Day 10: The Stories a Bounty Hunter Could Tell You: Metroid Dread

Samus, girl, you gotta fact-check yo vids!

Also, strap yourself in, because this article is LOADED with spoilers; Ye have been warned.

The Atmosphere and the EMMI

One thing Dread takes into account is the atmosphere of this place. Remember how in previous games, the tightness of many of the corridors helped amplify that feeling of how alone Samus was? This one does the opposite: While the corridors are indeed tight, the background behind it give more than a glimpse of a vast world within each section. This vastness makes it so that you feel kind of small by comparison, and that’s hard, given how tall Samus is.

Within each area, you get an idea of seeing the flora and fauna of the place, as well as the backgrounds. This can lead you taking in the sights for a bit before pressing forward. You can even see in the background how creatures in the background react to Samus; usually by running away. However, in the first area, Artaria, you will notice that as some of the wildlife start to run away, something invisible stalks it, before taking it in the water. It never comes back up. This adds a layer of fear in the back of one’s mind, because you don’t know if you’re going to be encountering something later on or not.

Now, here’s where things get crazy; as you explore these areas, you’ll come across these weird, futuristic doors. Well...given that it’s a sci-fi game, MORE futuristic than normal. You come in, and the level music stops, replaced by a sort of rippling droning. It would be calming if the place didn’t feel...off. Later on, as you pass through a door, you a metallic THUD right behind you, and a towering robot with one large, red eye, observes you for a moment. Then, it gets down on all fours, and chases after you. You run as fast as you can up to a point where you slide in a crack and into water. And it’s there that you escape it; for now.

THAT my friend, is an E.M.M.I. Once designed to go after X parasites, they are now hostile to Samus. Conventional weapons can’t dent them, and you’ll continually have to find a way to take them down. Each area has a Central Unit that can grant Samus Omega energy to take it down, but her suit’s only powerful enough to use it for a short time, before she has to relinquish that power. Until she can access it, however, fighting them is similar to fighting the SA-X: You don’t. You run, and you hide. If it does catch you, you have a split second to fight it off before it pins you and impales your chest with ease. Definitely helps with keeping many a player on their toes in these areas.

Bosses and The X

A good chunk of the bosses you face almost look like the fauna around their respective areas...except on roids. Corpius, the first boss that you fight, with its trailer-truck like body and scorpion tail. You also have to fight it in what almost looks like a pool of blood, which, while it doesn’t get on your suit, isn’t any less unnerving. Oh, also, remember that invisible monster that took down one of the peaceful creatures earlier in Artaria? Yup, this is the one that did it...and will do it again in the boss fight. Rather, it CAN turn invisible before trying to attack you.

Aside from those types of bosses, you get to fight one boss that you didn’t think was still alive, but turns out is. Nope, it’s not Ridley...but it is Kraid. He’s hinted at by his roar throughout Cataris, and when you meet him, the scale feels a lot more real than it did in Super Metroid, for he actually does Tower over you. On the one hand, Samus doesn’t see him as a threat, but on the other hand, that doesn’t quite apply to the player, as the fight itself, if you don’t know how to dodge his projectile attacks, can be a bit challenging. Also, he can punch you. Yes, you read that right. Countering one of his punches can lead to a hell of an in-fight cutscene, but you gotta time it right.

We’ve mentioned all of these things, but no mention of the X. You know, the X parasite that you saw at the beginning of the game? Where the hell is it? Well, in an area known as Elun, you get your answer. The place is eerie; once you get there, you’re locked in. It is a quiet place, and one could see Chozo warriors bowing in respect...until you pass them by and they crumble to pieces. Pass through a door and you encounter a black blob of a monster...that resembles a Chozo, and right away you will see that Elun is infested with the X. As you make your loop through the place, the door unlocks...and it opens wide. And you see that X parasites are now flowing out into ZDR. And it’s at that point that you realize, just like in Fusion,

that the planet is doomed.

Raven Beak...and Samus Aran

Yes, you read that right.

Look, Samus is a nightmare when it comes to her targets. They hear that she comin, they throw EVERYTHING THEY CAN to try and kill her.

But this game takes it to the next level. Remember how I said at the beginning of the game that something was awakening in Samus? Well something was: her Metroid side. Remember the Metroid DNA that she’s had in her since Fusion? Well, up until this point, it’s become an amazing way for her to take care of X parasites; in fact, she’s the only one capable of not getting infected by the suckers because of her DNA.

Once Raven Beak beats her the first time around, a part of that Metroid DNA starts to stir. And he notices this. So much so as to cultivate it throughout the game. Yes, you read that right too.

As it turns out, Metroids were the enemies of the Mawkin Chozo tribe on SR388, the tribe that Raven Beak belongs to. Another Chozo tribe, Thoha, created the Metroids as a means of taking down the X parasites when they got too rampant. While we know how out of hand that became, the Thoha tribe was at the very least willing to correct it’s mistakes. Interestingly enough, the latter is kinder; the Mawkin wanted to conquer the galaxy. Even, and willingly, using X parasites to spread and eradicate planets and populations. With Raven Beak being at the fore of all of this, you can realize what lengths he’ll go in order to conquer the galaxy.

Samus however, has quite a bit of DNA inside of her: Thoha, Metroid, Human...and Mawkin. The Metroid side of her is what Raven Beak has been trying to exploit, so when it finally awakens more in the game, he means to extract it further...and subsequently clone the galaxy’s most skilled bounty hunter, Samus Aran, the humanoid Metroid. Well...he gets his wish: The Metroid DNA does fully awaken...and allow’s Samus to DRAIN HIM NEARLY COMPLETELY DRY, causing him to scream in agony and terror. His ship crashes, the dust settles...and Samus isn’t herself anymore. Her suit, which is still partially bonded to her body, ALSO changes...from a vibrant purple, to a sickly green...with a Red Visor. Now, what do Metroids look like again?

Oh, and that’s not the last terrifying thing you’ll see; Raven Beak is still alive, albeit barely…until a purple X infests him. And he goes through a transformation that as is painful to see as it is disgusting. He morphs into a towering mass of a monster...and you realize that it’s an X clone of Kraid. His head then splits open to reveal Raven Beak’s head inside, which is also screaming for Samus’ blood.

It takes two miracles for Samus to escape that and return to normal but...holy shit, up until that point, it is a horror show and a half.

But by GAWD, is it not an amazing way to end a story! Yes, this is technically the end of this particular story arc, but it has been a long wait and a long time coming. And to say that it is well received is an understatement!

As each game loves to say at the end,

See You Next Mission!

--Choco (10/28/21)