WOW. All I can say about this trailer is…WOW. I absolutely have hated almost everything Nintendo has produced since the WII U (including BOTW), however, I have always felt Metroid is Nintendo’s best franchise and severely underloved. When Metroid Dread got announced I could not believe my eyes, the infamous DREAD is not only REAL BUT IS COMING SOON…AFTER 19 YEARS SINCE THE LAST 2D ENTRY.
The first trailer dropped some hints that this is really going to explore the Chozo, the race dedicated to peace that mysteriously disappeared. Then we got to see Egyptian hieroglyphs which showed an image of what was very reminiscent of a certain Chozo we saw in a flashback in the Metroid Zero mission; the Chozo that killed all the Chozo that made the Metroids.
In addition to Chozo warriors that look like Samus and are Samus size, this new trailer confirms not only is it indeed him, but he is also incredibly powerful and it looks like he will erase Samus’ abilities, as is the typical starting point of every Metroid game. It does also suggest that Samus may have some untapped potential in her Chozo blood.
Not only are we getting tantalizing hints at learning a lot more about the Chozo, at least more than we ever had, the trailer instantly wraps to Krade being back again. Samus just stares at him, but how is Krade back? Well, there are hints: he’s chained up, and likely resurrected given his eyes, but who resurrected him? I can only imagine it’s part of the “evil” Chozo’s plan. This trailer is hinting at some huge lore implications. There are also shots of what seems like the remnants of the Chozo civil war like Torizo (animated Chozo statues).
The gameplay also looks phenomenal, it’s a standard Metroid affair with tweaks, but what is really impressive is how intense the combat looks, taking on multiple high-power enemies at the same time, really keeping you on your toes. This is really looking to be the best Metroid ever made and a real return to form for Nintendo.
I do have to talk about the actual trailer itself. Whoever directed this is at the top of their field. Not only are they constantly cutting to huge plot points, making any Metroid fans minds going absolutely wild, but the shots are amazing. The destruction from the civil war, the ”evil” Chozo holding her by the throat, showing how absolute gigantic he is in size compared to Samus, Samus looking at Krade and not flinching like a total unit, scenes of her running up to him like a boss, taking down multiple enemies, parrying like a beast, all set to classic Metroid music – just awesome.
The whole progression of this trailer is sublime and the production values were a welcome surprise to me. Even the ending shot of something awakening in Samus, which is a total HOLY S*** moment, leaves you absolutely ravenous for more, and then cutting to that absolutely perfect box art and the Dread take on the classic Metroid tune. Just perfect.
For the first time in a long while, Nintendo has personally amazed me and has me excited for a new Nintendo release. I hope Metroid Prime 4 ends up being as special as Dread seems to be because the Metroid franchise deserves massive amounts of love. It looks like Nintendo has finally remembered that, 19 years after the last new entry in the Metroid franchise. Metroid Dread releases October 8th and I am absolutely pumped.