Metroid Dreadhas been met with mixed acclaim since its launch. Some players suggest thatMetroid Dreadis the best in the 2D series, while other fans have invited discourse about whether a2DMetroidtitleis worth its modern price point.
Regardless, it seems thatMetroid Dreadalso serves as a refresher and re-introduction to the franchise for newcomers.Metroid Dreadopens with a long debrief exposition before ZDR can be fully explored through teleportals and other methods of transport from Artaris and onward. But one significant name in the video game industry has recently voiced their dissatisfaction withMetroid Dread, citing its environmental progression as a poor design choice, though his own words are much more colorful.
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Game Designer David Scott Jaffe, known for his work as a designer and director on the originalGod of War, has shared a hot take onMetroid Dreadthat is sure to rub some fans the wrong way. This is not because Jaffe is necessarily right or wrong in his opinion, but because his opinion criticizes a design feature that is prevalent in many 2DMetroidtitles that have massive fanbases. Jaffe’scritique onMetroid Dread’s designboils down to the concept of environmental blocks being hidden from the player with no visual indication of where to progress.
Jaffe depicts the instance that bothered him the most from his own live-stream ofMetroid Dread. In the sequence, Jaffe is completely unsure of where to go next, and a chat member in his stream guides him to a specific room where he must fire upon an unassuming ceiling. Infuriated, Jaffe calls this design “bush league” and unacceptable game design. Ultimately, Jaffe believes that fans' nostalgia blinds them to the game’s otherwise questionable design ethics.
However, some fans have argued thatMetroid Dreadinforms players of this design feature in its opening tutorial sequence. Indeed, long-time 2DMetroidplayers may already have this mechanic ingrained into their muscle memory, but perhaps Jaffe is less familiar with the franchise and its environmental obscurities. But it is true that endless areas and chambers can blur in the player’s memory, and these tiny environmental interactions may be difficult to locate when overwhelmed by the grand scale ofMetroid Dread’s global map.
Fortunately, the Aeion gauge’s Pulse Radar item helps immensely with this issue, though it is not obtaineduntil players reach Ghavoran. With the Pulse Radar, players may repeatedly scan areas for hidden blocks and no longer miss hidden destructible pieces in the environment. This may be a balm for Jaffe, thoughMetroid Dread’s initial hours may still aggravate him due to its persistence on dizzied exploration.
Metroid Dreadis available now on Nintendo Switch.
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