How scary is Metroid Dread actually?
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Date: 2023-12-10
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Comments and reviews: 30
-jensennguyen02
Its funny a lot of the things you said about metroid dread did add that feeling of dread to me. Like seeing an emmi zone door, knowing whats up ahead, I dreaded going into it and mentally prepped myself to go through it.
Though I would say that a lot of that comes down to my confidence as a player. The tricks that dread uses like making you fully aware of the emmis presence is uncomfortable for players who are less confident since you KNOW it can see you when you don't want it to and a great tool for more skilled players that want to navigate area fully aware of the emmis shortcomings.
Even as a less confident player, that feeling does lessen throughout the game which is interesting since while you do feel like you are taking over the planet, you just have less in your way. They do ramp up the emmi challenges but its not enough to meet that initial high. What they really could have done is trick player expectations more, like an emmi deciding to break past its zone to scout more or even expanding its zone for a section that traps samus within the actual quadrant for a bit. Possibly having two emmis with lesser capabilities patrolling the area and etc. Take opportunities to feel less comfortable with how an emmi will act on an initial playthrough cause by the second emmi you have it all figured out
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Its funny a lot of the things you said about metroid dread did add that feeling of dread to me. Like seeing an emmi zone door, knowing whats up ahead, I dreaded going into it and mentally prepped myself to go through it.
Though I would say that a lot of that comes down to my confidence as a player. The tricks that dread uses like making you fully aware of the emmis presence is uncomfortable for players who are less confident since you KNOW it can see you when you don't want it to and a great tool for more skilled players that want to navigate area fully aware of the emmis shortcomings.
Even as a less confident player, that feeling does lessen throughout the game which is interesting since while you do feel like you are taking over the planet, you just have less in your way. They do ramp up the emmi challenges but its not enough to meet that initial high. What they really could have done is trick player expectations more, like an emmi deciding to break past its zone to scout more or even expanding its zone for a section that traps samus within the actual quadrant for a bit. Possibly having two emmis with lesser capabilities patrolling the area and etc. Take opportunities to feel less comfortable with how an emmi will act on an initial playthrough cause by the second emmi you have it all figured out
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-chickensangwich97
Dread definitely isn't a horror game, I think the title is more of a carry-over (a Z O M B I E) from all of the earlier, aborted attempts at making it through the years. If this game was made from scratch and Nintendo said -what are we going to call it? - they'd probably pick something like -Metroid: Heritage- or -Metroid: Dynasty. -
It's definitely freaky and nerve-wracking to be sitting in invisible morph ball mode as an EMMI stares right at you, stock-still, and that power meter is steadily dripping away. but that feeling definitely is not Dread. Which is totally fine and great, it just means the title is a bit of an awkward fit.
Also, it is hilarious that they didn't come up with some techno-babble or phlebotinum explanation for why the EMMIs are unstoppable. The in-game, canon explanation for why the EMMIs are such a grave threat is -i dunno man, they're made of something that's like really really hard. - What you ask? Doesn't matter, point is it's hard.
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Dread definitely isn't a horror game, I think the title is more of a carry-over (a Z O M B I E) from all of the earlier, aborted attempts at making it through the years. If this game was made from scratch and Nintendo said -what are we going to call it? - they'd probably pick something like -Metroid: Heritage- or -Metroid: Dynasty. -
It's definitely freaky and nerve-wracking to be sitting in invisible morph ball mode as an EMMI stares right at you, stock-still, and that power meter is steadily dripping away. but that feeling definitely is not Dread. Which is totally fine and great, it just means the title is a bit of an awkward fit.
Also, it is hilarious that they didn't come up with some techno-babble or phlebotinum explanation for why the EMMIs are unstoppable. The in-game, canon explanation for why the EMMIs are such a grave threat is -i dunno man, they're made of something that's like really really hard. - What you ask? Doesn't matter, point is it's hard.
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-TeganCantEven
Despite all of these valid criticisms; Dread had me on edge the entire time. Even when I wasn-t in an E. M. M. I. room; the foreboding feeling of knowing I had to go into one again to progress always sat in the back of my mind. And no matter how many new weapons you unlock, you still have to run for your life from them. Fusion was definitely more terrifying overall though. My first time playing through Fusion I was basically on the verge of actual panic the entire time. Upon completing the game, I immediately created another save file and began playing through it a second time. And despite knowing what was coming, it was still terrifying. Whereas Dread was almost punishing. Dread is a gauntlet of pain. I was overjoyed when I finally beat it, but unlike every other 2D Metroid and Other M, I don-t have the immediate desire to go back and play it a second time.
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Despite all of these valid criticisms; Dread had me on edge the entire time. Even when I wasn-t in an E. M. M. I. room; the foreboding feeling of knowing I had to go into one again to progress always sat in the back of my mind. And no matter how many new weapons you unlock, you still have to run for your life from them. Fusion was definitely more terrifying overall though. My first time playing through Fusion I was basically on the verge of actual panic the entire time. Upon completing the game, I immediately created another save file and began playing through it a second time. And despite knowing what was coming, it was still terrifying. Whereas Dread was almost punishing. Dread is a gauntlet of pain. I was overjoyed when I finally beat it, but unlike every other 2D Metroid and Other M, I don-t have the immediate desire to go back and play it a second time.
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-devforfun5618
i always felt dread in metroid, thanks to health station and save point NOT being the same thing, so you wander the level at low health barely scraping by because there is no safe way to gain health if you dont know were the nearest refil is, in dread they actually made it easier to regain health and avoid damage with respawnable enemies that are easy to parry, so instead they made one enemy that can instakill you, but then gave you a lot of warning for when it appears
i think some improvements could be:
make emmi stealthier so you bump into them more often
make it damage you when he grabs you, and make the parry easier or automatic, so you escape, but barelly alive
now you know were he is, and the next mistake will kill you, and even if you escape, now every enemy is dangerous until you regain health
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i always felt dread in metroid, thanks to health station and save point NOT being the same thing, so you wander the level at low health barely scraping by because there is no safe way to gain health if you dont know were the nearest refil is, in dread they actually made it easier to regain health and avoid damage with respawnable enemies that are easy to parry, so instead they made one enemy that can instakill you, but then gave you a lot of warning for when it appears
i think some improvements could be:
make emmi stealthier so you bump into them more often
make it damage you when he grabs you, and make the parry easier or automatic, so you escape, but barelly alive
now you know were he is, and the next mistake will kill you, and even if you escape, now every enemy is dangerous until you regain health
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-PaperFlare
I hate to be that guy, but I feel Dread was excellent in SPITE of Sakamoto, not BECAUSE of him. Keep in mind that this game would still be nothing more than a vague easter egg in Prime 3 if it weren't for the dedication and passion of a small Spainish studio who took the risk of basically making a Fusion Remastered tech demo and pitch it to Nintendo five or so years ago. And while there were definitely rough edges on Samus Returns, they clearly listened to feedback and perfected a lot of what the game did well, and changed what it didn't, for Dread.
Mercury Steam clearly has a better understanding of what Metroid is, both as a franchise AND as genre, than Sakamoto does.
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I hate to be that guy, but I feel Dread was excellent in SPITE of Sakamoto, not BECAUSE of him. Keep in mind that this game would still be nothing more than a vague easter egg in Prime 3 if it weren't for the dedication and passion of a small Spainish studio who took the risk of basically making a Fusion Remastered tech demo and pitch it to Nintendo five or so years ago. And while there were definitely rough edges on Samus Returns, they clearly listened to feedback and perfected a lot of what the game did well, and changed what it didn't, for Dread.
Mercury Steam clearly has a better understanding of what Metroid is, both as a franchise AND as genre, than Sakamoto does.
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-zalden2565
For me, it lost most of its sense of -dread- due to modern gaming devices aimed at accessibility. How scary is it really when you have unlimited tries with zero consequences? You start right back at the door! Lacking a tangible element of consequence (like losing game progress and time invested) really prevents fear from setting in. Of course, it could become immensely frustrating if you had to try this over and over by starting over 10 minutes away from the door (like getting a game over in the NES days) and turn most players away.
I suppose there-s a fine balance to be struck and I just feel Dread didn-t quite hit the mark. Even still, it-s a pretty great game!
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For me, it lost most of its sense of -dread- due to modern gaming devices aimed at accessibility. How scary is it really when you have unlimited tries with zero consequences? You start right back at the door! Lacking a tangible element of consequence (like losing game progress and time invested) really prevents fear from setting in. Of course, it could become immensely frustrating if you had to try this over and over by starting over 10 minutes away from the door (like getting a game over in the NES days) and turn most players away.
I suppose there-s a fine balance to be struck and I just feel Dread didn-t quite hit the mark. Even still, it-s a pretty great game!
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-TheRestlessView
Honestly I Metroid dread is really a game about how little focks Samus has to give. Like the emmi had a chance to be scary but they break the biggest horror rule -do not show that the monster can be killed-. And then the game really starts to turn into, -ok emmi you go practice falling down and I'll be back with a Omega beam as soon as I find it. - And pretty much every boss is her not so much getting ready to fight but just taunting them in a way. And then you kill the experiment x and the way she turns on the fans she is just so done and wants to just blow up the planet and go home.
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Honestly I Metroid dread is really a game about how little focks Samus has to give. Like the emmi had a chance to be scary but they break the biggest horror rule -do not show that the monster can be killed-. And then the game really starts to turn into, -ok emmi you go practice falling down and I'll be back with a Omega beam as soon as I find it. - And pretty much every boss is her not so much getting ready to fight but just taunting them in a way. And then you kill the experiment x and the way she turns on the fans she is just so done and wants to just blow up the planet and go home.
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-ghdude150
I feel like the E. M. M. I. Encounters were pretty terrifying when I found myself in them, and knowing that I had to go through their zones to progress filled me with a sense of dread. While the SA-X kept an overarching sense a fear throughout all of Fusion (at least until you get ice missiles) I still would often forget about the SA-X unless I heard it's footsteps, saw it, or Adam brought it up, which ended up giving me the same feeling I felt with Metroid Dread and the E. M. M. I.
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I feel like the E. M. M. I. Encounters were pretty terrifying when I found myself in them, and knowing that I had to go through their zones to progress filled me with a sense of dread. While the SA-X kept an overarching sense a fear throughout all of Fusion (at least until you get ice missiles) I still would often forget about the SA-X unless I heard it's footsteps, saw it, or Adam brought it up, which ended up giving me the same feeling I felt with Metroid Dread and the E. M. M. I.
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-MrSmitheroons
I'm confident I'm going to remember this as that one time Polygon just did a cooking video. And I'm going to vaguely wonder if the b plot of the episode was a Game Theory TM-style theory that actually, Samus is secretly a chef and you didn't know it. (Admittedly more a thing BDG might do. But if Jenna was BDG and it was about that)
Meanwhile, I still remember what this actually was at the moment, and it was a treat! Thanks Polygon!
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I'm confident I'm going to remember this as that one time Polygon just did a cooking video. And I'm going to vaguely wonder if the b plot of the episode was a Game Theory TM-style theory that actually, Samus is secretly a chef and you didn't know it. (Admittedly more a thing BDG might do. But if Jenna was BDG and it was about that)
Meanwhile, I still remember what this actually was at the moment, and it was a treat! Thanks Polygon!
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-ssssssstssssssss
Your analysis missed the mark. The uncertainty is still definitely there. Death is certain if we come in contact, so we devise a plan to avoid contact. The uncertainty is in whether that plan will succeed. That is what creates -dread-. Also, gaining a power only to lose it enhances your feeling of powerlessness, it does not rid you of it. You'll feel much poorer if you were once rich than if you never had money.
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Your analysis missed the mark. The uncertainty is still definitely there. Death is certain if we come in contact, so we devise a plan to avoid contact. The uncertainty is in whether that plan will succeed. That is what creates -dread-. Also, gaining a power only to lose it enhances your feeling of powerlessness, it does not rid you of it. You'll feel much poorer if you were once rich than if you never had money.
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-notatallheng
The one thing I was genuinely dreading in this game was for (spoilers)
the EMMIs to break their programming and start hunting Samus throughout the game world. Jenna's comments help to clarify this - until that happens, whenever you're outside the EMMI zones, you can be sure you're safe, which undercuts the feeling of uncertainty. More spoilers follow.
. and of course, it never actually happens. Le sigh.
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The one thing I was genuinely dreading in this game was for (spoilers)
the EMMIs to break their programming and start hunting Samus throughout the game world. Jenna's comments help to clarify this - until that happens, whenever you're outside the EMMI zones, you can be sure you're safe, which undercuts the feeling of uncertainty. More spoilers follow.
. and of course, it never actually happens. Le sigh.
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-2yoyoyo1Unplugged
Gotta say, you-re funny. All your critiques also have clear merit to them. That said, I disagree that Dread falls short in the anxiety department. I think standards for it are likely stricter than most, given that you are clearly versed in horror tropes. Plus, Dread wasn-t meant to be ALL about horror. It has to be an epic action game and a closing chapter to an ongoing narrative too.
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Gotta say, you-re funny. All your critiques also have clear merit to them. That said, I disagree that Dread falls short in the anxiety department. I think standards for it are likely stricter than most, given that you are clearly versed in horror tropes. Plus, Dread wasn-t meant to be ALL about horror. It has to be an epic action game and a closing chapter to an ongoing narrative too.
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-angelastronaut
Often I feel like horror/action titles want to be like Aliens: to have their scary monsters and big guns too. But they forget the marines were all helplessly slaughtered before the midpoint of the movie, and it's not until the final encounter that Ripley gets the power suit and then turns the tables. The pay off is worth it, if it isn't handed to you at the start.
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Often I feel like horror/action titles want to be like Aliens: to have their scary monsters and big guns too. But they forget the marines were all helplessly slaughtered before the midpoint of the movie, and it's not until the final encounter that Ripley gets the power suit and then turns the tables. The pay off is worth it, if it isn't handed to you at the start.
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-chrismanuel9768
Also making an enemy singular makes them scarier because it feels more personal. When there's a half dozen of them it's like, okay, there's these things. They're not unique, they're not unkillable, they're just dudes. Then you kill em.
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Also making an enemy singular makes them scarier because it feels more personal. When there's a half dozen of them it's like, okay, there's these things. They're not unique, they're not unkillable, they're just dudes. Then you kill em.
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-caseysailor9301
I gave up after an hour. I can't get over how vulnerable your character starts. Same reason I hate horror games in general but not action horror. Samus is just weak at the beginning and I'm too scared to get her hurt.
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I gave up after an hour. I can't get over how vulnerable your character starts. Same reason I hate horror games in general but not action horror. Samus is just weak at the beginning and I'm too scared to get her hurt.
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-sitodev
I-ve never really seen anyone else talking about this, I completely agree. Dread is a great game, but it still fundamentally failed at what it set out to do, both in terms of horror and concluding the series.
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I-ve never really seen anyone else talking about this, I completely agree. Dread is a great game, but it still fundamentally failed at what it set out to do, both in terms of horror and concluding the series.
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-Battfro
6: 13 -Other M was well received when it was released. - You had me for a while, but I got to disagree on that one. Peeps were hating on Other M like it was no one's business. Fine video otherwise.
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6: 13 -Other M was well received when it was released. - You had me for a while, but I got to disagree on that one. Peeps were hating on Other M like it was no one's business. Fine video otherwise.
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-GoetiaTV
I felt dread every time I had to go to an EMMI zone in later parts of the game. When I didn-t know what their special abilities were. Lots of good points made. And delicious looking -soup-
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I felt dread every time I had to go to an EMMI zone in later parts of the game. When I didn-t know what their special abilities were. Lots of good points made. And delicious looking -soup-
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-OrionDanjuma
hilarious. -nah, dude. whatever. - i still think the game has some great feelings of limited power and being hunted for a nintendo flagship switch title. but this is a good critique.
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hilarious. -nah, dude. whatever. - i still think the game has some great feelings of limited power and being hunted for a nintendo flagship switch title. but this is a good critique.
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-penguinfaced
I feel like they wanted to make it as scary as the sa-x moments, but by making Samus a more stoic, badass character made the horror more of a thriller. It still works pretty well
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I feel like they wanted to make it as scary as the sa-x moments, but by making Samus a more stoic, badass character made the horror more of a thriller. It still works pretty well
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-starblade8719
Dread isn-t a horror game. Its an action game that throws annoying unkillable monsters at you occasionally that you just kinda have to get through to enjoy the actual game
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Dread isn-t a horror game. Its an action game that throws annoying unkillable monsters at you occasionally that you just kinda have to get through to enjoy the actual game
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-seratoxin3825
-Other M was well-received when it was released. -
. by whom!
seriously, no, it was not. it was heralded as a franchise-killer immediately. everyone hated it.
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-Other M was well-received when it was released. -
. by whom!
seriously, no, it was not. it was heralded as a franchise-killer immediately. everyone hated it.
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-angelastronaut
As both a horror fanatic and a kitchen newbie, I am equal parts fascinated and flustered by this review. I suppose I never stood a chance with the ending twist
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As both a horror fanatic and a kitchen newbie, I am equal parts fascinated and flustered by this review. I suppose I never stood a chance with the ending twist
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-Antiphar
Despite being salty about roombas and exes, Jenna always manages to pepper her reviews with good humor. What a sage. she makes us all take stock of our lives.
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Despite being salty about roombas and exes, Jenna always manages to pepper her reviews with good humor. What a sage. she makes us all take stock of our lives.
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polygon
Spent the whole video trying to figure out why the energy of Jenna's narration was so unsettling, but luckily I think the plot twist at the end explains it
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Spent the whole video trying to figure out why the energy of Jenna's narration was so unsettling, but luckily I think the plot twist at the end explains it
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-zamuy12479
Metroid Dread was definitely a flawed game, and i don't think it hit the mark of what it could've been.
but it was good, and I liked it.
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Metroid Dread was definitely a flawed game, and i don't think it hit the mark of what it could've been.
but it was good, and I liked it.
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-theoldone3485
What a great analysis. Also, I was wondering why you were making a roux when you said you were making soup. Great plot twist!
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What a great analysis. Also, I was wondering why you were making a roux when you said you were making soup. Great plot twist!
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-Jeesh
I don-t think Metroid dread was trying to be horror. To me it definitely was anxiety inducing. Not all horror has to be the same.
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I don-t think Metroid dread was trying to be horror. To me it definitely was anxiety inducing. Not all horror has to be the same.
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-lisbon1492
OK, did the writer just need to cook Thanksgiving dinner, but she had a video to make as well? I'm not judging, just asking.
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OK, did the writer just need to cook Thanksgiving dinner, but she had a video to make as well? I'm not judging, just asking.
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-maxmillion3987
As someone who had proper knife use drilled into my head by many chefs, that carrot section had me fearing for my sanity
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As someone who had proper knife use drilled into my head by many chefs, that carrot section had me fearing for my sanity
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