The release of Metroid Dread is less than two weeks away and many players are certainly excited for what's to come. Some fans have been waiting for over a decade for Metroid Dread to arrive, with many assuming the project had been scrapped. Now, it seems that the newest installment in the 2D Metroid series will feature a returning mechanic seen in previous games.
It's been some time since an official Metroid game was released, let alone an original 2D entry. The last 2D Metroid game to release was Metroid: Samus Returns on the 3DS and even then, that was just a remake of Metroid 2: Return of Samus. Thus, expectations for Metroid Dread are rather high. Fortunately, there will be a plethora of familiar gameplay mechanics returning, including one involving the Morph Ball.
Nintendo of America confirmed via Twitter that Metroid Dread will feature a directional physics mechanic that players can use while in Samus' Morph Ball form. The bombs that can be dropped while in the Morph Ball form can propel the player both upwards and diagonally through the air. This mechanic was first introduced in Super Metroid and has since carried over into most Metroid entries.
It's nice to see that familiar mechanics like this one will be introduced within Metroid Dread. There hasn't been an original 2D Metroid game since the release of Metroid Fusion. It has also been confirmed that the game will be set directly after the events of Metroid Fusion, meaning that a lot of mechanics introduced in that game will likely make an appearance in Metroid Dread.
In many ways, it's impressive that Metroid Dread is even releasing at all. Given that Metroid Dread was originally intended to release on the Nintendo DS over 16 years ago, the fact that players will finally be able to experience it is exciting to say the least. Although, the upcoming release of Metroid Dread does leave one lingering question remaining with regards to the future of the franchise.
While Metroid Dread was first announced in the mid-2000s, Metroid Prime 4 was confirmed to be in development over four years ago and since that time, development on the game rebooted and there haven't been many other updates. Then again, it's important to note just how many big name titles that have gone unaddressed by Nintendo for years at a time, such as Bayonetta 3, which was finally unveiled after years of silence. With any luck, Metroid Prime 4's release won't take nearly as long as Metroid Dread's.
Metroid Dread launches on October 8, 2021 for the Nintendo Switch.