Metroid Dread 2D perpetuates with no sign of aging in the franchise

Good language says that old pot makes good food, which may or may not show signs of delays in the process. For those who don’t know, Metroid dread It is a project that began 15 years ago, far back in 2006, and is still in the hands of Retro Studios, which has brilliantly transformed the franchise into 3D with the Prime series.

At the time, the studio even denied being involved in creating a new 2D Metroid. The title has been canceled twice – not postponed, but expired – but now, in 2021, it’s finally seeing the much-needed light of day, under the tutelage of MercurySteam, which is also being developed The return of SamosSuccessful remake Metroid 2, for 3DS.

Metroid dread It represents the new phase of the two-dimensional franchise, parallel to the work in progress in Metroid Prime 4. success The return of SamosWhich was released in 2017, had Nintendo turn to MercurySteam again to bring the Dread project to life. The reading that is made, and speaking of marketing, is that there is an audience for the traditional two-dimensional model of franchising.

The level design school, which is a mainstay of the series, still resonates Metroid dread? Let’s go to think.

Check out the video analysis of Metroid dread:

Fusion orphans, unite

Metroid dread It is a direct continuation of Metroid Fusion, released in 2002 on the Game Boy Advance, in which the protagonist faces the threat of X, a parasite that can take the form of whatever infects him. The extinction of this species was reported after the Fusion events, until its effects were seen on the distant planet ZDR. Then, seven search bots called EMMI are sent to the site to check the supposed signal of the threat, but they lose contact with the base soon after.

To investigate and understand what happened, Samus Aran is sent to the region and, after the franchise script, literally loses all his powers at the beginning of the adventure, after confronting a warrior from Chozo, who has been part of the civilization that has been around since the beginning of the series. After depriving her of her skills, the bounty hunter discovers that the EMMI is also on its way, and that in order to destroy it, it is necessary to absorb mysterious energy from the central units of the planet.

This franchise, in a brief but fascinating reflection on the way Nintendo operates, carries a bleak tone atypical for Nintendo standards. Exploring an inhospitable planet dominated by an alien threat – with a cool streak of loneliness – makes an interesting counterpoint to the colorful and familiar palette of other Big N characters. fear, expect the same intimate content from fusion, but with additional stealth elements, here it is well integrated into the gameplay.

–Source: Voxel/Tekmundo

2D presses on miracles

From a game design point of view, the gameplay can be challenging, although I prefer the term “challenging”, the execution mechanics over an exploration system already built into the industry, in a sub-genre, along with CastlevaniaBaptism was given to the concept of Metroidvania. MercurySteam managed to crown the experience with a welcome subtlety.

The first is counterattack, calculated as exact science – good old Barry. foot in The return of Samos, also canceled by Metroid: other mIt was released on Wii in 2010. fear It refines the blow so precisely, Samus can respond to attacks while on the move (not just stationary) and damage single melee charges by pressing X. So you’re not hostage to a single function of this while playing – and this expanded possibility gives a new layer to combat.

The big news here, as I mentioned Stealth, is the presence of EMMI: there are seven of them throughout the adventure, each with a different behaviour, in an AI that, at first glance, might seem simple, a hunt, based on hiding here and there. Indeed, throughout the journey, the algorithm translates into something larger and leads to the unpredictable, creating an anticipation of tension in the player, causing him to wonder, all the time, what the next showdown with EMMI will be like

The planning, implementation and design of infiltration are done with level design

Samus even gains the ability to become temporarily invisible to escape these distractions, but the use of this device is of course limited, and one of these stealth mechanism spells is specifically the potion of its use, the strategy the player needs to invent to cross an area that is scanned by EMMI

This is not a stealth for stealth. It is a stealth planner, execution and fitted with level design. In the end, patience is the great gift to have from a player. Rushing, in turn, is a punishment. If one of these bots gets taken over, there is little chance that it will backfire by pressing the button in the correct split second.

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Metroid Dread 2D perpetuates with no sign of aging in the franchise

Metroid Dread 2D perpetuates with no sign of aging in the franchise

Metroid Dread 2D perpetuates with no sign of aging in the franchise

Metroid Dread 2D perpetuates with no sign of aging in the franchise

Metroid Dread 2D perpetuates with no sign of aging in the franchise

Metroid Dread 2D perpetuates with no sign of aging in the franchise

Metroid Dread 2D perpetuates with no sign of aging in the franchise

Level design and cohesion: a high-end school

level design Metroid dread It’s scary, at best: the maps, branching out into large vertical and horizontal junctions, connect in such an organic and stitched way that you feel lost – one of the paradoxical sensations that metroid It brings it since its inception in 1986.

It’s good to get confused when you get around to such competent acoustic engineering. Indeed, if you look at the map carefully to try to follow a coherent flow of exploration as the events unfold, the paths naturally unfold and then reconnect, in a great tangle of shoelaces that unfurls from an intense dose of exploration – but that offers, above all, cohesion .

Explore in metroid, means reward and frustration in equal measure. Backtracking (i.e. going and going) cemented the franchise to what it is today. Don’t expect less than Metroid dread In fact, there are facilitators who make it easier for you to walk. However, the backgrounds are not as striking postcards as in the other entries in the series. They traditionally tell stories, expand knowledge, and explore the Chuzu civilization. in a fearIt can be easily forgotten.

–Source: Voxel/Tekmundo

About the difficulty factor…

Many people have raised questions about Metroid dread No specific difficulty. Personally, I think it’s Providence that there isn’t one specifically because of the game’s organic proposition, with increased difficulty, complex crossings, and challenging bosses, requiring minimal study in order to be defeated.

There are more difficult or easier Metroids than fear Distributed on the franchise schedule. In my opinion, which by no means drinks a consensus, but a single opinion, the game falls well within the expected range, with good biomes variety, great references and some facilitators as well, such as the check points on the bosses door (not just point keeping), And markers to include on the map and hidden item locator, to name a few.

The game runs at 60fps with a significant drop in specific moments, especially in confrontations involving explosions and particles, which obviously puts a strain on performance.

–Source: Voxel/Tekmundo

Rule

Metroid dread It is living proof that the franchise not only performs extremely well in 2D but also remains a PhD in design, organically leading the player to their goals, cleverly and methodically, and stitched, coherent and intuitive, in breakouts of combat and acrobatics.

First-time sailors can take 6-8 hours from the initial gamble, but on-demand “fillers” can take 12-15 hours to reach 100% of the items collected.

Each upgrade purchased is a new reminder of how metroid It still performs well with the shafts it founded in 1986. Aside from occasional drops in frame rate, another big caveat fearFor me, already mentioned in this analysis, is that the scenarios do not have the same inspiration as the previous ones.

–Source: nintendo

background scenes metroid Traditionally telling stories and allowing the player to peruse museums that expand the rich knowledge of the franchise, but here the immersion is not the same – in this sense, Super Metroid, which was released in 1994 on the Super Nintendo, is still of paramount importance to me, especially given the hardware limitations of the time.

Metroid dread Is a good housing until arrival Metroid Prime 4, which changes the perspective disc under the same level design philosophy. At the moment, 2D does not give the slightest sign of age for the franchise.

Nota Voxel: 90

Metroid Dread is another great PhD dissertation on level design and continues to give the player a paradoxical feeling: like to get lost

Metroid Dread was provided by Nintendo for this analysis.