Metroid Dread trailer shows off Samus’ new arsenal and an old foe

By Emily Morrow August 27, 2021

Nintendo shared another new trailer for Metroid Dread on Twitter this morning. The trailer, framed around a cutscene that shows Samus battling with a powerful enemy, also offers a look at new gameplay footage and movement abilities for the bounty hunter. A classic foe, the villainous Kraid, appears in the trailer as well.

What lurks in the shadows may be Samus Aran’s greatest threat yet. #MetroidDread arrives on 10/8. pic.twitter.com/1VPOyrueI4

— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) August 27, 2021

According to the blog post, the trailer shows Samus landing on the planet ZDR and facing off against a Chozo, a member of a “highly intelligent and technologically advanced species. Though the society is normally predisposed to peacefulness, this Chozo attacks Samus, making her fight for her life during the cutscene.

While that antagonist is new, Samus’ old rival Kraid appears as well. The massive lizard is shown chained up. Samus stares him down before running up his belly to attack.

Samus stares at Kraid in Metroid Dread. — Image used with permission by copyright holder

New in-game footage also appears in the trailer and shows Samus racing through levels and taking out enemies. Movement appears to be a strong focus in Dread, with several of Samus’ abilities causing her to crash through breakable walls or dash past enemies. An accompanying blog post states that her Flash Shift ability allows her to travel a short distance forward or backward instantly up to three times in a row, while her Pulse Radar reveals the location of nearby breakable blocks. When fighting enemies, Samus can rely on a variety of bombs and missiles, including Ice Missile, Storm Missile, and Cross Bomb.

According to Nintendo, there’s so much new content in the trailer that it recommends watching it a few times in order to see everything. It also emphasizes Samus’ new movement abilities, saying that “the abilities for traversal are much improved when compared to previous Metroid games” and revealing that certain moves can be combined to reach new areas.

Metroid Dread releases October 8 for Nintendo Switch.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Emily Morrow is a games journalist and narrative designer who has written for a variety of online publications. If she’s…

Gaming

Metroid Prime 4: Release date prediction, trailers, gameplay, and more

Samus holding cube in Metroid Dread.

One of Nintendo's lesser-known yet still beloved franchises is Metroid -- a series that originally began on the NES, putting us in the shoes of bounty hunter Samus Aran. Now, over 35 years later, fans are eagerly awaiting the next entry in the series, Metroid Prime 4, which has been in the works for several years.

The Prime series takes the formula introduced in the 2D games and turns it into a 3D, first-person adventure that still very much feels like Metroid, despite the perspective shift.

Gaming

Metroid Prime Remastered gives the best video game soundtrack its due

Samus stares down Thardus in Metroid Prime Remastered.

Despite first playing Metroid Prime over 20 years ago, parts of it still came back as clear as day to me as I played through its excellent Switch remaster. I could still recall the exact moment when I experienced my first Metroid, as it bursts out of its test tube and starts wildly zipping around. I remember every camera shot leading into the Thardus battle. I’m even able to find some of its most hidden collectibles with a bit of muscle memory I never even knew I retained.

Even with so much of the first-person adventure game is branded into my brain, there’s one aspect that I can always recall with particular clarity: its soundtrack. Metroid Prime’s original soundtrack is one of the brightest highlights in a game full of them, offering players a host of atmospheric sci-fi tracks to scan and blast to. Each composition is bursting with personality, from its X-Files-like opening theme to the almost West Coast hip-hop synths of Chozo Ruins.

Gaming

Metroid Prime Remastered makes one of the best games of all time even better

Samus stares up at Meta Ridley in Metroid Prime Remastered.

After countless rumors and years of disappointment as those leaks failed to materialize, Metroid Prime Remastered is finally a reality. Though its existence may not have come at a shock at this point, Nintendo’s surprise shadow launch of it following this week’s Direct showcase certainly caught fans off guard. Shortly after the presentation wrapped up, I was unexpectedly revisiting my favorite video game of all time with all of its creative glory intact.

As its name implies, Metroid Prime Remastered isn’t a total overhaul of the Nintendo GameCube classic. Every second from the first-person adventure game unfolds exactly as you remember it, from its thrilling opening aboard an abandoned space frigate to its mournful trek through Phendrana Drifts. The visuals have been modernized and a new control layout makes it play like a modern shooter, but those are the only real changes you’ll find through the adventure.