4.5/5 ★ – Madsines's review of Metroid Dread.

As a kid, I absolutely loved the Metroid Prime series, but never got around to playing any of the 2D games. This was a fantastic experience overall, with easily some of the best boss battles I've ever played. Particularly the last boss, which is a heart pounding test of skill and reflexes that never feels unfair or cheap. The movement and controls are incredibly fluid, although the game does give you a few too many abilities at your disposal in my opinion, making a few of the more complex moves feel very finicky to pull off. The double jump is also incredibly weird to get used to, as it doesn't behave as you'd expect. The EMMI encounters really added a sense of well...dread to the game. I found them to be very frustrating at times, but the satisfaction you get when you finally come back and blow them to shit makes up for it. I also felt the game was a little linear at times, pushing you through to the next objective fairly directly without much in the way of exploration. Despite these gripes, the awesome presentation and incredible boss battles make this one of the best games I've played this year. Playtime: 13 Hours Platform: Nintendo Switch