Digital Foundry Tech Review of Metroid Dread on the Nintendo Switch

This makes me wants to go and play shadow complex again / wish nintendo released this on pc also .. i wait till its under $40

Oh, I know. I'm just pushing him.

Timestamps because I don't see it being mentioned anywhere? Also link the exact quote from IGN or whoever that said that.

Have you played Dread?

Hopefully. But hopefully it tells the same thing to more than just Nintendo. There's clearly a solid market for side scrolling games. There's a market for things with a retro style feel and gameplay to it. Not everything has to become a first or third person shooter to be a success. Resident Evil for example got away from what built the franchise, and VIII was complete dogshit because they were chasing profits by focusing on pandering to the common denominator. Dread is a great game because developer made something the fans that built the franchise wanted. This is something way too many modern AA and AAA developers have been doing wrong.

Also, to those talking about Ori and Hollow Knight. They're great games, for sure. Not sure why fans of them are getting so damn defensive. But to be completely blunt, I haven't completed either of those. Hollow Knight I have a lot of hours in and got close to the end, but ultimately, the story just wasn't that interesting, if not completely vague. And Ori, IMO, the story was boring as shit, so I only put about 2 hours into that one. Metroid Dread I have beaten twice now, once on hard mode. That means I already have more hours of entertainment from Dread than both those two combined.

Mirko, you hardly said that when the game had a reveal. I see the smoking gun.

@Maroxad: Not sure if you saw my edit or not. I was referring to how much fun the game is vs how much it costs compared to similar experiences. I'm not Nintendo so I obviously don't care how much the game cost to produce. I'm basing my opinion on my own personal economics and the offered value proposition. Let's be real tho. Nintendo would charge at least $60 regardless of what they spent on production.

There is some truth to what he said though. Making decent games takes effort. It's an effort most studios just don't do anymore outside of the indie world and why I've largely ignored modern gaming.

@eoten: Argue to put effort in, but are basically ordered from the higher ups to make shit. Crunch and what not, working to bone. With Ubisoft execs trying to touch them up as they just try their honest to god darnest to make another mediocre Assasins Creed entry that'll probably get at least an 8 from Gamespot.

@pyro1245: And they kinda have to. Parents don’t know much about games. If they walk into store and see game for cheap, it’s either old or not a good game.

I saw someone playing it at a party yesterday in portable mode and it does look pretty good but man does the game look dull and muddy when I fullscreen footage of it on my TV.

Yes, it just goes to show that if a developer adheres to certain tenets of a game's design that have proven successful in the past, it more than likely will in the future. The missteps of the Metroid franchise haven't been its death knell, only a (rightful) reflection of the audience's discontent when the developer strayed too far from what had drawn people in initially.

I've not seen too much defensive attitude from Ori and Hollow knight fandom, but I am one who believes that Metroid has absolutely been outclassed in terms of aesthetics, at least with respect to Ori, but that's because I believe Metroid would be best benefitted by a more organic approach to its visuals which Ori nails. Dread, as I've played so far, is synthetic and artificial in impression. I'll not call it a bad looking game.....just perhaps....misplaced. I have not, and I still do not, agree with the chosen artstyle. It does nothing for me and makes the game feel overly rigid and sans personality. As for the story, I loved the one in the first Ori.....it was simple enough but touching, and essentially the same as Super Metroid.....it touched upon maternal instinct as the core, and to great effect. Will of the Wisps....eh, it was trying to recapture lightning and failed.

I'm somewhat enjoying Dread, and would be more if it didn't use chase mechanics.....I hate these. I find them cheap and unenjoyable....I don't like being put under pressure and chased through levels I've not had the opportunity to explore at my own leisure by an invincible adversary. I didn't enjoy it in RE7, I didn't like it in Warrior Within, and I don't like it here. It adds absolutely nothing to the gameplay.

I agree. The player is left to aimlessly try to escape through trial and error in an unexplored area.

I dig the EMMI sections. My main gripe at first was how they were too contained, but luckily they become more sprawling as the game progresses. Adds a nice bit of tension on the first pass, being unexplored is kinda the point. Then you're later rewarded with being able to explore such a previously tense section at your leisure.

Seems like something these games should have had all along.

Suppose it depends on how you play, but didn't really get into trial and error territory for me. More like a nice test of your handling on mobility and knowing when to pop your cloak. And pulling off that perfect parry if you do get caught? Sooooo good lol

But yeah if you didn't like Tyrant or Nemesis, won't like EMMI. Stuff like that always seems love or hate.

The one thing I do dislike is how lame it is to take them down. Find the longest clear stretch you can, then just unload. Meh.

On this forum? Probably need to read the room a bit better.

A lot of the Ori and HK fans are also long time Metroid fans.

The people constantly drudging up the comparisons with these super shit takes? Just in it for the SW shit. Never even seen these guys talk about these games until Dread was announced.

I've been playing Metroid since the series started. Super and Prime are among my all time favs. Also happen to like Ori and think HK is great. Was also very much looking forward to Dread and am definitely enjoying it. These games don't displace one another.

I'm catching the same vibe from other long time fans on this forum like Litche, Pyro, Mirko, Shady, etc.

Pushing back against dumb takes from people who likely haven't played any of these games is fine. It's not like we don't want Metroid to be top notch. Just no need to dunk on other great games to prop a game that throughout most of the discourse, wasn't even out yet.

It looks like a fun game and I'll pick it up, but jeez, why are posters getting so hot and bothered over DF analysis of a switch game?

My main problem with EMMI sections are that, in terms of offering anything to the gameplay, they’re chicken-with-the-head-cut-off moments.

I’m simply scrambling through the level as fast as I’m able, not knowing where the hell to go, running into walls, falling into ditches, trying to get to a point the game deems safe, often (as Pedro notes) with some trial and error. Perhaps not so much in the later game as I’m still early. I don’t enjoy being forced quickly through novel, open areas by an enemy I can do barely anything against (save an unpredictable Hail Mary), and I see little benefit to what it adds to the experience aside frustration.

In fairness, the Ori games had similar segments which I remember were a common complaint after release, but the difference was 1) they were treated as boss encounters and not interspersed throughout regular gameplay, and 2) they were designed as very linear and always cleverly signaled where to go. Always with Ori I felt the fault laid with my lack of skill or fumbled execution, hence the repetition didn’t bother me, and I always felt immense accomplishment alongside exhilaration after completing. Here? I only feel relief the section is over and (pardon the pun), dread towards the next.

If games are going to insist on doing this shit, IMO linearity in level design is a must to compensate for the gamer’s ignorance. Otherwise it leads to feelings of needless death and repetition at no fault of the player….which is just poor design.

lmfao The salt in this thread could empty the Dead Sea.

Especially after everyone faux shitting on the graphics.

I enjoy the E.M.M.I. sections myself. I like the tense running around trying to evade them. If caught you got two chances for a parry to escape and even if you die they don’t really punish that severely. Dying a few times trying to figure things out doesn’t really bother me too much.

@casey-wegner: 900p is still ass in this day and age...

Same. Thought it would be annoying, since it's pretty frequent. And also the amount of people saying it's annoying.

But no. It's fun.

720p in 2022 😭😭😭😭

@mysticaldonut: "The reviews I watched said the game is only about 9 hours in length. It is also a 2D sidescroller. No idea how or why this is priced at $59.99. Only Nintendo can get away with that."

This is literally every Sony exclusive.

I'm emulating it and playing in 4K 60FPS(Cutscenes still stuck in 30 FPS). While it's still looks okay, nothing to write home about, honestly.

@theam0g: lol.

David Jaffe has destroyed this game, yet again.

@uninspiredcup: This dude is about as dumb as it gets. The whole point of side area secrets is to make them hard to find.

What did he want? A facken sign that says, hey dumb player, shoot here to gain access.

Ironically, the game gives you exactly that. Twice.

Pulse Radar highlights every breakable piece on screen in blue. Then later the power bomb. Even beyond that, the map will flash in areas where you're missing something. Never had an easier time getting 100% on a Metroid game.

Looking at his hud, he was at the very start of the game so I get it.

I dunno, get why people don't like that stuff, just doesn't bother me. A lot of it can easily intuit. In other cases, secrets are best when ya know, they're actual secrets lol.

@uninspiredcup: all Metroid games have walls or ceilings that are destructible without any visual cues .. David Jaffe is going waaaaay too far with the comment about devs selling us shit .. just shows how childish, narrow minded and salty this dude is 🤦

David Jaffe exposed himself as being terrible at playing games. If you agree with his take you played yourself.

What Sony exclusives are 2D sidescroller and only 9 hours?

Last time Sony released a game this short, it was The Order 1886 and it got a ton of hate that canceled a planned sequel.

That is bad design dude.

It is hard to argue that is intuitive. What seems to be the case here is what is the norm for Metroid is being passed off as good design. In the screenshot shown, the game isn't indicating which sections are breakable or not. This will lead to players being lost especially when there is a lack of direction in a game in which the world is like a maze.

Sheep are defending this game with their heart n soul. First game in years, so they'll die for that one game.

Years?

Games MIA since late 2019, so almost two years.

Seeing some cool subtle nudges in the level design on this second play. Went for the grapple/bomb sequence break before Kraid, noticed that this is the immediate room before the sequence break area.

On my first play, thought it was odd how they present that upgrade so openly and especially so central to the room. Only section in the game like it. Turns out it's showing you exactly what to do in the following room to make the break.

Yeah that's cool. Not arguing it's great design, could have it either way, just not seeing a real issue either.

What you'll also notice in that room is that there are flying enemies and ceiling crawling enemies that will almost guarantee the player shoots at an upward angle. If the player somehow misses that, the map will highlight to show them they missed something. If the player somehow can't figure it out still, the game gives two permanent upgrades that will expose any hidden blocks in the area.

If the platforms need to have giant X's, obvious cracks or whatever else, not really fussed about it. Just don't see the big deal as it is.

I just want my breakable blocks highlighted bright and pink like it's a cliche in any other game that holds the player's hands.

Not like I ever expected an exploration game might get me lost as a part of the fun.

Who cares if there's actual systems in the game that enables player's to see breakable blocks as a part of Samus's suit abilities, it is bad design because I say so.

Doesn't matter if it's player incompetence, it is still bad design because my job as a gamer is to play with a pen and clipboard to find everything little thing to nitpick about so I can jump my way to hyperbole like "this game is awful" to "this is horrendous design because I like to nitpick. "

lol

@Pedro: dude it is not a bad design, it's a design choice by the devs .. if you don't like it that's fine I can understand .. but many gamers actually have fun trying to discover all secrets even if there are no clues on the map or in the world about them .. for me it's part of the fun ..

Jaffe's comments are way overboard that's my only issue ..

Its a bad design choice by the devs. Why is it so hard for you sheep to understand? Its mistake. Devs made a mistake. All we can hope for is for them to not make another mistake in Dread 2.

This is such a massive F up that i truly believe that this dev should apologize to their playerbase. If i was playing the game, i'd want an apology. Send a letter, a mail or come in person, it doesn't matter.

720P? 900p? disgusting lol.

Switch should have been a 1080p OLED that can run its PS2 looking games in 1080p/60fps, which I am sure would actually look decent on a tiny OLED display. Then docked should be 1440p/60 which should not be hard at all considering the game's fidelity. PS5 and XSX would be running them 8K/120fps. a decent PC would probably get 16K/240fps.

Shadow Complex on 360 is a better looking & better game than this old fuddie duddie.

Nintendo should have delivered us a new Metroid Prime. 2D games are all older gamers like us had back 30yrs ago, they are over & need to be put to rest.

Nintendo should have bashed out a game more akin to Returnal, as well as a new Prime. I love the character & artstyle of the games, I just can't stand the limited 2D crap. But each to their own, & I'm sure it will sell well on Switch.

Not hard when this is all you're getting, when everybody else is getting BF, COD, FC, Halo, Deathloop, Ratchet, Returnal, B4B, Forza, & masses of other games that push consoles to their limits with up to date technology. It is disappointing from my personal perspective to see this lazy garbage being churned out & Nintendo Stans lapping it ip like loyal puupy dogs being can fed cheap sh!t & screaming how great it tastes from the rafters.....lol. no thanks

@kizza_soze: Nobody wants Returnal mate. Game sold 500k, just deal with it. Nobody wants to play that junk. We all want this. This game is selling like hot cakes. Everyone is loving it, just look at the amazing reviews from everyone.

30fps is also much preferred. In fact make it a round, even, cinematic 24fps.

But it's good design when it's in FromSoft's games, right?

Secrets that are hard to find (in this case it wasn't even hard to find) is not bad design. Jaffe is a bad Metroid player and is salty about it, and would prefer to complain about the game rather than himself.

Returnal would be too hard for a Nintendo player these days....you only get hand holding Mario's & Mario Karts & 2D crap that sells because the 90million owners are literally so game deprived most of the time that Nintendo could give them crap on a stick, or generic 30yr old 2D dross & they will lap it up.

Don't care how much Returnal sold, all I care about is I have a copy & it literally sh!ts on your low budget over priced povo looking steaming pile of Tendo turd. 50 Cent Bulletproof sold A LOT MORE than way better games (SOTC/ICO) etc, but guess which ones I bought & played......

Speaking of 50 Cent Bulletproof, it deserves more props than Dread, as at least for it's time, it somewhat tried to take advantage of modern tech! hahahahaahaha

Wasn't being serious👀