You know... Doom's and Metroid's stories have some similarities. In their beginnings, they were legends, who defined entire video game genres (FPS and Metroidvanias respectively) and heavily impacted the video game industry... but then started to go downhill, until they had their "black sheeps" (Doom 3 and Other M). And then, there was a period of silence, until the developers released new games that were seen as huge step in the right direction (Doom 2016 and Samus Returns), and some time after, they both had releases that re-established their status as absolute legends (Doom Eternal and the mythical Metroid Dread)
My hope is that if MercurySteam can improve so much in the realm of game design, that they can also continue to improve when it comes to how they treat their employees. It may be selfish of me, but I want to see them continue their relationship with Nintendo so that we continue to get Metroid games like Dread. And who knows, maybe the way Nintendo treats the people who make their games will rub off on them. Or maybe that's just wishful thinking.
Issues like those unfortunately tend to be rooted more deeply at the heart of a company, to the point that working further with Nintendo would probably just encourage MercurySteam to keep their ways. In the case of Retro Studios, their overambitious tendencies (which led to the studio crunching) weren't fixed until Nintendo bought them out and put Retro under new management entirely. It took going straight to the top of the ladder to sort out that studio's work culture. Granted, that's also a different set of circumstances entirely. I'm not sayin' Nintendo should just buy MercurySteam to fix the company in the same way, but that fixing their work culture would take either a similar restructuring of the company, or some other sort of legal binding forcing their hand.
We only improve so much as there's a limit to everything. And with so much competition out there in the form of other Metroid-like games and fanmakes it was already hard enough for "Nintendo" itself to develop a new Metroid. We got Dread because of a LOT of luck. When Nintendo finally did it's own remake of Metroid 2 it was the tech advancements that made it possible of course. The less potential for success Nintendo forsees with a project, the longer it stays on the backburner like Metroid Dread did for over a decade until they felt the hardware made their concept possible. That's one limit. Then there is the capability of the developers to understand and utilize that hardware. Add this to how difficult it already is to come up with fresh experiences, there's only so much that a smaller studio can come up with. That said, we Metroid fans are just happy with a Metroid game that feels and plays like Metroid! lol We aren't very demanding with that. But we also know Nintendo won't deliver anything that's just good enough for us. If they don't feel it's flawless, don't expect it! 😂
@@hugejackedman3447 I appreciate the reply, but I think if you reread my comment, you'll find it was about working conditions, not gameplay innovations.
I know you focused on the working conditions part. But I was following up on the "improve in the realm of game design" part. 😊 I totally hear ya though.
XSEED sure wouldn't agree with that, and they're just publishers/localizers Between them, Nis America and Nicalis. Their name attached to anything is a disappointment. To explain, XSEED has a policy that if you quit before a game's out, you won't be credited
I found you with your first Metroid Dread video and instantly subscribed, after a few months of radio silence I thought that was a one time thing and that you wouldn't make new videos and I'm so glad you continued. The quality of your work is incredible for the relatively small size of your channel and I would love to see you succeed as a reward for the amazing content you deliver. Thank you for making what you do and I await your next work with great interest.
Holy guacamoli. Man, this video is fleshed out, rich in content, filled with sound and visual snippets from everywhere! I can clearly see and feel passion within the editing. This was a well invested 47 minutes. Being absorbed by an hour long video without ever skipping forward is impressive. Congrats, man! You DESERVE more recognition.
Holy shit, this editing is fantastic. Dread is very much a masterpiece, I can only agree. It is really interesting to have a closer look at Mirrors of Fate, which was a game I knew next to nothing about. It certainly puts the problems I had with Samus Returns into persoective.
The point about Dread's alternate paths and choosing how to progress is so true! I've played through the games probably around 30 times now and I doubt that I've taken the same route more than once! You can even skip a whole section of the game entirely which is so reminiscent of Super Metroid and I freaking LOVE IT!
Absolute kino music choice at the end with Mega Man X5, this is the type of video everybody wishes they could make, or at least I wish I could. Looking forward to the future of this channel, hope it goes well. I really should've commented this earlier, I watched this video immediately as it dropped.
In restrospect, mercurysteam nailed it. The animation, the gameplay, the pacing, the nuance, the DREAD. It was perfect. No game is really perfect but to me this felt what a sequel 15-20(but not really) years in the making, it was perfect. And the fact is wasnt needlessly drawn out is the best part. They literally named the title after a 15+ year old DS urban legend. AND the gameplay reflected it. It was a name back then that was just too cool. And to see it manifested as an adult is just wild. This is like how people who were young adults felt playing halo 3 after waiting all night in line. What a great sequel Dread came out to be, even years later.
The pipeline from Lords of Shadow to Metroid Dread is like that domino meme of the dude knocking over one so tiny that you can barely see it only to end with one taller than him.
Your first Metroid Dread video was the reason I found and subscribed to your channel, and in that time since your work has improved amazingly. This feels like a very fitting "part 2" to this Dread Duology you've made, and whether you cover more Metroid in the future or not, I'm very excited to see what other content you make. Also god damn you didn't have to throw in that Game Awards orchestration at the end I was already getting emotional lmao
You know, I actually played Mirror of Fate upon release. I actually really enjoyed it despite the mixed reception. I suppose part of that was I didn't really need it to be a metroidvania or anything, I just enjoyed the simple action. That said I hardly thought much of the game aside having simple fun with it despite reviews calling it monotonous. If you had told me that game would be what led to the creation of Metroid Dread, I would have given you the strangest look. It's crazy for me to think how my memories of just trying out a castlevania game for the 3DS would one day merge with my yearning for a continuation to Metroid Fusion. A strange and small world we live in.
Your editing really blows me away with how amazing it is seriously, I’m glad I subscribed after seeing your first Metroid Dread video and I hope your channel only keeps getting bigger, you deserve it
i just watched 2 of your vids and assumed you had like 300k subs… damn u deserve more recognition for the quality, research, and script writing/reading. Great stuff!
One thing missing from this video seems to be that it doesn't point out that there are lot more enemies in this game that aren't aggressive towards Samus until the X are released and consume everything, giving them that aggressive/counter-able state. This is a pretty significant change compared to SR; if not made the game likely falls into similar pitfalls.
Credit where credit is due, both Samus Returns and Dread added entertainment value from Mercury Steam's very solid execution (from my own experience playing these 2 games).
Dude, your work is waaaay too in-depth and high quality for the size of your audience. It's obvious you really enjoy making these documentaries. I'm glad I subscribed lol.
What the heck, I looked down and saw that this doesn't even have 10K views yet. That needs to change, stat! Incredibly well done, especially with the editing. Was a big fan of when you showed the map of each first area outline the path the player needs to take. I really hope you see growth soon!!!
Man, your editing is so slick and the points you made throughout the video were articulated equally as smoothly laid out. Dread was such a satisfying experience and really showed that Mercury Steam cared about fan reception by essentially taking Samus Returns' skeleton and putting some meat on its bones. Every mechanic that made its debut in SR was integrated in a much more organic fashion, like the Melee Counter's stop-and-go measure to deal with enemies to a highly versatile option in Dread or the teleporters not just being a tacked-on design element. My one true wish for future 2D Metroid titles is a higher emphasis on atmosphere again. Dread kind of got it right in a few places like Burenia and the E.M.M.I. encounters, but doesn't quite stick the landing imo.
Amazing editing, seemingly a fan of Touhou and a bunch of other things (I heard Fate/Extra music and that just absolutely makes me happy; heard some Mega Man too) I quite enjoy, a lovely voice. This is a great, informative, and interesting video and I'm gonna subscribe. Looking forward to seeing more! Dread was amazing! I'm so glad it turned out as well as it did. It was great playing a brand new Metroid game...
I have watched many Metroid related videos, maybe hundreds of them since early 2010s, amd this video is one of the most well edited and thought ones among them. Thanks a lot for giving insight to journey of MercurySteam and also mentioning harsh working conditions of game developers, it really needs to be spoken a lot more... I am glad that algorthim recommended me this video, I will certainly watch all other videos of yours. I am sure that that this channel will grow with quality videos like this. Keep it up!
Man I just wanna say your content is incredible and you deserve so many more views than you have, I hope your channel takes off in a big way sooner rather than later cuz u deserve it
Your editing style and the pacing of the video is well done, and definitely seems like the work of a big channel. Good stuff! Also, the fire emblem sfx made me chuckle. Also also, I like your avatar :D
After the last Metroid video I fell in love with your editing style, it’s so fluid and amazing, the amount of effort you put into these videos is just incredible, I can’t wait to see what you do next!
Beautifully put. This industry is filled with pessimism but it is great to see a story in which the developer truly learns how to improve and make an outstanding game.
Whoa dude, this is so good! A great topic and you did it a lot of justice. Your mix quality, editing, and overall production value are top notch. Love your voice and narration style too. :) Great stuff, I had a lovely hour with this vid.
The amount of effort in both the research and editing I've seen in the few videos I've watched from this channel in the past couple of hours is seriously amazing and genuinely baffles me that, after 2+ years, you're still under 100k+ subs. I'm so glad I found this channel when I did, I think I was starting to run out of stuff of this quality to watch because of RU-vid's poor recommendations. I look forward to a lot more from this channel, you've got this!
Incredible video. I think the Samus Returns part was the most interesting because it gave me a new perspective on the game. I'm a big fan of retro shooters like Doom, Quake, Blood, you know them, and they have a couple of similarities with the metroidvania genre, with collecting keys to go back to previous areas in order to progress, so I was already comfortable with the action focus of Samus Returns. I understand why people don't like it, it still wasn't perfect in certain aspects, but I still enjoy it for what it is. My friend used to have Samus Returns as his favourite Metroid game before he replayed Dread a couple of times and I never fully understood, but this video gave me some perspective. As a sidenote: I don't think he actually understands and recognises the same points you mention for Samus Returns, I just think it's a subconscious thing, cus he just rates games on pure enjoyment.
Wow. I subbed after your video on Dread's development and I'm happy to see I did the right decision, the quality of the video is outsanding. I hope you'll blow up (if you keep up with this standard, there is no reason you won't) Also, Xenogears music -> instant like
excellent video as always. Loved dread love the video, and now that the news has been out there for a while let's just hope now that if MercurySteam won't fix itself, modern Nintendo can step in and help fix the poorer conditions to working at MercurySteam if they plan on continuing to work together on more excellent titles. Everyone should be credited for their work regardless of how much or little they may have contributed, and it's a shame that some of the brilliant people that worked on the game and probably many other of the studio's titles remain unrecognized. I must now feed the algorithm gremlins with engagement statistics.
24:43 Haha, you bonked. Don't you love bonking into slopes? I love when that happens, especially in a speedrun. Really though great video. Just as quality as the one that made me sub. 👍
This video is brilliant and you've now landed on my top video essayists list. Its a shame to learn about the conditions the employees of MercurySteam had to work under especially when they managed to create what I would consider a masterpiece of metroidvania games. I am one of those people who absolutely loved Fusion despite it being more linear and this game delivers on upgrading parts of Fusion that I really enjoyed. The tense atmosphere and most especially the EMMI's which are a step up from the SA-X encounters.
Metroid Dread being real and that great is just a miracle, plain and simple. In an environnement where there are so many indies, people were wondering if Metroid could come back and do better that games like Hollow Knight or Axiom Verge. What could they do better, or different ? And I feel like they did it. I don't feel like the level design is as great as it is in Super Metroid, but it's really not too far, and there's no shame in falling short of Super Metroid. What's weird is that the first run seemed pretty easy, I wouldn't get lost too much, the path I was supposed to take felt very obvious to me, but still enjoying as it didn't involved just running forward But I got lost more during the 2nd playthrough, I guess that's because I just rushed everything when the game released so I had pretty much everything in mind and remembered where I wanted/was supposed to go The big downside of the game is the music tho. It really isn't great. It does the job tho, it really go with the game and the zones, but you used Phendrana Drifts ost for a reason, it's one of the best and most iconic OST of the franchise, and Dread couldn't compete with that. I hope that if they do a sequel, they'll improve on that. Metroid always had absolutely great music pieces, it's a shame that Dread wasn't able to do much there, but I'm happy they exceeded expectations everywhere else
I played Mirror of Fate recently on 3DS, and had a really great time with it! Its not as explorative as other games, but I think that works in its favor in a way. it always pushes you to the next great looking set piece. I love the more western aesthetic of the castle, and the cinematics look great. And the boss fights! Looks really great on 3DS. Its not perfect, but its a fun little playthrough. And I prefer it over Samus Returns personally.
What an amazing work you did here with this video! As a follower of Mercury Steam’s portfolio since the Castlevania LoS time, you mentioned historical points about them that although I personally thought about, I haven’t heard anybody else talking about. So that by itself makes this video very rich in content. Keep up the excellent work!
Lil fun fact for you here. Clive Barker's Jericho, one of MercurySteam's early projects, was primarily ruined by a fire which destroyed much of the progress they had made, requiring the game to be rebuilt in a short time span with much of their ideas having been cut as a result. The game's best level, set in Rome (AFAIK) is only the best because it's what was salvaged from the fire.
17:59 I remember someone suggesting Dread's free-aim be tied to gyro control, and it immediately gave me flashbacks to this bullshit in SS. Gyro aim is a godsend in a lot of games, but it would be clunky and awkward at best in a 2D Metroid game. Also, the Zebes edit was some slick shit, nice work.
Imma be completely honest: gyro aiming in a 2D Metroid sounds like a hack someone makes just for the next clickbait RU-vid video, "Can YOU Beat Metroid Dread With Motion Controls???"
You GOTTA get the Grapple Beam and Bombs before Kraid. You can also get a third Energy Tank if you do so (assuming you were collecting Parts and damage boosted through a cold area in Artaria to get a Part). I don't see how people beat Kraid without Bombs lmao
I feel like there's a lot to say about "Metroidvanias," because everyone has a different idea of what it should or shouldn't be. You know there's a lot to the term when the structure of Resident Evil and Souls are occasionally compared to that of Metroid or Castlevania, and whether that's even a valid point or not. It'd definitely make for an interesting topic to cover sometime.
@@TheRealFolkBlues Yeah I agree that there is a lot of debate on what it is or isn't and it certainly makes for an interesting topic. I just believe it is a design philosophy considering it's broad definitions and how the aspects of a metroidvania are not isolated to a single genre like Action Adventure, Puzzle, or Platforming games.
@@TheRealFolkBlues the most jarring restriction is it being side scrolling, like, I'd call Metroid Prime, a first person game, a metroidvania way before ever calling Fusion one.
Mirror of Fate is definitely one of those games that uses the metroidvania concept more as an aesthetic than as gameplay design. Remove the map screen from Mirror of Fate and it wouldn't change the experience very much. Barriers to progression are so obvious and frequent that the player can probably make their way just fine mentally keeping track of where they haven't been in an area until they nab the next ability. There's one other game that comes to mind like this. Outland has a constant visual "arrow" pointing you to the next point of progression (and a flashing icon on the map screen if you feel you've gone off track). Backtracking to previous areas is always possible, but never necessary. I don't even think any of its secrets require an ability obtained in a later area. And all of its upgrades are related to combat or not getting hurt by a certain color of hazard, rather than movement. I bring up Outland because its developer would go on to make Returnal, another critically acclaimed take on this genre that released the same year as Metroid Dread. It's rare that you see such obvious improvement in game design in developers like this.
For all the big talk of Returnal last year, I don't think I've seen anyone mention it's by the same devs as Outland until now - or even Resogun, for that matter. That's actually got me more curious about it, as one of the 9 people who got a mild kick outta Outland.
@@TheRealFolkBlues It was a surprise to me too. I fished it out of my backlog right when Returnal came out as some weird coincidence. Outland's alright. Didn't mean to come off like I was picking on the game. "What if Ikaruga but Metroid" is a fun idea.
I remember me being really dissapointed when that article from Anait came up. Metroid Dread maybe isn't the best game made in Spain, but it's centainly the best game not made by an indie studio. Published by Nintendo, being the last entry in a super-loved franchise and receiving critical aclaim, Metroid Dread marks a high-point in our small game industry. It's difficult not to feel a bit proud. But all that proudness vanished when I knew about the work conditions it was made... I find it funny how all 3 best (?) Metroid games (Super, Prime 1, Dread) were made under such bad circunstances.
It's tricky, but the way I see it, I think you can still take some pride in knowing that the bulk of Metroid Dread's development team was largely made up of local talent within Spain. It's very unfortunate that there's a huge asterisk on the game, knowing what the development team was put through because of MercurySteam, but there was unmistakably a lot of homegrown talent involved with the project. There just needs to be a better place for that talent to flourish in Spain. That's what I think, at least.
@@TheRealFolkBlues oh yeah i totally agree. I want to assume that the majority of people working on this game were just really talented and not just morons. But MercurySteam could have been that big studio were most spanish designers could have worked instead of having to go to another country, like most do now. It kinda still is, but I find it difficult to believe a fresh new designer would prefer working on MercurySteam with those conditions instead of working in another country were the conditions are bad too but the pay-checks are way better.
12:19 "Twitch Streamer Pokimane Reveals Her Relationship Status" Sorry, I just couldn't gloss over such important gaming news on this gaming news website.
When I played metroid dread and samus returns I definitly felt the time crunch and mismanagement, and it's a real shame that such a talented team had to be subjected to it, but I hope they're all proud of what they accomplished. As much as I didn't like samus returns I still heavily praise it for how new and innovative their gameplay is and what it means for the future of the franchise. I'm hoping all the new blood at retro studios gives us a nice and polished metroid game without all the clunkyness of the older games. I would love to see how they make the core combat a bit more interesting in prime 4. Not unlockable upgrades, but a new combat system all together just like mercury steam did.
Metroid dread had just reached 2.7 million units just a little than five months of its release it is now considered the best selling Metroid game of the entire Metroid franchise and that was just five months just think about the entire year or two years Metroid dread could reach even a higher amount of units
We were spoiled by dread. Never forget it and never take it for granted. No idea how the same studio that made mirror of fate and Samus returns made the glorious masterpiece that is metroid 5. Probably just an accident tbh
I felt that a lot of the problems had with Samus Returns are present in Metroid Dread. I absolutely LOVED the first half of Metroid Dread. It was fantastic. I loved the phase shift, and the counter moves so much. The cracks in the facade start to show in the second half of the game. The map’s fractured levels joined by teleporters and tram stations ruins the interconnected levels we love from previous titles. Also, the last few hours of the game became a frustrating boss rush. You don’t even get to have fun backtracking and using all of your new toys without being halted by boss after boss. I love the game still but it ain’t perfect.
That's understandable. I've warmed up to some of the tracks over time, like Artaria, Burenia and Ghavoran, but it's definitely a steep drop-off from nearly every other game in the series. Even Samus Returns had songs like the Chozo Laboratory theme, so I dunno what happened this time.
@Tuba it's pretty shocking to me that they couldn't find more experienced composers for the revival of metroid dread of all games but it is what it is at this point. I still love the game regardless. That said, there better be ABSOLUTELY NO skimping on prime 4s soundtrack. And if there's a continuation to dread, same goes for that.
@Tuba Exactly. I think the soundtrack is important for every game in the series regardless as atmosphere is always a priority but it goes doubly so for the prime series. Personally speaking, prime 1 and 2 would not be the masterpieces they are without Kenji Yamamoto's beautiful OST. The bread and butter of the prime series is atmosphere, and if nintendo can't successfully deliver on that I don't even know what they're bothering with to be honest.
@Tuba by the way iirc one of the composers for SR went on to work for Bowsers Fury which had a pretty immaculate soundtrack as well. If only we had that for Dread lol
@Tuba Definitely, I think the biggest detractions I've seen with Dread are the ost and it *feeling* a bit too linear (even though I think you could say that for most of the games). It shouldn't be too hard for devs to pick up on that if they're listening, I believe.
