2021/12/15: Nintendo Switch: Metroid Dread

[VideoGameCritic]

Let me know your thoughts on my latest Switch review!

[newmodelarmy]

I would have to say your review is spot on. For me, it was just a bit short of an "A" game. I really enjoyed this one and got to the end however, could not defeat the final boss after about a dozen attempts. Like you mentioned in your review, I had to go to a FAQ several times due to the fact that I got bored wondering around aimlessly. That said, probably the best Switch game I have played in a while, had me hooked from start to finish.

[VideoGameCritic]

I didn't beat the final boss either. After about an hour of trying I watched the end of a YouTube playthrough, and realized I wasn't even close to beating the guy (there are three phases). So I just sat back and watched the ending.

[Matchstick]

While the text of the review would lead me to believe The Critic didn’t have the best time with the game, the final score definitely says otherwise. Amazingly close to my own final verdict - definitely not an A, but a good, solid game, all the same. Glad you enjoyed it, Critic, as we both had our own sorts of bumps in the road throughout our time with the game.

I fully agree with the choice of the Arthur Award and May Cause Pain icons. I mentioned these when I posted about my own experiences over on the forums. The fact that The Critic wasn’t even able to beat the final boss - and that I was only able to after a week of off-and-on trying - speaks volumes to the game’s difficulty. It may not be as challenging as many classic games, but for a modern mainstream game - published by Nintendo, no less - it doesn’t get much tougher than this one!

Interestingly, I did not need to refer to a guide while playing the first time. I did look at playthroughs on my second go, as I wanted to try my hand at sequence breaks. So far, that aspect of the game has been pretty rewarding! But I honestly thought the game did a great job of guiding you along the first time through, and I never felt lost for an extended period. Different strokes, I suppose.

I also never had any crashes or game-breaking bugs, either. I remember the review for Bloodstained on the Switch mentioning this issue, as well, though I likewise never experienced any crashes in that game. Very strange. I play on physical game cartridges, as I’d imagine The Critic does, too. Same games, same systems, different results.

MK11, on the other hand, crashes practically every damn time I play it on my Switch. So much so, that I haven’t touched it in months. Can’t say I really miss it all that much, to be honest...

[BlasteroidAli]

i remember getting metroid on the cube. wow, was that a good game and in 3d, metroid on the Ds wow, another 3d classic. Now looking at this retro 2d shooter is just plain odd. I quite like the Switch, a pal has one. Though I know I would never have the patience for this game. Time has moved on from this genre.
Though maybe if I did not have 500 games to play I might look at it and go... wow.. a new Metro!! Amazing.

[MSR1701]

I didn't beat the final boss either. After about an hour of trying I watched the end of a YouTube playthrough, and realized I wasn't even close to beating the guy (there are three phases). So I just sat back and watched the ending.

The "Final Boss" is basically a Damage Sponge to trigger a QTE to deal enough damage to move to the next phase. While watching The First Step's run on YouTube, I realized that the second phase could have the QTE triggered sooner if I was yea so close to him at certain points (when he just stands there); my mentality with these games is STAY THE HECK AWAY FROM THE THING THAT DEALS 150+ DAMAGE PER HIT... The next two phases (I recall four phases for some reason), it's not as bad, though I think I just got lucky.

The thing you fight after it I died while I tried to figure out the controls for the item you got from the "Final Boss..." I also did an intentional Checkpoint Reset in the obligitory "Escape" sequence as, again, I figured out how the final item worked and how I needed to use it.

I have hopes for when I replay Dread; I am presently replaying Metroid Samus Returns on the 3DS (randomly picked it up earlier this week, and coming up to Diggernought soon); the first playthru I ran around trying to play like it was a classic Metroid (Counter attack? what is that?) and was CONSTANTLY back-tracking to check if I could get an item that was locked behind an upgrade earlier; now that I know how the game is meant to be played (Counter is your friend, and also TAKE YOUR TIME) and have played thru Dread (which ran of a VERY similar engine and had many similar elements), I am having a MUCH better time.

[DrLitch]

I have Dread pegged at an A grade with it's largest flaw being a surprisingly generic soundtrack. The soundtrack, while appropriate, is some way short of the standards set in the older games. That said I was somewhat pleased not to hear remixes or reinventions of the Brinstar or Norfair themes which have been beaten to death.

As for difficulty, I did not think it was all that hard. Challenging certainly, but it did not take more than a few attempts to figure out boss patterns. The final boss I beat on my 4th attempt, harder than Ridley for sure, but rather easy compared to Dead Cells finale. Actually I think Hollow Knight bosses gave me a harder time than Dread. I guess my thumb and hand eye coordination were well tuned for Dread given I had a few runs of Dead Cells prior to playing it. Dead Cells I guess is good match practice for Dread .

Metroid is Dread, truly Dread

[newmodelarmy]

I didn't beat the final boss either. After about an hour of trying I watched the end of a YouTube playthrough, and realized I wasn't even close to beating the guy (there are three phases). So I just sat back and watched the ending.

Ha! I did the same thing. Since I could not figure out what to do I watched a video and I was like, "no way I am going to get through all of those phases" and thus, gave up. Anyway, it is a fun game and I got my monies worth. Not sure if I would ever bother to play through it again however.

[VicViper]

I have Dread pegged at an A grade with it's largest flaw being a surprisingly generic soundtrack. The soundtrack, while appropriate, is some way short of the standards set in the older games. That said I was somewhat pleased not to hear remixes or reinventions of the Brinstar or Norfair themes which have been beaten to death.

As for difficulty, I did not think it was all that hard. Challenging certainly, but it did not take more than a few attempts to figure out boss patterns. The final boss I beat on my 4th attempt, harder than Ridley for sure, but rather easy compared to Dead Cells finale. Actually I think Hollow Knight bosses gave me a harder time than Dread. I guess my thumb and hand eye coordination were well tuned for Dread given I had a few runs of Dead Cells prior to playing it. Dead Cells I guess is good match practice for Dread .

Metroid is Dread, truly Dread

This echoes (HAH) my thoughts. The soundtrack was forgettable, and that's the only thing I'd dock the game for. Was it tough? Yeah, but always fair.

As for the review stating the story being "incomprehensible", I thought it was largely straightforward taking in account it's the direct sequel to Metroid Fusion. Of course there's a bit of piecing together, but there aren't any large plot hole, everything has a reason to happen, and the villain & his motivations are pretty simple.

[travistouchdown]

Nice review, and everything in it leads me to confirm my pass on this game. This type of game has just lost it's appeal to me; seems like a total chore. To me, if you need a guide the entire time, that's poor level design. If you can figure things out yourself, and work through most things without google/youtube, that's a well designed game.

I'm 85+ hours into Skyrim on Switch right now and i've used youtube only a handful of times, and i probably didn't need to. That's GREAT design.