The final few months of the year are usually jam-packed with highly anticipated game releases, and 2021 appears to be following suit despite many delays. Nintendo's offerings for this season include Shin Megami Tensei V, Pokemon Diamond and Pearl remakes, and of course Metroid Dread.

The latter of these titles, Metroid Dread, seems to be Nintendo's major focus this holiday season after a very long hiatus from the franchise. Most fans of the franchise were likely expecting the fourth entry into the 3D Metroid Prime series as it was announced a few years ago now. However, Metroid Dread being the first 2D game in the series in nearly twenty years seems to be generating a lot more hype than its 3D counterpart.

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Nintendo made itself a huge name in the games industry with 2D titles such as Super Mario Bros. and The Legend of Zelda. Despite these kinds of 2D side-scrolling games generally being thought of as a thing of the recent past, recent successes like Hollow Knight and Celeste as well as general excitement for Metroid Dread seem to indicate that this genre will never go out of style. The nostalgia associated with 2D games alongside current gaming trends just might see the highly anticipated Metroid Dread start a 2D revival from triple-A studios.

Metroid Dread and 2D Games

metroid dread gameplay samus

Even though the development of Metroid Dread dates back to the Nintendo DS, it's been scrapped and rewritten several times to the point where many fans thought it would never release. This caused many fans to think that the Metroid Prime series of 3D games would be how Samus would appear going forward. The announcement of Metroid Dread at Nintendo's E3 in 2021 was surely a shock to fans of the space-faring bounty hunter. After the announcement, the game's Special Edition sold out and has been scalped for exorbitant prices on sites like eBay.

Whether this intense hunger for a new 2D Metroid game is only there because of Nintendo's treatment of the series is unclear. However, it seems like Metroid Dread fits in with the gaming industry's current state. That is, right now there is a lot of nostalgia for older games and as a result, many remakes and remasters are being developed and released such as Diablo 2: Resurrected and Alan Wake Remastered. While Metroid Dread is neither of those, its 2D genre is very much tied to that same feeling of nostalgia. Some fans of the series were very young children when the last 2D game in the series, Metroid Fusion, came out so it should be nice to return to that same style of gameplay.

If the Metroid series can land this comeback after nearly two decades, then any other older 2D game should be able to do the same. The potential success of Metroid Dread, if it isn't already one based on pre-orders, could cement 2D games once again as a major genre for triple-A game studios. Currently, these kinds of games, such as Celeste, are usually only made by small indie developers due to the charm and aforementioned nostalgia factor associated with the form. While these independent 2D games have generally sold well and received good reviews, they haven't broken through the mainstream or been marketed on the same level as 3D games.

While the 2D genre has gone out of style in recent years as technology and graphics have improved, the pre-orders and extensive advertisements by Nintendo for Metroid Dread prove there is still a big appetite for these games. This is furthered by the wave of nostalgia currently seen in popular games today. Whether other triple-A developers or even Nintendo will follow through with more 2D titles remains to be seen. However, with just under two weeks until Metroid Dread and no sign of the hype or advertisements slowing down, the title looks to be a return to form for the series and genre as a whole.

Metroid Dread releases October 8th, 2021 for Nintendo Switch.

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