Our Unfiltered Thoughts on Metroid Dread! | GVG SPOILER DISCUSSION

Now that we've all completed Metroid Dread, it's time to talk spoilers! Join Ash, Derrick, Steve and Daniel as they go in-depth on the story, the surprises, and the twists that make Metroid Dread one 2021's best games in our latest discussion!
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[@METR0lD]

Regarding Kraid, you're operating under the assumption that there is only one Kraid. The Kraid on ZDR is just another Kraid. The games have shown more than once that there are several of them. Two in the NES game, and two in Super Metroid (the small baby one and the large full size one). It's just another of Kraid's species that the Chozo on ZDR raised for training.

[@jellycore1316]

Ohh, wow, good point!

[@primemetroid4427]

They do an amazing job showing her emotions through her eyes. You clearly know how she’s feeling in those scenes. Raven Beak being one the Chozo donors was cool but I agree him manipulating her throughout was bigger. They foreshadowed his DNA when he told her as Adam that she had DNA from more than one tribe. Mother brain was a central processing unit like the ones you fight. In the manga you see it’s their tech and if I remember correctly mother brain looked exactly like these until she evolved. I don’t remember what triggered the teleports but there was clearly a message that told me all teleports are connected now. Great discussion guys… and such a great game… can’t wait to see where it goes. Also so amazing to see sooo many new fans of Metroid loving this game and looking to try old ones!

[@jellycore1316]

WHAT That's so cool, about Mother Brain, I KNEW they were similar! XD Thanks for the info! And agreed, I love the show of emotions through her eyes ^^

[@amirgarcia547]

I’d have to disagree with Steve on the EMMI zones hampering the fear factor of the EMMI tbh. I feel like if they just stalked you throughout the game, they’d quickly lose their luster, and even Ash felt as if they’d run their course by the time he reached the purple EMMI. Not only that, but it’d also invalidate the exploration aspect of Metroid due to having these invincible creatures constantly stalking you. Heck, even Mr. X himself is only present for the second half of the RPD (or is there from the start in the 2nd run), and afterwards only shows up for scripted segments and boss fights. And the only other way to handle EMMI outside of their zones would be for them to be scripted, much like the SA-X in Fusion, which would make them have the same problem as the SA-X where you can easily avoid them in future playthroughs if you know what to do. But by confining the EMMI to specific areas, not only did it fill me with *dread* due to needing to go through them to progress, but it instantly signaled to me that the game would change from an action/exploration game to a stealth/horror game. Not only that, but you have to actually search for and find the central units to obtain the Omega Canon in the first place, which is easier said than done when you constantly have the EMMI stalking you. And on my first playthrough, it was going through these parts of the game rather than the EMMI themselves that truly scared me. So tl;dr, imo the way they handled EMMI in Dread was the best way to do so, and I wouldn’t really have it any other way.

[@fotografick]

IMO the best encounters with the EMMI were before you had explored the area. Constantly planning escape routes while exploring kept it tense while you looked for the exit. The implementation of the random counter kept you on the edge of your seat until you knew you had to restart. Once you have explored the area its a lot easier to plan your route.

[@ColterDewitt]

you said all of my thoughts so efficiently!

[@JonSmith-hk1bq]

I prefer the current implementation. The EMMI are seasoning for the game. There are sections of the map that you basically need to speedrun through (or use the Phantom Cloak if that's your playstyle) searching for the passage out until you stumble on the Central Unit. It's a changeup in play style that I appreciate, but don't want to be the whole game.

[@keylove5917]

I completely agree! As a person who, uh, is not a fan of horror games in the slightest, having the EMMI chase you throughout the game would have been a major turnoff. With the EMMI Zones, however, you have some semblance of control (even if you are being funneled towards one to progress). You can stand there, stare it in the eye, and say to yourself, "Okay. Let's do this!" Even that small notion of being able to choose to walk through it, knowing what you are in for, gives a far greater sense of empowerment, and as a result, Dread doesn't needlessly become a "scary" game.

[@ArtlhurChahini]

I loved how disrespectful she was to all her enemies, the way she handles Kraid was amazing, she enters the room ready for an epic throwdown and immediately relaxes when she sees who is in there with her. Also loved that she speaks Chozo, because it's probably her first language and all these years I never thought about that, and super glad that they went with the savage Samus version from Returns, from the get go I was like “she is not trapped in this planet, it’s you poor idiots who are trapped in there with her”

[@MedalionDS9]

Shoulda had David Jaffe as a guest during this lmao

[@JonSmith-hk1bq]

I would have gone my whole life never knowing who that was if not for Metroid Dread.

[@linkypete]

He wouldn't have any spoilers to contribute since he couldn't even make it halfway through Artaria

[@fotografick]

I didn't mind the backtracking in this game because the player movement is so fluid it's fun just to move through the environments. Also, I'm pretty sure it mentions the ability to fast travel across all teleporters.

[@nickdanen4740]

The spider magnet made the grapple beam a lot more fun to use for me personally. I used to find it tedious grappling to those small target spaces but being able to jump between magnet walls with it felt so good to use.

[@TiziOssidiano]

I'm actually grateful. More people should wait this much before uploading this kind of thing

[@Axecon1]

I agree, these days things are spoiled hours after they go public (sometimes even before sadly). Waiting some time to talk honest impressions and spoilers really allows you to clear away any recency bias and gives more people a chance to join in the discussion.

[@shigerumiyamoto9612]

Metroid Dread is seriously a masterpiece, succeeding both as an amazing metroid game and a video game in general. If this isn't nominated for GOTY at The Game Awards I don't know what to say tbh

[@ts7844]

That is your opinion. The game is pretty shallow and even dull at times.

[@sayzar9474]

@@ts7844 and that is your opinion. But I don’t see that at all. It’s extremely fluid and fun and once you get good at it you pretty much blaze through it

[@maxg2335]

@@ts7844 I like how you open by stating it's his opinion as you hijack a positive comment just to state your negative one as if it's a fact.

[@ts7844]

@@maxg2335 shush. You know nothing.

[@NicoTheCinderace]

@@ts7844 Major disagree - The game is not "shallow" or "dull" at all. The combat is fluid and fast-paced, with the parry helping add to the complexity and fluid nature of the adventure. I don't see where your opinion is coming from.

[@enderaceofspades8579]

Probably the craziest moment for me was realizing after beating the game was how the meaning of the title of the series is now changed. "Metroid" usually refers to the titular creatures, but after Dread, it now refers to Samus herself. Fitting, especially when you consider "Metroid" in the Chozo language means "Ultimate Warrior."

[@johnshea7871]

Since she is the final Metroid in existence and that the X Parasites Chozo and Space Pirates are no more

[@JonSmith-hk1bq]

There's a Zelda joke in there that I'll let your mind write.

[@JonSmith-hk1bq]

For what it's worth, I thought the Spider Magnet was really well implemented. That includes before the grapple beam. I thought they did a really good job of keeping it a necessary part of traversal and puzzles throughout the game. Or at least until the space jump made it obsolete. And after the grapple beam, I thought the two combined into one of the more fun movement options in the game. Especially the underwater EMMI sections and vertical climbing sections.

[@homeyduh]

For me, that big hook moment was when the X were freed. The framing of seeing her freeze up as she saw all the X escape perfectly encapsulated the emotion of Dread because I knew that the game was about to get harder

[@mds_main]

Exactly, that scene was the real dread for me

[@thiskid3000]

I absolutely loved this game. One of the coolest parts was starting a new file. In the opening sequence with Raven Beak, he uses a lot of his moves from the final boss fight, and Samus actually dodges/counters them. It tells you how to win from the start if you remember which is really cool to see.

[@derekarnold9]

Loved this game. Beat it and had a great time with it. Definitely a GOTY candidate. After beating it, I wanted to give it a perfect 10/10, but after a few days of thinking about it, I do have a few things I wish they would have done different. I really wish they would have given samus more to do after completing the game. Something like a new game plus, boss rush, etc. Or with the harder game mode, instead of just making enemies hit harder, I wish they would have given the bosses different move sets or put enemies in different locations. I also wish they would have given the player more things to collect. After beating the game, the only thing to collect is missiles and energy tanks. Not very exciting. It would of been so cool if there was some secret weapons, collectibles, beastiary, hidden areas (like secret boss or access to her ship) etc. I just feel like those were missed opportunities. Last complaint would probably be with the load times. Sort of took away from the flow. And as much as I love the cut scenes, I think they could of removed some of the smaller ones (like where she stops to look at a door, basic enemy or item). And the Adam conversations sort of slowed the game down too. Loved the final twist, but I feel like the Adam parts were used too much. Example: When you get the phantom cloak, the game tells you how to use it and then you immediately have to activate it to slip past the sensor doors. But then when you reach Adam , he tells you AGAIN about the phantom cloak and how to use it. Just sort of unnecessary. But I loved the game. Can’t wait for the next one. Hoping for DLC

[@fotografick]

I think you can have those complaints and stilll give it a 10. No game is perfect, there will always be room for improvement. What is here though is very complete. The loading times can't really be avoided because of the hardware, and for the most part they are not intrusive. I would have liked some elevator music though

[@Axecon1]

One thing that elevates Dread over other GOTY contenders is the insane dedication this game has in the speed running community. The fluid gameplay + sequence breaking and glitches discovered make it easily one of the most fun and unique speed experiences. In one month it's become the #1 ranked game on speed running leaderboards with over 700+ active players and completion times have gone from over 2 hours to just shy of 71 minutes which is crazy!

[@newt2942]

Finally beat Dread (kids, work, etc.). Came straight here! This game is amazing. Controlling Samus is fun, combat is fun, boss fight are incredible, EMMI are a great way to break up the traditional formula, and the story was fantastic. Now people confusing Samus for “Metroid” aren’t wrong lol.

[@Dudeman23rd]

Wow, I finished my sub-4 hour run of Normal Mode _literally_ last night; the timing couldn't be more perfect! The only Metroid game I'd played before Dread was Super (on NSO, so fairly recently), and I liked it a lot, though it definitely felt a little behind the times in terms of control. But Dread has its hooks in me good and deep. I did a 100% run on my first playthrough because I couldn't resist bouncing around the map. On my second run, I was only a couple minutes off from getting under 4 hours. Now all that's left is to beat Hard Mode to a pulp. I really _really_ hope we get another 2D Metroid sooner rather than later. Dread feels amazing to play, but I know there are things that can be expanded on and improved in a potential sequel, and that makes me really excited.

[@johnshea7871]

You should try Fusion and even though it is linear as Adam constantly tells you where to go at all times the story makes up for ot

[@guguig9746]

Can I just say how much I appreciate the fact that you waited 1 month before putting this out? Really gave me time to finish the game, so I can listen to it without having to fear for spoilers. It's great

[@jakesemerdjian9499]

So I think Dread is an overall fantastic game. But, I'm probably one of the few ppl who actually has more negative thoughts on the story than others. Not that I think Dread or it's story's bad by any means! Games amazing & what story we do get is good! But I found the pacing of the story & the overall amount of story kinda disappointing. And I think I was expecting a story as strong as Fusion's but w/o as much linearity. My big issue was that it felt like 90% of the story was just contained in Quiet Robe's scene & the ending segment, which kinda made those moments feel like exposition dumps. Not that I want TONS of other cutscenes spread throughout the game, but I guess I just kinda wished there were more smaller moments spread throughout or better paced. It also kinda made it hard you to care about Quiet Robe's death when he bites it 3 mins after meeting him. Another issue of this is when Raven reveals that Samus has Mawkin DNA & Thoha DNA... which, wasn't a mystery or hinted at before that point??? We've known for years that Samus has Gray Voice's DNA, but Dread states that her physical prowess can't just be from her Thoha genes alone. Except, we just assumed for years that any Chozo DNA in general could give Samus her physical enhancements, w/ no indication till Dread that different tribes had different attributes. And Dread itself doesn't treat this as an oddity or anything till it reveals that Samus must have Mawkin DNA... in the same cutscene Raven reveals it came from him. It just feels wonky? Idk. Despite all my criticism... imo Dread's story is still good! It doesn't do anything so egregious it's like, outright BAD or anything. And there's plenty of good stuff in it: Samus speaking Chozo; more lore on them & bits of a functional language; the X escalation after they leave Elun; the environmental storytelling of ZDR's ecosystem; the really cool art that explains why the 1st EMMI is damaged cuz Raven must've weakened it to give Samus a better chance to survive & evolve her powers. It's good stuff! I just feel they kinda fell short of their potential in this specific department.

[@EvilLucario]

On the teleporter thing, you don't even need to get to Raven Beak. I think it's tied to going to Itorash because I tested it out myself - you HAVE to enter Itorash in some way and form. I did blow up the structure right before Raven Beak though.

[@Davey_Cakes]

I discovered that all the teleporters were connected once I used the green teleporter for the first time. It was AFTER going to Itorash and I got the nice little prompt. Really helped clear the last 20% of items.

[@Monroah]

Dread feels like combining most of the best parts of each Metroid game and just chucking them into a blender (Super's/Zero Mission's sequence breaking, Fusion/Zero Mission's speed, and Samus Returns's cool toolkit and action focus), while jacking *most* of them up and it makes it so damn fun to play. It's tough yet at the same time addictive and generous, which easily keeps me going through each wild thing it throws at me. Easily my GOTY and I'm so glad this was the game to get me into Metroid. My only complaint is that this game could use a patch that makes it easier for disabled players, because you're expected to use every button for something different and that can be a detriment for people with motor disabilities. I can't wait to see where the series goes from here.

[@amirgarcia547]

Yep, I basically agree with every word of your comment. While there are other Metroid games that do individual things better, Dread just combines all the best aspects of prior 2D Metroid games in a more streamlined and satisfying package.👌🏽

[@fotografick]

Yeah, the final boss was too difficult for me. I had to use the amiibo function to replenish health. I think they should just make the bosses skippable (like Axiom Verge 2) or have a autoplay feature that turns it into a cutscene (like Ace Attorney).

[@DSmaster8585]

Ash telling how you can Power Bomb the Sun attack. Me who died probably 15 times because of it:🥲

[@SeananigansShow]

I beat Metroid Dread last night! Finally, I've earned the right to watch this.

[@MichaPisarskiTech]

Guys, are you planning any GOTY discussions? Listening to game of the decade series on GameXplain became my Christmas season shopping tradition, and I loved it so much 😍 Hope to see something similar here ;)

[@skyty0]

Great timing! I just finished the game last night. : )

[@chasedownall6492]

I wouldn't necessarily consider Raven Beak her actual father, more like Raven Beak seems to think that is the case ONLY because he donated some of his DNA to Samus even though Gray Voice and another Chozo I can't remember the name of also donated their DNA. Raven Beak didn't raise her, her other DNA donors did. Based on Samus' reaction to Raven Beak saying that it seemed like she called absolute bullshit right then and there.

[@joefiend7343]

If I could ask for any dlc this game it would definitely be some sort of boss rush mode with options to customize your arsenal to allow for new ways of fighting some of the earlier bosses

[@blerchy]

24:08 so many streamers I’ve watched play this sequence all tapped the button. It made sense to hold the button to me because you literally JUST finished a sequence where you held the button…

[@Spatu10]

Raven Beak pulling the literal “I am your father” moment could’ve felt cliched if it wasn’t for the game just ABSOLUTELY selling it 100%, what a game

[@kirindas4691]

Thank you for the discussion! I've been hoping you would do a spoiler talk about the game!

[@gluttonousmaximus9048]

The teleporter becomes universal once you enter Itorash. PRECISELY for backtracking after beating the game, but still decently lenient

[@supercamborg4218]

I think it’s when you destroy that thing blocking your path to the final fight, at least going by my experience

[@herethesphere306]

Totally agree with Derrick's assessment of Ratchet. It was very good and certainly fun as hell, but it was about as safe and predictable as a Ratchet game could possibly be. I absolutely hate how vanilla the characters and humor have become after being legit interesting in past titles. After a 12 year wait after A Crack in Time I expected more. Dread had surprises all over the place, and felt absolutely amazing to play from start to finish.

[@padmoch2207]

I just managed to bit this game, I can finally watch this discussion xd the game itself could be maybe two hours longer, it's soo fun to play! But last EMMI encounter was anticlimactic. I was so interested what will his powers be

[@eternalwings]

I just beat this game last night. It's definitely my favorite side scrolling Metroid game but Prime 1 is still my favorite. Only frustrating boss fights I had were the twin Chozo battles and the final boss for the first few attempts until I figured out what was going on. Amazing game. Hope we get Prime 4 *and* another game like Dread sooner than later.

[@dwinters6291]

You didnt mention the bomb sequence break that gives you an alternate way to kill Kraid.

[@RedRamero]

She turned into a Metroid Morty, it’s the coolest shit I’ve ever seen!

[@Auriferose323]

I was shocked by how solid Dread was, I didn't expect to get another Metroid game where it has a huge emphasis on speedrunning. However that being said though... my issues with the game are that the load times between areas can really feel like a momentum killer sometimes and I really wish there was more incentive to play through the game multiple times other than competeting for clear times and artwork in the gallery. Like for example a nice reward for beating hard mode in a certain amount of time could've been the final suit, the Fusion suit, etc.

[@jaretco6423]

Those are more of an technical issue. Not really an serious or big issue. But yeah. They could've made it an little bit faster. But at least it's cool seeing Samus just waiting for her destination. It's kinda like the Metroid Prime games. I think it would've been neat if they had some calm music to play. I don't know. I'm an weirdo.

[@BeLeaf789]

lmaoo from 1:08-- that was an hilarious pun segment... well done lads ahahah

[@Davey_Cakes]

I just beat this game last week with 100% items. Really had a great time with it. Every night after work I wanted to play it. I started with NES Metroid back when I was a tike and played throughout the years. Dread delivered where it counted IMO.

[@Upload098765432]

Can metroid crawl? No but she can slide

[@jacobmonks3722]

I loved this game. It was just about everything I wanted from a new 2D Metroid. I played it 6 times, got 100 percent of items, discovered multiple sequence breaks, completed a speedrun of 2:37, completed the gallery, completed Hard Mode, and did a Low% run. It's easily a Top 5 Metroid game for me. Only time will tell if it can beat the likes of Fusion or Super, but I never really expected it to be better than those masterpieces. I am perfectly happy just saying it is amazing, and every person interested in metroidvanias and Metroid specifically needs to play it.

[@amirgarcia547]

Wow, great time! The fatest I’ve managed to beat it is 3:02, though that was before the patch that didn’t count the Raven Beak rematches.

[@lpnp9477]

I thought I was the only person who said "Phase Shift" haha. That's some Berenstain shit

[@hojugames8340]

Pretty sure the teleporters all connect after you've used every one. I got a prompt about them being connected after using the last one I encountered and I hadn't tried Raven Beak yet.

[@supercamborg4218]

I think there might be 2 unlock conditions for that then, because I hadn’t found them all but they connected for me when I blew up that orange thing encased in glass in itorash

[@ShinyMew8192]

JUST NOW finished Metroid Dread (I know!) and it was my first Metroid game that I played all the way thru!! Needless to say I'm a super fan now and am gonna play all the Metroid games!!

[@Dragon_Ryder]

36:05 There's an intended sequence break in Ghavoran where you can Ballspark to get to Cross Bombs early (maybe a little past halfway through the game). It's the 1-block-tall ramp hallway with a Missile Tank in the middle. I discovered this on my first playthrough, and I didn't even have Gravity Suit or Grapple Beam yet, but when the tutorial showed Gravity Suit Samus, I knew something was amiss. The fact that there are places where the Cross Bomb would be helpful and save time before you have it could be a reward for figuring out how to sequence break, which is yet another compliment to add to the pile.

[@wewyllenium]

I think a DLC is in order. Dread Mode. Wherein the last fight between Raven Beak will show Raven becoming something like something that resembles Ridley!!! And that a final boss fight will occur but if you die there, your save file will be deleted. And you'll hear Ridley laugh. And then you will cry :D

[@johnshea7871]

The only planets Samus visited that didnt explode were Talon IV Aether Norion Bryyo Elysia and the Pirate Homeworld (which leaves Dark Aether Phaaze Zebes SR388 and ZDR to be the planets that explodes due to killing the Emperor Ing Dark Samus and Mother Brain as well as crashing the BSL Station into the surface but it is never explained what caused the last planet to explode as the self destruct sequence activated after killing the X Parasite infected Raven Beak)

[@wewyllenium]

Samus became Metroid Dread. But the X won by revering Samus into regular Samus. We tasted power :(

[@dwinters6291]

Using all the teleporters once unlocks the teleprt to any teleproter. There's one set of teleports that isn't required so you probably missed it.

[@Kletian999]

28:50 you are correct. The moment you use the last teleporter, likely Cyan, the teleporters link. It's not tied to Raven beak.

[@supercamborg4218]

I’m pretty sure there’s 2 unlock conditions for that then because they connected for me after I blew up that orange thing blocking your path in itorash and I hadn’t used every teleporter yet

[@cylop224]

Interesting. I felt the opposite to you guys. It was a brilliant game for me, but near the end there was something that I found really frustrating. The fact that you had to fight the same Chozo Soldier with a different skin five times felt like padding to me. Absolutely brilliant game, but not quite sure I'd call it a masterpiece due to the reused mini bosses.

[@CometX-ing]

I've played Fusion and Zero Misson prior to Dead, so I can pretty easily say Dread is my favorite Metroid. I really do love how it feels and the way it handles its narrative and characters are great. The fact that even the Chozo language is made up of actual words and isn't just gibbrish is really cool and makes me hope we maybe see future games where we can hear it more. Also Raven Beak's boss fight was great, I died a few times in the start but once I was able to get to the final phase I managed to beat it on my first try due to the similarities to the first phase. I actually like Raven Beak a ton an his moves are cool enough that I honest would like to see him be playable in a future Smash game. The Metroid suit at the end was also sick as hell.

[@amirgarcia547]

Definitely recommend checking out Super Metroid and the Prime games when you can, since they’re entirely excellent. Especially Super due to being free for NSO.

[@nathansteele75]

Interesting that everyone loves the final boss. It annoyed me quite a lot with how precise it was and how much health it had. I felt like I was dying because I wasn't fast enough at pressing buttons. Also I didn't figure out that power bombs were useful on him at all. That boss was a pretty big letdown from a gameplay perspective, even if I liked the emotional beats at the end.

[@marcos54695]

The speedruns for this game are nuts, it is funny that ash mentioned the world record at 1 hr 16 min when right now is at 1 hr 10 mins who knows what the record would be in the next months.

[@theshadowdirector]

Well I just assumed that Kraid was a clone or offspeq. Remember mini Kraid?

[@thatcraftyone3787]

Just finished metroid dread a minute ago and immediately came to watch this video. Definitely my favorite Metroid game, and a contender for my favorite game of all time!

[@harrisonwhaley7872]

The portals all connect once you activate every single terminal

[@abdel4455]

I really like how the spider magnet never becomes truly obsolete, since it becomes even more useful when you get the grapple beam and use it to quickly pull yourself towards the magnetic strips even under water

[@JonSmith-hk1bq]

Well, it does become obsolete with the Space Jump. But, yeah, of all the skills to say one wasn't implemented well enough, Spider Magnet was a really odd one. It felt like those blue walls were an integral part of every area the game all the way up to the Space Jump. Heck, even one of the later EMMIs they were having difficulty was made much easier if you were proficient with the Grapple/Spider combo.

[@abdel4455]

@@JonSmith-hk1bq Even when you have the space jump, you can't use it properly underwater without the gravity suit so the grapple beam + spider magnet was really helpful there. Also even when you do have the space jump, it's still quicker to use the grapple beam in some cases. I admit that it becomes less useful as you get more abilities but I appreciate that it's always something you always have at your use. That is, when you use it together with the grapple beam of course.

[@JonSmith-hk1bq]

@@abdel4455 True. I'll modify to Space Jump + Gravity suit makes it obsolete.

[@johnshea7871]

I understand that Mother Brain back in Super rigged Zebes to explode after Samus killed her but it is never explained what caused ZDR to explode after Raven Beak’s death (especially after the X infects him)

[@mds_main]

My personal theory is that it was triggered by the fall of Itorash

[@kirbyhm]

The next game needs to fix the gravity suit. Having it give damage reduction, free movement in water and lava immunity feels like too much at once. Most every other upgrade is a slight improvements over time (e.g. charge, wide, diffusion, plasma, wave beams) so the suits should be broken up which would allow for some more puzzles to go from water movement to lava immunity separately.

[@amirgarcia547]

At the very least you don’t get the Gravity Suit until late in the game, as it’s usually one of the last upgrades along with the Screw Attack and Power Bomb. Though I do agree it’d be better to give Samus a suit that gives her either water or lava immunity, and not both at once.

[@mds_main]

I completely agree, we need more suits, both for more variety and for having the change being progressive. They did the same with other abilities this time so I wonder why they didn't the same with the suits as well.

[@4-kathryn]

||Cons||▪no audio/FX adjustment-slider-bar ▪no re-mapping button layout ||Pros|| ▪Samus emoting/decisions in cutscenes ▪Environment background animations ▪The sense of panic or uneasiness ▪Samus felt fast to control here and it worked for me

[@tomsimmons7673]

I'm at Ravens Beak. 96% completion. Damn those damned shinespark puzzles in Ferenia, especially the last energy tank piece I need.

[@losingmyedge1196]

thank you!

[@Vvonter]

Since it wasn't mentioned in the video. At some point you should all try the sequence breaking of this game. Is another challenging thing to do, and a good way to replay the game. I did find them akin to doing different routes in Star Fox 64.

[@TheDman.G]

Mid way through the game, I'm at a terminal and notice that it refers to you as Samus and it immediately clicked, I was so hyped to see that for no reason lol... except maybe sleep deprivation... from playing dread...

[@blerchy]

It’s so interesting to see how different people respond to difficulty levels. I died countless times my first play through and could still have stood for it to be more difficult. I think hard mode should have been the default with an even harder mode to unlock. My brother on the other hand though has almost largely stopped playing because he can’t get through so many segments. To the point I’m BEGGING him to push through for the insane story ending. One thing that does annoy me about Dread is the insane amount of missile and health drops from literally every enemy. I would have liked virtually no drops with a heavier reliance on recharge stations. Because once you get a decent number of missiles the power beam largely becomes useless. You’ll never run out and they’re insanely strong. If there was consequence to missile spam it would make them feel more special to me.

[@RoyalXIII]

I really wasn't a fan of fighting the Chozo Warriors, especially when they'd pop out soon after a boss fight. I did like the x-parasite ones though, they were pretty fun to fight.

[@amirgarcia547]

I just finished my sub-4 hour hard mode run of Metroid Dread, so this’s the perfect time for a spoiler discussion. And now I shall listen to it while trying to 100% my hard mode save file as well😎 (being that I already got 100% in normal mode.) It’s easily my 2nd favorite game of the year, only behind RE8, and if MercurySteam develop future 2D Metroid games then Metroid definitely has a bright future.

[@SearchmanDS]

Just finished the game and hot damn! What a brilliant climax! Definitely Great Vibes for me.

[@isaacmitchell7488]

Not sure if you’ll touch on it but I loved starting a second play through and realizing the intro cutscene fight with Raven Beak shows off most of his actual attacks in the final boss fight

[@mayosama1383]

Not sure if anybody in the comments asked yet but why did the quiet robe x-parasite help samus?

[@amirgarcia547]

It’s not officially confirmed, but there’s two possible reasons that are theorized: Either the X saw no other chance for survival, and so decided to be absorbed by Samus. Or the more likely theory, which’s that since a X retains the memories of their host and Chozo are spiritual beings, Quiet Robe was able to retain some semblance of his previous self in order to help Samus at the end. It can even be argued that he reactivated the EMMI so that Samus can defeat them and gain the necessary strength she needed to defeat Raven Beak.

[@mayosama1383]

@@amirgarcia547 those make sense, thanks.

[@tomsimmons7673]

I agree with Steve, Dread is a must buy for Switch.

[@w_out7631]

Ppl have been able to take Samus' model in Metroid Dread and modded them into Smash Ultimate and it looks really good.

[@Nightswipe1]

I believe the final boss was meant to have another fight later on. Why go to such lengths to create a monstrous version of Raven beak, only to have him killed by holding 1 button? I believe another fight was supposed to take place there.

[@amirgarcia547]

I feel like it was meant to show how absurdly powerful Samus was at that point, where she could defeat even the most deadly aliens with a single blast. But it was at the cost of being unable to control her Metroid abilities, hence why it got cancelled out soon afterwards.

[@natoriousthehopeful2786]

Metroid Dread is (in my own opinion) the best game in the series so far; the gameplay, the story, the atmosphere, it is just too good! Also it has the best suit designs! I really hope we see Samus's Metroid form again: I like the idea of "the hunter becoming the monster" and I think it could add more to both the gameplay AND the story moving forward.

[@FittererFilms]

Completely agree with Ash on the item pacing. I might be misremembering, but I feel you get the double jump right before you get the Space Jump. Another nitpick I have is I felt the loading screens from area to area were a bit long. Other than that though, this game was fantastic. Definitely my game of the year

[@fotografick]

How do you suggest changing the load times? That is such a strange thing to complain about. The switch doesn't have an SSD. Would you prefer that they reduce the resolution? Or load between every room? It's just a complaint without a real solution. I think they just needed some elevator music.

[@FittererFilms]

True about the music. And it's just a small thing that I didn't notice too much except when I was getting lost and running from area to area very quickly. I don't have a solution on how to fix it. I did love all the images that came with loading screens though.

[@novustalks7525]

The story was the only bad part. It retconned the death of the x in fusion and by bringing them back it feels messy for the series as a whole because now they could be on other worlds. Plus the plot holes with kraid and samus ice weakness

[@amirgarcia547]

It didn’t really retcon the X dying in Fusion, since the X in Fusion weren’t the only remaining X. The game explains that Raven Beak went back to Planet SR388 to take the Metroids, only to realize that they’d entirely been wiped out by Samus. But once Raven Beak returned back to Planet ZDR, one of the Mawkin Chozo was infected with the X and brought it back with them. But now with the X on ZDR being exteriminated, there’s very little chance of them returning in any future entries.

[@johnshea7871]

Also Fusion already established that the Federation wanted to weaponize the X which was why Samus destroyed the BSL station yet she isn’t being hunted down

[@amirgarcia547]

@@johnshea7871 The Japanese version of Fusion basically makes it clearer that the GF that cloned the Metroids and wanted to weaponize the X were a rogue faction instead of the whole organization. And Adam even says to her that despite potentially making enemies, the ones in the GF who aren’t corrupt would most likely thank her for her actions.

[@johnshea7871]

So the corrupt part of the Federation after uploading Adam’s mind into a computer reprogrammed him to take orders from the higher ups but when Samus says his name out loud he snaps out of it and regains his old personalty (At least he does not do the whole “I won’t let you use your power ups unless I authorize it” crap)

[@novustalks7525]

@@amirgarcia547 the x were extinct that was the end of them. They didn't need to be in dread

[@Matter_Of_Fact]

Definitely my GOTY

[@maxg2335]

Watching this while playing SMTV and I think I know what my top 2 games of the year are

[@harrisonwhaley7872]

You can also just use power bombs willy nilly to hurt raven beak

[@amirgarcia547]

I only really use ‘em to destroy his orange orb thing in the third phase.

[@harrisonwhaley7872]

@@amirgarcia547 yeah that’s what most people do which is why I mentioned they can be used throughout the majority of the entire fight.

[@QuattroThunder]

I think Dread was a good game overall but I don't think it's the best Metroid ever. The main bosses and emmi encounters were fantastic. The mini bosses were... all repetitive with very minor changes, except for the cross bomb boss. The music is forgettable; I haven't found myself repeating any of the soundtrack like I normally would. The parry mechanic is overused on basic level enemies. They all have bloated health if you don't parry them, which feels terrible if you want to kill basic enemies any other way. There was never a moment in Dread where it felt like I was overpowered. At the very very end of the game you kinda do, but it's scripted. Again, this is all my opinion. If you really enjoyed Dread, don't let me keep you down! I, personally, don't think this beats Zero Mission or Fusion for me. I did a low % hard run for Zero Mission and it's so masterfully crafted. You really have to learn the ins and outs of Zero Mission to succeed. Dread hard mode doesn't feel any different than normal because the parry kills everything instantly. I won't go into the level design or fps drops, I think it's whatever, but Dread all around is a good game. I don't think it's one I'll replay yearly like Fusion and Zero Mission, but it's definitely worth a playthrough or two.

[@QuattroThunder]

The Emmi zones felt like specially crafted SA-X sequences. It was really nice to know, by the door, that you were entering a Emmi area. And you usually had to go through them a few times before you could actually kill the Emmi, which I really enjoyed. You're giving invisibility and morphball to basically hide anywhere. I was kinda bummed when the powerbomb one just dies, I was really looking forward to that one. It would be terrifying.

[@amirgarcia547]

I’d have to largely disagree with the parry mechanic, because if you want a game where it’s actually overused than play Metroid Samus Returns. Where even the smallest enemy basically forces you to use the parry due to having no time to react, but by the camera being pulled much farther away from Samus in Dread, in most cases it’s much more reliable and less risky to use the arm canon in most enemy encounters. By the time you get the charge beam and especially the wide beam, you can defeat almost any enemies easily without even using the parry, and the only time where you’re forced to use it is against very specific enemies or boss encounters. But in those instances, it’s so telegraphed that it’d be almost impossible to miss it. I also only partially agree with the mini-bosses, since while some of them are reused and can be repetitive, each one at least changed things up a bit and didn’t overstay their welcome. Not to drag on Samus Returns more, since I do quite enjoy it, but it’s definitely nowhere near as egregious as in that game where you fight the same 4 mini-bosses throughout the entire game.

[@Artista_Frustrado]

-yeah it felt that the X-Chozo were supposed to be different X-combos depending on the colors -honestly i feel the Phantom Cloak was more useless outside of the EMMI zones you don't really use it -& yeah at first i was kinda unsure about the EMMI considering MercurySteam's previous enforced Stealth enemies, but nah fam, they totally nailed them in a way the EMMI feel dreadful without making Samus feel defenseless, and they manage to make RavenBeak that much cooler considering what he did to the first one -of all the Metroid games THIS is the one that needs New Game + DLC with 3 On-Off options: start with the Metroid Suit; have the EMMI roam the whole map, & NG+ EMMI's using ALL the weapons

[@Artista_Frustrado]

honestly im perfectly A-OK with Metroid music being unmemorable, because in Samus Returns every time i entered a Magma area and Magmor caverns just blasted was pretty distracting

[@johnshea7871]

I thought this was amazing but I still prefer Super Metroid because of all the sequence breaks and I think it had better music and Zebes had more variety and memorable areas than this. I am glad that Ridley is not in this because he officially dies in Super though Fusion does have an X Parasite clone of him

[@johnshea7871]

The next game should have the Federation as the villains because remember in Fusion she destroyed both the BSL Station and SR388 to prevent them from weaponizing both the X and Metroids which means she is a fugitive now Edit: They will also see Adam as rogue as at the end of Fusion he regained his conciseness and started to behave like his old self before his heroic sacrifice (Other M is not a game it is an interactive fanfiction)

[@kirbyhm]

The double jump (spin boost) was my least favorite power up. An extra jump should be amazing but the other great movement options and how late in the game you get it made it feel unnecessary. The cross bomb was a close second though. That was useless except for a couple of upgrades.

[@FanonBanned]

24:35 Kraid was obviously shoe-horned into the game simply to appease the people who complained about the Ridley confrontation in Other M. There was no other reason. Her reaction was still a little over the top for a character who was so easily choked out, and spends a good portion of the game evading other enemies, but it serves a purpose as throwaway trailer content to build hype for the game.

[@amirgarcia547]

It felt less like that to me and more like MercurySteam just wanting to make a boss fight against Kraid in a modern 2D Metroid game after already tackling Ridley in Samus Returns. Though it does indeed feel incredibly cathartic compared to her reaction to Ridley in Other M.

[@RodaMoonknight]

Actually Raven Beak isn't her "dad" rather one of the DNA donors for her but the others were Silent Robe and a lot of other Chozo

[@levimilk]

I still dont buy that ADAM was raven beak the whole time, I keep seeing this come up, but some of those conversations dont make sense if it was Raven Beak talking to Samus.

[@AICW]

But he was. People who datamined the game have found internal text that outright says Samus was talking to Raven Beak in every Network Room.

[@skyty0]

Maybe it's just because I'm bad at video games, but I disagree with you guys about the final boss being well designed. I tried for an hour or two during my Intial binge of the game and gave up, coming back to it for an hour a day for about a week until I finally got him. I tore through the other bosses in the game, yet I was running out of missiles (with 100% of the missile tanks, no less) during the *first phase* of this guy. I couldn't understand what I was doing wrong. I stopped having fun when I realized that you HAVE to counter him before he goes into his next phase. I loved countering the other bosses but it was always introduced as a bonus for skilled play rather than a requirement to for beating an enemy. It was incredibly fun once I realized the trick to beating him, but the amount of time that it took for me to figure it out ruined the *perfect* pacing that the game had before hand. Overcoming my frustration didn't feel good, it was just really annoying and I didn't feel like I "found a secret tactic" or anything, like I did when discovering some of Metroid's previous boss' 'tricks.' Game is still a masterpiece though and I'll probably play it forever lol

[@Axecon1]

It took me so long to beat the final boss my first play through, probably over an hour and my hands were cramping after the fight. But after learning RB's patterns, it is a pretty fair fight (and easy on new play throughs). Definitely worthy of the title and challenge of final boss.

[@Davey_Cakes]

@@Axecon1 The key is realizing that you can’t hurt him without parrying his charge. Once you get that down, the rest of the fight is like any other in the game. I beat Raven Beak after several tries, and then the next morning I got up and did it again in a single try just to say I “did it clean.” Fun fight. Fun game!

[@blerchy]

Samus gets the Storm Missiles in the M2 remake too.

[@amirgarcia547]

Nah, I played that game a few months back and she doesn’t get any upgrade like that in the game. The closest thing to the Storm Missle is the Seeker Missle in Prime 2 and Prime 3, but it’s definitely way better in Dread.

[@blerchy]

@@amirgarcia547 ah shit you right you right. That must be what I was thinking of. Could have sworn they were in that game though. Weird.

[@big-zee4033]

YES Dread discussion 😁