives you moments of freedom to go wherever your current toolkit can take you.
Also, I don't think the comparison to Hollow Knight is fair. It doesn't really have the same "get keys to get more keys" structure that most other Metriodvanias have. There are roadblock sections that require you to have a certain ability, but I've found there's really only one, maybe two of these sections per ability. I'm not saying that's a bad thing, because it isn't. Its just that Dread and HK have different design philosophies.
@@TheBooBomber609 I get what you mean, but I just think there's a distinction between freedom to backtrack/explore your current area, and freedom in how you progress. Hollow knight was my first metroidvania, so it probably gave me a skewed point of reference as to how free they usually are. I guess being able to progress in multiple different ways is unusual, which I didn't really know. I do think it's fair to compare them since they are the same genre, but I agree they have different design philosophies (I just think those design philosophies make hollow knight more free overall). I think I get what you mean though, I just didn't understand from my perspective of how free metroidvanias usually are.
@@JacobPDeIiNoNi Hollow Knight was my first, too (unless I'm forgetting a game). I think HK leans more towards the Castlevania side of the scale than the Metroid side. I haven't really played the Castlevania games like Symphony of the Night or Aria of Sorrow, but from what I've seen those games are more about combat and tend to be more open-ended, with the abilities you unlock being either extra movement options or only used once to get past a specific roadblock (again, not totally sure about this). I've played a bunch of Metroidvanias since HK, and from what I can tell most of them lean more Metroid, with semi-linear gameplay and an emphasis on the "get keys to get more keys" design philosophy. Some of these that come to my mind are Blasphemous, Cave Story, Supraland, and of course Metroid Fusion. In contrast, there aren't many Metroidvanias that lean more towards the Castlevania side without dipping into a completely different genre. HK is the only one that I can really think of, while games like Dead Cells or Dark Souls take inspiration from the genre, but end up being something else entirely.
I kinda wish more devs would try to do what HK did and make a Metroidvania that offers you a bunch of different paths to take. But, that comes with its own problems, as you'd need to be able to account for where the player could be with any toolkit at any point in the game in order to prevent softlocks. It's cool that Team Cherry was able to pull it off, but in doing so they had to disregard that addicting feeling of steady progression that many other games in the genre have. It worked out in their favor, obviously, but they had to sacrifice some core philosophies and commit to their own philosophy in the process, which is probably why HK - and now Silksong - took so long to be released. It's not a style of Metroidvania that most devs can pull off, which is most likely why most Metroidvanias lean towards semi-linear progression and backtracking for goodies. It's a tried-and-true formula that's incredibly addicting when done right, kinda like the Soulsborne games (though I don't think anybody's gotten close to truly nailing that style yet).
@@TheBooBomber609 I agree.