Metroid Dread

[spatular]

Yeah it sort of leads you in the right direction, works pretty well, except when im an idiot and think its a dead end and spend 3 hours trying to work out where to go next  the map is so big and maze like it can be pretty difficult to navigate when you go off the path, well the map is good and makes sense but getting from one end to the other looking for stuff involves a lot more messing around than id like. Anyway im back on the right track for now.

 

Think im quite far in now, still not really sure what i think to it, still finding it really hard and keep thinking ill have to give up, really struggling on the bosses, but i cant stop playing, been on it loads this weekend. So it must be pretty good i guess.

 

i think an easy mode that makes a few concessions would be good like being able to 

Spoiler

Double jump

Whenever i want would have saved me many times. Or maybe make timing stuff like disappearing platforms last a bit longer, stuff like that.

[Nabby9]

Enjoying this, only played this for about a hour & I've died so many times already but it hasn't put me off. 

 

This is my first Metroid game & so far so good.  I do think it will be a tough at times as I do seem to be terrible at it 😓

[OCH]

It is fun to hear that the people playing Metroid for the first time here, echo a lot of my own experience when I played Fusion. My first Metroid. As I've mentioned before, for whatever reason, I never heard of the series or Samus, prior to Smash Bros Melee. 

 

As for the map. It is vast but, I also think they do a really good job of implementing shortcuts. Your first time through the EMMI areas, you don't really notice for obvious reasons. But later those little pink cracks in the walls, open the levels dramatically.

[Nabby9]

Spent another hour with this at lunch & made some progress, controls have clicked a bit more.  First boss done & after a bit of wandering around wondering where to go I'm back on track.

 

The game feels so smooth & responsive & looks great.

 

[Maf]

I don't mean to jump the gun but I'm looking forward to @bellow playing this. Guy loves a challenging a video game. 

[bellow]

Pfft. Your facetiousness is like water off a duck's back.

 

My legendary runthru of Super Metroid (15h 37m, 43% completion) is still talked about, in reverential tones, all over the internet.

[Maf]

🤣🤣🤣

 

@bellow there’s one hit kills in this game haha

[OCH]

So much progress...

 

I'm upto the fifth area now. It is quite clever how they have adapted the lift mechanic. Whereas in previous games, a lift took you to an area. Now there are multiple lifts that take you to different parts of the map. Overcomes the vastness of the map somewhat. I defeated the 2nd boss... in an unclimactic way really. I missed the parry completely and the fight just kind of ends? Anyway I've since got about 3-4 new upgrades and the game has opened up significantly. Had to call it a day at boss number 3, but I think in the next session I'll continue popping back to see what I can unlock via backtracking again.

[spatular]

Well i made it further than i did in prime 1! (without a cheat disk anyway) got to what i assume is the last boss, spent about 2 hours on it so far, not sure if i should explore the map for more health. And if there are more bosses after i might throw it out the window.

Spoiler

getting better at the first phase, the key is killing the balls as they give you health/missiles. And at a certain point im not sure if the ice missiles stop doing damage? And you need to use charge missiles instead? Second phase is a mess, only seen the 3rd phase once.

massive story spoilers

Spoiler

Really enjoyed the big reveal before the boss, suspected the robot voice was a baddie but never expected your dad thing, that was hilarious, the way he’s revealed behind it too, though it was really funny. Not sure if it was supposed to be funny.

its been an arduous journey so far and i fear theres still a long way to go, and im still not sure how much i like it but i still cant stop playing so it must be doing something right!

[Maryokutai]

@radiofloyd do you happen to know if the Japanese retail version has english language support? The eShop says so but I'd like to have confirmation whether that also applies to the version on the cartridge.

 

Edit: I found out the hard way, so no need to check. In case anyone's wondering, the game is multilanguage and I could even redeem the Star Points on my Benelux account, which usually doesn't work with games from other regions.

[OCH]

The First Rage!

 

I have encountered the first boss that isn't fun. I have five e-tanks. I know what to do. But I'm dead before I even see a weak point. As I've been playing this since about 2pm, I've decided to call it a day with this boss. At least the prior third boss was actually enjoyable to fight.

[Maryokutai]

Played for an hour according to the ingame clock but felt more like 90 minutes. Stopped when I reached the second area, not because I had enough but because I want to savour this and have something new to look forward to tomorrow.

 

So far this has been excellent and after what seems like an eternity of the genre being basically carried by indie games, it's wonderful to see the Nintendo polish applied to it again after so many years. The way Samus controls, the smooth framerate, the clean look, the excellent animations – it makes the whole "duh, it's a 2D game" discussion from a couple of months ago look even more laughable than it already was. There are so many little flourishes and details here, like Samus putting her hand on surfaces whenever you press against them or her doing a sommersault kick instead of the uppercut if you use the melee attack during a slide. Simply moving around is a joy and Mercurysteam really elevated themselves under Nintendo's tutelage.

 

The game itself, at least so far, seems to mix the approaches of both Super Metroid and Fusion, in that it wants you to figure stuff out yourself but still has Adam chime in from time to time. I think it's a good balance so far but obviously it's a bit early to properly evaluate. I also like Samus' portrayal here, it's a far cry from the whiny nonsense in Other M (which canonically is only a few years prior to Dread's events, but let's just forget about that game). The way she finishes off the cloak boss à la "I am the hunter here" was really badass. And it's easy to forget because it's friggin' 2021 but this is the first Metroid game in HD, built with (somewhat) modern tools and a modern engine, and it's just great to see all this come to life in ways we haven't seen before.

 

Really happy with this so far.

[spatular]

Finished it earlier, what i think i was doing wrong on the last boss was 

Spoiler

Not going for the counters on the later stages, earlier on you dont need too except when he taunts so i didnt think i would have to, but then i went for a few and it paid off so maybe you need to do them later. I was still rubbish at the last phase.

 

really liked the escape bit after the last boss too

overall it was good, i enjoyed it, theres some cool stuff in there. It does generally control well but theres a lot of controls you need to be precise with the buttons and stuff which i struggled with a bit. It has that cool thing of a feeling of getting better at the bosses as you keep playing. Its possibly very good But it was also pretty stressful and very difficult, a bit too much for me and that sours me on it a bit. like i said earlier i think id have liked it a lot more with an easy mode with a few concessions, even just small changes like making the 

Spoiler

Double jump

Easier, id guess i had maybe around 200 total deaths, and maybe 50% caused by that. Its really the frequent checkpoints that kept me playing. Yeah i dont think the in game clock includes deaths, it was just under 10 hours for me but pretty sure the real time will be double that.

 

ive not played too many games like this really, the bosses remind me of cuphead, but a bit easier, i didnt finish cuphead. I tried an old 2d metroid before and couldnt beat the first boss, similar for castlevania. Have played metroid games but just prime ones (only properly finished 3) and other m. Played other metroid style games i guess but much easier ones like ori, i really like ori, thats more platforming and the really cool bash move though.

[spatular]

tried to edit this in above but it wouldn't let me

edit - there was something else i was doing wrong on the last boss

Spoiler

the main difficulty in the last pase was the sun like orb thing, i had no idea how to dodge/kill it without taking damage, you can still win with it there but it's not pretty, so i watched a youtube which shows how to get rid of it - use the super bomb thing you get near the end, that would make it loads easier.

[radiofloyd]

9 hours ago, Maryokutai said:

@radiofloyd do you happen to know if the Japanese retail version has english language support? The eShop says so but I'd like to have confirmation whether that also applies to the version on the cartridge.

 

Edit: I found out the hard way, so no need to check. In case anyone's wondering, the game is multilanguage and I could even redeem the Star Points on my Benelux account, which usually doesn't work with games from other regions.

Well you already know but, yeah. I’m pretty sure all Nintendo first party games have EU language support at launch (BOTW, SMO, MK8, Fire Emblem all did as well).

[DANGERMAN]

I suppose this is similar to some stuff Spatular has said, but I'm a couple of hours in, just arrived at the 3rd area, and I feel like the game is just kind of happening to me.

I suppose that's good level design, I've only once had to look at the map and plan a route, but it does feel like I'm just barrelling forward and ending up at the right place

 

I did also have a moment where I assumed I'd got to the 3rd area too early but there's some hidden blocks to shoot 

 

It plays a lot better than the first one of these, much more responsive, but fairly early impressions I think there's something to say for the smaller scope of the 3ds game

[Maf]

Yes it's a very forward momentum game which outside of set pieces Metroid typically isn't. 

 

I was thinking about why that is. How does this game, without explicitly pushing the player forward, give that sense of rush without forcing the player to rush. Because it's there from the word go. 

 

I think some of it is when playing regular Metroid games, you run from A to B, and see stuff along the way that you try and mess with or interact with to find secrets/shortcuts/pathways, etc. When playing Dread, even though there's a lot of points of interest from A to B, it's very clear you can not do anything with them. Or even you see a red explody block you could use, but it's on the other side of the wall so clearly it's a shortcut for later. 

 

The other part is the Emmi's. When in they're zones you really don't want to stop and just move forward, but also while they're alive and they're zones exist it also incentivises 'clearing' the area first and exploring after. Why bother trying to explore when large chunks of the map are essentially off-limits? 

 

These things combined, with great map design that has excellent flow to complement the fast pace, but all combined it's a very push forward game.

 

I really like it though. There's a significant trade off for exploration for action, and maybe once all abilities are acquired then the exploration really opens up, but it's really fun. The bosses, some brand new abilities and refinement of old abilities make the game so much fun to play. 

 

I think hardcore Metroid people are really not going to like it, but if the thing you hate about Metroidvania's is all the backtracking, this might be the game for you. 

[OCH]

4 hours ago, Maf said:

Yes it's a very forward momentum game which outside of set pieces Metroid typically isn't. 

 

You say that, but the last Metroid game before this one - Metroid Fusion - was very much that. If anything Dread is leaning away from the strictly linear nature of Fusion with some of Super Metroid's freedom. Which I think will resonate with the hardcore fanbase. Some, I've seen on YouTube etc basically turn their noses up at any Metroid that isn't 2D (especially the Prime series). I'm only upto boss four, but I've discovered tons of secrets and hidden areas. 

 

For example, one recent ability I gained. I used to remove a small block in a previous hidden room. This opens up a secret teleporter, which took me to the sixth area of the map that I haven't even reached yet. Rewarding me with a Aeion ability I'm sure some people will miss. You are rewarded for exploration and map clearing in this game. That wasn't in Fusion. If anything, some areas in that game became gated off the further into the game you went.

[Maf]

I haven't played Fusion in forever so maybe I don't remember it right. But thinking on Samus Returns and Super Metroid this game is a lot more linear. At least up until the halfway point. 

[OCH]

I think they hit lightning in a bottle with Super Metroid. I've never seen a more non-linear 2D game. Even LTTP gave you some limitations early on. Dread is a lot more open than Fusion and I doubt I'm all that far into the game to reach that conclusion. As it was my first Metroid, I am very fond of Fusion. But, boundaries were clearly set for most of the game.