My favorite part of the game was when Adam kept telling samus “woah samus you’re too weak to fight ravenbeak, I heard he’s super strong and buff and has a six pack”
@@thecultclassiccorner8615 Honestly I remember Prime 2 looking better than 3 just because of the reflectivity of certain surfaces like Samus's Varia suit, it just looks right to me. Prime 3 actually made the artstyle more cartoony, but I agree that the environments were beautiful even w/ the Wii's resolution
I still think Metroid Prime 1 is one of the best looking games ever made. Yeah it's kinda low res, but the art design is so consistent and solid that it hardly matters. And the lighting effects used make the low resolution even harder to notice at many points.
It's interesting how many people I've seen that have struggled to find the way forward given how I pretty much never got lost, in a way that kinda ended up annoying me. Constantly felt like I was on a guided tour through ZDR, but the amount of sequence breaks in the game sorta made that up in the end. Still, interesting.
It’s hard to strike that balance super well, and different players are bound to have different experiences. Personally I think Dread does the best job guiding players with an invisible hand since Super and does it without it feeling too obvious.
I remember getting lost at least 2 or 3 times wondering if I needed to backtrack or not. And with the map getting more and more expanded, the worse that feeling got. The playtime for my first playthrough said 13 hours, but I feel like it was longer than that. You probably had better map memorization than most people (even looking at the map can still be unclear for me sometimes)
I feel like Super did this as well, locking you out of backtracking with the environment to subtly guide you forward. It was just just a little more sneaky about it.
@@Guarrow It was definitely a clever way to have Samus talk for the first time. She finally talks but not in any language that the players would understand lmao
honestly the fact that dread was number 1 on amazon for weeks, the older games being on the top of the wii u eshop’s virtual console sales (beating brain age iykyk) and so much more gives me hope that metroid will become a mainstay series again. update: metroid dread is now nominated for game of the year at the game awards, granted these things dont really matter to us. but maybe JUST MAYBE. if metroid dread wins that award… thats our ticket.
One thing I love about this game is that it's not ashamed to be a god damn game. Higher budget games from larger publishers tend to either tone down the difficulty to the extent where it's not satisfying to beat the game, so determined to wow you on visuals that immersion is broken by a myriad of invisible walls, or have an extra large focus on a story that often isn't even that great. It's just nice to have a game with a nice balance of polish, fun, and challenge.
This is what I like to call the rockstar approach to game design. Before they were big, levels in gta 3 let you tackle them in very creative ways. Instead of chasing a guy, plant a car bomb on his pre planted getaway car. Instead of tailing a taxi, STEAL a taxi, the drop the guy off at his destination. Once rockstar made billions off 3 and VC they started choosing spectacle over entertainment; that tailing mission will also be in San Andreas but we won’t let you take him there in a taxi, you have to do it the way we want to. If you find a different route to this roof you need to sneak to we’ll invent a way for you to fail. We’ll say drop this off anywhere, but if it’s not exactly where WE want it the mission won’t end. In open games like this not letting people play the game how it’s literally designed to be played to brag about your cutscenes is sorta how you get people to just stop buying your games and play the old ones you made when your head was lodged so far up your ass you can lick you’re lungs.
That's why it sold like shet , it didn't give casual/veryyoung player a fun popcorn eating story or the movie migration a very fun movie that you interact with. It's a real game , and that's why nobody want it
@@drifter402 bought a play5 then. All their games have a supercasual marioodyssey tier level choice. And none of the plataforming is obligatory in any of their games.
Can’t believe Dread ended up being as good as it is. Funnily enough I barely got lost on my first play through. But on subsequent runs while trying to get below the 4h mark, I struggled to intuitively find my way through the game, and had to pull out my map constantly to see if I was on the right track. I’d honestly say my biggest exploration complaint is that there aren’t enough paths that lead towards the same area. When I put a marker down, I very often find myself going towards it, only to pull up the map and realize I’ve missed the only route that leads to where I need to go. Then instead of being able to navigate there from my current position I, most of the time, need to backtrack to one specific room that opens the door to the specific path I need to take.
For me it always seemed that I missed the closed Thermal doors that were visible on the map. So by the time I get to the location, I'm turning back around.
@@-siranzalot- just having it like the mario kart map would really help with the exploration of this game, the map it has right now kinda doesnt do much.
Sounds counterintuitive, but that's exactly how it was for me too. First playthrough the map felt pretty linear, the game pointing IMO rather clearly to where it wants you to go and I only got lost when I tried to backtrack for "extra items" and forgot where I had left off. But weirdly I had more troubles finding my way in subsequent playthroughs. But I think that might just be an illusion, caused by the time pressure ("gotta beat 4h!").
The whole segment with the purple Emmi you’re supposed to use your grapple hook more effectively. I actually love how each Emmi gets you to master your power ups. The dash made it easy to get away and then when you’re plunged into water without the gravity suit, it feels debilitating but as soon as I figured out a better use of the grapple beam it gives you much better footing.
Yeah, I think he was a bit obsessed with trying to make the phantom cloak work for that zone. If you're making an proper effort to try and master the gameplay mechanics the game is throwing at you, then this area shouldn't be any harder then the rest. I feel like in many way Dread adapted the thing from Super Metroid, where is always best to try everything in your arsenal to beat its challenges. (Some Bosses will counter your Super Missiles in a way that isn't dodgeable, some will be better fought by the Charge Beam and another one can we skipped by using the grapple beam in the right place.) But I get why you wouldn't immediately try doing things that weren't a thing in other Metroid Games, like using the grapple for speed. I think I found out on the last Boss that Power Bombs actually do damage now, found that pretty cool as well.
@@Brandonious15987 And the dark orb. Impossible otherwise, guaruanteed hit without power bombs if you don't want to no-life the proper positioning to dodge his combo.
nerrels voice is like the feeling when you get when you come back from a long day at the garbage disposal facility and your mum brings you a warm mug of hot chocolate except the you look into the cup and you see a horrifying resemblance to the moon from MM3D
After the choking restriction of Other M and fairly straightforward nature of Samus Returns, it's liberating to finally have proper sequence-breaks again in Metroid Dread. Full-on, developer-intended sequence breaks - and there's plenty of unintended stuff, too. All complete with stellar mechanics, fantastic boss fights, clever level design, and a harrowing atmosphere. Dread has some quirks, and the soundtrack could stand out a bit more, but it's a fantastic game and worthy of the title Metroid 5. Metroid is back.
Grapple skip feels really true to the soul of Super Metroid's sequence breaks. Dread never teaches you that you can jump in air out of a dash, but theres plenty of oppertunity for the player to learn it. And they design a hidden obsticle room in the game for you to test this player-discovered ability, that rewards you with a significant upgrade out of the intended order. Big thumbs up from me. The glitched skips are even crazier, but it seems like so far the developers are in support of community-found skips. Stuff like Pseudo-Wave Beam and underwater bomb jumping were found in the initial release, and instead of removing those in the first patch, they fixed a softlock if you DO use pseudo-wave to skip EMMI 1. I'm really happy that, so far, Nintendo and MS are on the same page with this game as the community.
@@TimBagels Early grapple beam is a textbook Super style sequence break. Clever use of mechanics combined with knowledge of the environment. Even better that it lets you get early bombs, which you're rewarded for with a Kraid Phase 2 skip. Early gravity suit, interestingly, is a very Zero Mission style sequence break, with a hidden path deliberately placed to allow early access to it. It's cool to see such knowledge on how those two games functioned and where they excelled in this area. Sakamoto was right to trust MercurySteam with this project. They're clearly passionate fans.
I hope Nintendo ends up buying this studio like they did with next level games and retro. Ever since they worked with Nintendo, their production values have skyrocketed. Mercury steam is so insanely talented.
Hell yeah!! Super was the first metroid i beat, and it instantly became my favorite game ever. Dread did well by it, Fusion, and Samus Returns on the 3ds.
A word to the wise if youre still playing fusion (which i doubt since you posted this 8 days ago), its really combat focused compared to the games before it, and may be a little off putting in that manner. GL!
I thought the underwater EMMI section without the Gravity Suit was brilliant because it required fast use of the grapple beam in order to pull yourself through the water fast enough, leading to a tense stretch of gameplay where you had to carefully aim whilst not going too slowly.
yeah not to be all "git good" and obnoxious but in my experience it wasn't necessary to counter the emmis to get thru that section. i fucked up and got caught occasionally, but that was just me making a mistake and it usually killed me and I learned something for the next attempt
On the part about the last EMMI, I didn’t really find it frustrating at all. I used the grapple beam to move myself further while in stealth to get away, since there are so many grapple points in the areas iirc
Thats what I did too, I honestly found it just as fun as the earlier EMMIs since my movement was still limited but not to the point where it felt like I had to counter.
That felt great to me, i was literally moving from one grapple point to another. Do to the slow down of the water it felt pretty awesome using the grapple beam as a main way of movement
I'm so glad I'm not alone in those thoughts regarding the soundtrack, I'd seen so many people praise it beforehand and I was just like "this is probably one of the weakest Metroid soundtracks out there" Outside of that tho yeah, phenomenal revival for the 2D series, hoping to see much more (hopefully it sells well enough)
Actually I’d say being so-so on the soundtrack is the common consensus out there. I quite like it myself, it certainly nails the atmosphere in a lot of places, and it is in large part original which is great. It just needed a little more identity and distinction. It’s more what isn’t there than what is, but what is there is done very well.
It's not just weak for a Metroid game, it just fucking straight up sucks. It blows my mind that it was actually accepted as done and put in the game. It's a real shame that something that was so previously strong in the series (especially in Super) was such a catastrophic failure in Dread. I honestly think long term they should redo it all and patch the game, it's that bad. The samples are abysmal, the melodies are almost non existent, it felt barely a few steps up from listening to Desert Bus at times.
God I love the storm missiles upgrade, in previous games when you got missile expansions it was kinda like "meh, I can spam more missiles", but the storm missiles let you UNLOAD your missiles on enemies ,12-9 at a time for MASSIVE THROBBING DAMAGE, making missile expansions all the more relevant too, hope they bring it back for future games and give the upgrade much earlier
Even with Storm Missiles, I thought the number of missiles you get in the game is a bit strange/excessive. Just playing through the game without stepping off the beaten path for optional expansions will net you more than you'll ever need. Enemies and bosses are super generous with supplying ammo. Love the game, but there are a few things like that which felt a bit archaic for the direction MercurySteam has taken the series in. Perhaps _Other M_ was on to something with the way it handled missiles.
@@samuelstephens6904 I don't know what you mean by this. You can easily face RB with just 100 missiles on a first blind playthrough without bothering to backtrack at all. Even w/ the 275 missiles, they come in SUPER handy as long as you're actually using storm missiles. They aren't balanced around collecting all of them, just most of them, and that's why there's such an abundance.
@@gu3z185 I mean that missile expansions are more superfluous and less functional in _Dread_ compared to prior Metroid games. Same deal with the Power Bomb expansions and other returning elements like map rooms and health/ammo stations. The game is showing some of the stretch marks of the classic 2D Metroid formula.
I find your comments about world design interesting, since I had a considerably smooth time navigating the world. I honestly found it kinda neat every time I felt I was close to the surface but then got denied and sent back to a previous area. It only happens a handful of times and the fakeouts don't overstay their welcome in my opinion. As for direction, even without searching the map for newly accessible obstacles, I found the layout of the area intuitive enough to where I could just walk in the general direction the game sent me and still find my way, largely due to all the powerups lying around, which became obtainable after acquiring a particular ability. There are just enough of them placed around the correct path that it gave me a sense of "I went here to get this power-up; I may as well keep going this way," and more often than not it led me to where I was meant to be, though of course figuring out what to do once I got there was still up to me. I can definitely see where they tried to noob-proof it, but I think about 90% is pretty airtight.
Yeah, although I watched someone else play at first, I feel like the game still mostly does a good job of getting you where you need to be just by placing interesting stuff around.
Yeah I agree. In my experience, the backtracking and looking for new objectives was one of the most fun parts. Whenever I got a new power up, I would run through all the previous areas looking for stuff to do. The mechanics of the movement were so satisfying that I really didnt care. Its rewarding just to move. And things I love in a game are exploration and problem solving. So these parts were very satisfying
I feel like it has more to do with how you engage with worlds in games. Are you the type who will travel as far and search as much as you can until the game says "stop" Or do you go by the motions and just do what you see infront of you. I had no issues with exploring the world (I kinda liked it more than super) but I recognize that not everyone is going to do things the same way I do and that's fine.
I honestly think it's intuitive to an almost annoying degree. Like, I never felt like I had any idea of where I was going but somehow just following the path of least resistance always ended me up in front of some new elevator or train. It almost felt like I wasn't even in control of where I was going.
I'm so happy with how Dread turned out. It was honestly just the right amount of old things done well again and new things added on top. It still retains everything I loved the other 2D games for but also boldly but carefully pushes the series forward. I really hope this set the series back on track and opens more possibilities for future games.
I would go a step further and say I hope Metroidvanias in general take inspiration from and improve on the formula Metroid Dread expanded upon. Specifically, I hope more -vaniaesque Metroidvania games take the slide, the free aim, and in general focus on giving their controls and core gameplay more fluidity and polish.
I never had an issue with the final drones personally, and in fact I think the devs did a really good job of phasing them out as you got more powerful, I was worried they'd overstay their welcome but I never felt like they did.
At 11:13, I believe the reason you’re “blocked off from backtracking” is so that the player will not be lost as easily. It seems like dread did this in more areas than one in order to aid the player and give them a limited amount of options of proceeding. if anything these blockades helped me in immediately realizing “okay I’m not supposed to go that way”
Dread's music grew on me overtime. Though, I am hoping a hypothetical Metroid 6 brings out good new melodic music. As it stands Dread's music sounds like they tried to aim for prime's choir atmosphere, but weaker.
I'd say dread music is good but most people that play the game are expecting like grassy brinstar type music so I understand how some people might feel but I dont think dread music is bad, it's just going more for ambient
@@chromolorthegreat7071 even then though the other metroids have better raw ambient pieces, nothing in dread even comes close to the atmosphere of the pirate base and phazon mine type themes.
@@chromolorthegreat7071 I mean i do think dread has good ambience, but nothing really hit me the way some of the ambient pieces in the prime trilogy, super, or fusion did. I also think the lack of melodic pieces hurts the soundtrack a lot.
@@chromolorthegreat7071 I liked that the music was understated. It made the times when the music really comes to the fore that much more impactful. There are some great tunes in there, they're just not screaming for your attention. I appreciate the subtlety.
9:30 A counter point to this, is that the game DOES tell you where to go. Usually you'll encounter some blue butterflies many times. Once you saw them is very obvious you're supposed to go there to continue.
I wouldn't call that obvious. I saw the dozens of times and never made the connection that they are some sort of guiding tool. I just considered them decoration, maybe a yet unexplained plot point.
@@ruolbu nah it was pretty obvious that they hinted at something but I never knew what exactly but it might have something to do with bosses or the CU but I never needed them.
I have to disagree about late stage emmis. By that point I mapped out their movement patterns well enough that baiting worked 99% of the time. and using the grappling beam effectively. I almost never moved while having cloak activated, besides movibg towards a hidding spot/ spider wall. I felt the late emmi gacks were necessary and even fun to keep up the tension. By the time your cloak runs out, if you hid well, the emmi tends to be off screen, at that point you blitz, the emmi immediately hears, and you continue towards your objective, until you find another prime hidding spot when the emmi gets to close and start over. it was almost like red light green light later on and I liked it.
The D-pad was actually mapped to two actions, scan pulse and increasing the size of the minimap. I definitely would not have cried if they just scrapped the minimap size adjustment feature altogether, though. I think you may as well have just rolled the Minus menu into the Plus menu, too. Then the D-pad could be entirely used and the scan pulse could just be on minus. As for the aiming issue, they could just have the right stick aim independently. This would make aiming and shooting awkward while aiming, but I guess that's a good argument for the industry to standardize controllers that have rear paddles.
Rear inputs in some way would be great. I was really hoping the Dualsense would have the DS4 back button add-on integrated into the controller itself, then Microsoft and Nintendo would eventually follow suit. Seemed like an actual innovation to the standard controller design that's been mostly unchanged for 20+ years. I'd also like to see Sony and Microsoft integrate gyro functionality into like... every game. 1st and 3rd party games on Switch that utilize gyro are so much better with aiming, especially older titles. I recently played Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath on Switch with gyro for first person and it made combat so much better. The only recent significant innovation that multiple members of the trifecta have integrated is advanced rumble features, which is great on Switch Pro Controller and even better on PS Dualsense. Adaptive triggers are also great and Microsoft has publicly shown interest in integrating a feature like that into their controllers. More input options are missing however and are desperately needed.
Unironically, I would buy a game based around Tingle. If Nintendo made Captain Toad's Treasure Tracker, then they surely can make a weird puzzle game around Tingle.
I actually really like how dread subliminally guides you to your destination Every power up is on the way to your next destination. Think about how many times a boss, teleporter, shuttle or shortcut are near the power up you just got But the fact the game doesn't say "go here" means mercury steam was respecting the players intelligence. As a side not if someone responds to workplace toxicity by pirating it means they likely weren't buying to begin with and were looking for any excuse to pirate
I like how the game blocks shit off. Like I know people would be like, “thats stupid, let me explore freely instead of making one-way entrances everywhere,” but really I like that it decides to constrain you like that. There’s a segment after you beat Kraid, after you get the diffusion beam, where effectively, you’re stuck in a hot room with a teleportal. Its not a hard constraint, you can free yourself, it takes considerable effort, and your reward for doing so is… getting lost, because you want to get bombs, which is very close to the teleportal destination.
Everytime you talk about a nintendo game you enjoy you actually give me the feeling that "We can get closer to perfection." Something MANY, reviewers miss. Especially short reviews. Taking the time to point out little flaws should be the most obvious thing to do in a big review but, You nail it every time. I want to buy it now.
Considering how much of an upgrade Dread is from Samus Returns, I honestly hope MercurySteam gets better better at it and address some of Dread's issues all while improving its strenghts. Not to mention that I hope Nintendo buys Mercury Steam and cleans up the management and administrative side so the creatives involved get to truly shine safely and get what they deserve.
Honestly I think the biggest problem with Samus Returns is that it was stacked up against AM2R, which was made by a dedicated and talented fan who had 10 years to iron out any issues without studio interference or milestones to keep up with. AM2R is certainly the stronger game but SR came out pretty well all things considered and introduced enough new concepts to allow Dread to springboard off of it as a sequel and improve it, whilst AM2R took what already existed in Metroid and polished it to a mirror shine.
The whole time I was playing through Metroid Dread I would constantly think in the back of my head: "I can't wait to hear what Nerrel thinks of this" Been looking forward to this one :)
I really hope this is the Metroid game to bring the series back into commercial success, because it really deserves it after the tumultuous development hell that Dread has been in for so many years. One year ago, I genuinely believed we'd never receive another 2D Metroid game from Nintendo ever again; now, I couldn't be more optimistic about the series' future. Anyway, great video as always, Nerrel.
@@senounatsuru6453 Doesn't surprise me; the Switch has such a huge install base and the drought of any new Metroid titles built up lots of hype. More than anything though, I'm glad that Dread is also sticking to the principles of the Metroidvannia genre it pioneered, rather than deviating in order to gain popularity.
@@robertkenny1201 The first Metroid sold nearly 3 million copies, which was incredibly successful for the NES era. The first Metroid Prime even managed to outsell Wind Waker on the GameCube, so again, not too shabby. The last 15 years, on the other hand, have not been kind to the series - while Prime 1 sold almost 3 million copies, Prime 2 and 3 wouldn't even break 2 million sales, and that's despite the Wii's much larger install base, in the case of Prime 3. Besides those two games, not a single other Metroid title has managed to break even a million sales in the last 15 years - until Dread, that is. It's all relative, in Metorid's case; yes, these games have never sold as much as Mario, but they were at least best sellers in the old days (Metroid is one the 20 best selling NES games of all time), and thus, the last couple decades have been comparatively weak.
The fact that Sakamoto just LET the series fucking die because he couldn't implement what was ultimately another gimmick (sorry, but the EMMI's are forgettable and not fun) is a testament to HIS character moreso than Samus' badass one, which he also personally butchered. It took 19 years because an outside source stepped up to the plate and challenged Nintendo, which is arguably why we're here, now. With all this in mind, and in lieu of the developmental troubles all these companies had and continue to have, Metroid aims for a shaky future. Prime 4 is still on the way...
Nice clip of a Zebesian standoff at the end. (Zebesian Standoff: A trope in cinema where three or more people are all holding one another at gunpoint, but the nearby Metroids show up and feast on them before they can come to a resolution.)
a bit of a rebuttal on the underwater emmi. using the grappling hook to escape felt like the “intended’ route as it was in essense a new mecahnic. with the slow fall you could chain the grapple hooks to move relatively quickly
I see the Underwater Emmi section as a sort of split path, where you would ideally take the top path because it’s quicker and easier, but if you mess up you’re pushed into the bottom path, which is much more difficult and dangerous.
Metroid Dread is the game that made me most eager to play it all over again after completing it. Seeing all these videos and shortcuts people are figuring out turns it into a whole new experience.
on my first play through i got only about half of the total in game items, so seeing people talk about 100% completion, and just how fun and intuitive to traverse dreads world is, i absolutely cant wait to hunt for everything that i missed. one of the most consistently challenging, enjoyable, evocative, and addicting games I've played.
I kind of liked how there there were always obstacles only solved by the ability you just picked up. It lets you practice your new ability right away like a kind of soft tutorial, and also helps guide you towards where you should be going.
yeah i liked how this game sort of guided you along the intended path withoutstraight up pointing you there or just leaving you on your own, it was a perfect blend of super and fusion styles imo
Ok, I had a very different experience with the level design. I honestly felt kinda streamlined. Not railroaded like linear games, but effectively led towards where I had to go. I often realised that the game made me do a thing and then closed the door behind me and locked me in a space that I first had to explore before I could connect back to what I knew. I recall the game placing some gates in very obvios spots that got burnt into my memory, so when I finally got the fitting ability I went there nearly right away. I felt like I was straying all over the place, jumping between areas like crazy, feeling like I'm wandering aimlessly, but rarely being stuck. It felt very organically and I think it was a good 2/3 through the game before I had any desire to use the highlight feature on the map screen. To be fair, my nature is that of a backtracker. I get an ability and I want to see where I can use it. I definitely recall backtracking out of curiosity and only advancing after I checked what I had wanted to explore. Maybe my timing was just right for these deadends you encountered. Honestly I never liked the Metroid Prime approach of highlighting areas where you can progress. I prefer the way Dread did it. I want a game that expects me to find my way. Yes that can be overdone, I don't think Dread overdid it.
I actually thought dread's world progression was great. I don't think all metroidvanias need to make you "feel" like you're supposed to be in a area, it should feel more like "okay i got this ability, where can i use it" for instance early game i got wide beam and was immediately thinking "i should probably check cataris but ill see if there's anything extra in dairon", which is pretty much the opposite of the problem nerrel pointed out people were having lol. It feels like dread was designed the way i normally think in metroidvanias, when i got gravity i was like "man i feel like i should check out artaria again" and then the game went "you're going to artaria again" like oh okay lmao
More often than not, when I tried to explore I ended up going the right way XD The game pretty much guides you down the right path. It wasn't until late in the game, when enough of the map opened up, that I lost track of the right way while exploring. And after a short process of elimination I could get right back on track, anyway.
Metroid Dread feels like the conclusion of the 2D series long search for that new dimension of gameplay after Super. It’s hard to believe this is only MercurySteam’s second Metroid game, when the challenge and level design feel like the labour of love that come from series veterans. Metroid is once again in the good old days, long may they continue.
Just beat it moments ago. The final boss got me sweating. Amazing game, my first Metroid, and I can't wait to play the other entries. Hoping for a sequel by MercuryStream soon, they nailed it with Dread.
The final battle was fun, but having to sit through an elevator ride before every attempt was really annoying, especially for such a hard fight, especially since other bosses didn't make me wait through that kind of extra loading screen and in fact made returning quicker since I didn't have to deal with the door monsters again.
Just a tip, don't bother with the original Metroid, Zero Mission is plain better. And if you want to play Metroid 2, I recommend AM2R with the community patches and launcher.
On the last few EMMI. Use grapple beam on the spider magnet walls/ceilings while underwater. You'll move much faster, dodge their sightline, and will and find ways to leave the water.
7:25 No. I did that segment without Counters. I am more than a first time metroid player, but the Purple EMMI gives you tons of movement options thst it is really not a problem. Also, The purple EMMI is the only EMMI That does not trigger an Escape Sequence. You just probably had a bad time and I do admit that It took me several times before I made it through. EDITS: The Blue EMMI also does not trigger an Escape sequence.
@@magmeskiro he means that, when the last two EMMIs see Samus, the EMMIs don't go into a scary red alert phase with scary music. instead they just shoot her
@@8Kazuja8 I don't know, I routinely get into the Purple EMMI's sights and it doesn't alert it too. So I feel like the on-screen indicator lies to make it seem more intimidating.
Am I the only one that never once got lost in this game? The game is designed so you are always nudged in the right direction. Once you get a new powerup it's like "oh, a teleporter! guess I should hop in" or "oh, an energy tank, i'll take the high path and get that". I've heard people getting lost but I honestly don't understand how people are managing to do that.
I got stuck a couple times, but when I did, I just opened map, spend no more than a minute to find where to go. Dread is very straightforward with it's map design: I had to check all paths, if all of them blocked - backtracking time, if you can't go back - search for destructable walls.
I know 2 of my friends who had little experience with Metroid or Metroidvanias in general got lost sometimes, mainly when they had to backtrack but overall I would agree
@@destructoid5939 Yeah, I think it definitely helps if you’re already adjusted to the series. I only got lost once, but very briefly. I’ve also played all the other games in the series so I had a pretty good idea of where the game was guiding me most of the time.
The sound direction is my biggest gripe with this game. A missle impact sounds like a wad of paper hitting a sliding glass door. Everything just falls flat, especially the chirping of the EMMIs. I would have preferred a deep, bass-driven alert pulse that increases in pitch as it gets closer to you Also, Nerrel, I just want you to know that your videos are very, very well done. They reek of effort and your research, timing, and writing are unmatched by any other channel. You are the best, please keep making videos.
I bought the game and beat it, told my friends to get it, and then I pirated it so I could have it on pc lmao I'd buy it again too. I might buy it for friends for christmas. This game is GOAT.
Thank you for bringing up the bad developer stories! I loved the game but hated hearing that shit--and it's industry-wide, too. More attention is needed to get game companies to stop treating their workers like garbage.
I don't think most purists would question if Dread is a good Metroid game, since Dread didn't deviate too much from "The Formula TM". I'd sooner consider Fusion more worthy of that.
A dive ability from castlevania that doesnt need to be there because theres nothing it can do that the morphball cant already solve, a dash ability form hollow knight that the shine spark makes redundant also. "innovation" I have no faith in this game and id rather metroid stayed dead than see it this way.
@@emporertorvus4475 Sliding and the dash are both additional options to go along with everything that's returned. I like the additional movement options myself, and since nothing seems to have been taken away I have a hard time seeing how they could be bad things.
i actually found the purple EMMI to be fairly easy to avoid if you use the grapple beam to pull yourself through the water faster. i imagine thats why theres magnet pannels everywhere edit: after looking arround i see many have already said this lol.
Your review of the issues with the world design, obstructions, gaiting, and forced path through the world was spot on and honestly the only video on TH-cam I've found talking about it. And your critiques put into words perfectly what I've been thinking and feeling about it. Great critique
This is, by far, the most hyped Metroid release in my memory and I think that's important. If it doesn't sell more than the other games, or sell enough to justify a sequel, then I don't understand the way hype works anymore.
The only real thing I had to look up in this game was how to extend the Shinespark on slopes surfaces for a few booster puzzles. Once I learnt that everything else felt much more intuitive with some quick and clever use of the mechanic.
7:14 that is literally completely untrue. That's how I played the E.M.M.I sections, by baiting them with sound and then using invisibility to go the other way. I don't know if you just didn't test this enough, but I can confirm that it's an intended mechanic. That little yellow shockwave that appears is where the E.M.M.I will check for you, if you go invisible and leave it won't pursue. I'm thinking maybe you tried to cloak while they were in pursuit mode which does not work.
Super happy this game has been doing well, and I want to extend a thank you to you Nerrel! I became a metroid fan around a year or two ago specifically because of your videos and analysis’ of the series and I thank you for introducing thousands to this wonderful series. Super is among one of my favorites ever, with repeat playthroughs Dread will probably join it, and I can’t wait to try all the Metroids available. We eating good tonight gamers, buy the damn game though!
I found Dread led me along the designated path super well, and without sequence breaking, anytime I tried to deviate from it I was met with a dead end.
I've actually played the Prime series for the first time before Dread, and in Metroid games the theme seems to be "get powerup -> intentionally look for paths that use acquired powerup" an repeat the process. I got lost once because I didn't notice a green door but that's about it
Your issue with the last two drones shows that you didn’t master the grapple beam since you are highly encouraged to use it to move faster through the submerged section.
I really disagree with Nerrel's take on the exploration, the game is very smartly designed where it essentially gives you a trail of breadcrumbs of places to use your new items that lead to where you need to go next whenever you get a new upgrade and the only times I got turned around was when i didn't explore the area that i was led to well enough. For most of the game i felt like i was pushing forward almost by instinct (which i could see some people even having issue with but for me it led to a game that was genuinely really hard to put down)
Yeah I agree, the invisible guiding hand of the designers could definitely be felt, and just sort of letting instinct guide you always lead to the right places. The problem is, it only takes one missed bomb block to push the player off this path of subliminal hints and into total confusion.
I think the pacing can be a bit weird at times, especially early on, but I never had any trouble finding where to go. The invisible guiding hand is always there.
I definitely noticed this when I did a repeat playthrough for the sub 4 hour endings. When yo uvet a new powerup you're almost always plopped right where you need to use it to progress. The only time you'll ever get lost is if you go off the beaten path
This game made me marathon the series for the first time and I am glad I did. And this newest entry did not dissapoint and kept my hype momentum going. It was worth the money I could've spent on junk food. Can't wait to, uh, dump my cart, and play it in 4k.
On the whole, I very much agree with your review. However, concerning the progression through the game, I actually thought the devs did a great job with gently nudging you in the right direction (most of the time). Almost every time you get a new powerup, you either have a chance to use it nearby, or you're very close to a teleportal that brings you to the right destination.
I have to disagree with your point about progression being confusing, this game has no proper "Metroid Moment" the dev intended path is painfully obvious so long as you are paying a decent amount of attention, plus the map being as detailed as it is I was never lost in this game and always had an idea on where I needed to go on my first run.
the only time I was ever lost was on the way to Kraid, because I didn't realize that you could destroy that wall and I also never thought about going through the lava despite it hurting me, but otherwise I agree entirely. it guides without telling
@@averyhepburn8092 I said that in the message. They gave you two ways to get there, through either the lava or by destroying the wall, and I didn't think to do either.
7:12 The noise you made *was* what the E.M.M.I. was tracking, it's just easier for the thing to climb one wall and a ceiling than it is to climb a jungle gym to reach its destination
I love how brutally honest nerrel is with these reviews, being able to critique a game that you really like while not contradicting yourself isn’t something a lot of game reviewers have
Ehh, I wouldn't say no contradictions. Complaining about level design that lets you get lost while also complaining about them locking you into a smaller chunk of the world is certainly contradictory.
He claims that the game is simultaneously too obtuse and too handholdy within minutes of each other. The too obtuse part was his fault since there are 3 Wide Beam boxes strategically placed to guide you back to the Morph Ball. And his point about leaning on objective markers falls apart if you never use them and don't get lost, which I did on my first playthough.
That part about not knowing when to backtrack seems like peak Metroid to me. Super Metroid did this all the time. At some random moment the game just decides that you have to backtrack to a previous area without even a hint. In the 90s that stuff made it one of the best games of all time and nowadays it’s a fault. I don’t understand those reviews
@@l.n.3372 Nah Super is a masterpiece. People saying Super doesn't give you a good idea of where to go either missed something or are being disingenuous.
@@TRQDude I have to break it to you: no game is perfect. Even the best games have flaws. And even newer great games can do things better than classic "masterpieces" Dread does a LOT better than Super Metroid, as an example. While neither is perfect and both have flaws.
@@l.n.3372 I haven't played Dread and don't intend to (Sakamoto = no thanks), but what's the point of an exploration focused game if you're constantly told where to go?
@@isodoubIet A) if you don't intend to play Dread, what the fuck are you doing in a review that mainly praised the game? Why are you even here? B) there's a huge difference between being told where to go (hand holding) vs having almost no indication of anything. Maybe watch the damn review itself? Dread does a combination of both, as the review explains. And thus it's not solidly one or the other. Every Metroid game does one or the either or both, as well.
"Rooms that still have undiscovered powerups in them will glow on the map" holy guacamole I'm so glad I learned that. I'm at 95% completion and I want to do it with no guide but I was getting a bit exhausted.
On my first play-trough I got lost on a couple of times, when I thought I had to backtrack because I missed where I was supposed to be going, one of those times was on the 3rd zone. On my second run, I started noticing how the game is trying to push you into the correct path, with use of the blue butterflies, and as you said, most of the ammo/energy thanks are mostly out in the open because they want you to remember where they are and they are usually locked behind the new ability you recently acquired. I had a blast with the game, and it certainly is one of the best games I played this year. I now want to do a low percent run!
I think they visual tone I'd go for with this game is a cinematic platformer. It feels like how Oddworld felt for me the first time growing up and on top of that a great entry in its own series to boot.
Actually comparing it to odd world is a pretty close. Obviously in terms of gameplay they’re mostly unrelated but in terms of cinematic and just how smoothly the cutscenes were placed. Few games I can think of that so cleanly go from cutscene to gameplay
I had a very interesting experience with the game and the way it leads you around, as in when i played it i was extremely exhausted and i simply ran in a straight line, which the game gives you fairly well, without ever checking the map. The map i noticed only confused me, instead of helping
This is way to late to be useful but for the EMMI that chases you underwater before getting the gravity suit I found that using the grapple on the walls was a good way of gaining extra mobility to help keep away and get through the area.
I really have to agree with the ending argument regarding pirates. I have my copy right next to me, and if I could, I would extract the ROM myself. So sue me, Nintendo, but if I extract it myself and it runs the same as the one I downloaded, how can you tell which one is which? Imperfections in how it got saved? That'd mean it doesn't work. Dates can be faked.
12:04 I personally felt like during my first playthrough that the game was a little too linear, because I tried to backtrack many times once I got the relevant items and found i could only really properly backtrack once I got the grappling hook. I've since beaten the game 4 more times for the gallery photos, but I haven't tried the sequence breaks many have found so I'd like to see how that affects it. I gotta say I love how you can actually bomb jump in this game compared to fusion, it helped me get some expansions early and in creative ways
Sequence breaks have certainly made the game more enjoyable to me (as well as learning how to use Shinespark on certain bosses) I'd highly recommend it!
another really well maked video i really appreciate that after all you are able to see defects on metroid dread unlike hypers and see good points on other M Edit:nice one put the gfs valhalla theme in the credits
The correct way forward is usually right about the corner. For example the wide beam, if you just follow the corridors unlocked by the wide beam doors, it will naturally lead you back to cataris.
Its interesting that you say there's no end game item hunt because I'd disagree to an extent because of power bombs. They are just slapped on your right before the final boss and besides getting 100% there is no reason to need to go and find any of the expansions since they won't really help, you are already at the end. It might be a minor thing overall but I feel like its worth mentioning
And also, beating the last Golden Chozo dude makes is so that all warp points are linked in a single network, instead of operating as pairs, I did my item hunt BEFORE fighting that guy and never realized this, the warps should really link after you get power bombs instead.
@@Cri_Jackal Wait really? I finished my 100% before beating him, so I never noticed. Basically last upgrades were in the last area so did not need to go back. Damn.. Well if I ever play this one again (The emmi sections were to much of a pace breaker for me to really want to learn this game for speed running or causal play) I'll remember to save the clean up save energy tanks for last.
There is the power bomb and wave beam stuff, yeah, but those make up a fairly small portion of the total items I'd say. Compare it to Fusion or Zero Mission where those have tons of items you can only get at the end. Not that I personally don't enjoy the cleanup portion since it's fun to just move around these games, but Dread certainly isn't that big of a deal for end game cleanup.
Its defnitely an improvement from some other games in the series. The problem is that there will always be that final upgrade that is used to grab stuff, so there will always have to be items picked up at the end of the game. I really don't know how to get around that fact without making the last upgrade one that isn't needed for exploring and doesn't require expansion items. And in Dread it got really close to not needing to backtrack after Power Bombs because I know there is something like 2 PB expansions that can be grabbed early, but the rest are gated behind PB blocks. So if they hadn't done that maybe it would've been more smooth?
Perhaps, but then there's the problem that you then wouldn't be able to shoot without using a claw-hand grip on the right joy-con since you can't press the attack button with your right thumb if your right thumb is on the control stick for aiming.
Nerrel, I was blown away by the precision of your Harvey Keitel impression so much that I rewound it 5 times before even seeing the MAJESTY OF YOUR STEVE BUSCEMI IMPRESSION! Would a fully dubbed reservoir fiction pulpdogs be asking too much?
If someone told me that music I wrote sounded like "scrapped Luigi's Mansion tracks done on a Casio keyboard" I would kill myself right then and there. They do sound like that, though.
I just finished Fusion today and I cannot wait to start Dread. Fusion’s ending is so damn good, I don’t know how people managed to stay 19 years without a continuation to that epic cliffhanger. I might wait a bit to start it though since I finished all Samus returns, súper and fusion in a matter of a week and I don’t wanna end up feeling burntout. Amazing review and it only augmented my hype for the game.
I personally had a lot of catching up to do before Dread and finished Zero Mission, Samus Returns and Fusion in about a week too and didn't felt burnout, but that's probably just me. After starting Dread right after finishing Fusion I only was satisfied after 3 playthroughs (one for 100% and two "speedruns"). All I got to say: damn, what a good series this is. Good luck to you with Dread, I hope you'll have a great time.
I literally bought a brand new Switch just to play this game and it was definitely worth every dollar. I've been a huge Metroid fan for years, but I never owned any Nintendo consoles before, playing the series on emulator. Even if I knew there was a way to emulate the game, I wanted to show my support for the series to hopefully help secure its future. I agree with you on most of your points, except that I had an extremely smooth time navigating during the story. I just kinda ended up where I needed to be after I explored for a bit without really trying to find the objective. I also got thru the last E.M.M.I. section with about as much difficulty as the others, so that might just have been a you problem. I love how Dread manages to find a balance between the design of all the previous 2D games, it really does feel like a worthy successor to continue the series beyond Fusion. She may have had a middling appearance 4 years ago, but this truly is the return of Samus.
I saw this vid about a week ago, picked up the game as a result, beat it, and find it to be my favorite game released this year (with only one on the horizon that might top it). Thank you for a very good review.
7:25 he had so many ways of getting out of that that weren’t jumping. He could’ve slid under the emmi, he could’ve used the grapple beam to climb on the ceiling. But no he chose the most inconsistent way possible.
A number ranking? Wh-... where are my Tingles? WHO ARE YOU?? I *am* surprised you didn't call out how the game weirdly discourages sequence breaking but specifically for Power Bombs. They're ultra powerful sure, one of the best weapons and exploration tools in the game, but if that's the case, it shouldn't be easy to find 3 or 4 Power Bomb expansion tanks way before you get to Hanubia and unlock the ability to actually use them. There's even one right out in the open in Elun in the top right corner of the map.
I think that was done as more of a tease than anything. The benefit is that once you do get the power bomb, if you have collected some upgrades you have more power bombs to use in the final sequence (since they do actually have utility against the final boss) and you have saved yourself some backtracking as well
Purple E.M.M.I is my favorite E.M.M.I. It might feel cheap at first, but it is getting you to master your escape ability. It being able to hear you from anywhere and see you through walls forces you to master the Phantom Cloak. The stunning orb makes sure that you have to worry about remaining unnoticed even with your insane mobility. 7:13 It goes to you here because the fastest route to where it last heard you was to run up that wall and across the ceiling.
By and large you mirror my feelings, although I personally disagree on two points: I think the counter is still broken, because it allows you to kill anything instantly as soon as you counter it. I'd have preferred to see the counter attack do more armor breaking than just outright instakilling. Additionally I think the backtracking and interconnectedness of the levels is absolutely wonderful. I love how often you feel lost in this game. Also, I wish there were more non-shinespark puzzles, but space jump obsoletes other abilities so significantly that idk how it would work without nerfing/restricting space jump or putting us in special no space jump zones.
actually, no space jump zones just sound like they would be really interesting in general! although you i could easily players getting frustrated and feel a little bit like "well then what was the point of me getting the cool power up if all it does is get taken away"
*SPOILERS* My biggest criticism would be the forced "RailRoading" right after you acquire the Gravity Suit, whether you get it early or normally. As soon as you get the Grav Suit, you are forced into going to Frozen Artaria/Cataris and defrost it by fighting Z-57. This is entirely a sub-plot provided only for you to get the Screw Attack. However, there is a fully "developer intended" way of getting Screw Attack without ever having to fight Z-57 within frozen Artaria by simply using a ShineSpark (no glitches like Water Bomb Jumps or Wall Clipping Needed). However, even if you do get the Screw Attack, you are locked into frozen Artaria cuz all the elevators and teleportals are frozen. Therefore you are STILL railroaded into that "Sub-Plot" and fighting Z-57 for absolutely no purpose as this Sub-Plot does not add anything substantial to the Main Story and solely exists for you to get the Screw Attack or for people who want to 100% (which is optional). ZDR blows up anyway at the end, why bother whether parts of it were left frozen or not.
"ZDR blows up anyway at the end, why bother whether parts of it were left frozen or not." and also "i cant get out of frozen artaria because all of the facilities are so cold they've stopped functioning" in the same thought and you dont question it at all, ok. what do you want from them? it's a cool worldbuilding sequence. that's like saying you want the x parasites to just suddenly show up for no reason without you having to go to elun because you dont like riding the train.
@@fernando47180 it is one. you can literally make the most annoying boss in the game(the bee thing) your bitch by jumping into it if you have screw attack early instead of having to deal with its borderline rng seeming invincibility states, which the devs frankly shouldnt have even bothered to add in but they did and its cool, but apparently for what? none of yall seem to care, you're more concerned that you have to god forbid, allow the game's story to happen when you progress it.
I just loved how I died to the bosses multiple times, but not because of bullshit jank, but because of a lack of skill. Learning the attack patterns was so satisfying, and it’s one of the few games that lets you look cool fighting bosses without having to do complex inputs.
My favorite part of the game was when Adam kept telling samus “woah samus you’re too weak to fight ravenbeak, I heard he’s super strong and buff and has a six pack”
Ya lol
YESS XD
yea, "Adam"
"He's also got super cool wings and a big ol dick...or so I've heard" -Adam
I love your profile picture.
I was not ready to hear that "First HD Metroid" sentence
Yeah it's weird to think that this is the first metroid in HD
a great outing, however
It says a lot about how good Metroid Prime 3 looked that I have to be reminded that it wasn't HD.
@@thecultclassiccorner8615 Honestly I remember Prime 2 looking better than 3 just because of the reflectivity of certain surfaces like Samus's Varia suit, it just looks right to me. Prime 3 actually made the artstyle more cartoony, but I agree that the environments were beautiful even w/ the Wii's resolution
That's so odd to think about. I always thought "this game looks so good" while playing it, but I never realized it was the first HD title.
I still think Metroid Prime 1 is one of the best looking games ever made. Yeah it's kinda low res, but the art design is so consistent and solid that it hardly matters. And the lighting effects used make the low resolution even harder to notice at many points.
It's interesting how many people I've seen that have struggled to find the way forward given how I pretty much never got lost, in a way that kinda ended up annoying me. Constantly felt like I was on a guided tour through ZDR, but the amount of sequence breaks in the game sorta made that up in the end. Still, interesting.
It’s hard to strike that balance super well, and different players are bound to have different experiences. Personally I think Dread does the best job guiding players with an invisible hand since Super and does it without it feeling too obvious.
I remember getting lost at least 2 or 3 times wondering if I needed to backtrack or not. And with the map getting more and more expanded, the worse that feeling got. The playtime for my first playthrough said 13 hours, but I feel like it was longer than that.
You probably had better map memorization than most people (even looking at the map can still be unclear for me sometimes)
I hear you, I think I only looked up how to get to the next spot once, and it was because I forgot I had that diffusion part of the charge beam 🤷🏼♂️
Oh, hi KingK. Looking forward to your video.
I feel like Super did this as well, locking you out of backtracking with the environment to subtly guide you forward. It was just just a little more sneaky about it.
Hearing Samus speak Chozo aloud made my heart so god damn happy
ME TOOOO
Hearing her scream while killing Raven Beak made my heart very happy too
Literally dropped my jaw, I felt like it was the first time she was speaking even tho it's not
Or kinda like Link would speak, but in a good way
@@Guarrow yeah same
@@Guarrow It was definitely a clever way to have Samus talk for the first time. She finally talks but not in any language that the players would understand lmao
honestly the fact that dread was number 1 on amazon for weeks, the older games being on the top of the wii u eshop’s virtual console sales (beating brain age iykyk) and so much more gives me hope that metroid will become a mainstay series again.
update: metroid dread is now nominated for game of the year at the game awards, granted these things dont really matter to us. but maybe JUST MAYBE. if metroid dread wins that award… thats our ticket.
Brain Age 😂😂 haven't heard that name in a while
To be fair, topping the Wii U eShop chart in 2021 just indicates that you're selling any copies at all
Lemme guess... Wii U hacking?
@@Antigen__ You'd be correct
Only game I bought for the wii u was brain age hehehe
One thing I love about this game is that it's not ashamed to be a god damn game. Higher budget games from larger publishers tend to either tone down the difficulty to the extent where it's not satisfying to beat the game, so determined to wow you on visuals that immersion is broken by a myriad of invisible walls, or have an extra large focus on a story that often isn't even that great. It's just nice to have a game with a nice balance of polish, fun, and challenge.
This is what I like to call the rockstar approach to game design. Before they were big, levels in gta 3 let you tackle them in very creative ways. Instead of chasing a guy, plant a car bomb on his pre planted getaway car. Instead of tailing a taxi, STEAL a taxi, the drop the guy off at his destination. Once rockstar made billions off 3 and VC they started choosing spectacle over entertainment; that tailing mission will also be in San Andreas but we won’t let you take him there in a taxi, you have to do it the way we want to. If you find a different route to this roof you need to sneak to we’ll invent a way for you to fail. We’ll say drop this off anywhere, but if it’s not exactly where WE want it the mission won’t end. In open games like this not letting people play the game how it’s literally designed to be played to brag about your cutscenes is sorta how you get people to just stop buying your games and play the old ones you made when your head was lodged so far up your ass you can lick you’re lungs.
That's why it sold like shet , it didn't give casual/veryyoung player a fun popcorn eating story or the movie migration a very fun movie that you interact with.
It's a real game , and that's why nobody want it
Number 1 reason I can't play AAA games
@@drifter402 bought a play5 then.
All their games have a supercasual marioodyssey tier level choice.
And none of the plataforming is obligatory in any of their games.
For real. One of the few games I actually strived to get 100% completion. Some of those speed puzzles were a bitch but so rewarding once completed.
Can’t believe Dread ended up being as good as it is. Funnily enough I barely got lost on my first play through. But on subsequent runs while trying to get below the 4h mark, I struggled to intuitively find my way through the game, and had to pull out my map constantly to see if I was on the right track.
I’d honestly say my biggest exploration complaint is that there aren’t enough paths that lead towards the same area. When I put a marker down, I very often find myself going towards it, only to pull up the map and realize I’ve missed the only route that leads to where I need to go. Then instead of being able to navigate there from my current position I, most of the time, need to backtrack to one specific room that opens the door to the specific path I need to take.
Yeah, it would have been nice if we were given the Option to have a semi transparent large map pulled up while moving around.
This exact thing happened to me many times. Glad to see I’m not just an idiot
For me it always seemed that I missed the closed Thermal doors that were visible on the map. So by the time I get to the location, I'm turning back around.
@@-siranzalot- just having it like the mario kart map would really help with the exploration of this game, the map it has right now kinda doesnt do much.
Sounds counterintuitive, but that's exactly how it was for me too. First playthrough the map felt pretty linear, the game pointing IMO rather clearly to where it wants you to go and I only got lost when I tried to backtrack for "extra items" and forgot where I had left off. But weirdly I had more troubles finding my way in subsequent playthroughs. But I think that might just be an illusion, caused by the time pressure ("gotta beat 4h!").
The whole segment with the purple Emmi you’re supposed to use your grapple hook more effectively. I actually love how each Emmi gets you to master your power ups. The dash made it easy to get away and then when you’re plunged into water without the gravity suit, it feels debilitating but as soon as I figured out a better use of the grapple beam it gives you much better footing.
Yeah, I think he was a bit obsessed with trying to make the phantom cloak work for that zone.
If you're making an proper effort to try and master the gameplay mechanics the game is throwing at you, then this area shouldn't be any harder then the rest.
I feel like in many way Dread adapted the thing from Super Metroid, where is always best to try everything in your arsenal to beat its challenges. (Some Bosses will counter your Super Missiles in a way that isn't dodgeable, some will be better fought by the Charge Beam and another one can we skipped by using the grapple beam in the right place.)
But I get why you wouldn't immediately try doing things that weren't a thing in other Metroid Games, like using the grapple for speed. I think I found out on the last Boss that Power Bombs actually do damage now, found that pretty cool as well.
Yeah I actually found the purple emmi pretty fun specifically because of the grappling hook use underwater
@@milddiffuse Power bombs also destroy his big yellow orb attack.
@@Brandonious15987 And the dark orb. Impossible otherwise, guaruanteed hit without power bombs if you don't want to no-life the proper positioning to dodge his combo.
@@hammylove821 You can destroy the dark orb with missiles too. I'm pretty sure beam shots work but they take too long for my taste.
nerrels voice is like the feeling when you get when you come back from a long day at the garbage disposal facility and your mum brings you a warm mug of hot chocolate except the you look into the cup and you see a horrifying resemblance to the moon from MM3D
Also your mum is Tingle
Huh?
really??....he's sort of stuffy and insufferable
@@no1guy825 That's kind of rude
After the choking restriction of Other M and fairly straightforward nature of Samus Returns, it's liberating to finally have proper sequence-breaks again in Metroid Dread. Full-on, developer-intended sequence breaks - and there's plenty of unintended stuff, too. All complete with stellar mechanics, fantastic boss fights, clever level design, and a harrowing atmosphere. Dread has some quirks, and the soundtrack could stand out a bit more, but it's a fantastic game and worthy of the title Metroid 5.
Metroid is back.
Metroid is indeed back and it's so great to be able to say that.
@@angl374 And another planet is off the star map. I wouldn't have it any other way.
Grapple skip feels really true to the soul of Super Metroid's sequence breaks. Dread never teaches you that you can jump in air out of a dash, but theres plenty of oppertunity for the player to learn it. And they design a hidden obsticle room in the game for you to test this player-discovered ability, that rewards you with a significant upgrade out of the intended order. Big thumbs up from me.
The glitched skips are even crazier, but it seems like so far the developers are in support of community-found skips. Stuff like Pseudo-Wave Beam and underwater bomb jumping were found in the initial release, and instead of removing those in the first patch, they fixed a softlock if you DO use pseudo-wave to skip EMMI 1. I'm really happy that, so far, Nintendo and MS are on the same page with this game as the community.
@@TimBagels Early grapple beam is a textbook Super style sequence break. Clever use of mechanics combined with knowledge of the environment. Even better that it lets you get early bombs, which you're rewarded for with a Kraid Phase 2 skip.
Early gravity suit, interestingly, is a very Zero Mission style sequence break, with a hidden path deliberately placed to allow early access to it. It's cool to see such knowledge on how those two games functioned and where they excelled in this area.
Sakamoto was right to trust MercurySteam with this project. They're clearly passionate fans.
@@TimBagels ah, so they fixed a softlock instead of a glitch that allows for sequence breaking? Now that's embracing the spirit of Metroid.
This game singlehandedly got me into the rest of the 2d series - already beat 1, 2 and super since, and just started fusion!
I hope Nintendo ends up buying this studio like they did with next level games and retro.
Ever since they worked with Nintendo, their production values have skyrocketed.
Mercury steam is so insanely talented.
By 1and 2, do you mean originals or remakes
Hell yeah!! Super was the first metroid i beat, and it instantly became my favorite game ever. Dread did well by it, Fusion, and Samus Returns on the 3ds.
A word to the wise if youre still playing fusion (which i doubt since you posted this 8 days ago), its really combat focused compared to the games before it, and may be a little off putting in that manner. GL!
It’s been like a month are you a speed runner? 😂 I even took a few months to beat prime 1 and 2 and I started earlier this year
I thought the underwater EMMI section without the Gravity Suit was brilliant because it required fast use of the grapple beam in order to pull yourself through the water fast enough, leading to a tense stretch of gameplay where you had to carefully aim whilst not going too slowly.
You also had to quickly decide when to use the phantom cloak, sometimes even while using the grapple beam. It was genius.
Exactly. It was very intense and I loved it
that requires using your brain which means it's poorly designed
yeah not to be all "git good" and obnoxious but in my experience it wasn't necessary to counter the emmis to get thru that section. i fucked up and got caught occasionally, but that was just me making a mistake and it usually killed me and I learned something for the next attempt
On the part about the last EMMI, I didn’t really find it frustrating at all. I used the grapple beam to move myself further while in stealth to get away, since there are so many grapple points in the areas iirc
That's literally what you're supposed to do. I did so too, it was imposible with the water and without the suit.
Thats what I did too, I honestly found it just as fun as the earlier EMMIs since my movement was still limited but not to the point where it felt like I had to counter.
That felt great to me, i was literally moving from one grapple point to another. Do to the slow down of the water it felt pretty awesome using the grapple beam as a main way of movement
Yah I died like twice to the purple one, but like 15 times to one of the other ones
I died twice to the Purple Emmi but then I used the grapple points. Smooth sailing from then on.
I'm so glad I'm not alone in those thoughts regarding the soundtrack, I'd seen so many people praise it beforehand and I was just like "this is probably one of the weakest Metroid soundtracks out there"
Outside of that tho yeah, phenomenal revival for the 2D series, hoping to see much more (hopefully it sells well enough)
So far so good, I believe its sold over 1 million copies. Meaning its the best selling metroid game period
The intro music is really good and the emmi chase music is unnerving but yeah, none of them really stuck in your ear like the past metroid OST.
Actually I’d say being so-so on the soundtrack is the common consensus out there.
I quite like it myself, it certainly nails the atmosphere in a lot of places, and it is in large part original which is great. It just needed a little more identity and distinction. It’s more what isn’t there than what is, but what is there is done very well.
Ferenia and Z-57's theme were the best themes for me. Overall the music was a bit bland, but there were a couple gems in there
It's not just weak for a Metroid game, it just fucking straight up sucks. It blows my mind that it was actually accepted as done and put in the game. It's a real shame that something that was so previously strong in the series (especially in Super) was such a catastrophic failure in Dread. I honestly think long term they should redo it all and patch the game, it's that bad. The samples are abysmal, the melodies are almost non existent, it felt barely a few steps up from listening to Desert Bus at times.
The phrase "the first HD Metroid" hurt more than it should have.
No F-Zero release in 20 years
@@friendofp.24 Three words, my friend:
Legacy of Kain...
God I love the storm missiles upgrade, in previous games when you got missile expansions it was kinda like "meh, I can spam more missiles", but the storm missiles let you UNLOAD your missiles on enemies ,12-9 at a time for MASSIVE THROBBING DAMAGE, making missile expansions all the more relevant too, hope they bring it back for future games and give the upgrade much earlier
Even with Storm Missiles, I thought the number of missiles you get in the game is a bit strange/excessive. Just playing through the game without stepping off the beaten path for optional expansions will net you more than you'll ever need. Enemies and bosses are super generous with supplying ammo. Love the game, but there are a few things like that which felt a bit archaic for the direction MercurySteam has taken the series in. Perhaps _Other M_ was on to something with the way it handled missiles.
@@samuelstephens6904 I don't know what you mean by this. You can easily face RB with just 100 missiles on a first blind playthrough without bothering to backtrack at all. Even w/ the 275 missiles, they come in SUPER handy as long as you're actually using storm missiles. They aren't balanced around collecting all of them, just most of them, and that's why there's such an abundance.
@@gu3z185
I mean that missile expansions are more superfluous and less functional in _Dread_ compared to prior Metroid games. Same deal with the Power Bomb expansions and other returning elements like map rooms and health/ammo stations. The game is showing some of the stretch marks of the classic 2D Metroid formula.
I find your comments about world design interesting, since I had a considerably smooth time navigating the world. I honestly found it kinda neat every time I felt I was close to the surface but then got denied and sent back to a previous area. It only happens a handful of times and the fakeouts don't overstay their welcome in my opinion. As for direction, even without searching the map for newly accessible obstacles, I found the layout of the area intuitive enough to where I could just walk in the general direction the game sent me and still find my way, largely due to all the powerups lying around, which became obtainable after acquiring a particular ability. There are just enough of them placed around the correct path that it gave me a sense of "I went here to get this power-up; I may as well keep going this way," and more often than not it led me to where I was meant to be, though of course figuring out what to do once I got there was still up to me. I can definitely see where they tried to noob-proof it, but I think about 90% is pretty airtight.
Yeah, although I watched someone else play at first, I feel like the game still mostly does a good job of getting you where you need to be just by placing interesting stuff around.
Yeah I agree. In my experience, the backtracking and looking for new objectives was one of the most fun parts.
Whenever I got a new power up, I would run through all the previous areas looking for stuff to do.
The mechanics of the movement were so satisfying that I really didnt care. Its rewarding just to move.
And things I love in a game are exploration and problem solving. So these parts were very satisfying
I feel like it has more to do with how you engage with worlds in games.
Are you the type who will travel as far and search as much as you can until the game says "stop"
Or do you go by the motions and just do what you see infront of you.
I had no issues with exploring the world (I kinda liked it more than super) but I recognize that not everyone is going to do things the same way I do and that's fine.
I can't remember anytime I was really lost in Dread.
I honestly think it's intuitive to an almost annoying degree. Like, I never felt like I had any idea of where I was going but somehow just following the path of least resistance always ended me up in front of some new elevator or train. It almost felt like I wasn't even in control of where I was going.
I'm so happy with how Dread turned out. It was honestly just the right amount of old things done well again and new things added on top. It still retains everything I loved the other 2D games for but also boldly but carefully pushes the series forward. I really hope this set the series back on track and opens more possibilities for future games.
I would go a step further and say I hope Metroidvanias in general take inspiration from and improve on the formula Metroid Dread expanded upon.
Specifically, I hope more -vaniaesque Metroidvania games take the slide, the free aim, and in general focus on giving their controls and core gameplay more fluidity and polish.
I never had an issue with the final drones personally, and in fact I think the devs did a really good job of phasing them out as you got more powerful, I was worried they'd overstay their welcome but I never felt like they did.
In my opinion I felt like they could’ve been around a bit more, but that’s probably just because the first few go by very quickly
Same I never had problem, even the last one
At 11:13, I believe the reason you’re “blocked off from backtracking” is so that the player will not be lost as easily. It seems like dread did this in more areas than one in order to aid the player and give them a limited amount of options of proceeding. if anything these blockades helped me in immediately realizing “okay I’m not supposed to go that way”
Dread's music grew on me overtime. Though, I am hoping a hypothetical Metroid 6 brings out good new melodic music. As it stands Dread's music sounds like they tried to aim for prime's choir atmosphere, but weaker.
I'd say dread music is good but most people that play the game are expecting like grassy brinstar type music so I understand how some people might feel but I dont think dread music is bad, it's just going more for ambient
@@chromolorthegreat7071 even then though the other metroids have better raw ambient pieces, nothing in dread even comes close to the atmosphere of the pirate base and phazon mine type themes.
@@xanious3759 That's really more of a matter of opinion. I love pieces like burenia, artaria, ferenia, elun, and dairon.
@@chromolorthegreat7071 I mean i do think dread has good ambience, but nothing really hit me the way some of the ambient pieces in the prime trilogy, super, or fusion did. I also think the lack of melodic pieces hurts the soundtrack a lot.
@@chromolorthegreat7071 I liked that the music was understated. It made the times when the music really comes to the fore that much more impactful.
There are some great tunes in there, they're just not screaming for your attention. I appreciate the subtlety.
9:30 A counter point to this, is that the game DOES tell you where to go. Usually you'll encounter some blue butterflies many times. Once you saw them is very obvious you're supposed to go there to continue.
What?? For real? Didn't even notice that
They're literally the blue juice butterflies from hollow knight as well
I wouldn't call that obvious. I saw the dozens of times and never made the connection that they are some sort of guiding tool. I just considered them decoration, maybe a yet unexplained plot point.
@@ruolbu nah it was pretty obvious that they hinted at something but I never knew what exactly but it might have something to do with bosses or the CU but I never needed them.
@@ruolbu You not realizing that the butterflies always came right before a new item or plot point doesn't make the butterflies any less obvious.
I have to disagree about late stage emmis. By that point I mapped out their movement patterns well enough that baiting worked 99% of the time. and using the grappling beam effectively. I almost never moved while having cloak activated, besides movibg towards a hidding spot/ spider wall.
I felt the late emmi gacks were necessary and even fun to keep up the tension. By the time your cloak runs out, if you hid well, the emmi tends to be off screen, at that point you blitz, the emmi immediately hears, and you continue towards your objective, until you find another prime hidding spot when the emmi gets to close and start over. it was almost like red light green light later on and I liked it.
I know this is way late but I agree. By like the 3rd Emmi I had their pattern down to the point where they felt like a breeze the rest of the game.
The D-pad was actually mapped to two actions, scan pulse and increasing the size of the minimap. I definitely would not have cried if they just scrapped the minimap size adjustment feature altogether, though. I think you may as well have just rolled the Minus menu into the Plus menu, too. Then the D-pad could be entirely used and the scan pulse could just be on minus. As for the aiming issue, they could just have the right stick aim independently. This would make aiming and shooting awkward while aiming, but I guess that's a good argument for the industry to standardize controllers that have rear paddles.
I wish right stick was used for Shinesparking
Rear inputs in some way would be great. I was really hoping the Dualsense would have the DS4 back button add-on integrated into the controller itself, then Microsoft and Nintendo would eventually follow suit. Seemed like an actual innovation to the standard controller design that's been mostly unchanged for 20+ years.
I'd also like to see Sony and Microsoft integrate gyro functionality into like... every game. 1st and 3rd party games on Switch that utilize gyro are so much better with aiming, especially older titles. I recently played Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath on Switch with gyro for first person and it made combat so much better.
The only recent significant innovation that multiple members of the trifecta have integrated is advanced rumble features, which is great on Switch Pro Controller and even better on PS Dualsense. Adaptive triggers are also great and Microsoft has publicly shown interest in integrating a feature like that into their controllers.
More input options are missing however and are desperately needed.
@@luigiofthegods459 pressing it yes, they could of still let you aim with it too
That would stink for shooting in Metroid though. It’s not an fps, it’s a side scroller.
There is no tingle in this game literally unplayable 3/10
If 3/10 is unplayable what is 0/10
(I get it’s a joke I’m just playing along don’t @ me)
I would give it 1 and a half tingles out of 10 (insert confused tingle noises)
This comment tingles my tingles (in a good way)
Unironically, I would buy a game based around Tingle. If Nintendo made Captain Toad's Treasure Tracker, then they surely can make a weird puzzle game around Tingle.
@@pickyphysicsstudent201
We need a tingles rupee land sequel
I actually really like how dread subliminally guides you to your destination
Every power up is on the way to your next destination. Think about how many times a boss, teleporter, shuttle or shortcut are near the power up you just got
But the fact the game doesn't say "go here" means mercury steam was respecting the players intelligence.
As a side not if someone responds to workplace toxicity by pirating it means they likely weren't buying to begin with and were looking for any excuse to pirate
I love your pfp
I bought it, just hoping they ditch mercury steam for the next one.
I like how the game blocks shit off. Like I know people would be like, “thats stupid, let me explore freely instead of making one-way entrances everywhere,” but really I like that it decides to constrain you like that.
There’s a segment after you beat Kraid, after you get the diffusion beam, where effectively, you’re stuck in a hot room with a teleportal. Its not a hard constraint, you can free yourself, it takes considerable effort, and your reward for doing so is… getting lost, because you want to get bombs, which is very close to the teleportal destination.
@@ShadeKirby500 **Sarcasm 100**
@@jackgarcia5926
If you liked the game why do you want another developer on it?
Everytime you talk about a nintendo game you enjoy you actually give me the feeling that "We can get closer to perfection." Something MANY, reviewers miss. Especially short reviews. Taking the time to point out little flaws should be the most obvious thing to do in a big review but, You nail it every time. I want to buy it now.
Buy the game or he won't buy you!
Considering how much of an upgrade Dread is from Samus Returns, I honestly hope MercurySteam gets better better at it and address some of Dread's issues all while improving its strenghts. Not to mention that I hope Nintendo buys Mercury Steam and cleans up the management and administrative side so the creatives involved get to truly shine safely and get what they deserve.
Honestly I think the biggest problem with Samus Returns is that it was stacked up against AM2R, which was made by a dedicated and talented fan who had 10 years to iron out any issues without studio interference or milestones to keep up with. AM2R is certainly the stronger game but SR came out pretty well all things considered and introduced enough new concepts to allow Dread to springboard off of it as a sequel and improve it, whilst AM2R took what already existed in Metroid and polished it to a mirror shine.
The whole time I was playing through Metroid Dread I would constantly think in the back of my head: "I can't wait to hear what Nerrel thinks of this"
Been looking forward to this one :)
I really hope this is the Metroid game to bring the series back into commercial success, because it really deserves it after the tumultuous development hell that Dread has been in for so many years. One year ago, I genuinely believed we'd never receive another 2D Metroid game from Nintendo ever again; now, I couldn't be more optimistic about the series' future. Anyway, great video as always, Nerrel.
Dread is already the most commercially successful metroid.
@@senounatsuru6453 Doesn't surprise me; the Switch has such a huge install base and the drought of any new Metroid titles built up lots of hype. More than anything though, I'm glad that Dread is also sticking to the principles of the Metroidvannia genre it pioneered, rather than deviating in order to gain popularity.
When was Metroid a Commercial success before.
@@robertkenny1201 The first Metroid sold nearly 3 million copies, which was incredibly successful for the NES era. The first Metroid Prime even managed to outsell Wind Waker on the GameCube, so again, not too shabby. The last 15 years, on the other hand, have not been kind to the series - while Prime 1 sold almost 3 million copies, Prime 2 and 3 wouldn't even break 2 million sales, and that's despite the Wii's much larger install base, in the case of Prime 3. Besides those two games, not a single other Metroid title has managed to break even a million sales in the last 15 years - until Dread, that is. It's all relative, in Metorid's case; yes, these games have never sold as much as Mario, but they were at least best sellers in the old days (Metroid is one the 20 best selling NES games of all time), and thus, the last couple decades have been comparatively weak.
The fact that Sakamoto just LET the series fucking die because he couldn't implement what was ultimately another gimmick (sorry, but the EMMI's are forgettable and not fun) is a testament to HIS character moreso than Samus' badass one, which he also personally butchered. It took 19 years because an outside source stepped up to the plate and challenged Nintendo, which is arguably why we're here, now. With all this in mind, and in lieu of the developmental troubles all these companies had and continue to have, Metroid aims for a shaky future. Prime 4 is still on the way...
Nice clip of a Zebesian standoff at the end.
(Zebesian Standoff: A trope in cinema where three or more people are all holding one another at gunpoint, but the nearby Metroids show up and feast on them before they can come to a resolution.)
Insanely underrated comment.
a bit of a rebuttal on the underwater emmi. using the grappling hook to escape felt like the “intended’ route as it was in essense a new mecahnic. with the slow fall you could chain the grapple hooks to move relatively quickly
I see the Underwater Emmi section as a sort of split path, where you would ideally take the top path because it’s quicker and easier, but if you mess up you’re pushed into the bottom path, which is much more difficult and dangerous.
Metroid Dread is the game that made me most eager to play it all over again after completing it. Seeing all these videos and shortcuts people are figuring out turns it into a whole new experience.
on my first play through i got only about half of the total in game items, so seeing people talk about 100% completion, and just how fun and intuitive to traverse dreads world is, i absolutely cant wait to hunt for everything that i missed. one of the most consistently challenging, enjoyable, evocative, and addicting games I've played.
I beat it 3 times already. So damn good. It's as good as Hollow Knight and that's a high bar.
Evil Nerrel be like: Metroid Federation force is the best Metroid
Evil Nerrel recommends Hollow Knight
Evil Nerrel be like: Majora's Mask 3D is a perfect remake and the best way to play MM
Nerrel thinks Nintendo has a good online service
@@Mista_Mist
Evil Nerrel be like: The only legit way to play a shooter are analogue sticks and motion control is for babies.
Lerren
I kind of liked how there there were always obstacles only solved by the ability you just picked up. It lets you practice your new ability right away like a kind of soft tutorial, and also helps guide you towards where you should be going.
yeah i liked how this game sort of guided you along the intended path withoutstraight up pointing you there or just leaving you on your own, it was a perfect blend of super and fusion styles imo
"The first HD Metroid" Oh my god you have no idea how much it hurt to hear that and realize it's true
Ok, I had a very different experience with the level design.
I honestly felt kinda streamlined. Not railroaded like linear games, but effectively led towards where I had to go. I often realised that the game made me do a thing and then closed the door behind me and locked me in a space that I first had to explore before I could connect back to what I knew. I recall the game placing some gates in very obvios spots that got burnt into my memory, so when I finally got the fitting ability I went there nearly right away. I felt like I was straying all over the place, jumping between areas like crazy, feeling like I'm wandering aimlessly, but rarely being stuck. It felt very organically and I think it was a good 2/3 through the game before I had any desire to use the highlight feature on the map screen.
To be fair, my nature is that of a backtracker. I get an ability and I want to see where I can use it. I definitely recall backtracking out of curiosity and only advancing after I checked what I had wanted to explore. Maybe my timing was just right for these deadends you encountered. Honestly I never liked the Metroid Prime approach of highlighting areas where you can progress. I prefer the way Dread did it. I want a game that expects me to find my way. Yes that can be overdone, I don't think Dread overdid it.
I actually thought dread's world progression was great. I don't think all metroidvanias need to make you "feel" like you're supposed to be in a area, it should feel more like "okay i got this ability, where can i use it"
for instance early game i got wide beam and was immediately thinking "i should probably check cataris but ill see if there's anything extra in dairon", which is pretty much the opposite of the problem nerrel pointed out people were having lol.
It feels like dread was designed the way i normally think in metroidvanias, when i got gravity i was like "man i feel like i should check out artaria again" and then the game went "you're going to artaria again" like oh okay lmao
More often than not, when I tried to explore I ended up going the right way XD The game pretty much guides you down the right path. It wasn't until late in the game, when enough of the map opened up, that I lost track of the right way while exploring. And after a short process of elimination I could get right back on track, anyway.
Metroid Dread feels like the conclusion of the 2D series long search for that new dimension of gameplay after Super. It’s hard to believe this is only MercurySteam’s second Metroid game, when the challenge and level design feel like the labour of love that come from series veterans.
Metroid is once again in the good old days, long may they continue.
On the purple EMMI you have to use the grapple beam to rapidly traverse the underwater zones, once you understand this it becomes an amazing run.
Thanks for making videos the way you do. x
Same goes to you too! Looking forward to your (hopefully) eventual Dread video.
Just beat it moments ago. The final boss got me sweating.
Amazing game, my first Metroid, and I can't wait to play the other entries. Hoping for a sequel by MercuryStream soon, they nailed it with Dread.
It's such a satisfying final battle!
Play the other games
@@haha-uj5rj Just started Prime, wanna see what all the fuzz is about.
The final battle was fun, but having to sit through an elevator ride before every attempt was really annoying, especially for such a hard fight, especially since other bosses didn't make me wait through that kind of extra loading screen and in fact made returning quicker since I didn't have to deal with the door monsters again.
Just a tip, don't bother with the original Metroid, Zero Mission is plain better. And if you want to play Metroid 2, I recommend AM2R with the community patches and launcher.
Some others already said it, but use the grapple beam on the magnet walls next time you’re dealing with the Purple EMMI.
I've just been getting Space Jump and gravity early in each new playthrough. I'd rather avoid underwater segments without gravity altogether.
@@TimBagels is not that hard
I love your profile pic
On the last few EMMI. Use grapple beam on the spider magnet walls/ceilings while underwater. You'll move much faster, dodge their sightline, and will and find ways to leave the water.
7:12 EMMI pathfinding isn't always intuitive - sometimes they climb the ceilings to get to a spot because they think it's the shorter route.
7:25 No. I did that segment without Counters. I am more than a first time metroid player, but the Purple EMMI gives you tons of movement options thst it is really not a problem. Also, The purple EMMI is the only EMMI That does not trigger an Escape Sequence. You just probably had a bad time and I do admit that It took me several times before I made it through.
EDITS: The Blue EMMI also does not trigger an Escape sequence.
Yeah using the Grapple Beam really evens the playing field, I didn't have trouble with it
I don't understand, what is an escape sequence? I might just be blanking, I've 100%ed this game.
@@magmeskiro he means that, when the last two EMMIs see Samus, the EMMIs don't go into a scary red alert phase with scary music. instead they just shoot her
@@8Kazuja8 I don't know, I routinely get into the Purple EMMI's sights and it doesn't alert it too. So I feel like the on-screen indicator lies to make it seem more intimidating.
Am I the only one that never once got lost in this game? The game is designed so you are always nudged in the right direction. Once you get a new powerup it's like "oh, a teleporter! guess I should hop in" or "oh, an energy tank, i'll take the high path and get that". I've heard people getting lost but I honestly don't understand how people are managing to do that.
I got stuck a couple times, but when I did, I just opened map, spend no more than a minute to find where to go. Dread is very straightforward with it's map design: I had to check all paths, if all of them blocked - backtracking time, if you can't go back - search for destructable walls.
Same I didn’t get lost once, I did look up some of the shinespark challenges tho but that’s not main story stuff
I never got lost I just used the map a lot
I know 2 of my friends who had little experience with Metroid or Metroidvanias in general got lost sometimes, mainly when they had to backtrack but overall I would agree
@@destructoid5939 Yeah, I think it definitely helps if you’re already adjusted to the series. I only got lost once, but very briefly. I’ve also played all the other games in the series so I had a pretty good idea of where the game was guiding me most of the time.
The sound direction is my biggest gripe with this game. A missle impact sounds like a wad of paper hitting a sliding glass door. Everything just falls flat, especially the chirping of the EMMIs. I would have preferred a deep, bass-driven alert pulse that increases in pitch as it gets closer to you
Also, Nerrel, I just want you to know that your videos are very, very well done. They reek of effort and your research, timing, and writing are unmatched by any other channel. You are the best, please keep making videos.
Bro every time I hear rain in stardew Valley I get fucking ptsd from the emmis
I bought the game and beat it, told my friends to get it, and then I pirated it so I could have it on pc lmao
I'd buy it again too.
I might buy it for friends for christmas. This game is GOAT.
How can you pirate it and play it on pc? It’s only on switch
@@darkhaven9119 switch emulator
Thank you for bringing up the bad developer stories! I loved the game but hated hearing that shit--and it's industry-wide, too. More attention is needed to get game companies to stop treating their workers like garbage.
Considering that’s what all workers want in the end is their name at the end. If it was about space they should’ve doubled the columns on the credits.
I can already hear Super Metroid purists in the future saying "Metroid Dread is a good game, but is it a good *Metroid* game?"
I don't think most purists would question if Dread is a good Metroid game, since Dread didn't deviate too much from "The Formula TM". I'd sooner consider Fusion more worthy of that.
@SNES Nes other m’s foundation is Fusion’s low points.
A dive ability from castlevania that doesnt need to be there because theres nothing it can do that the morphball cant already solve, a dash ability form hollow knight that the shine spark makes redundant also. "innovation" I have no faith in this game and id rather metroid stayed dead than see it this way.
@@emporertorvus4475 Sliding and the dash are both additional options to go along with everything that's returned. I like the additional movement options myself, and since nothing seems to have been taken away I have a hard time seeing how they could be bad things.
@@solomon9655 This is the most Super-esque game in the series since Super, so I'd say yeah.
i actually found the purple EMMI to be fairly easy to avoid if you use the grapple beam to pull yourself through the water faster. i imagine thats why theres magnet pannels everywhere
edit: after looking arround i see many have already said this lol.
Your review of the issues with the world design, obstructions, gaiting, and forced path through the world was spot on and honestly the only video on TH-cam I've found talking about it. And your critiques put into words perfectly what I've been thinking and feeling about it. Great critique
Count Dooku: “Ive been looking forward to this…..”
"What if I told you the Galactic Federation was under control of a Dark Lord of the Mawkin?"
This is, by far, the most hyped Metroid release in my memory and I think that's important. If it doesn't sell more than the other games, or sell enough to justify a sequel, then I don't understand the way hype works anymore.
The only real thing I had to look up in this game was how to extend the Shinespark on slopes surfaces for a few booster puzzles. Once I learnt that everything else felt much more intuitive with some quick and clever use of the mechanic.
7:14 that is literally completely untrue. That's how I played the E.M.M.I sections, by baiting them with sound and then using invisibility to go the other way. I don't know if you just didn't test this enough, but I can confirm that it's an intended mechanic. That little yellow shockwave that appears is where the E.M.M.I will check for you, if you go invisible and leave it won't pursue. I'm thinking maybe you tried to cloak while they were in pursuit mode which does not work.
Super happy this game has been doing well, and I want to extend a thank you to you Nerrel! I became a metroid fan around a year or two ago specifically because of your videos and analysis’ of the series and I thank you for introducing thousands to this wonderful series.
Super is among one of my favorites ever, with repeat playthroughs Dread will probably join it, and I can’t wait to try all the Metroids available. We eating good tonight gamers, buy the damn game though!
The funniest thing about Dread is that...
Spoilers:
It completely confirms the old "the main character is Metroid" silliness.
I wait until they reveal that zelda is the protagonist of the legend of zelda... Wait
I found Dread led me along the designated path super well, and without sequence breaking, anytime I tried to deviate from it I was met with a dead end.
I've actually played the Prime series for the first time before Dread, and in Metroid games the theme seems to be "get powerup -> intentionally look for paths that use acquired powerup" an repeat the process. I got lost once because I didn't notice a green door but that's about it
Your issue with the last two drones shows that you didn’t master the grapple beam since you are highly encouraged to use it to move faster through the submerged section.
Lol
I really disagree with Nerrel's take on the exploration, the game is very smartly designed where it essentially gives you a trail of breadcrumbs of places to use your new items that lead to where you need to go next whenever you get a new upgrade and the only times I got turned around was when i didn't explore the area that i was led to well enough. For most of the game i felt like i was pushing forward almost by instinct (which i could see some people even having issue with but for me it led to a game that was genuinely really hard to put down)
Amen, I literally never used the obstacle markers on the map, it just flowed for me
Yeah I agree, the invisible guiding hand of the designers could definitely be felt, and just sort of letting instinct guide you always lead to the right places. The problem is, it only takes one missed bomb block to push the player off this path of subliminal hints and into total confusion.
I think the pacing can be a bit weird at times, especially early on, but I never had any trouble finding where to go. The invisible guiding hand is always there.
I definitely noticed this when I did a repeat playthrough for the sub 4 hour endings. When yo uvet a new powerup you're almost always plopped right where you need to use it to progress. The only time you'll ever get lost is if you go off the beaten path
I agree, at times I thought the game was actually a bit too funneling, but not by a lot. Really being stuck is not something I experienced.
This game made me marathon the series for the first time and I am glad I did. And this newest entry did not dissapoint and kept my hype momentum going. It was worth the money I could've spent on junk food.
Can't wait to, uh, dump my cart, and play it in 4k.
Same here. I’m playing all the 2D metroids for the first time and I just wondering why I never did it before.
6:10 pure genuine frustation ive felt that
On the whole, I very much agree with your review. However, concerning the progression through the game, I actually thought the devs did a great job with gently nudging you in the right direction (most of the time). Almost every time you get a new powerup, you either have a chance to use it nearby, or you're very close to a teleportal that brings you to the right destination.
Great video. Surprised you used the obstacle markers that much, I was just naturally led around the map by convenient teleporters and elevators
I have to disagree with your point about progression being confusing, this game has no proper "Metroid Moment" the dev intended path is painfully obvious so long as you are paying a decent amount of attention, plus the map being as detailed as it is I was never lost in this game and always had an idea on where I needed to go on my first run.
the only time I was ever lost was on the way to Kraid, because I didn't realize that you could destroy that wall and I also never thought about going through the lava despite it hurting me, but otherwise I agree entirely. it guides without telling
@@Lutyrannus you didn't need to go through the lava. You can destroy the wall above it.
@@averyhepburn8092 I said that in the message. They gave you two ways to get there, through either the lava or by destroying the wall, and I didn't think to do either.
You have no idea about a good design for a metroid map then.
@@Raylightsen 0/10 troll
7:12 The noise you made *was* what the E.M.M.I. was tracking, it's just easier for the thing to climb one wall and a ceiling than it is to climb a jungle gym to reach its destination
I love how brutally honest nerrel is with these reviews, being able to critique a game that you really like while not contradicting yourself isn’t something a lot of game reviewers have
Ehh, I wouldn't say no contradictions. Complaining about level design that lets you get lost while also complaining about them locking you into a smaller chunk of the world is certainly contradictory.
He claims that the game is simultaneously too obtuse and too handholdy within minutes of each other. The too obtuse part was his fault since there are 3 Wide Beam boxes strategically placed to guide you back to the Morph Ball. And his point about leaning on objective markers falls apart if you never use them and don't get lost, which I did on my first playthough.
That part about not knowing when to backtrack seems like peak Metroid to me. Super Metroid did this all the time. At some random moment the game just decides that you have to backtrack to a previous area without even a hint. In the 90s that stuff made it one of the best games of all time and nowadays it’s a fault. I don’t understand those reviews
Isn't it possible ... That is was never praiseworthy and was always a fault, but that people love Super Metroid despite it?
@@l.n.3372 Nah Super is a masterpiece. People saying Super doesn't give you a good idea of where to go either missed something or are being disingenuous.
@@TRQDude
I have to break it to you: no game is perfect. Even the best games have flaws. And even newer great games can do things better than classic "masterpieces"
Dread does a LOT better than Super Metroid, as an example. While neither is perfect and both have flaws.
@@l.n.3372 I haven't played Dread and don't intend to (Sakamoto = no thanks), but what's the point of an exploration focused game if you're constantly told where to go?
@@isodoubIet
A) if you don't intend to play Dread, what the fuck are you doing in a review that mainly praised the game? Why are you even here?
B) there's a huge difference between being told where to go (hand holding) vs having almost no indication of anything. Maybe watch the damn review itself? Dread does a combination of both, as the review explains. And thus it's not solidly one or the other. Every Metroid game does one or the either or both, as well.
"Rooms that still have undiscovered powerups in them will glow on the map" holy guacamole I'm so glad I learned that. I'm at 95% completion and I want to do it with no guide but I was getting a bit exhausted.
On my first play-trough I got lost on a couple of times, when I thought I had to backtrack because I missed where I was supposed to be going, one of those times was on the 3rd zone.
On my second run, I started noticing how the game is trying to push you into the correct path, with use of the blue butterflies, and as you said, most of the ammo/energy thanks are mostly out in the open because they want you to remember where they are and they are usually locked behind the new ability you recently acquired.
I had a blast with the game, and it certainly is one of the best games I played this year. I now want to do a low percent run!
I think they visual tone I'd go for with this game is a cinematic platformer. It feels like how Oddworld felt for me the first time growing up and on top of that a great entry in its own series to boot.
Actually comparing it to odd world is a pretty close.
Obviously in terms of gameplay they’re mostly unrelated but in terms of cinematic and just how smoothly the cutscenes were placed.
Few games I can think of that so cleanly go from cutscene to gameplay
I had a very interesting experience with the game and the way it leads you around, as in when i played it i was extremely exhausted and i simply ran in a straight line, which the game gives you fairly well, without ever checking the map. The map i noticed only confused me, instead of helping
Yeah I agree. The game is designed in such a way that the path that feels most intuitive is usually the right one
kinda felt the same. I did not enjoy looking at the map and rarely felt the need to do it.
This is way to late to be useful but for the EMMI that chases you underwater before getting the gravity suit I found that using the grapple on the walls was a good way of gaining extra mobility to help keep away and get through the area.
I really have to agree with the ending argument regarding pirates. I have my copy right next to me, and if I could, I would extract the ROM myself. So sue me, Nintendo, but if I extract it myself and it runs the same as the one I downloaded, how can you tell which one is which? Imperfections in how it got saved? That'd mean it doesn't work. Dates can be faked.
12:04
I personally felt like during my first playthrough that the game was a little too linear, because I tried to backtrack many times once I got the relevant items and found i could only really properly backtrack once I got the grappling hook. I've since beaten the game 4 more times for the gallery photos, but I haven't tried the sequence breaks many have found so I'd like to see how that affects it. I gotta say I love how you can actually bomb jump in this game compared to fusion, it helped me get some expansions early and in creative ways
But would you say its more or less than Super, I feel like super has more options, but maybe because I did not get lost as much...?
Sequence breaks have certainly made the game more enjoyable to me (as well as learning how to use Shinespark on certain bosses)
I'd highly recommend it!
another really well maked video i really appreciate that after all you are able to see defects on metroid dread unlike hypers and see good points on other M
Edit:nice one put the gfs valhalla theme in the credits
Same bothy are good game tho
Great video! Totally respectful in terms of spoilers (none), and the Pulp Fiction/Reservoir dogs skit at the end was awesome!
The correct way forward is usually right about the corner. For example the wide beam, if you just follow the corridors unlocked by the wide beam doors, it will naturally lead you back to cataris.
Its interesting that you say there's no end game item hunt because I'd disagree to an extent because of power bombs. They are just slapped on your right before the final boss and besides getting 100% there is no reason to need to go and find any of the expansions since they won't really help, you are already at the end. It might be a minor thing overall but I feel like its worth mentioning
And also, beating the last Golden Chozo dude makes is so that all warp points are linked in a single network, instead of operating as pairs, I did my item hunt BEFORE fighting that guy and never realized this, the warps should really link after you get power bombs instead.
@@Cri_Jackal the teleporters do that!? I had no idea! Never needed them on my 100% runs but I’ll certainly keep that in mind.
@@Cri_Jackal Wait really? I finished my 100% before beating him, so I never noticed. Basically last upgrades were in the last area so did not need to go back. Damn.. Well if I ever play this one again (The emmi sections were to much of a pace breaker for me to really want to learn this game for speed running or causal play) I'll remember to save the clean up save energy tanks for last.
There is the power bomb and wave beam stuff, yeah, but those make up a fairly small portion of the total items I'd say. Compare it to Fusion or Zero Mission where those have tons of items you can only get at the end.
Not that I personally don't enjoy the cleanup portion since it's fun to just move around these games, but Dread certainly isn't that big of a deal for end game cleanup.
Its defnitely an improvement from some other games in the series. The problem is that there will always be that final upgrade that is used to grab stuff, so there will always have to be items picked up at the end of the game. I really don't know how to get around that fact without making the last upgrade one that isn't needed for exploring and doesn't require expansion items. And in Dread it got really close to not needing to backtrack after Power Bombs because I know there is something like 2 PB expansions that can be grabbed early, but the rest are gated behind PB blocks. So if they hadn't done that maybe it would've been more smooth?
I feel using the right stick to persision aiming would've been cool
Perhaps, but then there's the problem that you then wouldn't be able to shoot without using a claw-hand grip on the right joy-con since you can't press the attack button with your right thumb if your right thumb is on the control stick for aiming.
Great video!!! I'd like to see more of metroid and metroidvania content in the future =) Thanks for your work!
Nerrel, I was blown away by the precision of your Harvey Keitel impression so much that I rewound it 5 times before even seeing the MAJESTY OF YOUR STEVE BUSCEMI IMPRESSION! Would a fully dubbed reservoir fiction pulpdogs be asking too much?
If someone told me that music I wrote sounded like "scrapped Luigi's Mansion tracks done on a Casio keyboard" I would kill myself right then and there.
They do sound like that, though.
The ost is surprisingly unremarkable, but I’m just glad they didn’t just reuse the old songs as much.
I just finished Fusion today and I cannot wait to start Dread. Fusion’s ending is so damn good, I don’t know how people managed to stay 19 years without a continuation to that epic cliffhanger.
I might wait a bit to start it though since I finished all Samus returns, súper and fusion in a matter of a week and I don’t wanna end up feeling burntout. Amazing review and it only augmented my hype for the game.
I personally had a lot of catching up to do before Dread and finished Zero Mission, Samus Returns and Fusion in about a week too and didn't felt burnout, but that's probably just me. After starting Dread right after finishing Fusion I only was satisfied after 3 playthroughs (one for 100% and two "speedruns"). All I got to say: damn, what a good series this is.
Good luck to you with Dread, I hope you'll have a great time.
The title of this video has to be one of the best double entendres I think I've ever seen
I literally bought a brand new Switch just to play this game and it was definitely worth every dollar. I've been a huge Metroid fan for years, but I never owned any Nintendo consoles before, playing the series on emulator. Even if I knew there was a way to emulate the game, I wanted to show my support for the series to hopefully help secure its future.
I agree with you on most of your points, except that I had an extremely smooth time navigating during the story. I just kinda ended up where I needed to be after I explored for a bit without really trying to find the objective. I also got thru the last E.M.M.I. section with about as much difficulty as the others, so that might just have been a you problem.
I love how Dread manages to find a balance between the design of all the previous 2D games, it really does feel like a worthy successor to continue the series beyond Fusion. She may have had a middling appearance 4 years ago, but this truly is the return of Samus.
Nah, you wasted your money.
@@BogusLettuce You don't get to decide that.
I saw this vid about a week ago, picked up the game as a result, beat it, and find it to be my favorite game released this year (with only one on the horizon that might top it). Thank you for a very good review.
7:25 he had so many ways of getting out of that that weren’t jumping. He could’ve slid under the emmi, he could’ve used the grapple beam to climb on the ceiling. But no he chose the most inconsistent way possible.
yeah he's bad at games
His videos are so well articulated I keep watching them over and over again
I love your reviews. I was happy to see this pop up in my notifications. Excellent points.
Audio Design deserves a GOTY.
A number ranking? Wh-... where are my Tingles? WHO ARE YOU??
I *am* surprised you didn't call out how the game weirdly discourages sequence breaking but specifically for Power Bombs. They're ultra powerful sure, one of the best weapons and exploration tools in the game, but if that's the case, it shouldn't be easy to find 3 or 4 Power Bomb expansion tanks way before you get to Hanubia and unlock the ability to actually use them. There's even one right out in the open in Elun in the top right corner of the map.
I think that was done as more of a tease than anything. The benefit is that once you do get the power bomb, if you have collected some upgrades you have more power bombs to use in the final sequence (since they do actually have utility against the final boss) and you have saved yourself some backtracking as well
Purple E.M.M.I is my favorite E.M.M.I. It might feel cheap at first, but it is getting you to master your escape ability. It being able to hear you from anywhere and see you through walls forces you to master the Phantom Cloak. The stunning orb makes sure that you have to worry about remaining unnoticed even with your insane mobility.
7:13
It goes to you here because the fastest route to where it last heard you was to run up that wall and across the ceiling.
Always a good day when there's a new Nerrel video!
By and large you mirror my feelings, although I personally disagree on two points:
I think the counter is still broken, because it allows you to kill anything instantly as soon as you counter it. I'd have preferred to see the counter attack do more armor breaking than just outright instakilling.
Additionally I think the backtracking and interconnectedness of the levels is absolutely wonderful. I love how often you feel lost in this game.
Also, I wish there were more non-shinespark puzzles, but space jump obsoletes other abilities so significantly that idk how it would work without nerfing/restricting space jump or putting us in special no space jump zones.
actually, no space jump zones just sound like they would be really interesting in general! although you i could easily players getting frustrated and feel a little bit like "well then what was the point of me getting the cool power up if all it does is get taken away"
*SPOILERS*
My biggest criticism would be the forced "RailRoading" right after you acquire the Gravity Suit, whether you get it early or normally. As soon as you get the Grav Suit, you are forced into going to Frozen Artaria/Cataris and defrost it by fighting Z-57. This is entirely a sub-plot provided only for you to get the Screw Attack. However, there is a fully "developer intended" way of getting Screw Attack without ever having to fight Z-57 within frozen Artaria by simply using a ShineSpark (no glitches like Water Bomb Jumps or Wall Clipping Needed). However, even if you do get the Screw Attack, you are locked into frozen Artaria cuz all the elevators and teleportals are frozen. Therefore you are STILL railroaded into that "Sub-Plot" and fighting Z-57 for absolutely no purpose as this Sub-Plot does not add anything substantial to the Main Story and solely exists for you to get the Screw Attack or for people who want to 100% (which is optional). ZDR blows up anyway at the end, why bother whether parts of it were left frozen or not.
"ZDR blows up anyway at the end, why bother whether parts of it were left frozen or not." and also "i cant get out of frozen artaria because all of the facilities are so cold they've stopped functioning" in the same thought and you dont question it at all, ok. what do you want from them? it's a cool worldbuilding sequence. that's like saying you want the x parasites to just suddenly show up for no reason without you having to go to elun because you dont like riding the train.
@@lapotato9140 he just wanted the sequence break to be a proper sequence break, and not just a redundancy.
@@fernando47180 it is one. you can literally make the most annoying boss in the game(the bee thing) your bitch by jumping into it if you have screw attack early instead of having to deal with its borderline rng seeming invincibility states, which the devs frankly shouldnt have even bothered to add in but they did and its cool, but apparently for what? none of yall seem to care, you're more concerned that you have to god forbid, allow the game's story to happen when you progress it.
I just loved how I died to the bosses multiple times, but not because of bullshit jank, but because of a lack of skill. Learning the attack patterns was so satisfying, and it’s one of the few games that lets you look cool fighting bosses without having to do complex inputs.
0:05 at first I could swear he said "Majora Dread" hah yeah I wish.
Finally picked this up halfway through 2022 and loving it so far.