After months of anticipation built upon years of speculation, Metroid Dread is getting ready to launch in just a few weeks. The next installment in the classic Metroid franchise has been a long time coming, and Nintendo has been doing an encouraging job at supporting Metroid Dread leading up to its release. The majority of Nintendo's support for the game has been in the form of a periodic Metroid Dread Report, letting players in on the game's new features while catching up those who may not be as familiar with the franchise. This week brought the eighth report, and this time the focus was on Dread's environments.

Players have known for some time that Metroid Dread will be bringing Samus Aran to Planet ZDR to investigate a sighting of the dangerous X Parasite, but now there's a better sense of what players will be adventuring through. Combing through the most recent Metroid Dread Report, it seems Nintendo is playing it safe when it comes to these areas. All six environments that the report discussed seem to follow relatively conventional designs. While this may seem like an odd choice for the triumphant return of Metroid, there's reason to believe it's a calculated one.

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Explaining Metroid Dread's Environments

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There are generally a handful of different environments that are staples for just about any genre. The environments in Metroid Dread include about every major gaming environment, with forest, lava, water, arctic, ruins, and technological lab themes making up its six core locations. These kinds of environments have become commonplace, but Metroid Dread does put an effort into diversifying them with unique enemies and sci-fi elements. There's also a story behind many of the environments, with the Ferenia ruins in particular showing some connection to the mysterious Chozo.

Motivating The Metroidvania Formula

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While Metroid Dread's environments may look formulaic, the game's recent report shows how they will be used to motivate Metroidvania mechanics. In the lava environment Cataris, Samus will only be able to explore certain areas once she's upgraded her Power Suit to withstand certain temperatures. It's a detail that may seem small for other games, but it is crucial when looking at the Metroid franchise. This kind of environmental storytelling and build-up of upgrades is what Metroid is all about, and incorporating these kinds of environmental hazards could be the thing that helps Dread stand out among newer metroidvanias.

What's At Stake With Metroid Dread

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When looking at the familiar environments of Metroid Dread, it's important to realize what's on the line. It's been a long time since there was a major Metroid game on consoles, and the series historically doesn't sell as well as other Nintendo properties like Super Mario or The Legend of Zelda. Nintendo is taking a risk in putting this game out, and making the gameplay areas as widely accessible as possible could help reluctant gamers give Dread a try. It might not be the most ambitious approach, but it could be the one decision that keeps Metroid from falling dormant yet again.

The existence of Metroid Dread is still considered a miracle by many fans. Even if the environments are simplistic, Dread's new gameplay mechanics should be enough to make it a truly unique entry for the franchise. The game has received an encouraging amount of support from fans and Nintendo alike, so it's just a matter of time until gamers have a better idea of Metroid's future.

Metroid Dread releases October 8 on the Nintendo Switch.

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