MercurySteam absolutely hits it out of the park with Dread. The game is eerie, frightening, tense, exciting, and bombastic. The feeling of Samus as powerful and experienced is not lost in the slightest, and honestly, may be the best she's been represented with her attitude. The cutscenes, which I didn't really have the highest hopes for for a Metroid game, set the mood incredibly well, and the story, if a little wild and brow-raising at the end, is incredibly fun all the same. To see the culmination in events of Dread is really fantastic, even if, in a way, it feels kind of silly. It's great.

The bosses and enemies are all great, with fantastic designs, and the EMMI rooms are suitably horrifying with such an adrenaline rush that feels fantastic when you manage to get past them.

I'm so happy to see this game exists, and considering "Metroid Dread" has been something teased for years upon years, it certainly lives up to it.

My only complain is that some of the damage numbers feel incredibly overtuned from enemies and bosses, especially later in the game. It really just meant that I had to replay some bosses, but with how solid the combat is, it isn't too bad. The checkpointing being really good is also a major plus.

Overall, it is a fantastic game, and if you're interested in a new Metroid game, or a 2D platformer adventure game, definitely give this a shot.