Finally getting around to talking about Metroid Dread. This video was a major pain to get edited and exported correctly so hopefully it was worth the trouble.
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Timestamps:
Background - 0:00
Story Set-Up - 2:13
Presentation - 3:26
Structure - 6:24
E.M.M.I. - 7:52
Gameplay - 10:31
Story Wrap-Up (SPOILERS) - 14:47
Final Thoughts - 23:17
Music (from Metroid Dread):
Artaria III
Theme of Super Metroid
Cataris I
Burenia II
Dairon (Blackout)
E.M.M.I. Patrol
E.M.M.I. Search
E.M.M.I. Chase
Dairon
Robot Chozo Soldier
Chozo Warrior (Second Phase)
Ferenia
Elun
Escape
End Screen
Corpius (First Phase)
Corpius (Second Phase)
Kraid (Second Phase)
Regarding Samus' DNA: Saying she was being hunted for her X DNA was intended to avoid spoilers, but I genuinely thought she had X DNA based on the EMMI hunting her prior to the reprogramming twist. Though considering that and how the vaccine functioned in Fusion, it doesn't make sense that she ever had X DNA. My mistake.
I have a theory that Samus' transformation in Fusion was due to a combination of her X infestation, and the sole instance of X Parasites encountering a Metroid in a situation that they wouldn't get immediately eaten in. Namely, Samus was getting eaten by an X, then the doctors injected the inert Metroid DNA, the X absorbed that too and recombined the two, then when it moved into the mimic stage, it turned into Metroid!Samus which then instantly ate all the X in its system, because the X mimic all functions of it's host perfectly. So, you know, technically Samus is an X also now?
@@HasegawaRayvennope, Samus is still a human, Chozo and Metroid hybrid. The suit looks the way it does because the organic layers of it, are what is left of what the federation removed.
The best thing about Metroid 2: Samus Returns is that Yoshio Sakamoto has literally stated that he only went to MercurySteam after seeing their successful Castlevania remakes and had them do a remake of Metroid 2 as a *test* to see if they were the team that could help realize his vision for Metroid Dread. It didn't really matter if M2 flopped commercially, since the 3DS was already on its last legs at the time. What mattered was that MercurySteam could make a good Metroid game, because he didn't want to just give this project to just any studio.
Quiet Robe X was trying to destroy their main nemesis - Metroid. Since X that posses Quiet Robe had knowledge how to control Metroid DNA. That’s why X unintentionaly saved Samus in this terrible situation.
Interesting, makes sense tho. Thanks for the explanation!
Same here from my first play through of M dread because I knew X would do anything to avoid or rid their predator metroid just like in fusion s you found the secret metroid breeding room and the Sa-X hunting you immediately fire on the kept metroids without second thought as X itself knew they already fire power enough to get rid of metroid.
thats huge i never even thought about that. holy hell that makes sense. you just blasted my brain jimmy neutron style
But what about the fact that he bowed and gave a warm smile? That suggests to me that, despite being infected, some part of Quiet Robe was still alive and aware enough to want to genuinely help Samus in any way he could.
@@thelord6898 he used memory of Quiet Robe and used his friendly movements to Samus that she wouldn't kill him.
This was my first Metroid game ever and this game is the reason why I’m playing Metroid fusion and playing Metroid prime remastered at the moment.
you may be late to the party, but at least you're here *raises a glass*
Play zero mission when you get the chance. And super metroid. Truly goated games of the franchise
Welcome to the club. Metroid is an great series. There's so many great games.
Oh man the final scenes of this game were awesome. I love Raven Beak's voice and the cinematography of the scenes leading up to his fight
I agree, I was on the edge of my seat on my first playthrough
Great video. I love Dread so much and and I also love hearing the Metroid community appreciate it. Such a great time to be a fan of the series.
Now we wait for Prime 2 Remastered and hopefully some Prime 4 info soon
@@CobraCodex I hope they really do remake Prime 2 like they did Prime instead of just porting it. It's my favorite Prime game and probably my favorite Metroid game. It has such a unique atmosphere and art design which deserves the remake treatment like the first Prime.
I really enjoyed this video and was SHOCKED when I looked down and saw your sub count and this video's view count. Subscribed, and keep it up with the great content - I'm sure it will pay off soon!
Thank you!
Hey, this was a really good video for such a small channel! When people complained about the price of Metroid: Dread compared to other metroidvanias I'm like, "Read the first part of the genre again. That's why."
Alright theory time. So in metroid fusion samus frequently questions the idea of the X having a "soul" or "Reason" the does so in relation to the SA-X as well as before she goes to destroy the entire station at the end. My theory is that this X parasite mimicked quiet robe too closely and in some way developed a soul or reasoning AMD convinced itself to help samus. Remember X parasites gain all the memories of their hosts
Perhaps it's susceptible to this especiqlly in regards to old lifeforms, as quiet robe does look to be quite elderly for a chozo. Assuming the X that absorbed and mimicked quiet robe is a 'fresh' one with not many cases of having absorbed shorter-lived lifeforms, it could be that the sudden access of an entire life's worth of memories, and so much of it especially relating to samus, made it feel care towards her, likely helped further by his knowledge of Raven's plot for cloning metroids.
Nice work!
Thanks!
I just found your channel through this video. Great stuff. Instant subscriber. Hope I helped just a little in supporting you. Keep ‘em coming!❤❤❤
Thank you!
been replaying prime since the remaster and it really made me want to play dread again :)
Dread is my favorite 2D game going all the way back to the NES (sorry Castlevania) thanks to the esthetic and super tight controls for movement and combat.
The whole “being infused with Metroid DNA” does make me wonder what happens if Samus decides to have kids.
It’s gonna be a metroid with blond hair.
I'm so happy it exist
That last statment had me dying. So true lmao
I just picked it up again for a hard mode play and hopefully getting all end game rewards before TotK is out, what an amazing game
great take regarding the soundtrack! I found myself scratching my head when reading many people's thoughts about Dread's ost; people do wrongfully dismiss it.
I came here to say the same. He made a very good point no one else I have read/heard mention. Well articulated. Bravo!
Thank you!
I was happy as Hell to be able to see Kraid once again after Many years
Same here!
Ever since I figured out how to route through the EMMI Zones in a really fast way to the point I never have to use the Phantom Cloak, I also agree that the criticisms are mostly unwarranted. However, I do hate dealing with the Wave Beam EMMI in Ferenia before getting the Gravity Suit, when you're on your way to get the Storm Missiles. They're the only EMMI Zone segments that still get me nervous. It doesn't help that the damn thing can hear you from anywhere in its zone if you're not using the Phantom Cloak and, of course, water slows you down!
Yea there's a few EMMI that are annoying, but I've rarely use the phantom cloak past playthrough 1. I kinda like that the game forces you underwater before the gravity suit tho, makes it feel more earned when you finally get it
End of the story? Nah, here's my head-cannon for how Metroid 6 starts out: Starts with a news cast on Earth, or some other Terran planet: "The last Metroid is in captivity, the galaxy is at peace" Game cuts to Samus escaping a federation lab/prison and starting the adventure. Nintendo can take it from there.
in case anyone is curious, here is the list of dna samus has inside of her: Human, Chozo (Thoha), Chozo (Mawkin), Metroid, and X Parasite. in other m and super metroid, samus had ridley dna on her suit though not in her blood like the others
Just a bit of clarity, but I don't remember anywhere where Samus actually has X Parasite DNA? She is immune to them from the Metroid Vaccine, allowing her to absorb them and grant abilities, but feel this is different than it being X Parasite DNA. Did I miss something where this was confirmed? Lots of people say she has X Parasite DNA and I always feel like they're a bit confused, but it could easily be me.
Samus doesn’t have X Parasite DNA. Her Metroid DNA eradicates all traces of the X, leaving only the abilities they mimiced.
@Tentacular Taku thank you, I've seen too many people decide that Samus now has X parasite DNA after the events of Dread despite both Fusion and Dread explaining she's basically eating X parasites, not becoming them.
@@tentaculartaku4827 This actually makes sense and I'm surprised I didn't come to the same conclusion considering what's stated about the vaccine in Fusion.
I like the music for dread, it fits the games vibe. 🥰 5:43
i feel like quiet X doing that at the end may have more to do with it having quiet robe's memories and came to the conclusion that samus needs to live or somethings
Well thought out and made video great job u earned a sub!
I'm gonna agree and say that I'm also glad that Metroid Dread didn't come out on the DS. It's much better for having been released on the Switch, tbh. There's no way the hypothetical DS version would have been as great as the actual Dread we got.
I liked your take on the more atmospheric, less melodic music and agree that its just more appropriate in a modern game
came here to comment the exact same thing, i didn't hear this take before and really like it!
I've been a Metroid fan since the NES. I purchased a Switch for this game, no regrets. To top it off we just recently received Prime 1 Remastered. A great time to be Metroid fans. I hope Mercury Stream will continue to make 2d Metroid games, and Retro making Prime style games.
I think Quiet Robe could control the x in the end and he helped Samus to servive.
You know, that could recontextualize the SA-X right at the end of Fusion. If the Quiet Robe part of that X could take back control and aid Samus in its last moments, maybe the Samus part of the SA-X could have done the same in *its* final moments.
I have come to a similar conclusion that Dread is my favorite 2D Metroid. I have close to 300 hours playing it, from speedrunning it early on, to now where I mostly play the Dread Randomizer. The movement and level design together make it so fun to play.
I may have to check out the randomizer, but I want to attempt Dread mode first at some point
@@CobraCodex I haven't even tried Dread Mode yet. When it came out, I had just completed a 0% Hard Mode run, which after the first couple of areas is functionally the same as Dread Mode, so it didn't seem necessary.
for QR making his way back to her ship to help her, the X not only absorb DNA, but also the intelligence and memories of the host. I don't see it as too farfetched that his gentle, helpful nature rubbed off on the X
Oh man, when this game came out, not only did I play it like 6-7 times back to back, but the story and all the new lore elements sent me on a nerdgasm rampage about the series lore that I hadn’t experienced since the Prime days back when I was a teenager! The moment Samus speaks Chozo and the moment she goes fucking supernova fucking up Raven Beaks shit are just simply two of the coolest moments in the entire series! Dread definitely overtook Zero Mission as my new favourite 2D Metroid. I think Metroid Prime 2 is still my favourite overall, but ya Dread is a mighty close second! What a game! Gets even better when you start sequence breaking it!
Zero Mission and Prime 2 are some of my favorites as well!
The Emmi are hunting Samus after being hacked by Raven beak to obtain her Metroid infused DNA. Not because they think she is an X Parasite.
Lmk when you finish the video
@@CobraCodex haha I did make silly mistake. You were so surefired in the claim in the beginning I was like wait what? Fun video man!
@@nicholasharlan6504 All good dude lol, glad you enjoyed!
I heard that this game was just the end of the arc concerning the metroids, and I'm pretty sure I remember getting that reassuring "see you next mission" at the end. I think it is possible that they continue the series, but the stories won't really involve the metroids. They can still call the series Metroid though, since it applies to Samus in more ways than one, but future games won't be about the energy sucking lifeforms created on SR388. That's just my guess though. As far back as Fusion when it said that Metroid was the Chozo word for "great warrior" (I think it was mentioned in the manual) I thought it was kind of funny that all of the people who called Samus "Metroid" weren't technically wrong, especially after the metroid DNA vaccine. The slide is cool and all, but to this day Metroid still can't crawl, barring the Zero Suit section from Zero Mission.
I'm fairly certain that metroids are gonna stick around. space pirates have cross contaminated so many planets and systems with them. hell, some metroid variants can phaze into and out of containers and dimensions. they're surely somewhere else out there
This is a good point, I haven't read the exact quote in a while so you may be on to something. More importantly, we may never find out why metroid cant crawl :(
I really hope nintedo uses this armor for Samus in more marketing , such as smash
2:16 ...which is oddly enough what Mercury Steam _wanted_ to do before they were commissioned for Samus Returns
I'd still love to see it, Fusion is good but there's a lot of missed potential imo
I had already found this video good but that one second of P4 for the b a b y made the video for me
It's actually from P3, but thanks! I always get a kick out of that edit too lol
@@CobraCodex -oops i miss clicked 4-
Dread was my first Metroid game even though I’m 40+ years old. I never gave Metroid a chance. But now I’ve finished hard mode and now on dread mode. In addition, I’m also playing Metroid Prime remastered. Now when I talk about Nintendo, I won’t only talk about characters such as Zelda and Mario.. Metroid/Samus is now up there 👆🏼 EDIT: I finished normal mode in 23 hours 15 minutes getting all 100% items I finished hard mode in 16 hours 43 minutes also acquiring 100% items Dread mode is tough though so I don’t know if I’ll ever finish it. I’m at 5% item completion in 53 minutes of gameplay
That's awesome to hear! In some ways I envy you because it seems like Nintendo is finally giving this series the recognition it deserves. Do check out Zero Mission, Super, and Fusion when you get a chance too
@@CobraCodex I will for sure!
My impression was quiet robe knew how to survive as an X and thus made a similar decision to sa-x. Unlike normal Metroids, this X would be aware through quiet robe that it would "live on" instead just being food. The bow to me never came off as sentient, but as an instinctual use of knowledge to not be blasted. Its clear that the chozo knowledge of how to control DNA was the result of it, thus changing here back.
I like this interpretation. I guess I never considered that X could choose a non-violent path, but it makes sense given the Thoha's affinity for controlling DNA
Umm. Samus has Metroid DNA, not X. Strange mistake.
I agree
@@CobraCodex Sooooo why did you say that then...?
@@DarkMageX It was intended to avoid spoilers but I genuinely thought she had X DNA based on the fact the EMMI were hunting her prior to the plot twist. But given how the vaccine worked in Fusion that doesn't really make sense in retrospect
i never noticed that the last boss is Kraid...
The thing about "cooling down" before trying a failed challenge again is not so much about that at all. Rather it is the fact that the stakes aren't there. If you can just continue from right where you last left off and you don't risk losing any progress, the tension is all gone. That being said, the insta death nature of the challenge coupled with how likely you are to get caught kind of means they had to do it this way or it would have been too infuriating for almost everyone.
I agree it would've been annoying without the checkpoints, although placing save rooms somewhat near bosses/EMMI zones could've been an alternative (in some cases they're pretty close as is). I'm just not a big fan of having to redo large segments of a game leading up to a boss when the boss is what I ended up dying to. That often feels more like tedium to me than challenge (hence the differentiation between difficult and punishing). A boss fight should be challenging and tense enough on it's own (which they often are in games where this is an issue) without the risk of losing **significant** progress. Unless of course it's on a difficulty mode where that's explicitly the point such as with ink ribbons or disabled autosaves in the newer RE games on hard. It would've been interesting if the checkpoints in Dread could be disabled on hard mode or with a separate toggle for an extra layer of challenge on repeat playthroughs
How da heall Adam knew Samus would've drained the ship's energy?
Considering Samus wasn't actually in contact with Adam through most of the game that's a good question... though it could be explained by Adam picking up on strong metroid energy signatures as she approached the ship, or something along those lines
Good video, deserves more views for sure. I agree with basically all points you mention, except for it being close to Super Metroid. To me dread far exceeds it, I didn't grow up with super metroid and only played it within the past year. While its far from a bad game i just didn't love the controls and certain mechanics like wall jumping. Plus i just found nearly every boss to be far to easy. It'll be a looong time before, or IF i ever replay that game.
I'd recommend checking out Super Metroid Redux if you have the means. It cleans up some of the clunkiness and there's even a hard mode included among plenty of other features
I was so young when we got Metroid Prime it was like a blur or even a nightmare. I loved it conceptually, but I was intimidated by the clunky controls and the maturity. My first real experience with Metroid was actually Dread, and it completely changed my recent opinions about Nintendo. Because essentially I felt like they've abandoned and forgotten their older fans. Basically, even though I bought a Steam Deck, it's small lights like this in the darkness that bring me back to the Switch. It's like a phase where you drink mostly soda and then one day out of the blue you remember how refreshing water is.
Funny enough I had a similar experience with Metroid initially. I was fascinated by Super and the Prime Trilogy on Wii but was so unsettled by them as a kid that I didn't fully beat them until later
It's funny that you say the analog control makes the Shinespark a bit less precise, because Dread is the first Metroid game that actually made me LIKE the Speed Booster and doing Shinespark puzzles, precisely BECAUSE of the analog control. I *HATED* the Speed Booster and those puzzles in previous Metroid games, and never understood why all the fans had such a hard-on for the ability UNTIL I played Dread, which made me say, "ohhhhh, I get it now, the Speed Booster *CAN* be awesome, IF the controls are analog!" lmao
It's moreso that on paper you'd think analog control would make certain things harder, but the way it's implemented in practice feels great
I liked the exploration, but the combat felt unrewarding to me. I think part of the problem is after missing the counter opportunities on bosses (either countering the wrong action or at the wrong time), the punishment for those was big enough that I just gave up on the mechanic. The result is a long boss battle that you feel like you’ve solved, but have to keep playing and doing well enough at not to be defeated. I decided to stop playing at the Experiment boss, because although this is probably a game I can beat, I decided it wasn’t worth my time. It also didn’t help that I felt constantly underpowered-getting a weapon upgrade felt like “this is the power level I should have had before I got the upgrade.” Even in Fusion, which has very powerful enemies, I don’t feel like I had this problem. If you could switch the difficulty in the middle of a playthrough, I might be willing to go back to it, but that’s not an option. Gato Roboto gave me similar issues, but in that case I think there is no equivalent to the counter-the bosses are just too spongy.
don't worry man, I prefer Dread to super by quite a bit, I agree with your opinion
Dread honestly plays so good that the other 2D metroids don't quite hit the same for me these days. They're still great, but I'm way more open to remakes of them now than I was when I made this video
@@CobraCodex Yea, a remake of super would be AMAZING
8:07 Samus doesn't have X DNA? It's Metroid DNA, it's spoiler stuff with them being reprogrammed to attack her for her Metroid DNA since Ravenbeak wants that stuff for the military power
This game is kind of a miracle for Metroid fans. Being the LONG awaited sequel to Metroid Fusion, most people had completely given up hope of it ever happening. Then, not only did the game happen, it turned out to be the subtly hinted "project dread" AND it wasn't just a good game, it was arguably the BEST game in the entire series! It still feels too good to be true! The inclusion of sequence breaks that meaningfully impact some boss fights, and bosses that you can realistically use the speed booster to massively damage feels extremely bold. It really is the first worthy successor to Super Metroid. No disrespected to Fusion, Zero Mission, Samus Returns, and Prime, but Dread really is on on another level. It's a great game among great games.
Well said, I was blown away at the initial reveal (which I thankfully caught on camera too)
Samus should be able to speak the chozo language .. after the chozo accidentily lead the space pirates to her home planet when she was a child and her being the only survivor she was takin back to zebes were she was raised by the chozo and raised in an environment that the chozo didnot believe she would survive so they gave her some chozo dna and made her suit
whoa dude strong words calling the switch a piece of shit
:P
I swore to myself the same thing I swore about getting an Xbox One when it came out-I will invest in a console edition of Halo 5 or console edition of Fallout 4 This is all to say that I’m going to wait and see if there will be a console edition of a Metroid game on the Switch, or Prime 4 releases, whichever happens first. It is likely, as Prime Remastered is selling so well that Nintendo is having trouble keeping up with demands for physical copies. Pair that with them releasing all of the original 2D versions (aside from Samus Returns and Zero Mission) on the Switch subscription service…I do think that it would be a good business idea by Nintendo to continue this trend and finish it off with the long-awaited Prime 4.
Nintendo is clearly pushing the marketing for this series a lot more than it has in the past. I agree that they'll continue releasing Metroid games to build up towards Prime 4, but I'm curious if it's gonna end up being cross platform with whatever their new system will be
Brilliant video, it's always surprising to see long-time Metroid fans calling Dread their new favourite but I don't know if it'll get there for me.. I need to do a few more playthroughs before I can decide. Also I love how Prime Remastered has almost rekindled interest in Dread, feels like the perfect time to revisit it. also my own theory for Quiet Robe X's actions is that the X copy the intellect and memories of their host.. so not only does Quiet Robe X potentially know how to subdue Metroids, it also potentially was genuinely swayed by a Thoha Chozo being a far more naturally-peaceful and kind creature than most hosts tend to be. the X desire to defeat Metroids combined with Quiet Robe's gentleness to become possibly the first and only "kind" X.. while also working as a fun thematic parallel to how the SA-X "saved" Samus as the end of Fusion (which itself was a parallel to the baby saving Samus in Super).
It's my favorite 2D Metroid at least. Prime 2 might edge it out for overall favorite tho Also I like your theory, haven't really looked into the discourse around the ending so it's cool to see y'alls interpretations
I remember a lot of confused talk about the ending when the game first dropped. I don't remember where I first heard it but "the X mimicked Quiet Robe's kindness" was one that stuck with me.. because it'd be nice to believe, I guess!
I never understood why Raven Beak didn’t just take the DNA after beating Samus at the start of the game!?
She needed to awaken it first, which I wonder if that was being influenced by her absorbing the EMMI in some way or just simply stalling her for long enough until then. Either way it backfired since he got caught monologuing at the end lol
I appreciate this thoughtful video. I like your analysis of the soundtrack, although I don't agree. Metroid Prime had plenty of disc space for full, moody tracks, and yet still pumped out bangers. I don't think "atmospheric" is a free pass, since there are good and bad atmospheric tracks. My issue with Dread's soundtrack isn't that it's atmospheric, but rather that the atmospheric music is relatively ugly. (For the record, I think Metroid Prime 3's Bryyo - Thorn Jungle track is far worse than any Dread track.) It's ugly because it doesn't use dissonance well. Dissonance can create tension while still being very pretty if it resolves well or implies a resolution well. Dread's soundtrack largely just shoves ugly dissonance in here and there to create tension, but doesn't make the effort to make the dissonance pretty. But still, I thought your opinion on it was supported well enough, and you did a great job with this video.
I'll say I definitely think Prime 1 and 2 have better soundtracks overall, and they manage to blend more melodic and memorable motifs into the atmospheric tracks. But I also love the way the Artaria themes build on each other in Dread, even if they (along with most of the soundtrack) are much more sparse, angular, and dissonant in their melodic content. Thanks for watching!
@@CobraCodex I agree that Artaria's progression is great. I also unsurprisingly think Burenia is quite good.
@@CobraCodex There's a series on KZhead with a clickbait title of "What if Dread had good music" where a fan takes the base song and tweaks it. I normally dislike fan projects like that, but I think he actually does a great job of adding more memorable melodies and better dissonance resolutions to the base tracks. I recommend checking it out.
@@stevenjones8575why does dissonance have to resolve?
The EMMIs feel a bit too underused to me for how heavily they were marketed. They feel like they go down really early in the exploration of each zone, and the last one on the map counter literally does in a cutscene the first time you encounter it. Why was it even on the counter!? Plus, all the zones having the same background and such to distinguish them makes them feel very disjointed from the areas they’re in.
Understandable, I didn't expect them to be strictly confined to those areas at first. It's also pretty clear that the last area or 2 of the game were not fully realized to the extent the devs initially intended. The EMMI zones themselves are very clinical looking since they're essentially decontamination checkpoints, but that doesn't make them any less same-y and artistically jarring from some of the more colorful zones
I have to agree, Dread is better then Super. We need a Super remake from These developers.
I'd honestly settle for a remaster with widescreen and the features from Super Metroid Redux. A remake would definitely ruffle some feathers but I'd be interested to see what they could do.
Raven beak should have dropped a morp bomb. Only way to shake off a metroid one they latch onto the head.
Good point lmao
Why does this game make me want to play Alien Soldier? 🤔
You didn’t have to end the video by calling the Switch a piece of shit. Clearly it isn’t.
Nintendo's hardware is seldom anything to write home about. I care about the games themselves, which happen to be available on extremely outdated hardware and are best experienced elsewhere
Welp it only took 4 minutes into a Metroid video before another original Other M jab
Plenty more where that came from, poking fun at Other M is too enjoyable to pass up
I don’t know why but after going back to the older games, dread just feels weird to play with its map design. However this has not stopped me replaying it several times over.
I think it's partially because of what I said in the video, being that the map isn't as memorable at a glance due to the more complex layout
@@CobraCodex I agree with that, also the openness of super in comparison just feels off.
I just have to say, I hear so many people say that Metroid is their favorite franchise (it’s mine to, by the way). So, why does this series not see the same amount of sales as Zelda and Mario. I don’t get it. I understand that this gameplay style is a little niche, but like I said so many people say it’s their favorite franchise. Wouldn’t you see that in its sales?
I think among the “hardcore” crowd, Metroid is beloved by many very vocal people (who might feel the need to be vocal due to Metroid’s generally poor sales) But if you go outside of that sphere and more into the mainstream, it just doesn’t have the same name recognition as Zelda or Mario. Whether or not that is something inherent to the series or just how Nintendo has marketed it is unclear, but I’d say it has more to do with the latter. Lately Nintendo has been pushing Metroid more and it seems like the series is starting to have a resurgence because of that
@@CobraCodexnot even in Nintendo’s top ten. Falls way behind Kirby, smash, animal crossing, Pokémon, etc etc
3:33 I wouldn’t say so unless you want to call donkey Kong returns and tropical freeze as well as every single modern mainline Kirby game aside from forgotten land a budget title
It's all relative really, I probably should've specified further. If I had to guess Nintendo puts a larger budget behind their 2.5D titles compared to other devs, and they look great as a result. I was moreso referring to the likes of Mega Man 11 and Bloodstained RotN, which don't look bad per se, but they don't stand up artistically to the likes of most pixel art or hand drawn games of similar scopes imo
One thing to keep in mind, about Super Metroid. Dread...pretty much outdoes it in every way except soundtrack. But that's after over 25 years of technological advancement, and after metroidvania has been long well defined as a genre. The developers of Dread weren't dealing with the hardware limitations the developers of Super Metroid were dealing with. Super Metroid pretty much pushed the SNES to its limits, it's pretty amazing what they were able to accomplish on a system that's so limited by today's standards. Of course a game that came out more than 25 years later is going to be better. Super Metroid will always be one of the best games of all time. It didn't create the genre, but it certainly refined it to what was (at the time) perfection. Today, most of the metroidvania genre has been codified. Dread merely had to follow a proven formula. When Super Metroid was being developed, the genre had not really been codified yet...Metroid and Metroid 2 look like proof of concept compared to Super Metroid.
Absolutely. However, while it's worth considering historical context to an extent, I think a lot of people get way too caught up in that side of things when comparing products that are both accessible currently. Plus, Super has had nearly 30 years of admiration as one of the greats (and all the speedrun tech and secrets uncovered); whereas Dread is having to go up against such a game with none of that historical favoritism, which I think speaks to Dread's quality even moreso. I love both games but would still put Dread above Super while factoring all of this in, though they're both in my top 3 for the series as a whole
Umm... actually, Samus has human, Chozo, and Metroid DNA. At no point in the games does she have or is given X parasite DNA. But if this was a subtle way to avoid spoiling a story element, good job.
It was to avoid spoilers but I genuinely thought she had X DNA based on the fact the EMMI were hunting her prior to the plot twist. But given how the vaccine worked in Fusion that doesn't really make sense in retrospect
8:10 perhaps this is addressed later in the videos, but the EMMI attack Samus because Raven Beak reprogrammed them to. Especially since she doesn’t have X DNA. That wouldn’t make any sense as metroids do not absorb and incorporate foreign DNA. At least there has been no evidence of that. In addition, being X and being a metroid are mutually exclusive. One cannot be both. How would she have gotten the X DNA anyway? The X copy the host’s DNA, not the other way around
Correct, I was under the impression she had X DNA initially so I thought that's what the player was being led to believe before the reprogramming twist.
@@CobraCodex ah, fair
8:17 Not at all. While Samus has absorbed X parasite, yes, the reason the EMMI chase her is very different. Ravenbeak, with the help of Quiet Robe, reprogrammed them to do so, in order to extract her Metroid DNA. This is told directly by Quiet Robe himself.
Correct, except the player is led to believe they're still hunting X parasites until Quiet Robe actually reveals this. Which is why I saved that twist for the story wrap up.
I hate to be that guy but the emmi are after samus because raven beak hacked them and they're after her metroid DNA cause raven beak wants it. She also doesnt have X parasite DNA
Correct, I was under the impression she had X DNA initially so I thought that's what the player was being led to believe before the reprogramming twist.
Metroid Dread is beyond better in every aspect in regards to Super. As you said, it's a classic game but it's been dethroned in my opinion.
Something about the Mercury steam Metroid games rubs me the wrong way…
What is it about them specifically?
Management? Like how someone complained about the credits and not only that same with prime remaster despite different Devs another credit problem as well. Making it that Nintendo has some curse IP like Advance war. In the end I just hope the direction still hold by Nintendo making sure the franchise would go well in future titles.
The only thing super Metroid does better than dread is soundtrack.. those who have issues with dread are gamers who can’t let go of their nostalgia. And this is coming from someone who loves nostalgia growing up with the Super Nintendo and n64.. dread is simply a masterpiece
It's tricky because Super has had almost 30 years to solidify itself as one of the greats, so I can understand a certain level of skepticism when a new game comes out threatening to take the throne of best in the series. I do agree Dread is a masterpiece, but Super isn't too far behind imo
@@CobraCodex you are correct.. not saying super isn’t a great game cause it is but dread does almost everything better imo, what gets me about super the most is it’s very hard to control and that’s just cause it’s a product of it’s time, people will say you just not good at super Metroid. Well I’ve gotten 100% on dread mode in dread so I can’t be that bad at Metroid games lol
I always hate that argument of "just git gud" because it's unhelpful and lacks nuance. Not only are there instances in certain games where controls, checkpoints, encounter design, etc. may be lacking, but there also needs to be some desire to "git gud" at a particular game if I'm struggling. If you have the means you should check out the "Super Metroid Redux" improvement patch, it makes the game play more like the GBA titles and is my go to method for playing Super these days.
@@CobraCodex thanks I’ll have to try that out
1:54 - you already asked for likes and subscribes at 0:01, don't over do it!
Too bad the developer doesn’t credit the people who made it
I heard about this with Prime Remastered but not Dread. Regardless, it's a pretty shitty thing to do given the amount of effort put into these projects
The Emmi ruined it for me. I couldn’t figure out the timing. After 15+ instant deaths I quit. In a game about exploring instant deaths are frustrating. I loved and beat super Metroid and Metroid for nes.
That's a shame, in retrospect they probably should've made the timing more lenient on lower difficulties or something
you really arent expected to figure out the timing. youre supposed to just run from them.
4 to 6 hours? Man, my first play through took almost 20 hours. I went for 100% though. Also why call names to the Switch so out of nowhere man. A console is only as good as its games.
I prefer going for speed over completion in Metroid games these days, so I haven't gone for 100% in Dread. As for the switch: I agree to the extent that the main reason to buy a system is the games playable on it, but just because these games initially released on switch doesn't make the hardware itself good. The games are great despite the hardware, not thanks to it. This wouldn't be noteworthy if all of the games on there ran without issues, but that very much isn't the case. Most switch games would be even better on better hardware due to the system holding back their potential, be it technically or otherwise. And assuming Nintendo's next system is backwards compatible and will run switch games better, there will be no reason to play on the original model switch from that point forward if you're looking for the best experience.
@@CobraCodex to each their own, for me the lifeblood of a Metroid game is to try and discover all of it from the beginning. Of course, I have to say I’d love to speedrun it one day. The thing with Switch games having issues on the Switch hardware comes down to which game you’re referring to. Talking about some of the first-party Nintendo games: Splatoon, Smash, Mario, Kirby, Metroid? They all run flawlessly and most of them also happen to run at 60 FPS. Fire Emblem, Zelda, Xenoblade? These run fine for most of the time, just need more optimization, or probably lacked a bigger budget/expertise to make them run perfectly. Pokémon? It’s either greed or lack of experience developing for an HD console from Game Freak, don’t wanna get into that debate. Thing is, you can say that “the game would run better in a more powerful hardware” about any game and any hardware. We need developers that want to get the best out of the hardware, not just brute-force the game on the machine. Also, we can’t ignore the fact that before the Switch, there was the 3DS/Vita and the Switch is a HUGE step forwards when compared to those. We know have the Steam Deck but that’s a different conversation.
1:41 not really
As someone who grew up with the DS, hard disagree. Pixel art is timeless, 192p 3D graphics are not
You were way too lenient on this game's soundtrack. I love this game, I think it's the best 2D Metroid ever made, but literally the only criticism I have of it is the OST. I hate it so much lol it's not enough to dock points, the game is still a 10/10 to me, but the soundtrack is such a letdown.
Maybe, it's not an OST I think about very often but it doesn't bother me in game
Ok, I'm a hafta stop u right there. You have seen Metroid Prime Remastered, right? ...and you still think the Switch is a piece of sh!t?
In so many words, yes. Prime Remastered looks (and plays) awesome but it's a gamecube game from 2002 so it's tough to give credit to the hardware specifically. Nintendo has been making great games on underpowered hardware for decades, but it's time for an upgrade
You bought the amiibo. I think I don't care for anything you have to say
That's a strange and awfully reductive way to look at things but whatever, man
@@CobraCodex 👍
Play Hollow Knight if you want to get into metroidvanias
I should probably give Hollow Knight another chance, fell off around 10 hours in even though I think it's very well made
Dread is so good
Barely made it to the half way point and got lost called it a booty cheeks game