Ex Retro Studios Devs Speak About Metroid Dread

[@KIWITALKZ]

Full interviews Eric Kozlowsky - kzbin.info/www/bejne/eZmugaRvg5VpjdE Kynan Pearson - kzbin.info/www/bejne/r2e8fJiYoLWNhK8 Clark Wen - kzbin.info/www/bejne/foabn3R5qJudpqs Carlos Mendieta - kzbin.info/www/bejne/hGObaJWAi7msgLc

[@Dragon_Ryder]

While there is a little piece of secret art depicting the experiments involving Kraid (so they do hint at why he’s here), I agree it could’ve been better woven into the game itself like Z-57 was.

[@chalybee8689]

Didnt see that hint

[@Reyn_the_Insane]

I don't think they should've revealed Kraid in the trailers. The buildup cutscene leading up to him would've been awesome to experience for the first time.

[@booski1865]

💯

[@taccm386]

I am so glad I didn't watch the trailer for it, I was so shocked seeing kraid

[@ImperishableDani]

I went trailer blackout on dread up to its release and it was a really good surprise

[@JustJohn43]

Kynan Pearson's words are great, considering he worked on Metroid Prime 2, the Prime game I consider the best and closely matches Dread in terms of uniqueness

[@RhizometricReality]

Prime 2 was my favorite

[@DissyIV]

Prime 2 is soooooo good. Definitely agreed.

[@WaveOfDestiny]

Imo the worst instead

[@ExtremeAce]

W Prime 2 enjoyer

[@chalybee8689]

Prime 2 da best

[@markusmitteregger8484]

Oh my god I love you, thank you for making my childhood so exciting dear developers. I still play Metroid to this day because of you thank you so much.

[@dr_ubo]

I like how professional their compliments are. They all obviously touch on the topic that they know the most about but it must be nice for them to be able to appreciate the game as fans for the first time in more than 20 years. I do agree about the visual design storytelling, that's something Super still beats all the other ones at, but the game did a very good job nonetheless.

[@TheRickRoller1]

Isn't it the best compliment that all those people have things to say about Metroid Dread and have an opinion to share? That's the mark of a great game to me. This is one of the must plays in recent years.

[@eljuli1003]

Are you going to interview the dev team of Metroid Prime 4 when the game comes out? It would be amazing.

[@KIWITALKZ]

Probably not, due to NDAs it wont be possible.

[@shadowphantom2]

When I originally saw the spoilers of kraid being in dread, and the draygon easter egg of them being in the frozen capsule; I remembered thinking that maybe they were planning to reveal something like the chozo having some hand in bioengineering some of the space pirates too lol. It seems like the idea is more like Raven Beak was probably just hoarding all sorts of biological creatures in order to weaponize them in some way, and make an army.

[@JacobNintendoNerd99]

As we see from the Chozo archives in game, it's implied that every creature you encounter in the game was engineered by the Mawkin and the ZDR Kraid was captured quite a while prior to Zero Mission, according to the timeframe given by a story you get during the game. So, it actually is pretty much self evident that the Kraids are a species created by the Chozo, and the Kraid on Zebes was probably there when Mother Brain revolted against the Mawkin forces on Zebes. You also get a very brief look at Mother Brain in Dread briefly before the final boss in a flashback that subtly explains her origin and purpose when you piece the lore from the other games together with Dread

[@novustalks7525]

@@JacobNintendoNerd99 they saved kraid in super after samys beat him . That's why they also have draygon

[@JacobNintendoNerd99]

@@novustalks7525 who's they? Because the Mawkin were wiped out prior to Super. Raven Beak didn't contain the X until after Super Metroid finished, and he, quote, "Saw that his plains laid in ruin." Because there were no Metroids now that he could go get some; not even the baby.

[@novustalks7525]

@@JacobNintendoNerd99 the x didn't attack immediately. They waited for years until the mawkin let their guard down

[@JacobNintendoNerd99]

@@novustalks7525 that is correct, but they attacked prior to Super Metroid. Because Raven Beak was unable to collect any Metroids during the series and he only finally contained the X after super Metroid, and realized that all Metroids had been exterminated and the last Metroid killed on Zebes. His plans were foiled until he learned of Samus's fusion in Fusion. He had no Mawkin to send to Zebes, they were already wiped out prior, otherwise he'd have sent some to SR388.

[@Boolium_Nor]

About Kraid, he’s absolutely right. That would’ve been absolutely incredible! It was good, but that would’ve made it better!

[@LOLanjello]

Thanks for uploading these, been really enjoying it

[@Yesindeed-v5m]

The "controller spaghetti" was perfect for me. In fact I think it was one of the best parts of the game. He does have a point about Kraid though. Kraid's death in Dread is ridiculous. Mad respect for this dude though, his art in DKC was absolutely incredible, far better than I could ever do

[@firenze6478]

My only problem with dread is it was way too short

[@VEN0M415]

I was definitely expecting the crashed ship to become a new level where it cracked open a new area that was sealed off with even stronger monsters that were deemed too uncontrollable to be made into x variants. If only that was the case.

[@firenze6478]

@@VEN0M415 yeah, I was expecting a part 2 to turn the game on its head like that.

[@VEN0M415]

I definitely agree that quite a few story elements were just thrown at you and it could have been handled a bit better, I do miss the Prime scanner that lets you find info to read and I feel that would have made context after fights or even before events better than having to rely on massive info dumps, If Dread had that scanner but those information pieces werent necessary to 100%ing the game then im sure it would have been a welcomed addition. Also on the button spaghetti I agree that people including me fumbled a bit with the controls at times, 95% of streamers I see fighting Raven Beak X die because they forget the combo that is rarely used. Controls definitely could have been refined a bit more and I feel the Dpad was definitely missing some functionality.

[@JC21]

Eric makes a good point about Kraid.

[@NYYanks2003040506]

I'll still never understand the complaints about Metroid Dread being difficult or having difficulty spikes as was said here. My gaming skills are very, very average at best these days as I don't have the time to dedicate to 'get good' like when I was a kid with no responsibilities and I got through this game no problem on Normal mode and even Hard mode I didn't think was overly challenging. More importantly, the game seemed fair, when the game over screen popped up it was because I did something idiotic.

[@meathir4921]

To be fair with Kraid, the entrance to the area near Kraid has the big tooth roof tunnel entrance as a reference to the entrance to Kraid in Metroid 1/Zero Mission.

[@showoffvideo]

This is interesting to see. I have similar joyful but reserved feeling about this game as Eric + Kynan. I loved it, it's great but it's got a few nitpicks I'd love to see in the next one. And I totally want a next one and I think MercurySteam know those small aspects that could have been done better and I can't wait for them to improve on it next time. For me, the world I found it hard to navigate (even though going the map to the end on the first playthough was a breeze). That was in part due to 3 things, There were only a couple of small iconic scenes to tie to where you are for me, the fire volcano past the long walkway, the entrance of the hidden city was pretty cool. And the teleporters made it confusing to navigate, even though it was pointing you exactly where to go. And I never felt like I really knew the map even when speedrunning it a few times, I guess I didn't get lost enough to know and truly figure out where I was. Still a great game and worth playing and a great addition to the series! See you next mission!

[@CoRxx9]

He is totally right about Kraid

[@2killzore]

I believe most of the large contained creatures are clones for raven beaks bioweapon experiments. It is technically kraid, but not the space pirate we remember but an experimental clone.

[@johnleonard9102]

It's my headcanon that Kraid is a species rather than just one character. The Space Pirates like them because they are big and powerful, but the Mawkin like to use them as a rite of passage fight. You could also theorize that the Kraid in Dread was being held captive to be used as food for the Metroids since the Mawkin were planning on bringing Metroids back to ZDR, meaning this Kraid had been stuck down there for about 10 years.

[@dis_inferno9173]

Metroid Dread. Game that ROCKS.

[@CharlesFerraro]

I agree with every single thing the first dude said.

[@julianlacour5480]

Makes a very good point regarding, Kraid. Maybe it had to do with cut content, but included it as a boss anyway.

[@MoonfallMidnight]

They don't just talk like people who make Metroid games, they talk like people who _play_ Metroid games. That's what's so important.

[@ItApproaches]

As Retro's CEO once said, you wont find a bigger group of Metroid fans then those at Retro.

[@IllmatikRebelTV]

Whoa. That would have been dope if it was a x parasite Kraid!!! X Kraid. Or XP Kraid! Hell yeah

[@uffevonlauterbach]

The controls were fine. If you came from playing Metroid: Samus Returns, then the controls were refined to perfection in Metroid Dread. We don't know what Kraid is doing on ZDR. He could be a native of ZDR, he could have been captured from Zebes in his earlier stages, or something. I understand his reasoning behind making Kraid some experiment that later comes out as an X, which could have worked, but the question of why or how Kraid is there would still be asked. And I think Wen was a bit critical about Metroid Dread's soundtrack, but I'm glad he understood why it sounds the way it does, and I wish people would also understand this. The music isn't going to be as exuberant or whatever like Metroid Prime's music because that wouldn't fit the atmosphere of Metroid Dread if it was. Overall, it was cool to see what the ex Retro devs thought of Dread.

[@JacobNintendoNerd99]

We see that Kraid was on ZDR prior to the events of Zero Mission in the Chozo Archives. So this is a completely different Kraid from the space pirate general. And it's also shown that pretty much every creature on the planet is bioengineered by the Mawkin. So, the inference is that the Kraid species was created by the Mawkin prior to the series, similar to Mother Brain.

[@uffevonlauterbach]

@@JacobNintendoNerd99 Sounds good to me.

[@novustalks7525]

Kraid and draygon were captured after their defeat in super

[@VEN0M415]

It still needed some refinement, the omega cannon needed to be used more to get peoples minds into remembering how to use it, every streamer ive seen died in the raven beak x fight because they forget which buttons are for firing, and being confused on which type (charge shot or rapid fire) to use. Dpad could have been utilized better imo and I feel that should have been used for missile type swapping to make swarm missiles or mega bombs faster to use instead of having to rely on two button combos all the time.

[@uffevonlauterbach]

@@VEN0M415 The only reason they were confused was because it was different in that moment. Every other time you'd hold L and hold R to charge, and then press Y to fire. The only time this was inconsistent was against Raven Beak X, where you'd just hold the Y button. The set up was fine and I don't believe it'll change in Metroid 6 unless they make that 3D for some reason.

[@bodacious117]

Respect his opinion but I totally disagree.. dread is a masterpiece.. I’ve played every single Metroid and I had no issue with the controls once I got use to them.. I’ve died so much in all the other games cause either the controls were not that good or clunky as hell

[@That1PlaceBehindTheBush]

Who's "his"? There are 4 people interviewed in this video. All of them said it was a masterpiece -- even the first guy (the only one I heard nitpicks from), 1:26

[@bodacious117]

@@That1PlaceBehindTheBush the first guy

[@quatreraberbawinner2628]

I thought his critiques we're dead on, dread is an alright game but it's far from a masterpiece

[@bodacious117]

@@quatreraberbawinner2628 yeah you’re just flat out wrong just accept that fact

[@N.i.E.M.O]

@@bodacious117 Fact?

[@novustalks7525]

Given the easter egg connection between prime 3 and dread it strangely feels right hearing these devs briefly talk about dread even if they themselves weren't involved .

[@N.i.E.M.O]

What connection did the two have?

[@novustalks7525]

@@N.i.E.M.O there's a scan log in prime 3 that references metroid dread

[@N.i.E.M.O]

@@novustalks7525 Oh yeah, that one. I thought you were implying that Dread referenced Prime 3 in some way. I recall people thinking that the Central Units from Dread were connected to the Aurora Units from Prime 3, but it seems that any visual similarities are nothing more than a coincidence. Granted, Samus Returns referenced Meta-Ridley, but that was all because MercurySteam wanted to do it. Sakamoto has no real knowledge of Prime lore, nor any desire to connect the two in any meaningful way (maybe he's not against it, per-se, but he certainly isn't going out of his way to do so).

[@novustalks7525]

@@N.i.E.M.O nah. I do think metroid 6 will be similar to prime 3 though in the sense we'll have some sort of hypermode

[@RhizometricReality]

I rebound the controllers in Dread

[@robertkenny1201]

Ah this guy wouldn't happen to know when a Nintendo Direct or whatever Nintendo has replacing E3 this year is happening would he?

[@BowsettesFury]

Definitely understand the button complaint. It took me a while to get used to it and it was worse because I have arthritis. And being forced to parry attacks is complete bs. You should be able to turn it off if you want to. Other than that I absolutely love Dread.

[@lmeza1983]

As a long time Metroid fan I think dread was good but far from a masterpiece... The background music is the weakest by a long shot even M2 on the game boy has a memorable ost compared to this one. The environments are the weakest even compared to fusion, what I really loved about super Metroid and Prime echoes is that it actually feels like exploring an alien world in dread is just an industrial complex over and over again. I was excited to get to the underwater area but it was swallow like watching an aquarium not even remotely felt like an alien ocean compared to Maridia is just trash. The only thing good about the game in my opinion is the gameplay and story that finally provides some context. I am not saying is a bad game because is fun but is far from a masterpiece like SM3 and Prime 1 and 2 are, in my personal records Dread is at the same level as Zero mission, Fusion and M2.

[@PowerUpT]

I've heard a lot of people say what Eric said about difficulty spikes when I was playing Dread, and for some time after, and I always was confused. I theorize that the people that have an especially hard time with the game aren't going out of their way to look for upgrades, and are going more from point A to B. I think I got about 80% completion and I thought some parts were hard, but were very fair. I could see people getting frustrated with some of the bosses because they just don't have the HP. I just straight up disagree with Eric's view about explaining things though. Metroid Prime had lots of audio logs and flavor text at a time when it was just about becoming standardized, and I don't think that Metroid is the worst type of game to utilize them because it's slower and more about exploration (Some games like Doom 3 absolutely kill the pace if you listen to them), but I think that sometimes a picture speaks a thousand words, and having implicit explanation can be a more powerful tool than explicit because the fans get to piece it together themselves.

[@thesis-and-nieces6722]

I thought dreads grapple beam was broken. You couldn’t swing from point to point as easily as super metroid. I also thought level design was not very good. They lock you from one pathway, with grapple beam, to then force you to travel all through different areas so you can go back to the spot that is right below you.

[@Balthazar2242]

I just thought it was samey and forgettable

[@manuelredgrave8348]

neat

[@shepardren8006]

I was hugely disappointed with Dread.

[@JasonRasmussen]

Please explain why.

[@shepardren8006]

@@JasonRasmussen From a casual fan experience... The world and gameplay felt like it was tailored specifically for speed runners and sequence breakers. The emmi's being indestructible unless getting to a specific point and acquiring a specific power up to kill them overstayed it's welcome after doing it four times. The X weren't really the biggest threat. Unlike how it was in fusion. The boss battles were fun tho. I did appreciate more interactive approach to bringing them down. But Outside of bosses, because of the Melee counter missiles didn't have much use. Some power ups you get along the way are were too trivial. Others -like the bomb upgrade, became too much of a hassle to deal with.

[@JTShine]

Metroid Dread is super overrated imo. I played the demo and just hated it.

[@MisteRRYouTuby]

Metroid Dread is the worst Metroid and THAT’S INCLUDING OTHER M.

[@TetraGalaxyTelecast]

Thank you, I needed a good laugh today.

[@firenze6478]

The only problem was how short it was. But I had a blast with what I played

[@LoganV3535]

No one agrees with you, Michael. Get off the internet. We don’t need your opinion, and we don’t want it either.

[@MisteRRYouTuby]

@@LoganV3535 Truth and History agree with me.

[@DeltaSpark8]

Next you're gonna tell me Devil May Cry 2 is the best in that series.