MercurySteam's second crack at the Metroid series is a welcome improvement over 2017's OK-tier Samus Returns, with refinements across the board on pretty much everything that bogged down its predecessor---while that game was a victim in part to the constraints of the then-declining 3DS, Dread seizes the Switch's improved (albeit still limited) hardware, rendering environments with much greater detail and bolstering its action-packed gameplay with consistently smooth performance at 60 FPS. Sounds perfect so far, right?
Not always. Load times between zones can be 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠, though it wasn't enough to sour the experience for me. I also felt that they tried a bit too hard to make the game's map intuitive---while I appreciate the effort in making traversal across Dread's world as handy as possible for the player, the map just looks far too cluttered to my eyes. MercurySteam's bright and cartoon-y visual style isn't really my bag either, but I can acknowledge that it largely comes down to personal preference, and the game does look quite nice overall. There is one thing I simply can't excuse though, and that's the music---Dread's score is...well, fine. It's certainly not bad, and it generally suits the game's environments and boss fights decently, but for a series with some of the best OSTs in all of video games, it fell painfully short for me.
There's no debating that Dread feels and plays great. Those who enjoyed the fast and snappy movement of Fusion will adore this one---Samus controls like a dream, and the many tricks in her arsenal always feel responsive and precise. Call me old, but I prefer the glacially-paced progression of Super and Prime (especially scanning with the latter). Sure, it can be frustrating at times, but I loved how those games forced you to think carefully about your each and every move, rather than just sprinting through the map manically shooting everything in sight.
Nonetheless, Dread is a quality Metroidvania. I don't think it holds a candle to Super, but it remains a deeply satisfying game after such a long wait.
Not always. Load times between zones can be 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠, though it wasn't enough to sour the experience for me. I also felt that they tried a bit too hard to make the game's map intuitive---while I appreciate the effort in making traversal across Dread's world as handy as possible for the player, the map just looks far too cluttered to my eyes. MercurySteam's bright and cartoon-y visual style isn't really my bag either, but I can acknowledge that it largely comes down to personal preference, and the game does look quite nice overall. There is one thing I simply can't excuse though, and that's the music---Dread's score is...well, fine. It's certainly not bad, and it generally suits the game's environments and boss fights decently, but for a series with some of the best OSTs in all of video games, it fell painfully short for me.
There's no debating that Dread feels and plays great. Those who enjoyed the fast and snappy movement of Fusion will adore this one---Samus controls like a dream, and the many tricks in her arsenal always feel responsive and precise. Call me old, but I prefer the glacially-paced progression of Super and Prime (especially scanning with the latter). Sure, it can be frustrating at times, but I loved how those games forced you to think carefully about your each and every move, rather than just sprinting through the map manically shooting everything in sight.
Nonetheless, Dread is a quality Metroidvania. I don't think it holds a candle to Super, but it remains a deeply satisfying game after such a long wait.