History YMMV / MetroidDread

** Meeting Quiet Robe, the first living Chozo ever seen in the main series, and hearing Samus [[spoiler:promise to end things, in Chozo]] is a very beautiful, sweet moment. [[spoiler:Which unfortunately ends with Quiet Robe being killed and, after defeating his killer, Samus merely giving one final look at his body before continuing with her mission.]]

** The melee counter from ''VideoGame/MetroidSamusReturns'' was the safest option to take out various common enemies, but speedrunners of other ''Metroid'' games weren't fond of the "stop-and-go" nature of the mechanic (in most instances, Samus needs to remain stationary to perform it) taking away from the series' traditional fast-paced gunplay. ''Dread'' introduces the dash melee, which allows the melee counter to be used while moving and can even kill some weaker enemies without the need for a follow-up attack, resulting in a better implementation of the mechanic that does not disrupt the pacing.

** The Shakernaut, a WalkingTank-like robot enemy introduced in Dairon that is incredibly powerful for even an uncommon mook. It hits really hard and far with its frontal shockwave attacks, has a nasty ranged laser that can hit Samus with pinpoint accuracy (it will even try to reposition itself to keep shooting if the player tries to hide behind a favorable angle on higher ground) and is capable of taking a ton of punishment if you don't melee counter it.

* MemeticLoser: Poor Kraid finally gets his chance to shine in the game [[LongBusTrip after 17 years of absence]] (and with no [[SpotlightStealingSquad Ridley to steal his spotlight]]), and the only thing fans remember is that Samus is unfazed by his roars and attacks, as if [[ButForMeItWasTuesday Kraid is just a minor annoyance]] rather than one of her biggest recurring adversaries. The fact it's the polar opposite to Samus' infamous HeroicBSOD reaction towards Ridley in ''Other M'' only made fans mock Kraid as the Space Pirate who wants to be like [[BreakoutVillain Ridley]] yet fails at every turn. Him being in chains as Raven Beak's pet prisoner doesn't help his reputation, although it does make him pitiful and [[spoiler:when he gets assimilated by an X Parasite and later returns as a PostFinalBoss X monstrosity only to be obliterated by Samus's Hyper Beam]], many fans feel sorry for him. Then there's the fact he has multiple unique reactions if Samus attacks him with items obtained from SequenceBreaking, such as the Morph Bomb and Flash Shift, making him into a punching bag reward for sequence breakers.

** [[https://youtu.be/5pop-cc9kmY ... Why you probably didn't get lost in Metroid Dread]].

* ScrappyMechanic: The Shinespark is both loved and loathed by the fans. Whilst incredibly satisfying to pull off, the controls are notoriously unreliable -- entering the "surge" mode requires pressing the B button, which also doubles as the "jump" button (and, if already in mid-air, as the "spinjump" button). This means the player never has 100% control over whether Samus will jump or get ready to Shinespark when they need a specific response, so she may jump/spin when trying to surge and surge when trying to jump. Given how incredibly precise the Shinespark puzzles are, this just makes them all the more potentially frustrating.

* SelfImposedChallenge: [[https://twitter.com/echocolatowo?s=21 Echo]] created a "Hypermode" mod that increases the health and damage of every enemy, nerfs several quick strategies, removes most of the powerups and all of the recharge stations, [[NightmareFuel and makes the E.M.M.I.s even more terrifyingly efficient than before.]]

* MisBlamed: During the return trip from Elun, [[spoiler:where it is seen that [[WhamEpisode all of the X parasites have been unleashed onto ZDR]]]], ADAM upon being briefed states this must be Raven Beak's work, whereupon many players argue this was Samus's doing. These players seem to miss that the bulkhead doors to the region ''sealed behind her'', and they were ''already open'' again when she made her way back to the entrance.

** Chozo Robot Warriors have an attack where they form a red energy blade and rush at you for heavy damage. Doesn't sound too bad right? The problem arises in the attack letting out sparks that have a ''huge'' [[HitboxDissonance hitbox]] that can hit you after you jump over it. Annoying on normal mode, but nightmarish on hard where it can do more than two energy tank's worth of damage.

* EnsembleDarkhorse: Quiet Robe has gotten love from the fanbase. [[spoiler:Their role as [[TokenHeroicOrc the remaining Thoha Chozo]] stands in perfect contrast to Raven Beak's malice, their design is a fitting CreepyCute GentleGiant, and through their HeroicWillpower, they're the first person to remain benevolent after an X Parasite's corruption, thus helping Samus escape [=ZDR=]. They are also the character that introduces the player to the full Chozo language, another praised story aspect.]]

* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: Even though the story here is relatively elaborate and important in comparison to [[ExcusePlot most of the earlier entries']], ''Dread'' still remains very minimalist when delving on character motivations, especially considering that the game doesn't have much extensive dialogue and Samus never monologues like she did several times in ''Fusion'' aside from her opening narration:

** Quiet Robe's actions once [[spoiler:revived by an X Parasite. Did Quiet Robe X reactivate the E.M.M.I.s and sic them on Samus acting as the X and therefore an enemy of Samus, or did Quiet Robe still have a degree of control and reactivated the E.M.M.I.s due to trusting Samus to destroy them for the rest of the suit upgrades, which would help her take down Raven Beak?]] It depends on whether Quiet Robe's words -- "I'm counting on you." -- were addressing [[spoiler:the E.M.M.I.s or Samus]], but it's not made clear. [[spoiler:However, Quiet Robe X's HeroicSacrifice at the end of the game would lend more credence to the latter theory, but it could easily just be that Quiet Robe wrested back his consciousness by then.]]

** The exact relationship between the Thoha and the Mawkin tribes is not very elaborated upon, since most of it is relegated to the entirely visual Chozo Memories and Quiet Robe's brief {{Infodump}} that only dwells on the [=SR388=] incident at a surface level. A particular detail that sticks out late in the game is that the Thoha deliberately made the Metroids aggressive against the Mawkin, despite the fact that the Mawkin were ''aiding'' the Thoha during their stay at [=SR388=]. Was there previous bad blood between the Thoha and Mawkin that motivated the former to bioengineer a possible method of defense in case of a falling out? Or were both tribes always at peace, but the Thoha knew not to trust [[TheSociopath Raven Beak]] specifically, so they made the Metroids impossible for him to control? And speaking of Raven Beak, did he authorize his soldiers to aid the Thoha because he was planning to steal something they had, like the Aeion research (meaning he was going to betray the Thoha anyway)? Or was he just following a colonizing deal that was meant to benefit both parties, only changing his plans the moment he heard about the Metroids? Or maybe he just wanted to aid fellow Chozo because they were all Chozo to begin with, but had to kill the Thoha because they were getting in the way of his personal ambition?

** After the battle against Raven Beak, the [[spoiler:purple X Parasite that appears out of nowhere and assimilates Raven Beak after his ship crashes. Could it have been one that simply chanced upon him and simply followed its nature as an X, or did it actually have another motive to seek him out? Considering the X's capability to assimilate its victims' memories and that one of the purple X's assimilated victims was Kraid, whom the Mawkin captured and abused like a slave, this memory might have driven the purple X to [[TheDogBitesBack specifically seek out and target Raven Beak in revenge]]. The purple X-Parasite possesses the other previous bosses that Samus has killed in ''Dread'' as well. They may have specifically sought out Raven Beak in revenge, but it's entirely possible that the memories of absorbed bosses cause the X-Parasite to ''also'' want to kill Samus, especially Kraid. Even Raven Beak's motivations are there, since you can hear his statement "hadar sen olmen/power is everything" really closely during the Hyper Beam's charge-up.]]

%%* AntiClimaxBoss: [[spoiler:Raven Beak is pretty formidable final boss fight, but by the time the X turns him into an amalgamation of himself and Kraid, Samus already has the Hyper Beam, which she uses to destroy the monster with one laser stream. She even destroys the X parasite with the same cannon.]]

** After ''VideoGame/MetroidOtherM'' disappointingly offered no insight into Samus's past with the Chozo, even ignoring it completely, fans found it's refreshing that ''Dread'' once again has Samus exploring a Chozo planet rather than a Federation space station, and that the story gives us more information about the mysterious race of bird-people that adopted Samus. We even get to hear them speak the language [[spoiler:with Samus responding in kind, something she doesn't even do with the Adam AI (effectively demonstrating how important Samus' Chozo upbringing is to her).]]

** People who enjoyed the ''Metroid'' series for its SequenceBreaking and non-linear design were dissatisfied that the series hasn't allowed any notable sequence breaks since ''Zero Mission'', as well as the games getting more linear. ''Dread'' is the first game since ''Zero Mission'' where the developers give the player a litany of ways to progress through the game, with the developers even awarding you for going off the beaten path to grab upgrades and power-ups you normally wouldn't have: the best example of this being Kraid, who can be quick killed in his second phase by using [[spoiler:a hidden morph ball launcher]], which has ''its own dedicated cinematic''. In fact, several bosses boast secret methods to instantly kill them in the second phase, or just end the fight quickly overall, much to the joy of speedrunners.

** The Central Units are purposefully very easy to beat, as the bosses themselves don't move around and the turrets and Rinkas are easy to dodge. They also don't increase much in strength/defense over time like the other {{Recurring Boss}}es do outside of turret arrangements, meaning the last one [[spoiler:that isn't killed in a cutscene]] (more with sequence breaking) gets fried with one Screw Attack once its plating is destroyed. Defeating the E.M.M.I. after the Central Unit's defeat, however, is another story.
** Drogyga is a fairly simple boss, especially coming after a [[ThatOneBoss Robot Chozo Soldier.]] Despite having your mobility limited by water and go through a gauntlet of areas and enemies beforehand, its attacks are fairly easy to avoid and counter, its initial weak point takes damage from uncharged beams, the puzzle to make it vulnerable is very simple (consisting of shooting a switch, using the spider magnet to get to the other side of the arena, then shooting another switch), and while Drogyga's [[BuffySpeak uvula-eye-thing]] is well armored, [[ArmoredButFrail it goes down in a few hits]], ''especially'' if you countered its tentacle and pumped its weakspot with even more ammo.

** [[spoiler: After dealing with the first six E.M.M.I.s, many players were probably worried that the very last one would be something else entirely. In a surprising twist, it gets taken out by Samus herself in the very same cutscene it's introduced in. Not only is it a huge relief not having to deal with it, but it's a reward in itself to see Samus take down perhaps the strongest of these OneHitKill mechanical monstrosities so easily after all the hell the previous ones put her through.]]

* CharacterRerailment: Like in ''VideoGame/MetroidSamusReturns'', Samus retains her TheSilentBob status while maintaining her no non-sense SilentSnarker but caring personality. This is clearly shown when she meets Quiet Robe and tells him [[spoiler:in Chozo language]] that she intends to finish her job with it her ''only'' line in the game unlike her overzealous monologues in ''Other M'' (aside from her written opening narration).

** E.M.M.I.-04SB (the yellow one) is the point where the game stops coddling the player with the E.M.M.I Zones and forces them to plan around their routes and keep track of hiding spots, while also demanding better accuracy and positioning when the time comes to take them down, lest they get repeatedly killed by a hyper-fast KillerRobot.

* DisappointingLastLevel: Despite the gallery implying it to have once been the Mawkin's military stronghold, Hanubia is a very short area with only two Chozo Soldier minibosses and an E.M.M.I [[spoiler: that is killed in a cutscene]], and only three expansions to collect. It's followed by Itorash, which is a BossOnlyLevel. The final boss fight and ending sequence definitely makes up for it.

** "Dread Suit" for the new [[PoweredArmor Power Suit]] Samus is wearing.

** After David Jaffe complained about a particular room in Artaria (the one with breakable Beam Blocks in the ceiling, accessed through the Charge Beam Door of the Network Station that has four doors in it), [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4OZqmWB0wXo a video]] about it dubbed the room... "The Room" (capitals optional), which is used by some when discussing the area. Some fans call it "the Jaffe Room" to be more specific.

** With the ''Franchise/{{DOOM}}'' fandom, which is not surprising considering the [[OneManArmy similarities]] [[HeroicMime between]] Samus and Doomguy/Doom Slayer. The official DOOM Twitter account even congratulated ''Dread's'' release by depicting the Doom Slayer in an image similar to ''Dread’s'' [[https://twitter.com/doom/status/1446475487023439876?s=21 cover art]]. It helps that both series have been highly influential {{Trope Codifier}}s for two different genres (FirstPersonShooter for ''Doom'' and {{Metroidvania}} for ''Metroid'') but have none the less suffered from decade long [[SequelGap sequel gaps]] due to [[VideoGame/Doom3 polarizing]] [[VideoGame/MetroidOtherM games]].
** With the ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry'' fandom; both ''Dread'' and ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry5'' are the first original entry in their franchises following long hiatuses brought on by [[VideoGame/MetroidOtherM extremely]] [[VideoGame/DMCDevilMayCry polarizing]] games. They also serve to move their franchise timelines forward for the first time in nearly 2 decades, instead of being an interquel or reboot.
* GameBreaker:
** Storm Missiles are one of the strongest pickups in Samus' arsenal. They do monstrously high amounts of damage, can be fired while dodging once they're already locked-on, and ignore invincibility frames on enemies that normally possess them (such as [[spoiler:Core X]]), letting them burn through foes. While the tradeoff is clearly meant to be its use of three missiles per lock-on, the player has a pretty high ammo cap with even moderate secret-hunting and the game is liberal with drops from countered enemies and refill stations, so running out of ammo is extremely unlikely. With that in mind, the only other drawback is that if Samus takes any damage, she will lose her lock-ons, so dealing maximum damage also requires avoiding getting hit while aiming at the target(s), but even this is comparatively simpler than the alternative of trying to maintain aim for normal missiles or shots while dodging.

** There's a bug that allows Samus to sometimes shoot through walls without the need of the Wave Beam by sliding, jumping out of the slide and shooting, or clipping a shot through a ceiling via proper timing when doing a wall jump. This can immensely help in SequenceBreaking and skip certain segments entirely, such as the first E.M.M.I encounter and Drogyga. This same method can also help Samus [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exrfttEdJwI use the Grapple Beam on Grapple Blocks from the wrong side]].

* MemeticBadass: Thanks to ADAM [[spoiler:being spoofed by [[ButHeSoundsHandsome Raven Beak]] and]] hyping up [[BigBad Raven Beak]] to be the ultimate opponent for Samus (and this is no exaggeration), to the point of demeaning her chances of defeating him, fans decide to join in on the fun and make Raven Beak be the ultimate badass that no one can beat. They go as far as saying that Raven Beak is utterly shredded and handsome-looking, has no weaknesses, killed [[JokerImmunity Ridley]] permanently in one shot, can beat games at 0% item completion faster than the fastest speedrunners, and will always have a higher item completion than Samus even if she gets 100%, etc.
* MemeticLoser: Poor Kraid finally gets his chance to shine in the game [[LongBusTrip after 17 years of absence]] (and with no [[SpotlightStealingSquad Ridley to steal his spotlight]]), and the only thing fans remember is that Samus is unfazed by his roars and attacks, as if [[ButForMeItWasTuesday Kraid is just a minor annoyance]] rather than one of her biggest recurring adversaries. The fact it's the polar opposite to Samus' infamous HeroicBSOD reaction towards Ridley in ''Other M'' only made fans mock Kraid as the Space Pirate who wants to be like [[BreakoutVillain Ridley]] yet fails at every turn. Him being in chains as Raven Beak's pet prisoner doesn't help his reputation, although it does make him pitiful and [[spoiler:when he gets assimilated by an X Parasite and later returns as a PostFinalBoss X monstrosity only to be obliterated by Samus's Hyper Beam]], many fans feel sorry for him. Then there's the fact he has multiple unique reactions if Samus attacks him with arsenals obtained from SequenceBreaking, such as the Morph Bomb and Flash Shift, making him into a punching bag reward for sequence breakers.

* MemeticPsychopath: Near the game's conclusion, [[spoiler:Samus gains the Metroid ability to absorb power and abilities from any form of creature -- both biological and mechanical. In addition, it's shown in-game that she constantly feels an overwhelming urge to do so (just like a Metroid), and ADAM (or Raven Beak) states that she is now technically a danger to the galaxy. This has spawned a series of memes where Samus goes around absorbing any creatures she can -- including crossing genres or franchises to do so. What's even funnier is that many memes keep it ambiguous whether Samus is absorbing them intentionally, innocently [[ForgotAboutHisPowers forgets]] she has this power, or [[ObfuscatingStupidity pretending]] to forget, in order to feign ignorance.]]
* MisBlamed: During the return trip from Elun, [[spoiler: where it is seen that [[WhamEpisode all of the X parasites have been unleashed onto ZDR]]]], ADAM upon being briefed states this must be Raven Beak's work, whereupon many players argue this was Samus's doing. These players seem to miss that the bulkhead doors to the region ''sealed behind her'', and they were ''already open'' again when she made her way back to the entrance.

** The game's intro has Samus describe the E.M.M.I. robots as being made out of the [[BuffySpeak "strongest stuff in the universe"]] which earned some mockery online as sounding too informal (for what it's worth, this is also a word-for-copy of how the Dread Report Vol. 1 describes them, and it wouldn't be ''too'' out-of-character for Samus). Other translations use a more serious term (for instance, the German translation uses the word for "material" instead).

** The sequences where Samus has to use stealth to evade the E.M.M.I. and her being killed by them if she is caught was done previously in ''VideoGame/MetroidFusion'' with the SA-X, albeit with ''much'' simpler mechanics in comparison to the E.M.M.I.[[note]]The SA-X encounters are scripted and it's easy to find a place to hide. The SA-X can do a ton of damage to Samus, but it's not a OneHitKill unless the player is going for a [[MinimalistRun low item run.]][[/note]]
** The E.M.M.I.s are described as being made of "the strongest stuff in the universe", but this isn't the first time that term has been used - ''Prime 2'' describes indestructible crates in the Temple Grounds with the same phrase albeit with slightly different wording ("strongest materials in the cosmos").

** The game isn't titled ''Metroid '''DREAD''''' for nothing! The E.M.M.I. robots are relentless killing machines against whom your options are limited to "evade detection" and, failing that, "''RUN LIKE HELL''". The fact that they can one-shot you instead of just constantly firing at you until you die as the SA-X did makes it even scarier because it means one slip-up and you're dead, no questions asked. The 2nd "Dread Report" even notes that this is ''why'' the E.M.M.I are limited to certain regions of the world; in their own words, it would make the game far too tense to be constantly having to deal with them.
** The game introduces a retroactive example for ''VideoGame/MetroidIIReturnOfSamus'' and ''VideoGame/MetroidSamusReturns''. The beeping sound effects of the E.M.M.I. are nearly identical to the ambient sound effects heard in certain areas of SR-388. Given that [[spoiler:the E.M.M.I. were reprogrammed by Raven Beak to hunt down Samus]], who's to say that you weren't already BeingWatched during that previous mission?

** Meeting Quiet Robe, the first living Chozo ever seen in the main series, and hearing Samus [[spoiler:promise to end things, in Chozo]] is a very beautiful, sweet moment. [[spoiler:Which unfortunately ends with Quiet Robe being killed and, after defeating his killer, Samus merely giving one final look before continuing with her mission.]]

* ScrappyMechanic: The Shinespark is both loved and loathed by the fans. Whilst incredibly satisfying to pull off, the controls are notoriously unreliable -- entering the "surge" mode requires pressing the B button, which also doubles as the "jump" button (and, if already in mid-air, as the "spinjump" button). This means the player never has 100% control over whether Samus will jump or get ready to shinespark when they need a specific response, so she may jump/spin when needed to surge and surge when needed to jump. Given how incredibly precise the shinespark puzzles are, this just makes them all the more potentially frustrating.
* SequelDifficultySpike: Coming off from the already difficult ''Samus Returns'', ''Dread'' [[ExaggeratedTrope is somehow harder.]] In addition to enemies being just as aggressive and the bosses just as difficult, if not more so, there's also the [[InstakillMook E.M.M.I]] Zones, the game now having a far less linear structure with no explicit telegraphing of where your next objective is, and the return of the difficult Shinespark puzzles from the GBA installment that will need to be tackled if you want to get all the upgrades for OneHundredPercentCompletion.

** Chozo Robot Warriors have an attack where they form a red energy blade and rush at you for heavy damage. Doesn't sound too bad right? The problem arises in the attack's FRIGHTENINGLY [[HitboxDissonance broken hitbox]] that can hit you after you jump over it. Annoying on normal mode, but nightmarish on hard where it can do more than two energy tank's worth of damage.

** If you count the E.M.M.I as bosses, then they definitely fit, especially the later variations that are equipped with a variety of weapons and abilities built to track Samus down more efficiently.

*** 05IM (blue) and 06WB (purple) are also remembered for the trouble their unique features caused. 05's (very long) scanning light will freeze Samus, which is particularly bad news and lets it close the distance easily. 06 has a stun shot it can fire through walls, which is less accurate, not only can it spot you through walls, but it can hear you ''anywhere in its zone'' without the cloak up, meaning you have to know your way around or you will likely get caught. And from 04 on, each E.M.M.I. has an underwater segment, and you won't have the Gravity Suit until it comes time to kill the last one.

** Experiment No. Z-57 is an ''insanely'' long boss battle. It takes a ton of punishment and has many different attack patterns including some difficult-to-dodge swipe attacks, and a ''healing move'' in the second phase of the fight that requires shooting all its latched tentacles off to stop. Even scoring the counter hit when you can lay on the damage will still take several to put it to rest. Just like Kraid, Z-57 does have a quick kill method during its second phase ([[spoiler:charge the Speed Booster during the last seconds of its fan attack, then quickly nail it with a Shinespark]]) this still involves surviving to said phase and then thinking to try that in the first place. And even then, you may have some trouble making use of the opportunity for this quick kill, as the boss tends to follow up the attack that prompts it with a barrage of hard-to-dodge swipes that [[spoiler:make holding onto a Shinespark for the duration a challenge]]. Also if you sequence break to get the Gravity Suit early the game will railroad you into this boss fight meaning you will not have storm missile or space jump making the fight even more difficult.

* ThatOneSidequest: Collecting items for 100% in a ''Metroid'' game can often be frustrating, but like the GBA games, the absolute worst collectibles to grab are those gated behind "Shinespark puzzles". There are multiple collectables that require '''incredibly''' precise applications of the Shinespark ability, requiring full knowledge of how to keep and store your boost charge while sliding, wall jumping, and even Flash Shifting. The most demanding of these is a Missile+ tank in a set of rooms hidden behind bombable blocks in the room with the Green teleportal pad in Burenia. The game requires the player to navigate a winding course full of obstacles that spans three screens, using and storing Shinespark charges before using the final one in a horizontal charge to blow through a wall of Speed Boost blocks in the way. The entire gauntlet is a nightmare on par with the Chozodia Energy Tank from ''VideoGame/MetroidZeroMission'', with the first Shinespark especially requiring expert timing; however, if you do it early enough in the game, you'll find that the gauntlet is also a backdoor to the area with the Gravity Suit, rewarding you with that valuable upgrade earlier than intended.

** The E.M.M.I Zones. ''All of them''. They're filled with dead ends, puzzle doors and split paths, plus the invincible death robot that spawns randomly and quickly comes for your head. The Yellow E.M.M.I. zone in particular is a bad experience, since you have to spend a ''lot'' of time passing through its zone before you kill it. Coming back post-Diffusion Beam is the worst, because your way in will take you to a labyrinth with no less than ''five'' paths that all lead to dead ends, meaning unless you have the game memorized, you're doing a lot of trial-and-error with a murderous robot breathing down your neck.

* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot: ''Other M'' and ''Fusion'' had established a plot thread of a conspiracy within the Galactic Federation to exploit the Metroids and the X Parasites for their own ends. In particular, the ending for ''Fusion'' implied that Samus would face repercussions for destroying the Federation’s Metroid research lab on the BSL station and preventing them from capturing the SA-X. None of this is followed up on in ''Dread'' as Samus is seemingly back on good terms with the Federation. Granted, part of this is due to ''Fusion'' [[https://old.reddit.com/r/Metroid/comments/p8kx25/a_mistranslation_from_fusion_has_finally_exploded/ having]] [[LostInTranslation an overly-simplified English translation]] that failed to emphasize how factionalized the Federation Army is, thus meaning Samus is still held in high regard by the majority of the government, but the rogue faction going completely unmentioned in ''Dread'' is still viewed as a missed opportunity.

** [[spoiler:For instinctually-destructive and infectious lifeforms, the X-Parasites' weird gooey gelatinous forms of ''Fusion'' have been reworked as translucent, colorful blobs that more easily show off their nuclei inside. They also sometimes emit a squeaky screech that sounds more adorable than intimidating, making them sound like angry little rodents. The result is what looks like [[KillerRabbit flying candy creatures]] rather than primordial alien ooze monsters, especially since Samus (and by extension the player) can literally ''eat'' them.]]

** Cross Bombs and the Diffusion Beam have ''very specific'' uses, with limited utility outside of the obstacles designed around them. In combat, cross bombs do deliver more damage than normal ones, but a player is rarely going to be using bombs as their first option in a boss fight; meanwhile, the AOE spread and mild piercing from the Diffusion Beam's charge shot are only situationally useful for killing enemies through floors and are both replaced by strictly-better beam upgrades later on anyway.
** The Spin Boost is meant to act as an intermediary for the [[GameBreaker Space Jump]] of series tradition, but the Space Jump itself is obtained shortly after, rendering it obsolete in no time.

* MemeticBadass: Thanks to ADAM [[spoiler:being posed by [[ButHeSoundsHandsome Raven Beak]] and]] hyping up [[BigBad Raven Beak]] to be the ultimate opponent for Samus (and this is no exaggeration), to the point of demeaning her chances of defeating him, fans decide to join in on the fun and make Raven Beak be the ultimate badass that no one can beat. They go as far as saying that Raven Beak is utterly shredded and handsome-looking, has no weaknesses, killed [[JokerImmunity Ridley]] permanently in one shot, can beat games at 0% item completion faster than the fastest speedrunners, and will always have a higher item completion than Samus even if she gets 100%, etc.

** [[spoiler: After dealing with the first six E.M.M.I.'s, many players were probably worried that the very last one would be something else entirely. In a surprising twist, it gets taken out by Samus herself in the very same cutscene it's introduced in. Not only is it a huge relief not having to deal with it, but it's a reward in itself to see Samus take down perhaps the strongest of these OneHitKill mechanical monstrosities so easily after all the hell the previous ones put her through.]]

* UnexpectedCharacter: After having been absent from the series since ''[[VideoGame/MetroidZeroMission Zero Mission]]'' (a remake of the original ''Metroid''), [[TheBusCameBack Kraid]] returns.

** The E.M.M.I.s are described as being made of "the strongest stuff in the universe", but this isn't the first time that term has been used - ''Prime 2'' describes indestructible crates in the Temple Grounds with the same phrase.

** The melee counter from ''VideoGame/MetroidSamusReturns'' was the safest option to take out various common enemies, but speedrunners of other ''Metroid'' games weren't fond of the "stop-and-go" nature of the mechanic (in most instances, Samus needs to remain stationary to perform it) taking away from the series traditional fast-paced gunplay. ''Dread'' introduces the dash melee, which allows the melee counter to be used while moving and can even kill some weaker enemies without the need for a follow-up attack, resulting in a better implementation of the mechanic that does not disrupt the pacing.

** Samus receiving a Chozo DNA blood transfusion at a young age is an absolutely crucial part of the plot, but playing the prior entries won't help with understanding this, as this aspect of her InterspeciesAdoption isn't covered in any of them. While this title does mention it, it only does so once [[spoiler:- right before the final boss -]] and depicts it in a way that's very open to misinterpretation. Beyond this, it's only been shown [[AllThereInTheManual in supplementary materials]]; namely the 1994 American ''ComicBook/SuperMetroid'' comic[[note]]an otherwise non-canon comic in which Samus's backstory was first revealed[[/note]], the ''Manga/MetroidManga''[[note]]Samus's BroadStrokes canonical backstory, which was never released outside of Japan and only available in English through a fan scanlation[[/note]], the ''VideoGame/MetroidPrime'' instruction manual[[note]]Samus's backstory is [[http://metroid.retropixel.net/gallery.php?gallery_id=mp_manual&image_id=5 quickly relayed]] in the section on the Space Pirates[[/note]], [[https://metroid.nintendo.com/news/metroid-dread-report-vol-5/ Volume 5 of the "Dread Reports"]] released in the build-up to this game's launch[[note]]which some players avoided due to wanting to go into ''Dread'' blind[[/note]], and her Classic Mode trophy in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosMelee''[[note]]a game released nearly two decades ago by the time ''Dread'' came out, which isn't playable on the Switch or Wii U[[/note]]. It's not unusual to see players introduced to the ''Metroid'' franchise with this game (or even longtime series veterans who [[PlayTheGameSkipTheStory enjoy the games but aren't knee-deep in the franchise lore]]) [[spoiler:take Raven Beak's words to Samus at face value and believe he's her actual father, when it's meant in a metaphorical sense due to being one of her two Chozo blood donors (her actual adoptive fathers, Old Bird and Grey Voice -- the latter being the other blood donor -- are hidden in the shadows during the scene).]]

** The Zero Suit's role has been decreased even further, becoming the complement to Samus' character that it was supposed to be rather than the source of {{Fanservice}} and {{flanderization}} that it was criticized as. As usual, it only appears in gameplay during Samus' death sequence, but the only way to get a good full view of Zero Suit Samus is to complete the HarderThanHard objective of beating Normal Mode ''and'' Hard Mode in less than 4 hours each, unlocking an ending image featuring the Zero Suit where Samus is shown to have the same [[HeroicBuild athletic physique]] she had in ''Samus Returns'' posing confidently in a way that doesn’t objectify her body. Ripped models from the game show that Samus in fact [[https://twitter.com/phazeons/status/1456817301408215041 reuses her Zero Suit design]] from ''Other M'', only with a very pronounced AmazonianBeauty build and much more reasonable looking CombatStilettos. This was after complaints that ''Other M'' looked for excuses to focus on Samus' backside in her Zero Suit during the main campaign even in emotional and/or inappropriate moments.

** Samus receiving a Chozo DNA blood transfusion at a young age is an absolutely crucial part of the plot, but playing the prior entries won't help with understanding this, as this aspect of her InterspeciesAdoption isn't covered in any of them. While this title does mention it, it only does so once [[spoiler:- right before the final boss -]] and depicts it in a way that's very open to misinterpretation. Beyond this, it's only been shown [[AllThereInTheManual in supplementary materials]]; namely the 1994 American ''ComicBook/SuperMetroid'' comic[[note]]an otherwise non-canon comic in which Samus's backstory was first revealed[[/note]], the ''Manga/MetroidManga''[[note]]Samus's BroadStrokes canonical backstory, which was never released outside of Japan and only available in English through a fan scanlation[[/note]], the ''VideoGame/MetroidPrime'' instruction manual[[note]]Samus's backstory is [[http://metroid.retropixel.net/gallery.php?gallery_id=mp_manual&image_id=5 quickly relayed]] in the section on the Space Pirates[[/note]], the "Dread Reports" released in the build-up to this game's launch[[note]]which some players avoided due to wanting to go into ''Dread'' blind[[/note]], and her Classic Mode trophy in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosMelee''[[note]]a game released nearly two decades ago by the time ''Dread'' came out, which isn't playable on the Switch or Wii U[[/note]]. It's not unusual to see players introduced to the ''Metroid'' franchise with this game (or even longtime series veterans who [[PlayTheGameSkipTheStory enjoy the games but aren't knee-deep in the franchise lore]]) [[spoiler:take Raven Beak's words to Samus at face value and believe he's her actual father, when it's meant in a metaphorical sense due to being one of her two Chozo blood donors (her actual adoptive fathers, Old Bird and Grey Voice -- the latter being the other blood donor -- are hidden in the shadows during the scene).]]

** [[spoiler:The ending has Samus defeat and obliterate the X copy of Raven Beak… only for the planet to suddenly start exploding for no explained reason, coming across as ChandlersLaw.]]

** Samus receiving a Chozo DNA blood transfusion at a young age is an absolutely crucial part of the plot, but playing the prior entries won't help with understanding this, as this aspect of her InterspeciesAdoption isn't covered in any of them. While this title does mention it, it only does so once [[spoiler:- right before the final boss -]] and depicts it in a way that's very open to misinterpretation. Beyond this, it's only been shown [[AllThereInTheManual in supplementary materials]]; namely the 1994 American ''ComicBook/SuperMetroid'' comic[[note]]an otherwise non-canon comic in which Samus's backstory was first revealed[[/note]], the ''Manga/MetroidManga''[[note]]Samus's BroadStrokes canonical backstory, which was never released outside of Japan and only available in English through a fan scanlation[[/note]], the ''VideoGame/MetroidPrime'' instruction manual[[note]]Samus's backstory is [[http://metroid.retropixel.net/gallery.php?gallery_id=mp_manual&image_id=5 quickly relayed]] in the section on the Space Pirates[[/note]], the "Dread Reports" released in the build-up to this game's launch[[note]]which some players avoided due to wanting to go into ''Dread'' blind[[/note]], and her Classic Mode trophy in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosMelee''[[note]]a game released nearly two decades ago by the time ''Dread'' came out, which isn't playable on the Switch or Wii U[[/note]]. It's not unusual to see players introduced to the ''Metroid'' franchise with this game [[spoiler:take Raven Beak's words to Samus at face value and believe he's her actual father, when it's meant in a metaphorical sense due to being one of her two Chozo blood donors (her actual adoptive fathers, Old Bird and Grey Voice -- the latter being the other blood donor -- are hidden in the shadows during the scene).]]

* AwardSnub: Although it won Best Action[=/=]Adventure Game, quite a few fans were miffed that the game lost Game of the Year to ''VideoGame/ItTakesTwo2021'' during the 2021 Game Awards.

** [[spoiler:The ending has Samus defeat and obliterate the X copy of Raven Beak… only for the planet to suddenly start exploding for no explained reason, coming across as FinaglesLaw.]]

** As the player travels through ZDR, you get the sense that unlike most of the cold, dead worlds that Samus has journeyed to in previous games, ZDR is a lush, beautiful planet that, albeit dangerous (especially in the area colonized by the Chozo) is teeming with life. This is especially the case in Ghavoran, where Samus can many forms of life going about their business in the background. [[spoiler:Which immediately turns to horror once the X-Parasites escape from Elun. As they backtrack through the same areas, the player is "treated" to a horror show as all the diverse life they once saw is slowly consumed and destroyed by the X until, within minutes, the X are the only form of life that remains.]]

%% Please do not add any Broken Base, Base Breaking Character, or Overshadowed By Controversy entries until at least six months after the release date.

** Fans got a chuckle over the Adam AI explicitly advising Samus to avoid high-temperature areas in the Cataris section of ZDR until the Varia Suit is accounted for. One of the most infamous segments of ''Other M'' had Samus refrain from using the Suit, despite needing to traverse through multiple high-temperature areas, until Adam dramatically authorizes it. [[spoiler:It's later revealed that Raven Beak was pretending to be the Adam AI, possibly from the moment Samus first connected to ZDR's communications network. While it was for the ultimately selfish reason of not wanting his "daughter" to die before he can make use of her, the BigBad of all people giving Samus a heads-up about the heat difference compared to the human Adam's belated authorization makes it even more amusing to the fandom.]] Note that the aforementioned moment went ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTuMfsWwd0E very differently]]'' in the Japanese version of ''Other M'', which makes this something of a MythologyGag on Mercury Steam's part. (''Other M'' had an atrocious localisation in general; Sakamoto's insistence upon directing it himself despite having little understanding of English undoubtedly didn't help much.)

** Fans got a chuckle over the Adam AI explicitly advising Samus to avoid high-temperature areas in the Cataris section of ZDR until the Varia Suit is accounted for. One of the most infamous segments of ''Other M'' had Samus refrain from using the Suit, despite needing to traverse through multiple high-temperature areas, until Adam dramatically authorizes it. [[spoiler:It's later revealed that Raven Beak was pretending to be the Adam AI, possibly from the moment Samus first connected to ZDR's communications network. While it was for the ultimately selfish reason of not wanting his "daughter" to die before he can make use of her, the BigBad of all people giving Samus a heads-up about the heat difference compared to the human Adam's belated authorization makes it even more amusing to the fandom.]]
*** We should perhaps note that the aforementioned moment went ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTuMfsWwd0E very differently]]'' in the Japanese version of ''Other M'', which makes this something of a MythologyGag on Mercury Steam's part. (''Other M'' had an atrocious localisation in general; Sakamoto's insistence upon directing it himself despite having little understanding of English undoubtedly didn't help much.)