Nintendo recently revealed a brand new entry in theMetroidseries at its E3 2021 Direct presentation:Metroid Dread.Set to be released on October 8 for the Nintendo Switch,Metroid Dreadwill be the first new 2DMetroidgame in 19 years. Surprisingly, however, this isn’t the first time that fans have heard ofMetroid Dread.
Rumors ofMetroid Dreadhave been circulating since 2005 and was originally thought to be a follow-up toMetroid Fusionfor the Game Boy Advance. Although Nintendo didn’t confirm or deny its existence, rumors continued over the years regarding multiple cancellations and restarts, as well as reports of the game being stuck in development hell. It’s not an entirely different story fromMetroid Prime 4, all things considered. For years, it seemed thatMetroid Dreadwould be stuck in limbo, but it seems that the Nintendo Switch offers the technical specifications the game needed to see the light of day.
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The success of2002’sMetroid Fusionon the Game Boy Advancewould quickly lead to rumors of a sequel, and in 2005, there were substantial rumors of a follow-up game titledMetroid Dread.Although Nintendo didn’t confirm or deny its existence at the time, it was evident that the project was being worked on despite lacking information about the specifics. However, nothing aboutMetroid Dreadseemed to surface, and by 2007, it appeared that the game had been cancelled. In 2007’sMetroid Prime 3: Corruption,there seemed to be a reference toMetroid Dreadbearing near completion, but staff at Retro Studios later clarified that it was a joke.
Throughout the latter end of the 2000s,Nintendo seemed to deny the existence ofMetroid Dreadand continued to reiterate that it wasn’t working on any 2DMetroidtitles. In 2010,Metroidseries designer Yoshio Sakamoto confirmed thatMetroid Dreadhad existed at one point, but that development would have to start from scratch if it was revisited. Eventually, in 2018, Sakamoto revealed that it was the Nintendo DS' hardware limitations that held back development.
Theofficial announcement ofMetroid Dreadat E3 2021seemed to indicate that the team’s ambition was finally able to be realized through the Nintendo Switch’s hardware. Sakamoto briefly talked aboutMetroid Dread’stroubled history and reaffirmed that its development was largely held back by hardware limitations. One of the key aspects forMetroid Dread’srevival was developer MercurySteam Entertainment and its recent success with theMetroidfranchise.
In 2017,MercurySteam were hired to co-developMetroid: Samus Returnsafter impressing Sakamoto with a remake pitch forMetroid Fusion.Although this pitch was rejected, it showcased the developer’s love for theMetroidfranchise and it seems its dedication paid off. With the announcement ofMetroid Dread,it’s evident that MercurySteam is the developer for the job given its originalMetroid Fusionpitch. And with the hardware of the Nintendo Switch, it seems that all the pieces had fallen into place forMetroid Dreadto finally make its appearance.
As revealed in the Nintendo Treehouse footage,Metroid Dreadtakes a lot of influences from previousMetroidgamesand it’s clear that the direction of the game wouldn’t have succeeded on the original Nintendo DS. One of the biggest influences appears to beMetroid: Samus Returnswith the inclusion of the melee counterattack and the ability to freely fire at any angle. MercurySteam seems to take all of the key elements from its previous experience withMetroidgames and apply them in a unique way. AlthoughMetroid Dreadmight seem like a new 2D title out of the blue, it’s been a long time coming for hardcoreMetroidfans.
Metroid Dreadreleases on July 25, 2025 for the Nintendo Switch.
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