Topic: Metroid Dread

Im by no means a git gud kind of guy, or a master on the controller. I often struggle with a lot of games that are uber difficult. But, I have to say I haven't struggled that much with this game. Other than the annoying run ins with the emmis, the bosses aren't too bad imo. I have beaten 3 so far, and a handful of emmis and mini bosses. Pretty much all of them have specific patterns that I've been able to follow and react to. And the controls make it alot easier for me too, I might add. An easy mode wouldn't be the worst thing to add, but on normal I'd say I'm doing OK, dying 3 or 4 times on each boss before beating them.

@NintendoByNature
How would that affect your game though? Don’t want it, don’t need it, ignore it.

A lot of people, including myself on any given day, don’t find wiping three or four times to learn a boss, fun.

There has to be more to gaming than the rule of 3’s. I love Metroid Dread. It’s fast becoming an all time favorite of mine. But I also see the writing on the wall: I just don’t care anymore. Casual it up.

@GrailUK
I got hooked on trophies over COVID and I’ve been having to remind myself: there is absolutely no reason to rush this game. I’m still suffering from a bad mentality in that regard.

Gotta beat it; gotta 100% it; gotta do it fast so I can go do more.

I am much happier gaming on my Switch than any other platform.

@BlueMonk Trophies are interesting. I actually really like them (in fact, just yesterday, I spent, like, ten hours on my PS4 platinuming God of War, lol), but I also kinda like how, on Switch, if I don't want to 100% a game, I don't have some arbitrary checklist taunting me that I didn't properly beat it afterward.

I've noticed a lot of PS gamers mention that they've become so used to trophies that they can't even enjoy games on older platforms.

In general, though, I wish the Switch had some sort of achievement/trophy system, even if it was something different like, say, unlocking special avatars or badges or something when totally finishing a game.

@Ralizah Oh no thankyou. I find it gross and resent being steered in how to play a game.

@Ralizah
I realize it’s entirely in my head, but in my defense, I think trophies are inherently and by design, addictive. For years I didn’t care but I travel a lot for work and when I had all that downtime during COVID (and still do) I managed to get hooked on them. They’re hard for me to just ignore but the Switch is helping me get over it.

For me, it was the THPS 1+2 trophy. That was brutal and by the time I finished it, it had not been about fun but a pointless obsession.

As for difficulty I have a few good friends who will probably skip out on Metroid do to it; I have a few for whom it won’t be hard enough. I wish Metroid gave players of all levels options.

For those who think it’s easy or just right - and I mean this sincerely - more power to you. Obviously after I beat it, it was just right. It’s very fair. Once I learned the final boss, it’s really not bad. It’s really good but it’s not too hard. That’s true of almost any game. Once you learn a boss on Souls the vast majority over the course the series are not hard either. I am just reminding myself how I felt at the time and that was: I wanted to continue my adventure at a more casual level.

THPS and it’s hard”Get There” are genuinely difficult. I still love THPS. I own it on Switch too.

Metroid on hard, very early on (I am not far) doesn’t feel different yet. I was expecting parry windows to all be harder but not only I am getting them all, my first time being caught by the EMMI I parried it. I’ve gotten a lot better at the game and maybe that’s it? I was also expecting less ammo and health. It seems enemies hit harder though.

@link3710
The only time I got really cut off in Dread, I thought it was pretty brilliant design, actually. I’d been debating on weather to gamble and go forward or backtrack and try and get more health. When I realized I had cut myself off, the next few hours of gameplay were very intense as I pushed forward.

I also think they give you plenty of time to go back and explore. Including right up to the save before the last fight. I think they very thoughtfully gave you the run of the entire map and cut you off when it made sense.

I also had several surprises in store for me when I thought I’d cleared out the game and just needed a few more items.

Is the metroid dread collectors edtion, only limited to so many of are they still available ?

@I-U Well can she? I'm not totally convinced that QR-X completely purged Samus' Metroid DNA or removed her ability to absorb X parasites. Remember, Samus already had Thoha DNA, so if that was enough to prevent her from doing so, the Metroid vaccine would've never allowed her to absorb them in the first place. So I doubt absorbing another Thoha would do much other than limit the uncontrolled growth of her Metroid abilities.

@MS7000 Which also entirely didn't make sense because QR-X said "I'm counting on you" as he reactivated the E.M.M.I.s. Counting on who? Samus or the E.M.M.I.s? How do the E.M.M.I.s figure into the X parasites' plans?

@Balta666 In what way was Fusion's harder? I didn't have much trouble with any of them aside from maybe Yakuza-X and SA-X, for Dread you have a much shorter room for error because the bosses deal so much more damage than most Metroid bosses. The only bosses I've face in past Metroid games that even come close to Dread's level of difficulty are Draygon (if you choose to fight it without the Grapple Beam trick) and Diggernaut.

I may have an unhealthy obsession of filling in every block of every room on the map. This game doesn't sit well with my OCD, I have been jumping around every single room like an idiot for longer than I've been playing the actual game.

One thing I gotta say is that this game brought back that Hollow Knight/Dark Souls itch in me of struggling against a boss and then beating it with a sigh of relief and excitement. I'm just past the part where you have to fight 2 mini-bosses at once and man, this game is kicking my behind more than I initially expected. I honestly thought people were kidding when they said the game is hard.

It's not the sort of game I'd go to play after a hard day at work, that's for sure.

@Tendo64 Unfortunately for me it's the only way, until I pass out in bed. Working full time is a curse. The one thing I most definitely wouldn't do is play this game drunk. You forget every single new thing you discovered the next morning.

@Bolt_Strike SA-x, Yakuza and mightmare are way more difficult than any of dreads imo because I feel I cannot avoid most of their attacks. In dread if you learn their patterns you won't get hit

@BlueMonk 3 or 4 times for a boss isn't excessive imo. When you're repeating a boss 10+ times, that's where I get annoyed. Maybe I'm wrong, but I really don't think many people are getting that frustrated after retrying a boss 3 or 4 times. I get there's people out there who are, such as yourself. But, I feel like 3-4 times on a boss is to be expected.

@NintendoByNature

Well that’s my point: you’re absolutely not wrong. But…

• Not everyone agree and neither are they wrong.

Given, in a lot of ways this game is a throwback and I think they successfully appealed to the target audience. But the predictability of boss encounters in their generalities has worn thin with me.

Rule of threes - beginning - middle - end, can feel like a pointless obstacle to me.

So far on Hard mode it’s been far easier than my first run. So the game is good, you will learn it and it gets easier. It’s not unfair or punishing.

Still, give it to the people who don’t want twitch manic stuff, but exploration and narrative. I really enjoy the games narrative, despite it being minimal; I like the minimalism.

@Balta666 You can cheese Yakuza by going into the corner and ducking into Morph Ball when he gets close to you, he can never touch you doing that as long as you don't wait too long to go into Morph Ball. I did struggle with him my first time, but once you learn that strategy, he becomes a cakewalk. Nightmare's final phase is really the only part I had trouble with, but if you have enough Missiles and Energy Tanks you can tank him easily. I'll give you SA-X, you need to be on the top of your game to win that one. But that's just one boss in Fusion as opposed to almost every boss in Dread. I just can't agree with Fusion being harder than Dread.

I love getting lost in Metroid games. I live for that..

Unfortunately, I’m a bit too experienced to ever truly become lost anymore. Guess the innate gamer navigational skills just can’t be suppressed. But, I still drive headfirst into the unknown, just taking random turns and exploring any interesting path I find. Good times.

I just got to Ghavoran. I’m soaking up every waking second of this game on the OLED. It’s sooo much more enjoyable on this system. I’m on a calorie deficit diet and it’s been a shock to the system, to the point I feel hungry all the time, and end up sleeping early to avoid dealing with it. One of the reasons I haven’t played much lately (that and downloading all my games again to the new system). But that’s ok. Metroid isn’t going anywhere. It’ll be waiting whenever I do feel like playing a bit.

@NintendoByNature
I’ve also died anywhere from 1-3 times per boss before beating them, and I love it that way. In any other game that may frustrate me, but in Dread, they start you off right outside the boss room and allow you to skip the cut scenes once you’ve seen them the first time. It makes the Bossfight incredibly fun and addictive. And each time I do better than before.

I just beat an underwater boss and the first two tries I couldn’t figure out exactly what to do. Then on my 3rd try it hit me, like a brick in the face. Duh! Now I got it! Got pretty far that time but died again, but absolutely smoked him on my 4th try. I love that feeling of accomplishment when you figure something out on your own. Absolutely no guides for this game allowed. None.

@JaxonH Lemme guess, did you

@JaxonH yea man, it's been great the whole time. I did the same thing on the water boss. Had a real doh moment after the 3rd time.

That's also what I love about the game, right after a loss in a boss fight you start right back at the entrance. Wonderful touch.

Edit: did you get a powerup after that fight? I don't think I did..

@Bolt_Strike
Yup lol. Couldn't figure out why I couldn't hit em. Then I surveyed my surroundings, and that "aha!" moment hit. It's a fine feeling, that "aha" moment. Zelda and Metroid puzzles, I love em.

@NintendoByNature
Game starts getting really interesting after that boss. I just encountered something that took me aback. Had to screenshot the note at the bottom of the screen to soak it in looking at it in the album without stress. Like hold up, a what?!