Metroid Dread - Development History

This article is written from the Real Life point of view

“	Check out this development history video with #MetroidDread Producer, Yoshio Sakamoto, as he shares some details around the recently announced game.	„
—Video description

Video thumbnail.

Metroid Dread - Development History is a developer diary for Metroid Dread. It was released on June 15, 2021, the day the game was officially announced. The video features Metroid series producer Yoshio Sakamoto explaining the long history of the game's development, and touching on some of its new story. Throughout the trailer, Sakamoto speaks in his native Japanese, with English subtitles for the Western viewer's benefit.

The video can be viewed with subtitles here, and without them here.

Overview

Sakamoto begins by stating that Nintendo has finally developed another new, original 2D-style Metroid. He says the game continues the saga that began with Metroid (1986), Metroid II: Return of Samus (1991), Super Metroid (1994) and Metroid Fusion (2002), and is the first new story in nineteen years. He does not mention Metroid: Zero Mission or Metroid: Samus Returns, which are remakes of the former two titles, the Metroid Prime series, or Metroid: Other M, which is set between Super and Fusion.

He explains who Samus and the titular Metroids are, with renders of the two displayed onscreen, along with the Metroid vaccine from Fusion. On the relationship between Samus and the Metroids, Sakamoto says this:

“	The series has chronicled the uncanny relationship between these Metroids and the heroine Samus, but this game will mark an end to that story arc. We're hoping fans of the series will wonder "what does 'mark an end to the story arc' mean?" as they play the game.	„

This quote was not clear as to whether Metroid Dread will be the final Metroid game, or the last to feature the Metroid species. Sakamoto clarified in the following days that the series would continue past Dread.

Sakamoto in the video.

Sakamoto moves on to describe the game as not just being for Metroid fans, as new players will benefit from a prologue cutscene that outlines the events of Fusion. Brief clips from the game are shown including the setting, ZDR, Samus lying on the ground, and Chozo hieroglyphs that depict a figure from the Chozo Memories in Samus Returns. On the game's title of Dread, Sakamoto says its meaning is self-explanatory: Samus is pursued throughout the game by a relentless threat, the E.M.M.I., as she explores a planet unknown to her.

Sakamoto says that he first conceived Dread 15 years ago (circa 2006), but gave up on it because he could not bring his vision for the game to life with current technology. This statement aligns with a 2018 comment he made to Hobby Consolas about a hypothetical Metroid game on Nintendo DS. Notably, he claims that Dread was revived at a later point, and then abandoned again for the same reason. It was after he worked with MercurySteam on Samus Returns that he decided to work with them again to bring Dread to life. In his opinion, Dread as it now existed surpasses his vision from 15 years ago.

Describing the E.M.M.I. as a terrifying enemy, Sakamoto says they are research robots owned by the Galactic Federation. He explains that they patrol designated zones and can detect noise Samus makes, and they will close in on her. If they make visual contact, they will pursue her and try to capture her, at which point she will die "almost certainly". This is not entirely true, as Samus is able to counter their fatal attack, but she only has a small window to do so.

On the overall game design, Sakamoto explains that the traditional Metroid gameplay remains, but has been polished. Abilities introduced in Metroid: Samus Returns, namely the Melee Counter, have been refined. For instance, with the Melee Counter, Samus can now Dash forwards or backwards after parrying an attack. She can also Slide under gaps, allowing her to pass through crevices before she re-obtains the Morph Ball. Sakamoto then touches on the series' exploration concepts for new players to the series. He introduces the Spider Magnet, a new ability that allows Samus to latch onto blue surfaces and climb or crawl among them, and says Dread is less linear than more recent Metroid games. He urges players to stay tuned to official Nintendo channels for more information.

Gallery

ZDR

Samus Aran

Chozo hieroglyphs