Metroid Dread

Metroid Dread is an action-adventure game in which players control bounty hunter Samus Aran as she explores the planet ZDR. It retains the side-scrolling gameplay of previous Metroid games, alongside the free-aim and melee attacks added in Samus Returns (2017). As the player explores, they discover new items and weapons, allowing them to access new areas.

I. robots in certain areas by hiding, reducing her noise, and using the Phantom Cloak, camouflage that makes her invisible but slows her movement. I. catches Samus, the player has two narrow windows in which they have to perform melee counters and escape.

The Galactic Federation receives evidence that the X, a dangerous species of parasite that can mimic any creature it infects, survives on the remote planet ZDR. They dispatch seven E.M.M.I. (Extraplanetary Multiform Mobile Identifier) robots to ZDR to investigate, but lose contact. The Federation sends Samus Aran to ZDR to investigate.

Underground, Samus encounters a mysterious Chozo warrior who destroys the exit, defeats her in combat, and strips her suit of most of its abilities. Her ship's computer, Adam, instructs her to find another path to the surface and return to her ship. , which have been reprogrammed. She escapes and absorbs a mysterious energy from one of the planet's central units.

The Metroid producer, Yoshio Sakamoto, conceived Metroid Dread for the handheld Nintendo DS console. It came from the concept of having Samus followed by "dread" on an unfamiliar planet. Sakamoto wanted to expand on the stealth sequences in Metroid Fusion (2002) and combine them with traditional Metroid gameplay. Though he did not want Dread to be a horror game, he aimed to explore "fear-based gameplay".

Development for DS began around 2005. The title Metroid Dread first appeared that year on an internal Nintendo software list of "key DS games set to be announced in the future", triggering expectation that it would appear at the E3 conference. There was no public announcement, but a plot summary was shown to select members of the press at E3 2005, including the IGN journalist Craig Harris. In late 2005, rumors spread that Metroid Dread had been canceled or was in development hell.

On the review aggregator website Metacritic, Metroid Dread has a score of 88 out of 100, indicating "generally favorable" reviews. -esque encounters with enemies that mimic your move set". Chris Carter of Destructoid said Dread "masterfully" executed the Metroidvania formula, and that it "doesn't take a lot of big swings, but it rarely bats a foul ball". Nintendo Life's PJ O'Reilly liked the returning mechanics and the newer additions, saying "it always feels as though you've got a ton of choice in how to explore and move around your richly detailed surroundings".

Joe Findly of CGMagazine wrote that "Metroid Dread is a wonderful, modern take on a classic game from childhood". IGN wrote that it "brings back the legendary exploration and progression and merges it with excellent modern combat and some of the best boss fights ever".