Nintendo Switch: The best games and my favorite moments from 2021

2. Metroid Dread

Metroid Dread was one of the rare moments where I pre-purchased tickets to the hype train. Got to the station early. Ran onto the train the second the doors opened. Arrived at my destination and DIDN’T find myself disappointed.

Metroid Dread is a sequel to Metroid Fusion, a Game Boy Advance game from 2002. Metroid Fusion was not only my favorite Metroid game but also one I figured we’d never get a sequel to, especially after almost 20 years. So when I found out that game was getting a follow up I lost my mind.

When the game came out it was met with a lot of people either really enjoying it or really being disappointed in it, mostly because of the game’s difficulty. Maybe it was the fact that I had played a lot of Metroid Fusion and a lot of Cuphead but I tore through the game, which is weird because I’m not hardcore like that. But I loved it. The environment looked cool. It had a great sense of atmosphere. And I was genuinely terrified of the EMMI units which hunt her down in specific areas of the game.

Sure, the game had a couple of lazy plot twists and the boss fights played out like Kirby: Superstar Allies fights, but the game was old school Metroid through and through with quality of life features that made a good thing great. Also, the last boss has a tongue-in-cheek Sephiroth joke which got a good laugh out of me. All in all, great title. Replay value is a little low but the experience of that initial play-through was great.