Metroid Dread Review: 7 Ups & 2 Downs

4. UP: Tons Of New Upgrades

metroid dread
Nintendo

Although discovering power-ups is extremely satisfying in any Metroid game, the series hasn't added many new abilities in decades.

Luckily, Dread boasts at least half a dozen power-ups never before seen in the series as well as the usual ones like the Ice Missile or the Power Bomb.

One new upgrade, the Flash-Shift, allows Samus to teleport several feet to the left or right. Not only is this a neat power to bypass enemies and projectiles, it's crucial to get through doors that automatically lock when you get too close.

Another new feature, the Phantom Cloak, renders you invisible to Presence Sensors and enemies, including the EMMIs. But since it can eat away your health, it forces the player to utilise it strategically.

The Storm Missile is awesome because it can lock onto five enemies at once or on the same enemy five times, causing devastating damage. Since some doors can't be opened unless five switches are hit simultaneously, the Storm Missile is necessary for certain sections.

Even though Metroid Dread is a solid game overall, this abundance of new upgrades help to keep the gameplay from becoming stale.

Contributor

James Egan has been with Whatculture for five years and prominently works on Horror, Film, and Video Games. He's written over 80 books including 1000 Facts about Horror Movies Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts about The Greatest Films Ever Made Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts about Video Games Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts About James Bond 1000 Facts About TV Shows