The core Metroid 2D game series was resurrected by Nintendo with the announcement of Metroid Dread, which is coming to the Nintendo Switch this October. Following the game reveal, Nintendo also showcased an interview with the franchise’s producer Yoshio Sakamoto, who explained the long time it took for Metroid Dread to become a real game after its initial 2006 release was scrapped.
Metroid Dread was first announced in 2005, as a direct sequel to Metroid Fusion, the game responsible for taking the core Metroid franchise to the Game Boy Advance. Considering that Metroid Fusion was first released back in 2002, Dread will be the first non-remake 2D Metroid game launched in 19 years. Definitely a long time for fans of the franchise to wait.
Also known as Metroid 5, Dread would be the fifth installment in the main franchise, after both NES games and Super Metroid helped to create a new video game genre in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. As Sakamoto explains it, Dread began production for the Nintendo DS, before the project was canceled due to the technical limitations of the handheld console. With the success of the Nintendo Switch, Nintendo decided to resurrect the project, which now can use hardware powerful enough to match the game’s ambitions. As with the other four core Metroid titles, Metroid Dread will focus on 2D combat and exploration, with a narrative that promises to close a chapter in the franchise.
Besides Metroid Dread, Nintendo is currently working on Metroid Prime 4, the sequel to the 3D Metroid trilogy released for the Game Cube and Nintendo Wii. Metroid Prime 4 was first announced back in 2017, with fans expecting news on the project in this year’s E3. Instead, we got a surprise reveal of a game we all thought was long dead.
Metroid Dread will come to the Nintendo Switch this October 8 also in a special edition including a steel bookcase, a 190-page 2D Metroid franchise artbook, and five cards that feature box art from all the previous games of the core saga. Nintendo also revealed two new special amiibos will be available at launch, featuring Samu Aran and E.M.M.I., the new A.I. enemy of Metroid Dread.
Pre-orders for Metroid Dread are now open at this link. Check both the reveal trailer and Sakamoto’s interview below.