At E3 2021, Nintendo announced Metroid Dread. For me, this made them the winner of the entire event. I was hoping for any Metroid news, and I’m still happy that we at least got something. We even had confirmation that Metroid Prime 4 is still in development, which is all I need. But this new Metroid intrigues me. It’s different, and it’s the first for the Switch, so it’s got a lot going for it already. We’ve also been told that it’s going to be Metroid 5, the end to the current story arc for Samus Arun. I can’t wait, because I think it looks like the perfect ending to the story to date.
As you can see this is another 2.5D Metroid. This trend was started with the remake of Metroid 2, which takes place pretty damn close to the end of the current timeline. The latest game in the timeline is currently Metroid Fusion. That’s right, the Metroid Prime Trilogy is actually set somewhere in the middle of all the games. That gives Metroid Prime 4 space to exist back there, or take place after Dread, but what this game is going to finish is the story arc that follows the Metroids and the mysterious X mutation.
In Metroid Fusion, Samus is fighting against the creature that Metroids were created to kill. For something so lethal to need to be made to keep something else in check, you must know that the original creature is bad. Samus gains a fusion suit, and even faces off against some sort of alpha mutated Metroid. It’s so cool, but also kind of gross.
In Metroid Dread, we see Samus in a new suit that blends her old style with the Fusion style. It’s as if she’s been forever altered by both the Metroid and x mutation DNA floating around in her body. She’s also got some Chozo in her, so she’s basically a mess of random alien particles waiting to explode. She’s almost too powerful for this universe, since she destroys every threat she comes across. However, I think this game will present one that’s too great, and that’s the EMMI. I can’t wait to see how that story pans out.