Metroid Dread brings Nintendo’s classic back as a 2D sequel on October 8

• 

  Samus Aran is back in a 2D adventure. [credit: Nintendo ]

This year, Nintendo's long-running Metroid series is getting an entirely new sequel-and not the previously announced Metroid Prime 4 first-person shooter.

Instead, we're getting Metroid Dread, apparently dubbed Metroid 5 in its debut trailer, launching October 8 exclusively on Nintendo Switch. The funky game title has been hinted at in prior games, and years later, Nintendo itself confirmed it was the name of an in-development 2D game that was eventually canceled. Thus, Dread's return today as an official title makes it a particularly nice Easter egg for anyone who has been following the lore of space bounty hunter Samus Aran on her journey to eradicate the Metroid scourge.

As a fully 2D Metroid game, Metroid Dread resembles 2017's Metroid: Samus Returns, a modern 2D remake of the Game Boy classic Return of Samus. Not just in perspective or aesthetics, either-this year's new Metroid sequel includes the 2017 game's melee-swipe ability. And Nintendo has confirmed that Samus Returns' developers at MercurySteam are involved this time as well. As a Metroid series sequel, the game also includes new and trippy abilities like a cloak shield-and a few entirely new alien foes.

Read 3 remaining paragraphs | Comments