So Metroid. A series that finally came into its own on the Super Nintendo with Super Metroid (1994), then fully skipped the N64 due to internal Nintendo politics or whatever, then had a pretty action-packed 2000s with Metroid Prime, Fusion, Zero Mission, Prime 2, and Prime 3 (2002-2007). Then 2010's Other M, followed by nothing until 2017's Samus Returns (2 Remake), and 2021's Dread.
I bring up the timeline, because I think Metroid is one of those series where it's on such unstable footing that fans are afraid Nintendo might quietly shelve it forever (the F-Zero treatment). It certainly seems like Other M was almost a "they killed Mass Effect" moment for the series, unless you want to tell me there was some master plan to Nintendo not releasing a new entry for 7 years.
I liked Metroid Dread, but it's a pretty standard Metroid and I'm afraid fans are simply happy that the series still even exists. My personal problem is that I want the series to evolve a little more, do something a little different. Metroidvanias have tried different stuff over time, but Metroid Dread feels like such a direct sequel to Metroid Fusion that you'd think Dread could've been a 2008-2010 era Wii game. There's been a whole renaissance of indie Metroidvanias in the 2010s, and Metroid is pretty firmly sticking to its traditions. If it ain't broke, don't fix it, and I have heard from quite a few people that Dread was their first Metroid so it's all new to them, but generations of gamers coming and going doesn't excuse Metroid being sorta the same every time.
Metroid Prime 4 is still an unknown, but it stands to reason that it's going to follow the Metroid Prime formula and please the fans of that subseries.
Looking forward to whatever Metroid game comes after Prime 4 (presumably from Mercury Steam):
One possible shakeup: do something that isn't quite 2D, isn't quite 3D again, like Other M. Ideally with a much better story, and a dodge move that isn't weirdly overpowered, and maybe Metroid doesn't need Metal Gear Solid 2-length cutscenes. That game was a lot of failures, but I appreciate that it was swinging for the fences and trying a bunch of weird perspective/gameplay ideas out for the series. More misses than hits, but I wish Nintendo would take risks with semi-dormant series more often.
Another possible shakeup: keep it 2D, but maybe it's time to get some new powers, or change Samus' core movement/attack in some major way. It's a little disheartening that most of the powers in Metroid Fusion/Metroid Dread are pretty much verbatim Super Metroid powers. In the same way that I think Zelda got too reliant on pulling out the old favourites (arrows, bombs, boomerang, hookshot, etc.) in every single entry, Metroid devs seem to feel obligated to include just about every Super Metroid item. I was weirdly excited by the end of Metroid Dread, where Samus' Metroid DNA fully awakens and changes her suit into this crazy clawed organic monstrosity. "Oh shit, is Samus going full Kerrigan, Queen of the Zerg? Is the series called Metroid because from now on, YOU ARE THE METROID?", I excitedly asked myself. No, they chicken out 10 minutes later and a parasite ghost birdman purges Samus of the Metroidiness. Seriously though, look at this (spoilery) dumb anime shit:
It would've been a significant visual rebrand, but if they had committed to that change, the next game would have to acknowledge it and probably swap out some of her base abilities for something a little more unusual. Regardless, Dread kinda closed the book on this era of Metroid, so it seems like they're going to have to introduce some new antagonist or conflict, so hopefully they use that opportunity to also do something different with the gameplay and upgrades.
While we're talking upgrades/collectibles, I think the Metroid collectibles situation is dire. In the past I would've said they're fun to search for, but the process is a little more dull in Dread. Mostly you just shoot missiles at random corners of the room that are suspiciously empty or out-of-the-way, and if it's too crazily hidden the game instead gives you a flashing box on the map saying "item here, you dipshit." I'll say I had a much more engaging time using abilities in inventive ways to find hidden areas and access new collectibles in something like Hollow Knight or Axiom Verge 2. In Dread, 90% of the collectibles are visible but obviously gated by a certain ability and once you return with the ability it is pretty trivial to get the collectible, and the other 10% are gated by a convoluted shinespark/speed booster sequence. Man, the shinespark thing seems like such a relic of clunky SNES game design, I'm amazed it even lived to see Metroid Fusion. The idea that they still think those puzzles are particularly fun in 2021 is insane to me. Please retire that mechanic.
And then the collectible reward itself is like 2 missiles. Spoiler alert for Metroid Dread: you probably never need more than like 100 missiles. Enemies drop them all the time, you have analogue aiming unlike Super Metroid and Fusion so you'll probably misfire in boss fights way less often, and also just about every boss gives you health/missiles as you progress through the phases of the fight. The energy tanks are nice, but at a certain point all the missile tank/power bomb expansion pickups are meaningless overkill, and I wish the collectibles had a little more oomph to them. Lots of other Metroidvanias have done different things in this regard - I encourage Metroid to try something new.
In closing, I can understand Metroid: Samus Returns playing things pretty safe with being an expanded remake of a Game Boy game, but as much as I liked Metroid Dread, I still think it plays things extremely safe with most of the gameplay and abilities. It feels a little stale, like I'm just playing a slightly snappier 90s platformer. They could be doing more. I liked Metroid Dread, but at the same time I think it's the last time I need to play a traditional-style Metroid.
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