Metroid Dread 9 Things You Didnt Know About The Games Development

Metroid Dread: 9 Things You Didn’t Know About The Game’s Development

From media rumors to technical limitations, a lot went behind the development of the latest game in the Metroid franchise.

You Are Reading :[thien_display_title]

The latest chapter in the Metroid franchise was released this October but diehard fans would know that the game was a result of a multiyear journey. The story behind Metroid Dread is rooted in several rumors, and production delays. Launched for the Nintendo Switch, the game was initially developed for the DS but faced technical limitations.

The action-adventure game was delayed so many times that gamers and critics began to think that it was nothing but a canned project. Finally, the franchise’s creator and producer, Yoshio Sakamoto’s dream has come true as the game offers homage to the genesis of the franchise with a 2D side-scrolling gameplay.

Metroid Legend Kenji Yamamoto Returned As Composer

Metroid fans would remember Kenji Yamamato as a regular music composer on the franchise. The veteran started his journey with 1994’s Super Metroid and continued scoring nine more Metroid games. For Metroid Dread, he serves as a music director along with Soshi Abe and Sayako Doi.

He has been attached with Nintendo since 1987 and his other video game soundtracks include Famicom Detective Club, Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out, and Donkey Kong Country Returns.

Subtle Hints In Metroid Prime 3: Corruption

‘Experiment status report update: Metroid project ‘Dread’ is nearing the final stages of completion.’ This message appeared in the 2007 Metroid game, Metroid Prime 3: Corruption. Needless to say, video game critics and gamers were excited to know more about this ominous reference to Dread which was seen as a top-secret project back then.

The mystery deepened when Corruption’s director Mark Pacini denied any and all connections with Dread. He added that the message referencing Dread was a plain coincidence. As he stated in an interview with MTV, ‘We actually had a fictional element of something else in the game that by a large coincidence could be read that we were giving a hint about “Metroid Dread” which was not the case. ‘

Developed Collectively By MercurySteam And Nintendo EPD

Nintendo EPD was involved as a developer from the start and then agreed to get Madrid-based developer MercurySteam on board after the studio’s work on Metroid: Samus Returns. MercurySteam is also reputed for developing Lords of Shadow, one of the recent Castlevania games.

Producer Yoshio Sakamoto has nothing but praises for the studio as he told IGN, ‘I was sure that with their ability and their technical know-how, that they’d be able to make what was once a concept in actual reality.’

Announced For The E3 In The 2000s

In 2005, a list of Nintendo’s titles for the E3 Expo was leaked. It was rumored that details for these games would be revealed either in the 2005 edition of E3 or the 2006 one. The list also included the name of Metroid: Dread but at the E3, there was no mention at all.

The only thing that was clear was that the anticipated Dread would find the franchise going back to its 2D roots. Interestingly, unannounced games like Mario & Luigi 2 were also featured in the Expo. As for Dread, fans had to wait for more than a decade.

New Stealth Elements In The Gameplay

Metroid Dread retained the side-scrolling gameplay of the original installments of the franchise and is essentially an action-adventure game. But the difference is that it adds more stealth elements compared to its precursors.

For instance, Samus avoids the antagonistic ENMI robots by resorting to hiding, reducing noise, and even camouflaging herself. The latter is achieved by using the Phantom Cloak. This cloak hides her but also reduces her speed. Samus has to execute two melee counters if she is caught by the robots in the worst-case scenario. With such aspects, Dread also attempts to be a stealth action game.

Appeared On The Wishlist Of Many Publications

Talks about Metroid Dread and its tumultuous development were slowly gaining traction among video game publications in the early 2010s. Some critics felt like the game might never drop and added it to their wishlists.

Graphic novelist K Thor Jensen added it in his list of ‘Video games you will never, ever play’. In his writeup, Jensen said how he yearned for a nostalgic 2D sidescroller, unlike the recent Metroid installments. Official Nintendo Magazine’s Marc Zablotny also included it in his 2013 wishlist while the same publication’s Thomas East expressed his optimism for a 3DS release after the namedrop in Metroid Prime 3 Corruption.

Conceived For The Nintendo DS

According to a document uncovered by IGN in 2005, Dread was initially supposed to be a Nintendo DS video game. However, the platform’s technical limitations prevented its further development. After a botched first attempt, Yoshio Sakamoto tried to develop it again in 2008.

A playable prototype was launched at 2009’s E3 but development was halted by Sakamoto yet again. A video by Nintendo explained that the head honcho felt the DS prevented him from creating a more intimidating antagonist.

Producer Sakamoto Wanted To Increase The Fear Elements

Even though Metroid Dread was not marketed as a horror game, Yoshio Sakamoto emphasized the fear elements in the gameplay to add slightly darker tones. According to IGN, Sakamoto wanted to put Samus in situations where she not only encounters fear but also counters it.

The inspiration for this ‘fear-based gameplay’ came from the tense and intimidating nature of SA-X, the main antagonist of Metroid: Fusion. The X Parasite posed to be a threat as it mimicked Samus’s Power Suit. A similar nature is present in the game’s villains, the EMMI robots along with the hardest bosses in Metroid Dread. The powerful androids hunt down Samus for unspecified reasons.

Retains Features From Metroid Games And Samus Returns

The side-scrolling format impressed fans as it is a callback to the initial 2D entries of the series. This makes it the first side-scrolling Metroid game since the 2002 release Metroid Fusion.

However, its development also included a specific reference to 2017’s Metroid: Samus Returns which includes the free aim and melee attacks. The former allows players to stay still and shoot their guns at a 360-degree angle. The melee counter is trickier as it requires the player to press the X button at a precise moment so that Samus can hold off an attack and stun the enemy.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/metroid-dread-unknown-facts-development/

• Next Apple InApp Payments Antitrust Battle Could Be Waged In India

• RHOA Kandi Burruss Reveals She Underwent Breast Reduction Surgery

• Marvels SpiderMan 2 Fans Want Ridiculous Web Catapult From 2007 Game

• Nintendo Switch Price Cut to $250 Rumored Coming Soon

• Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles Cast Each Agents Net Worth

• RHOBH Kyle Richards’ Daughter Farrah Aldjufrie Announces Engagement

• Meet Archers RealLife Face Model Jason Fitzgerald