Round Up: The Metroid Dread Reviews Are In - Nintendo Life

Metroid Dread will finally be in our hands in just two days' time, and it looks set to be a pretty incredible return for the franchise.

Reviews for the game have started flooding in today, including our very own, so we've gone ahead and rounded up a selection of quotes and review scores from a number of different outlets. Below, you'll see just how well the title's gone down with the media ahead of its launch, and hopefully get a clearer idea on whether or not it might be for you.

Before we dive in, we'd naturally like to encourage you to check out our very own review:

Right, now you've read through our final verdict, let's see what other critics had to say.

We'll kick things off with VGC, who joined us in giving the game a perfect score:

"With a near-perfect balance of nods to the past and fresh ideas, Metroid Dread brings cinematic flair, fast-paced action and a surprising story to the side-scrolling classic. This is the comeback fans have been waiting for."

TheGamer opted for a score of 4.5/5, calling it a "remarkable achivement":

"Metroid Dread suffers from some minor grievances, but overall it is a remarkable achievement in not just resurrecting a dormant and beloved series, proving its authority in the genre it inhabits, or exhibiting the kind of airtight design we’d expect from a title of this calibre. It is a remarkable achievement because it is one of those few rare games that sets itself an atmospheric goal and launches it towards and through the stratosphere. This, here, is one of 2021’s very best games - we’re always in for a treat when Samus returns."

VG247 called it a "thrilling experience", giving the game a 4/5 score:

"Metroid Dread is likely to give those that have been counting down the days to its release exactly what they want: a thrilling experience in line with what they loved about past games. There are original ideas here - but they’re better considered as evolutions of what came before rather than anything groundbreaking. There’s stumbles here and there with the difficulty and progression signposting, but all of that feels very Metroid. Dread is no Super Metroid, but that game is a stone-cold all-timer. Putting that game aside, Dread is up to the series standard, and is well worth a look."

The folks at Eurogamer described it as "a stylish, visually sumptuous return for 2D Metroid":

"This is a modern Metroid, a 2D adventure delivered with triple-A panache, yet one that retains the grace and poise that's always marked the highlights of this series, and marked it out from its many imitators. How blessed we are to have Samus properly back, and what a marvel it is to be reminded how special Metroid can be. The wait, I'm delighted to say, was somehow worth it."

And finally, IGN gave it a 9/10:

"Even though it’s the latest in a decades old series, Dread has just enough clever innovation to balance its familiarity. The universally recognizable mix of tough puzzles, tougher boss fights, ever-evolving exploration options, and intricate level design that recent games like Hollow Knight and Ori get so right has an origin point: It’s Metroid. I love those games, but the Metroid team, a mix of old and new developers now, have shown that they know how to do it best."

Metroid Dread launches on 8th October alongside the shiny new Nintendo Switch OLED model. It'll be available to buy either digitally from the Switch eShop, or physically at retail. Are you looking forward to playing the game this Friday? Let us know in the comments.

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