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Metroid Dread is coming to Nintendo Switch in October

We'll have a new Metroid game on Switch this very year.

Mark Serrels Editorial Director
Mark Serrels is an award-winning Senior Editorial Director focused on all things culture. He covers TV, movies, anime, video games and whatever weird things are happening on the internet. He especially likes to write about the hardships of being a parent in the age of memes, Minecraft and Fortnite. Definitely don't follow him on Twitter.
Mark Serrels
A new metroid

A new Metroid?

Nintendo

We finally have a new Metroid game. 

The long rumored and much discussed Metroid Dread was revealed at this year's Nintendo Direct at E3, but it wasn't quite the 3D Metroid Prime sequel we expected -- no, it's a 2D Metroid game. The biggest shock? An Oct.8, 2021, release date.

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Metroid Dread is more Super Metroid than Metroid Prime.

Nintendo

Metroid Dread is more Super Metroid than Metroid Prime. Think the dramatically underrated Metroid: Samus Returns, which arrived on 3DS in 2017, only with dramatically upscaled fidelity. This game looks fantastic.

You can watch the trailer below.

Metroid Dread was described as having a "new feel." Incredibly, Nintendo has been teasing "Dread" since at least the release of Metroid Prime 3 back in 2007. According to producer Sakamoto Yoshio, the concept for Metroid Dread was first discussed 15 years ago, but back then the technology didn't exist to bring the game to life according to the original vision. 

The game is being developed by Mercury Steam Entertainment, the team behind 2017's Metroid: Samus Returns. 

After the Direct, Nintendo showed off more of the game in action. Metroid Dread appears to move and play like a traditional 2D Metroid, with multiple 3D elements added, mainly with precision aiming and cut-scenes that move back into 3D space -- it looks like a fascinating experiment, and I can't wait to play.

Nintendo also announced a Special Edition, with an art book and art cards focused on previous games in the Metroid series.