Metroid Dread – Likes & Gripes

 

⚠️SPOILER WARNING⚠️

Samus (finally) returns to 2D!

Likes

• The mysterious plot is a big motivator to keep advancing.
• The controls are solid (Samus moves nice and quick).
• Gradual increase in difficulty is handled nicely. 
• Consistently steady frame rate.
• A great game to play in handheld mode on the OLED Switch.
• Blinking areas in the map to show there's a hidden item is very helpful.*

Gripes

• The E.M.M.I. are more a nuisance than a source of nightmare fuel.
• Boss battles can be rough if you're a newcomer and not properly equipped (especially Kraid). 
• The amount of backtracking can be a bit annoying.**
• Some of those speed booster puzzles are obnoxious. 
• Felt I needed a guide more times than I care for when it came to finding items (missile tanks, energy tanks/parts, etc.)...***
• Not really a gripe, but I want a sequel right now!

SCORE: 5/5

*This is especially so if you're aiming for a 100% run.

**Backtracking did encourage me to find the quickest, most time-efficient routes to get where I wanted to go.

***This is the first 2D Metroid I really got invested in, so this may just be part of the learning curve regarding Metroidvanias.