5/5 ★ – Artagah's review of Metroid Dread.

Before playing Dread I went through every single Metroid game before it in story order. Zero Mission and Fusion on the GBA, Super Metroid on the SNES Switch Online app, and Samus Returns on the 3DS, and am I glad that I did, because after experiencing the absolutely FLAWLESS, fluid, responsive, perfect controls, animations and the overall feel of Dread, I'm not sure how I'd be able to go back to any previous Metroid game. The game picks up right where Fusion left off and sets you loose on yet another hostile planet. The game takes best elements from every Metroid game and builds upon them. The classic conventions from Super Metroid, storytelling techniques of Fusion, Aeion abilities and free aim from Samus Returns, etc. While I do love how hard it is to get lost, how well the game guides you and how intuitive the path forward is, I did feel slightly constrained at times, unable to go back to the areas I just came from until much much later in the game, but I guess that's the tradeoff for clarity. Dread has the most difficult combat of all the Metroid games, but in the absolute best way possible. The game was designed with modern sensibilities, where every single enemy attack has a clear tell and gives you time to react. The game feels difficult, sure, but it's also incredibly fair, meaning that if you die - it's entirely your fault. Every time you fail, it's a learning opportunity, and the next time you encounter the same obstacle, you know exactly how to react! I loved trying the bosses and EMMI sections over and over and perfecting my techniques! Speaking of EMMI - the game really does live up to it's name. Samus is helpless against these ruthless killing machines, so all you can do is run away and hide, and when they see you and start chasing you down, it really is terrifying! Those were some of the most fun, stressful sections in the game 😁 All in all, Dread is one of my top games on 2021 and I absolutely can't wait to see what Mercury Steam is working on next!