The combination of super intelligent and well said games criticism with the laissez-faire attitude of someone making soup and slamming their exes is exactly why I subscribe to Polygon
My eight grade science teacher, to demonstrate the freezing power of liquid nitrogen, once dipped his thumb into a thermos filled with the chemical for a few moments. Then, to our horror, he produced a hammer, which he used to smash his frozen digit violently into pieces. The joke was that it was actually a carrot... a vegetable suited for the purpose of mutilation unlike any other.
I think Dread actually succeeded in making the EMMIs pretty scary by making them fast and deadly... But then you kill them one by one, starting fairly early in the game, and as soon as you take one down you know it's only a matter of time until you get to take down every other one. The SA-X, aside from being inherently creepy by being a faceless alien clone, stays unstoppable way longer.
It's the 2nd to last boss in the game, I'd say way longer is correct, and you are effectively "forced" to take SA-X while undefeatable head on only once. Yet I still fear that when I enter a room the light goes out, the music stops playing and I begin hearing metallic footsteps.
Since you fight the EMMIs one by one with only colour and ability variations, it might have been more effective to just have one constantly upgrading EMMI you fight throughout the game. It wouldn't make much difference, but I feel it'd be a stronger narrative. Instead of destroying them, you just incapacitate one of them until you finally get the upgrade to kill it at the very last encounter.
@@HA-ot6uf That's very true. I think one other thing is how clearly demarcated the EMMI areas are. It would be a pretty different and scarier experience if you didn't immediately know when you entered or left an EMMI zone. It makes sense thematically that the zones are closed off with special doors they can't cross, but you put together the special doors, the very specific look and feel of EMMI zones which is different from the whole rest of the game (and mostly not very scary), AND the fact that the zones are clearly indicated on the map from the moment you enter them, it's kind too much. It takes almost all of the uncertainty out and really prevents the horror feel from working. Which is a shame, because I really do think the EMMI manage to be pretty scary in their speed and movements and the threat they pose to the player, but this is undermined by some other elements. Honestly, I wouldn't be making this criticism if it weren't for that interview pointing out that they were trying to amp up the horror element. They made a great game, but it's clearly LESS scary and suspenseful than the SA-X in Fusion.
@@HA-ot6uf Man, now i'm imagining each EMMI zone ending with a boss encounter where you have to use your powerups and interact with the environment to trap it or separate yourself from it, knowing you just barely escaped and you'll have to actually deal with it later. It gets dirtier and loses panels but never gets weaker until you properly kill it at the end. Once you show the player how to destroy one the very first time you encounter one, the fear just turns into a suspenseful search for the powerup room.
I love that 90% of the metaphors went over my head but the video still makes perfect sense 😅 Man, the general reception to Dread I'm seeing is so weird. Almost everyone agrees it's a great game, but the things that stand out the most about it are the few things it _didn't_ do. It's like if you bite into a pastry expecting something sweet but you get something savory instead. You're not sad, you're just confused.
i think it's just the build up and expectations over years and years... honestly i was hoping to see literally anything involving the space pirates bc that was the literal context it was referred to in. and the game had nothing to do with that lore wise what so ever. and yeah, naming the game "dread" does kind of imply some connection.
I think the EMMIs are appropriately scary. Metroid Dread does a really good job of modulating its mood so you never feel too powerful OR too powerless for long. Your first encounter with an EMMI is stressful, but not overwhelming. You're taught early that you CAN kill them, but only with a very specific powerup, and getting that powerup will often force you to zig zag in and out of EMMI zones and evade detection. Without knowing the optimal route beforehand, each dive into an EMMI zone presents the player with a concrete threat that will challenge their speed, precision, and navigation in new and unexpected ways. "Fear" may not be the best word to describe it, but "Dread" definitely is. On my first playthrough, I *dreaded* going through certain EMMI zones, because I knew I would be throwing myself into a situation where I would be extremely vulnerable and probably die multiple times before I discovered the correct route. The knowledge that they *could* be defeated however was what allowed me to push past my feelings of dread and plunge back into the EMMI zone, because each time I know I'll be getting closer to blowing its stupid robot head off. That's the roller coaster that Metroid Dread rides so perfectly. Confusion and dread leading to familiarity, experience and accomplishment, and then riding that high just long enough to shock your senses when you encounter a new, even tougher threat that you need to prepare for.
I wholeheartedly agree that this game did a poor job of instilling dread and tension into the player. But, I wouldn't say it did bad job at giving us fear, just, a different kind of fear. While games like Alien: Isolation and Amnesia: The Dark Descent give us that palpable dread that we so crave, Metroid: Dread gave us something else altogether; a shock to the fight or flight response. Early on, it's made clear that fighting them head on is not an option, and getting caught and going for the counter is a last ditch effort. This, I feel, naturally puts the player on edge, whenever you enter a new E.M.M.I zone, its time to do or die, and if you aren't thinking fast enough, you will be caught. Coupled with the fact that each E.M.M.I zone is geographically different, as well as the abilities they possess changing throughout the game, it forces the player to worry a lot more about the threat they pose due to the fact that there is always something new for them to throw at you to keep you off your game and more likely to be found by them, creating a real, lasting sense of pulse pounding threat from these ghoulish machines.
I actually found that there was a palpable feeling of dread around... well, Dread, but it wasn't fear for Samus herself; it was fear for EVERYONE ELSE. There's points in the game that aren't around the EMMIs that make it palpably clear that, as capable as Samus is, she's up against something outright terrifying, and we're only okay because we're Samus. The way the game depicts the X-Parasites especially is basically Nintendo's spin on Cronenberg body horror, and... sure, Samus is okay against that, but you can very clearly see that she's the only one that is. If she fails, you can see in a horrifying level of detail (which isn't even 'too much' detail, but rather 'just enough') what's in store for the rest of the galaxy. The EMMIs aren't part of that, but they do act as a supplement to it by showing us just how fragile Samus actually is. She's the only thing standing against wide-scale The Thingening, and yet these robots can kill her in one stab. She's the last line of defense, but she's not even an especially strong one.
I would say that the break between the yellow and ice E.M.M.I was a great moment of Dread, knowing that despite Quiet Robe deactiavting them, the threat is still around. And despite criticisms of the music, I would say the theme for Elun does a great job at building up the tension to a release that never comes.
Despite being salty about roombas and exes, Jenna always manages to pepper her reviews with good humor. What a sage... she makes us all take stock of our lives.
this might be my favorite genre of video, causal conversation in a kitchen while food is being made *chef kiss* oh! and compliments to the chef for the pot pies!
Any action game that tries to also be a horror game always reminds me of HAWP (Hey Ash Whatcha Playin) and their take on the FEAR series. "It seems like the mechanics and the atmospheric goals are diametrically opposed. Everything is supposed to be terrifying but the gameplay is about the same old sense of action hero empowerment. You can't be terrified when you're a walking death machine."
Often I feel like horror/action titles want to be like Aliens: to have their scary monsters and big guns too. But they forget the marines were all helplessly slaughtered before the midpoint of the movie, and it's not until the final encounter that Ripley gets the power suit and then turns the tables. The pay off is worth it, if it isn't handed to you at the start.
when i tried playing fusion i got scared enough to the point i stopped playing lmao. That anticipation after near caught encounter is so fucking tense istg my heart was constantly beating too hard because of it. THAT IS FEAR. this also makes me want to go back and try and finish it lol
...Was Other M considered good when released? I don't recall hearing anyone say anything good about it, at least word of mouth wise. Skyward Sword got mixed reception on release - some people enjoyed it, others detested it, and some were... Mixed feelings, but Other M was generally panned at least in the circles I was in at the time (Shame, behind the mischaracterization of Samus, Where's Waldo segments where the game stops dead until you spot the green alien blood on grass, QTE nonsense, and so forth, that all contributed towards a game that no matter how good the core gameplay loop was made it impossible to push through, there was a pretty darn good core gameplay loop, and it was nice seeing the weird neon alien creature designs of 2d metroid in 3d) I can't disagree, exactly, since clearly Fusion worked better for you than Dread did on the horror front, but my brain apparently works very differently to yours - Dread signposting the EMMI zones, for me, was far more effective than the SA-X randomly showing up occasionally. Yes, Fusion is a horror game, and a very effective one, but from my recollection I don't recall worrying about the SA-X when she wasn't around, just... Dealing with her when she showed up, sometimes via a puzzle, sometimes via an action chase sequence, which was stressful but never lingered beyond those rooms where she was present. They were clearly scripted events, so why worry about them when they're not showing up. The SA-X is terrifying, conceptually, yes, but for most of the game I wasn't thinking about it since it was very binary, either I'm dealing with it, or I'm not, and due to the scripted nature of the encounters, I never felt like it was ever going to put me into a situation which was fundamentally unfair - I was always going to have enough time to figure out how to react, how to hide, how to escape. Honestly, I think the build up to Nightmare was scarier for me than the SA-X when not immediately dealing with an SA-X. Dread's clearly signposted EMMI zones, however, where the EMMI was randomly assigned a starting location when I entered them and from there whatever AI routines it's running told it where to go? That was terrifying on my first play. On later plays it's... Become clear to me how to deal with them - Run fast, stealth occasionally - and let the generous checkpointing take care of the occasional death from that. But that first play? The fact of having to deliberately choose to go through a door, knowing exactly what was on the other side of it, and knowing it might be right next to where I was starting rather than deliberately being scripted to have a Correct answer... Well, let's just say I made sure to explore every nook and cranny of ZDR I could reach without going through that door, and got out of the areas as fast as I was able to, usually planning as much of my route through it as I could before going in because every fibre of my being wanted to Not deal with those areas. And that, for me, was more effective than 'behind every door there might be a scripted SA-X encounter in terms of building fear.
Very well-written comment! I also feel like the SA-X is less mechanically scary, and I think most of my fear for it came from being much younger when I played Fusion. You also really nailed how I felt about the EMMI doors too haha - I vividly remember sitting up straight and getting mentally focused for the first couple of them on my first playthrough.
Some of my favourite moments were when I finally escaped an E.M.M.I, just to find myself in a dead end outside the zone. It was like being in a little closet knowing you are going to have to jump right back into the rest of the haunted house, or remain trapped.
I disagree about the EMMI's. The dread comes from when you get to a part of the map where the only way you havent explored is an EMMI door, and you know it's gonna be terrifying. So you mentally prepare yourself for a scrambling chase through an unknown area.
I dunno i feel like the glazed over helmet scenes are pretty expressive through body language and head movements. Its usually determination or annoyance, which is probably why they went with the glazed helmet too. Helps samus look extra determined
I agree with the overall presentation diminishing the horror elements. But I still feel immense tension and pressure when going into a new EMMI zone. It nails the moment to moment anxiety of being chased. Best example of this is the sound design. The levels feel alive and build up the horror of finding the next boss really well. There are so many subtle queues that something is brewing behind the scenes.
Gotta say, you’re funny. All your critiques also have clear merit to them. That said, I disagree that Dread falls short in the anxiety department. I think standards for it are likely stricter than most, given that you are clearly versed in horror tropes. Plus, Dread wasn’t meant to be ALL about horror. It has to be an epic action game and a closing chapter to an ongoing narrative too.
Can I just take a moment to shout out Jessica Martin, the voice of Samus in Other M? She landed a major dream role right at the start of her career, did a great job delivering a very specific kind of performance, then got nothing but hate for it and has barely done anything since. She got Hayden Christensen’d.
I’ve never really seen anyone else talking about this, I completely agree. Dread is a great game, but it still fundamentally failed at what it set out to do, both in terms of horror and concluding the series.
The title is "How To Make Metroid Dread Soup" but in the actual video the soup is a metaphor for better decisions that the developers didn't actually make.
This is a good breakdown, thanks! I agree that the actual dread didn't really come through--the EMMI segments were stressful but not really frightening. Still loved the game, but I like the look into the divide between what the game director wanted vs what we actually got.
Its funny a lot of the things you said about metroid dread did add that feeling of dread to me. Like seeing an emmi zone door, knowing whats up ahead, I dreaded going into it and mentally prepped myself to go through it. Though I would say that a lot of that comes down to my confidence as a player. The tricks that dread uses like making you fully aware of the emmis presence is uncomfortable for players who are less confident since you KNOW it can see you when you don't want it to and a great tool for more skilled players that want to navigate area fully aware of the emmis shortcomings. Even as a less confident player, that feeling does lessen throughout the game which is interesting since while you do feel like you are taking over the planet, you just have less in your way. They do ramp up the emmi challenges but its not enough to meet that initial high. What they really could have done is trick player expectations more, like an emmi deciding to break past its zone to scout more or even expanding its zone for a section that traps samus within the actual quadrant for a bit. Possibly having two emmis with lesser capabilities patrolling the area and etc. Take opportunities to feel less comfortable with how an emmi will act on an initial playthrough cause by the second emmi you have it all figured out
I feel like the E.M.M.I. Encounters were pretty terrifying when I found myself in them, and knowing that I had to go through their zones to progress filled me with a sense of dread. While the SA-X kept an overarching sense a fear throughout all of Fusion (at least until you get ice missiles) I still would often forget about the SA-X unless I heard it's footsteps, saw it, or Adam brought it up, which ended up giving me the same feeling I felt with Metroid Dread and the E.M.M.I.
One piece of media that does dread extremely well is Petscop (which I originally learned about from another one of Jenna's videos about creepypasta!). There are very few real "scare" sections of Petscop at all, but it builds up tension in such a way that the viewer always feels this low level of doom that's so, so interesting and spooky.
love the video, and definitely agree. the emmi rarely come off as scary and more often come off as... kind of annoying, at least for me. "oh damn, i guess i have to kill *another* emmi to progress the game or whatever. lets find a long hallway and get it over with"
I'm confident I'm going to remember this as that one time Polygon just did a cooking video. And I'm going to vaguely wonder if the b plot of the episode was a Game Theory TM-style theory that actually, Samus is secretly a chef and you didn't know it. (Admittedly more a thing BDG might do. But if Jenna was BDG and it was about that.) Meanwhile, I still remember what this actually was at the moment, and it was a treat! Thanks Polygon!
Did Jenna just find a perfect excuse to cook while on the clock? Loved the video format, after 2 years of "sitting at a desk in front of a green screen" videos, this is refreshing.
As both a horror fanatic and a kitchen newbie, I am equal parts fascinated and flustered by this review. I suppose I never stood a chance with the ending twist
Jenna is a treasure, keep doing your thing!!! Totally agreed on the game not being scary, thought maybe fusion just scared me cause I played it when I was young but this explains it!
Despite all of these valid criticisms; Dread had me on edge the entire time. Even when I wasn’t in an E.M.M.I. room; the foreboding feeling of knowing I had to go into one again to progress always sat in the back of my mind. And no matter how many new weapons you unlock, you still have to run for your life from them. Fusion was definitely more terrifying overall though. My first time playing through Fusion I was basically on the verge of actual panic the entire time. Upon completing the game, I immediately created another save file and began playing through it a second time. And despite knowing what was coming, it was still terrifying. Whereas Dread was almost punishing. Dread is a gauntlet of pain. I was overjoyed when I finally beat it, but unlike every other 2D Metroid and Other M, I don’t have the immediate desire to go back and play it a second time.
I feel like they wanted to make it as scary as the sa-x moments, but by making Samus a more stoic, badass character made the horror more of a thriller. It still works pretty well
Spent the whole video trying to figure out why the energy of Jenna's narration was so unsettling, but luckily I think the plot twist at the end explains it
I felt dread every time I had to go to an EMMI zone in later parts of the game. When I didn’t know what their special abilities were. Lots of good points made. And delicious looking “soup”
Ooh, this is exciting! You have lots of good Jenna videos in store. I particularly recommend her video on smear frames, which is a visual treat: ruclips.net/video/vIdeGmN__Pw/видео.html -Simone
![Gunna - HIM ALL ALONG [Official Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/w7Wf0h1Q8a4/mqdefault.jpg)
drop your favorite soups in the replies 🍲
sweet potato and coconut
Split pea soup
French onion
chicken and wild rice
Vegetarian lentil & pasta with Svaneti seasoning.
hm Jenna's carrot moment was legitimately unsettling and tense
I loved it, haha - Simone
I just hit that segment- I involentarlly started yelling "No no no!" paused the video and scrolled down to the comments to get it away from me...
help I'm paused in the middle of it
YES! So upsetting! More so than.... to choose a completely random example, an EMMI.
I am in conflict. I have the instinct to want a proper claw grip, but know the tension relies on the floppy fingers being near the blade.
The combination of super intelligent and well said games criticism with the laissez-faire attitude of someone making soup and slamming their exes is exactly why I subscribe to Polygon
Soup-er intelligent ;)
The black and white part cutting the carrots was genuinely tense, I don't want to cut carrots anymore.
you can stop whenever you want
If you don't cut the carrots...they may just CUT YOU
My eight grade science teacher, to demonstrate the freezing power of liquid nitrogen, once dipped his thumb into a thermos filled with the chemical for a few moments. Then, to our horror, he produced a hammer, which he used to smash his frozen digit violently into pieces. The joke was that it was actually a carrot... a vegetable suited for the purpose of mutilation unlike any other.
@@thegaspatthegateway thanks for that image, I'll have to talk to my therapist about it
(For real, cool story!)
my body is not a temple. it is a thermos. for metroid dread soup
it does keep things warm in there
more of jenna explaining things whilst gesticulating with kitchen tools and/or food please
I think Dread actually succeeded in making the EMMIs pretty scary by making them fast and deadly... But then you kill them one by one, starting fairly early in the game, and as soon as you take one down you know it's only a matter of time until you get to take down every other one. The SA-X, aside from being inherently creepy by being a faceless alien clone, stays unstoppable way longer.
It's the 2nd to last boss in the game, I'd say way longer is correct, and you are effectively "forced" to take SA-X while undefeatable head on only once.
Yet I still fear that when I enter a room the light goes out, the music stops playing and I begin hearing metallic footsteps.
Since you fight the EMMIs one by one with only colour and ability variations, it might have been more effective to just have one constantly upgrading EMMI you fight throughout the game. It wouldn't make much difference, but I feel it'd be a stronger narrative. Instead of destroying them, you just incapacitate one of them until you finally get the upgrade to kill it at the very last encounter.
@@HA-ot6uf That's very true. I think one other thing is how clearly demarcated the EMMI areas are. It would be a pretty different and scarier experience if you didn't immediately know when you entered or left an EMMI zone. It makes sense thematically that the zones are closed off with special doors they can't cross, but you put together the special doors, the very specific look and feel of EMMI zones which is different from the whole rest of the game (and mostly not very scary), AND the fact that the zones are clearly indicated on the map from the moment you enter them, it's kind too much. It takes almost all of the uncertainty out and really prevents the horror feel from working.
Which is a shame, because I really do think the EMMI manage to be pretty scary in their speed and movements and the threat they pose to the player, but this is undermined by some other elements. Honestly, I wouldn't be making this criticism if it weren't for that interview pointing out that they were trying to amp up the horror element. They made a great game, but it's clearly LESS scary and suspenseful than the SA-X in Fusion.
@@HA-ot6uf Man, now i'm imagining each EMMI zone ending with a boss encounter where you have to use your powerups and interact with the environment to trap it or separate yourself from it, knowing you just barely escaped and you'll have to actually deal with it later. It gets dirtier and loses panels but never gets weaker until you properly kill it at the end. Once you show the player how to destroy one the very first time you encounter one, the fear just turns into a suspenseful search for the powerup room.
"I've had to put down a lot of roombas over the years" I straight up choked this is so funny
Shepherds pie + roomba joke = spoiled keyboard
Doing your work assignment while also making dinner is such a 2021 mood.
I love that 90% of the metaphors went over my head but the video still makes perfect sense 😅 Man, the general reception to Dread I'm seeing is so weird. Almost everyone agrees it's a great game, but the things that stand out the most about it are the few things it _didn't_ do. It's like if you bite into a pastry expecting something sweet but you get something savory instead. You're not sad, you're just confused.
i think it's just the build up and expectations over years and years... honestly i was hoping to see literally anything involving the space pirates bc that was the literal context it was referred to in. and the game had nothing to do with that lore wise what so ever. and yeah, naming the game "dread" does kind of imply some connection.
I think "upset" and "scared" are the key emotions of trying to remember if you left the burner on.
lmao fair
I think the EMMIs are appropriately scary. Metroid Dread does a really good job of modulating its mood so you never feel too powerful OR too powerless for long. Your first encounter with an EMMI is stressful, but not overwhelming. You're taught early that you CAN kill them, but only with a very specific powerup, and getting that powerup will often force you to zig zag in and out of EMMI zones and evade detection. Without knowing the optimal route beforehand, each dive into an EMMI zone presents the player with a concrete threat that will challenge their speed, precision, and navigation in new and unexpected ways.
"Fear" may not be the best word to describe it, but "Dread" definitely is. On my first playthrough, I *dreaded* going through certain EMMI zones, because I knew I would be throwing myself into a situation where I would be extremely vulnerable and probably die multiple times before I discovered the correct route. The knowledge that they *could* be defeated however was what allowed me to push past my feelings of dread and plunge back into the EMMI zone, because each time I know I'll be getting closer to blowing its stupid robot head off.
That's the roller coaster that Metroid Dread rides so perfectly. Confusion and dread leading to familiarity, experience and accomplishment, and then riding that high just long enough to shock your senses when you encounter a new, even tougher threat that you need to prepare for.
This comment is better than this video
I wholeheartedly agree that this game did a poor job of instilling dread and tension into the player. But, I wouldn't say it did bad job at giving us fear, just, a different kind of fear. While games like Alien: Isolation and Amnesia: The Dark Descent give us that palpable dread that we so crave, Metroid: Dread gave us something else altogether; a shock to the fight or flight response. Early on, it's made clear that fighting them head on is not an option, and getting caught and going for the counter is a last ditch effort. This, I feel, naturally puts the player on edge, whenever you enter a new E.M.M.I zone, its time to do or die, and if you aren't thinking fast enough, you will be caught. Coupled with the fact that each E.M.M.I zone is geographically different, as well as the abilities they possess changing throughout the game, it forces the player to worry a lot more about the threat they pose due to the fact that there is always something new for them to throw at you to keep you off your game and more likely to be found by them, creating a real, lasting sense of pulse pounding threat from these ghoulish machines.
Dude go play 5 nights
"okay, i got past that emmi without cloaking, i'm fine."
*scan pulse sound after i jump*
"Oh shit oh god oh fuck"
Metroid: Panic, more like
@@thegaspatthegateway kek
I think you've got it right. Though I'm not sure how Metroid: Anxiety sounds.
A leek was held but not spun and I can’t help but feel a bit betrayed.
Great video!!
The horrible thing is that once you sit down to eat Metroid Soup, it gets thrown down onto the floor while you watch.
Watching Jenna tell me about Metroid while making herself food seems threatening. I love it.
It's like being trapped in the kitchen with her, being held hostage by her cooking process as she talks to you.
A great review can make you think about all the ways a game failed and still want to replay it as soon as the video's over.
this is a really wonderful sentiment, thank you! :D
Saying something isn't perfect doesn't mean it still isn't very good or that you don't like it after all
poor knife safety is the scariest thing about this video. tuck in your fingers when you chop, friends!
I actually found that there was a palpable feeling of dread around... well, Dread, but it wasn't fear for Samus herself; it was fear for EVERYONE ELSE. There's points in the game that aren't around the EMMIs that make it palpably clear that, as capable as Samus is, she's up against something outright terrifying, and we're only okay because we're Samus. The way the game depicts the X-Parasites especially is basically Nintendo's spin on Cronenberg body horror, and... sure, Samus is okay against that, but you can very clearly see that she's the only one that is. If she fails, you can see in a horrifying level of detail (which isn't even 'too much' detail, but rather 'just enough') what's in store for the rest of the galaxy.
The EMMIs aren't part of that, but they do act as a supplement to it by showing us just how fragile Samus actually is. She's the only thing standing against wide-scale The Thingening, and yet these robots can kill her in one stab. She's the last line of defense, but she's not even an especially strong one.
I would say that the break between the yellow and ice E.M.M.I was a great moment of Dread, knowing that despite Quiet Robe deactiavting them, the threat is still around. And despite criticisms of the music, I would say the theme for Elun does a great job at building up the tension to a release that never comes.
I can't wait for the follow-up Pokemon Salad in a couple months.
I hope not. That killed BDG and I don't want any more deaths.
This is the polygon vibe I love, the vibe of a buddy telling me about this cool game they played while we’re hanging out
Love Polygon's new hit series: _Uncooked_
SOUP!!!!!
edit: NOT SOUP!! you TRICKED me!!!!!!!!
Despite being salty about roombas and exes, Jenna always manages to pepper her reviews with good humor. What a sage... she makes us all take stock of our lives.
this might be my favorite genre of video, causal conversation in a kitchen while food is being made *chef kiss* oh! and compliments to the chef for the pot pies!
Watching Jenna: 😗
Watching Jenna talk about Metroid: 😤
Watching Jenna talk about Metroid w/ knife: 🔥😍🔥
This is accurate
Any action game that tries to also be a horror game always reminds me of HAWP (Hey Ash Whatcha Playin) and their take on the FEAR series. "It seems like the mechanics and the atmospheric goals are diametrically opposed. Everything is supposed to be terrifying but the gameplay is about the same old sense of action hero empowerment. You can't be terrified when you're a walking death machine."
Often I feel like horror/action titles want to be like Aliens: to have their scary monsters and big guns too. But they forget the marines were all helplessly slaughtered before the midpoint of the movie, and it's not until the final encounter that Ripley gets the power suit and then turns the tables. The pay off is worth it, if it isn't handed to you at the start.
1000 more videos of Jenna telling me about horror games, please.
I know nothing abt metroid but I do know about soup. It's very good and made of liquid. Highly recommend.
I'm glad that all of the Soup Talk in the livestreams has come to fruition on the channel
I love the contrasting vibes between the title and thumbnail.
can't make soup without chopping some _______
when i tried playing fusion i got scared enough to the point i stopped playing lmao. That anticipation after near caught encounter is so fucking tense istg my heart was constantly beating too hard because of it. THAT IS FEAR. this also makes me want to go back and try and finish it lol
...Was Other M considered good when released? I don't recall hearing anyone say anything good about it, at least word of mouth wise. Skyward Sword got mixed reception on release - some people enjoyed it, others detested it, and some were... Mixed feelings, but Other M was generally panned at least in the circles I was in at the time (Shame, behind the mischaracterization of Samus, Where's Waldo segments where the game stops dead until you spot the green alien blood on grass, QTE nonsense, and so forth, that all contributed towards a game that no matter how good the core gameplay loop was made it impossible to push through, there was a pretty darn good core gameplay loop, and it was nice seeing the weird neon alien creature designs of 2d metroid in 3d)
I can't disagree, exactly, since clearly Fusion worked better for you than Dread did on the horror front, but my brain apparently works very differently to yours - Dread signposting the EMMI zones, for me, was far more effective than the SA-X randomly showing up occasionally.
Yes, Fusion is a horror game, and a very effective one, but from my recollection I don't recall worrying about the SA-X when she wasn't around, just... Dealing with her when she showed up, sometimes via a puzzle, sometimes via an action chase sequence, which was stressful but never lingered beyond those rooms where she was present. They were clearly scripted events, so why worry about them when they're not showing up. The SA-X is terrifying, conceptually, yes, but for most of the game I wasn't thinking about it since it was very binary, either I'm dealing with it, or I'm not, and due to the scripted nature of the encounters, I never felt like it was ever going to put me into a situation which was fundamentally unfair - I was always going to have enough time to figure out how to react, how to hide, how to escape. Honestly, I think the build up to Nightmare was scarier for me than the SA-X when not immediately dealing with an SA-X.
Dread's clearly signposted EMMI zones, however, where the EMMI was randomly assigned a starting location when I entered them and from there whatever AI routines it's running told it where to go? That was terrifying on my first play. On later plays it's... Become clear to me how to deal with them - Run fast, stealth occasionally - and let the generous checkpointing take care of the occasional death from that. But that first play? The fact of having to deliberately choose to go through a door, knowing exactly what was on the other side of it, and knowing it might be right next to where I was starting rather than deliberately being scripted to have a Correct answer... Well, let's just say I made sure to explore every nook and cranny of ZDR I could reach without going through that door, and got out of the areas as fast as I was able to, usually planning as much of my route through it as I could before going in because every fibre of my being wanted to Not deal with those areas. And that, for me, was more effective than 'behind every door there might be a scripted SA-X encounter in terms of building fear.
Very well-written comment! I also feel like the SA-X is less mechanically scary, and I think most of my fear for it came from being much younger when I played Fusion.
You also really nailed how I felt about the EMMI doors too haha - I vividly remember sitting up straight and getting mentally focused for the first couple of them on my first playthrough.
Other M was the game that made sure I’d never preorder a game again
@@Aighthandle Sad but Smart.
Some of my favourite moments were when I finally escaped an E.M.M.I, just to find myself in a dead end outside the zone. It was like being in a little closet knowing you are going to have to jump right back into the rest of the haunted house, or remain trapped.
What a great analysis. Also, I was wondering why you were making a roux when you said you were making soup. Great plot twist!
Instructions unclear, attempted to make soup by boiling Switch cartridges
I disagree about the EMMI's. The dread comes from when you get to a part of the map where the only way you havent explored is an EMMI door, and you know it's gonna be terrifying. So you mentally prepare yourself for a scrambling chase through an unknown area.
Bingo!
The best ending of a Polygon video I've ever seen. 10/10 wow
I dunno i feel like the glazed over helmet scenes are pretty expressive through body language and head movements. Its usually determination or annoyance, which is probably why they went with the glazed helmet too. Helps samus look extra determined
Hwlpsnsamus
@@blarg2429 my autocorrect had a stroke 😂
@@DimT670 lmao
Made me think of Saitama's "OK" moment from one punch man
Oh god. Now I know how my mother feels when I monologue at her about media she doesn't know while I'm making dinner.
Jenna explaining dread with soup reminded me a lot of DougDoug explaining video games with food
I saw soup and got v interested despite not knowing metroid lol
I agree with the overall presentation diminishing the horror elements. But I still feel immense tension and pressure when going into a new EMMI zone. It nails the moment to moment anxiety of being chased. Best example of this is the sound design. The levels feel alive and build up the horror of finding the next boss really well. There are so many subtle queues that something is brewing behind the scenes.
the twist at the end got me to actually gasp, good work
bold of polygon to post this as i was getting ready to eat soup for dinner
It do be like that sometimes
enjoy your soup
@@morganl5875 thanks i will! it's caldo verde
Thanks for helping me plan my next meal! - Simone
Gotta say, you’re funny. All your critiques also have clear merit to them. That said, I disagree that Dread falls short in the anxiety department. I think standards for it are likely stricter than most, given that you are clearly versed in horror tropes. Plus, Dread wasn’t meant to be ALL about horror. It has to be an epic action game and a closing chapter to an ongoing narrative too.
Can I just take a moment to shout out Jessica Martin, the voice of Samus in Other M? She landed a major dream role right at the start of her career, did a great job delivering a very specific kind of performance, then got nothing but hate for it and has barely done anything since. She got Hayden Christensen’d.
I’ve never really seen anyone else talking about this, I completely agree. Dread is a great game, but it still fundamentally failed at what it set out to do, both in terms of horror and concluding the series.
Your delivery was the cherry on top for the entire video. Excellent deadpan with the knife haha!
Well written and insightful. Fun review.
The title is "How To Make Metroid Dread Soup" but in the actual video the soup is a metaphor for better decisions that the developers didn't actually make.
Started vibrating in place in pure concern when the carrot chopping started, that was phenomenal work
"And, like my exes..." HERE WE GOOOOOOOOOOOO
This is a good breakdown, thanks! I agree that the actual dread didn't really come through--the EMMI segments were stressful but not really frightening. Still loved the game, but I like the look into the divide between what the game director wanted vs what we actually got.
Hey Simone? You're doing a great job replying to and faving comments on polygon videos! Keep up the good work!
AYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY
Its funny a lot of the things you said about metroid dread did add that feeling of dread to me. Like seeing an emmi zone door, knowing whats up ahead, I dreaded going into it and mentally prepped myself to go through it.
Though I would say that a lot of that comes down to my confidence as a player. The tricks that dread uses like making you fully aware of the emmis presence is uncomfortable for players who are less confident since you KNOW it can see you when you don't want it to and a great tool for more skilled players that want to navigate area fully aware of the emmis shortcomings.
Even as a less confident player, that feeling does lessen throughout the game which is interesting since while you do feel like you are taking over the planet, you just have less in your way. They do ramp up the emmi challenges but its not enough to meet that initial high. What they really could have done is trick player expectations more, like an emmi deciding to break past its zone to scout more or even expanding its zone for a section that traps samus within the actual quadrant for a bit. Possibly having two emmis with lesser capabilities patrolling the area and etc. Take opportunities to feel less comfortable with how an emmi will act on an initial playthrough cause by the second emmi you have it all figured out
I feel like the E.M.M.I. Encounters were pretty terrifying when I found myself in them, and knowing that I had to go through their zones to progress filled me with a sense of dread. While the SA-X kept an overarching sense a fear throughout all of Fusion (at least until you get ice missiles) I still would often forget about the SA-X unless I heard it's footsteps, saw it, or Adam brought it up, which ended up giving me the same feeling I felt with Metroid Dread and the E.M.M.I.
when you got a video deadline at 6 and a dinner party at 7
maybe the real soup was the pot pie filling we made along the way
this format/framing device works so well! some real polygon-ass stuff, nice one jenna and the rest of the team
I think it says something about my personal coping mechanisms that when the carrot chop happened i laughed out loud
One piece of media that does dread extremely well is Petscop (which I originally learned about from another one of Jenna's videos about creepypasta!). There are very few real "scare" sections of Petscop at all, but it builds up tension in such a way that the viewer always feels this low level of doom that's so, so interesting and spooky.
Sax is swedish for scissors. Coincidence?
it's all connected
@@polygon How do you sever connections? Scissors...
love the video, and definitely agree. the emmi rarely come off as scary and more often come off as... kind of annoying, at least for me. "oh damn, i guess i have to kill *another* emmi to progress the game or whatever. lets find a long hallway and get it over with"
I'm confident I'm going to remember this as that one time Polygon just did a cooking video. And I'm going to vaguely wonder if the b plot of the episode was a Game Theory TM-style theory that actually, Samus is secretly a chef and you didn't know it. (Admittedly more a thing BDG might do. But if Jenna was BDG and it was about that.)
Meanwhile, I still remember what this actually was at the moment, and it was a treat! Thanks Polygon!
I love these video essays. Keep it up!
the twist at the end really got me!
!!! What a fun video!! The twist at the end was also neat😂
Name a more iconic trio than Polygon, horror games, and soup.
Jenna talking about Metroid, good stuff.
"Pls just let me pee" is such a mood 😂 kitty i will be back i promise
Did Jenna just find a perfect excuse to cook while on the clock?
Loved the video format, after 2 years of "sitting at a desk in front of a green screen" videos, this is refreshing.
As both a horror fanatic and a kitchen newbie, I am equal parts fascinated and flustered by this review. I suppose I never stood a chance with the ending twist
Jenna is a treasure, keep doing your thing!!! Totally agreed on the game not being scary, thought maybe fusion just scared me cause I played it when I was young but this explains it!
Despite all of these valid criticisms; Dread had me on edge the entire time. Even when I wasn’t in an E.M.M.I. room; the foreboding feeling of knowing I had to go into one again to progress always sat in the back of my mind. And no matter how many new weapons you unlock, you still have to run for your life from them. Fusion was definitely more terrifying overall though. My first time playing through Fusion I was basically on the verge of actual panic the entire time. Upon completing the game, I immediately created another save file and began playing through it a second time. And despite knowing what was coming, it was still terrifying. Whereas Dread was almost punishing. Dread is a gauntlet of pain. I was overjoyed when I finally beat it, but unlike every other 2D Metroid and Other M, I don’t have the immediate desire to go back and play it a second time.
I feel like they wanted to make it as scary as the sa-x moments, but by making Samus a more stoic, badass character made the horror more of a thriller. It still works pretty well
I'd love to see a cooking-show style review for all the prior Metroid titles too!
I was hoping for an actual soup recipe.
This is good too, I guess...
jenna please continue to make videos where you draw lengthy analogies between video games and food that you're cooking
Hey that's how my wife cuts carrots. I got her a pair of Kevlar gloves for Christmas last year.
good move
@@polygon I guess. She gave the gift one thumb up.
I can hear the "dun dun DUN" sting when I got to the end of the video
1:12 RIP roombas.
"and like my exes, it's unclear if SA-X is an intelligent creature" LOOOOL
Really enjoyed this review/video essay.
Spent the whole video trying to figure out why the energy of Jenna's narration was so unsettling, but luckily I think the plot twist at the end explains it
I felt dread every time I had to go to an EMMI zone in later parts of the game. When I didn’t know what their special abilities were. Lots of good points made. And delicious looking “soup”
What a title lol much different video than I expected. Honestly, I was confused on what to expect
When you land a successful parry on EMMI, 5:08
havent seen this creator on polygon yet. great content, thank you!
Ooh, this is exciting! You have lots of good Jenna videos in store. I particularly recommend her video on smear frames, which is a visual treat: ruclips.net/video/vIdeGmN__Pw/видео.html
-Simone
As someone who had proper knife use drilled into my head by many chefs, that carrot section had me fearing for my sanity
Jenna's favourite thing to cook is Fusion cuisine
5:07 uh....thats definitely not...a pain sound....
*bonk* 😜
Content on point.
Bangs also on point.
Now I wanna take a chicken noodle soup recipe and swap the carrots for bell peppers for more of a cajun vibe
"Stressfull frittata"
Especially towards the end the emmi doesnt disappear it just goes in the same route near you over and over
Jenna's Spooky Soup recipe question: what is the spookiest spice?
Really good analysis of Dread, thanks Jenna!
Idk man my first play through felt pretty scary… especially since the EMMI reminded me of “The Hound” from Fahrenheit 451
she is talking about Wyler's boullion SO BAD right now. I love Wyler's. I feel your pain. Not every store has it.
Yayyyy more Jenna!!! And food! This is the ultimate gift!