Metroid Dread footage highlights speed, new abilities, and enemies

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Samus is back with new moves and locations to explore

Metroid Dread
(Image credit: Nintendo)

New Metroid Dread footage, which gives us the most extended look at Samus back in action after a long hiatus, has surfaced. 

The footage comes from an earlier Nintendo Treehouse but has since been isolated in a Tweet by GameSpot. The footage gives a decent look at what to expect from the return of Samus, and it all seems fairly action-packed. 

One of the keynotes here is that the game will be using a returning feature from Metroid: Samus Returns, and that is free-aim. Samus will be able to swing her blaster around to hit enemies from no matter what angle they may be at. 

The feature being included here makes sense, as Metroid Dread and Metroid: Samus Returns both come from Spanish developer Mercury Steam. 

The footage also showcases the sheer speed Samus moves at, which included a new melee dash ability. This appears to compliment movement with a fast damage dealer that won't entirely ruin any momentum you've built up. The whole gameplay aspect seems to be very fluid, with speed the name of the game. 

There is also a focus on the cutscenes that cut into the gameplay of the title, allowing the game to showcase the fun graphical flourish. Some scenes even cut into a first-person perspective, helping the claustrophobic feeling that Mercury Steam is trying to foster. 

Metroid Dread marks the first brand new game in the franchise in 19 years. While Metroid: Samus Returns was heavily reworked, it was a remake of Metroid 2: Return of Samus. As one of the mothers of the Metroidvania sub-genre, it's great to see Samus back. Hopefully, Metroid Dread can remind players why it was such an influential series and challenge other modern games in the genre such as Bloodstained, Ori, and Hollow Knight franchises. 

While some might have been hoping to hear a little bit more about Metroid Prime 4, Metroid Dread is a big deal for the Metroid franchise. And what's more, it also seems to be generating huge interest too. The game was the most pre-ordered game at E3, and if there were any concerns that Metroid might be too niche a property, they are gone now. 

For more exciting titles hitting Nintendo's latest console in the near future, check out our round-up of the upcoming Switch games for 2021 and beyond.

Patrick Dane
Freelance writer

Patrick Dane is the former Guides Editor at TechRadar. He is now a freelance games journalist writing for sites and publications such as GamesRadar, Metro, IGN, Eurogamer, PC Gamer, and the International Business Times, among others. He was also once the Managing Editor for Bleeding Cool.