Easily one of the biggest and most surprising announcements made at E3 2021 was yesterday’s reveal of Metroid Dread, the first new 2D Metroid in 19 years. With the surprisingly long development of Metroid Dread set to finally end with a launch this October, Nintendo has begun sharing loads of information about Samus Aran’s next mission, and this includes how Dread connects to the rest of the series.
While fans of the legendary bounty hunter’s 3D adventures sadly have to continue waiting for news about Metroid Prime 4, Metroid Dread is set to return to the classic exploration-based side-scrolling gameplay that helped define not just the series but the entire Metroidvania genre. As such, fans old and new may be wondering if it will be continuing from where the last 2D game, 2002’s Metroid Fusion, left off.
Luckily, Nintendo has made it clear where the new game falls on the timeline, as the company’s promotion for Metroid Dread has confirmed that it follows the events of Metroid Fusion. This is news that will no doubt excite many longtime fans. For 19 years, Fusion has remained the farthest point on the Metroid timeline, with subsequent games like the Metroid Prime trilogy focusing on earlier points in Samus’ career. But now that Dread is coming, fans who have wanted to see what’s next for her will finally get their wish.
It remains to be seen how closely the two will connect, but it sounds like Metroid Dread’s story will revolve around Fusion’s chief threat, the shapeshifting X Parasites. While Samus seemingly destroyed them at the end of that game, the threat of their return is what leads her to the planet ZDR to investigate, which in turns leads to her being confronted by the EMMI robots seen relentlessly trying to hunt her down in Metroid Dread’s reveal trailer.
Metroid Fusion introduced several notable story elements when it launched. It gave fans a Samus corrupted by the X Parasites and infused with the DNA of Metroids, the creatures she’s been spending the whole series trying to eliminate. The game also introduced the character of Adam Malkovich, Samus’ former commanding officer, who will return in Dread, but this time as an AI companion who will help players uncover pieces of lore as they explore.
As for what Metroid Dread will bring to the series’ overarching plot, producer Yoshio Sakamoto has confirmed that the game will bring an end to the 35-year tale of Samus’ “uncanny” relationship with the Metroids. While it’s not yet known how exactly it will wrap things up, it looks like players may be in for some major, long-awaited payoffs when the game drops this fall.
Metroid Dread launches on October 8 for the Nintendo Switch.