Dear Reader:
Metroid Dread mini-review (and a note on GoNintendo's revamp!)
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♬ Cloud Burst - Clutch
Hello, gang! I hope you're all doing well in every way possible. I thought I'd stop by again and share another quick review, which you can see above. I've put together my final thoughts on Metroid Dread, and I'm honestly very proud of how this Tiktok came together. Hopefully you enjoy it!
As usual, you can read the script for this review below, but I have something else to share before I leave you with that. I know you're all waiting for a status update on GoNintendo's revamp, and I feel like I can at least share some details on progress so far.
T27Duck, Cort, and I have been having weekly meetings about the revamp for over a month now. Work was going on before that, but now we're at a point where we have to meet up once a week to answer questions, go over features, and more. These meetings are multiple hours, complete with screen-sharing and voice chat. That might not seem like a big deal to most of you, but it honestly makes me feel quite special. This is, without a doubt, the most collaborative process there's been when it comes to revamping GoNintendo.
Both T27Duck and Cort have been making incredible progress on things so far. Out of respect for them, I'm not going to share specifics of their work. I will say that their efforts include all areas of the site, and some of the content is perfectly functional in its current state. I cannot fully explain just how impressive it is to see what these guys do. They really, truly know their stuff, and our meetings help steer them in a direction we think will make all readers happy.
Again, just to stress this point once more, this is a MAJOR revamp for GoNintendo in every way. It's a complete relaunch from top to bottom. There are lots of things to do and sift through, and it all takes time. I wish I had a set date for you as to when things would be back in action, but again, I don't have one to give. I want things up-and-running just as bad as you do, trust me.
Not working on GoNintendo feels incredibly weird. It's like I'm an alien inhabiting my body. Obviously that ties into the stuff I went through that pulled me away from regular life in the first place, but being out of the GN schedule for so long has impacted me in ways I never could have even imagined. I want to be back, and I want to work harder than ever. Just typing about it now is making me tear up a bit. I miss you guys soooooo much.
When I have news to share on a launch date, I promise I'll rush right here and tell you. Until that point, you'll just have to keep hanging tight...and I know that 100% sucks. That said, I absolutely guarantee the wait will be worth it. Everyone is working their butts off to ensure that, and I couldn't be more proud of what T27Duck and Cort have achieved.
That's that for the status update. I should be back with another sooner rather than later. Until then, stay safe, happy, and healthy.
For a number of years, a portion of Metroid fans weren’t feeling too great about the franchise. Metroid Other M received quite a bit of backlash for its characterization of Samus, and remains a divisive entry to this day. That was followed by Metroid Prime: Federation Force, a spin-off some viewed as being a case of wrong place, wrong time. The negative sentiment about Metroid as a series finally started to clear when Metroid: Samus Returns hit the 3DS in 2017, giving players a return to form. MercurySteam, the developer on that title, followed the 3DS remake with Metroid Dread, their first crack at a brand-new Metroid title. Where Metroid: Samus Returns gave fans great hope for the future, Metroid Dread shows us that Samus is definitely back, and in many ways, better than ever.
One of the most striking achievements of Metroid Dread is its realization of Samus. For decades now, Metroid has characterized Samus as the strong, silent type. A stoic bounty hunter who gets the job done, and does it with style. In Metroid Dread, we see those aspects of Samus explored to a much greater degree. Previous Metroid titles gave us glimpses into Samus’ persona, but Metroid Dread shows who she is with everything it does. Samus remains seriously impressive during cut-scenes, but now we see her personality ooze through in everything from basic movements to big boss battles.
In Metroid Dread, Samus moves with an incredible amount of confidence. She’s much quicker and more nimble than we’ve ever seen her before. All of her movements have an unbelievable fluidity to them, making moment-to-moment gameplay that much more enjoyable. The way Samus leaps through environments, counters attacks, free-aims at enemies, and so much more truly brings her to life. Instead of being shown or told how impressive Samus is, we get to control it first-hand. It’s quite rare we see a game that not only feels this good to play, but also manages to encapsulate who a character really is through their movements.
We get to take all this in through what might be the most densely-packed Metroid adventure yet. What appears to be a smaller map at first slowly reveals itself to be jam-packed with an insane amount of nooks and crannies to explore. You’ll bounce between multiple regions in the name of hunting down power-ups to unlock new areas in previous sectors. There’s an impressive amount to do and see, plenty of which requires a keen eye to open up. In true Metroid fashion, a new ability or the path ahead may seem just out of reach, but blasting a smartly-placed enemy or suspicious wall can expand the road ahead. You may find yourself stuck a few times early on, but you’ll no doubt learn to pay close attention to the environments, making progression feel extremely rewarding as the game rolls on.
The icing on this Metroid cake comes from the boss battles, which are arguably the best in the series. While some familiar faces return in outstanding form, the new EMMI encounters are the star of the show. Rather than focusing on a single room, EMMI encounters stretch across multiple sections of a map, and for most of the face-off, your only option is to run. With each EMMI having a unique moveset and location, no two encounters are alike, and each one will have your pulse pounding and blood pumping.
Metroid Dread is exactly what the franchise needed. The way it handles classic Metroid-style gameplay while adding countless innovations is seriously impressive. Most importantly, it completely repairs the damage Samus’ character suffered. Metroid Dread is the game Samus deserves, and the AAA experience fans have been clamoring for for years.