Metroid: Dread - October 8th

[BitterToad]

I don’t get the decision to make the timing window on the EMMI fights so tight. If it was just a little more accessible or if there was another way to get them off your back and have them lose you for a second it would make the fights so much more tense/interesting. As it is they just feel like things I’m going to fail and repeat 10 times before getting through them. In those moments when you find a clever hiding spot and cloak up they are super tense and work really well, but with capture basically meaning death it just becomes this annoying stop start trial and error type thing. 
 

I’m really enjoying the game overall though. It’s far better than anything I would have expected. I get lost a fair amount but when zipping around is so much fun I’m not too bothered about that. 

[StephenM]

Made it right up to the final boss and I've enjoyed basically everything so far. Now just figuring out whether I want to press on and finish, or spend some time tracking down bits and bobs!

[Calashnikov]

9 minutes ago, BitterToad said:

I don’t get the decision to make the timing window on the EMMI fights so tight. If it was just a little more accessible or if there was another way to get them off your back and have them lose you for a second it would make the fights so much more tense/interesting.

Disagree. If they made that parry window larger those segments would become utterly rote. Get caught and parry reliably all the way to the exit. As it is, there’s always a pang of panic at being caught, and a moment of exhilaration and relief whenever you do manage to land a rare counter. It keeps being captured interesting. It’s something to test the player with while they feel like they’re essentially waiting to re-do the section. 

[Hexx]

I've just got Ice Missles and returned to Ferenia.
I'm not sure I'm going the right way about accessing the missile tank and it's driving me nuts.

Spoiler

Dashing in from the train room, getting the boost, jumping and bouncing off wall and continue boost into small tunnel to the other side and then try to get out of the ball and go ShineSpark

I'm not sure it's doable, especially the last bit, but I'm getting so close....

[dataDave]

8 minutes ago, Calashnikov said:

Disagree. If they made that parry window larger those segments would become utterly rote.

 

They are already. I don't even bother trying to escape their grip because the checkpoint is right at the door anyway, and I want to keep the area layout fresh in my head without distraction.

 

The best part about those encounters is that each confining area is like a mini speedrun.

[Kevvy Metal]

Once you’re caught, you’re basically dead, but nailing the party feels fucking awesome, which is the point. It gives you then another chance at survival. 
 

…and you’re not meant to get caught in the first place. 

[Stanley]

Either I’ve become better at parrying or the last EMMI has a larger window, probably the latter, because I can pull them off a lot more consistently, maybe 50% of the time. 

[Cyhwuhx]

35 minutes ago, Hexx said:

I've just got Ice Missles and returned to Ferenia.
I'm not sure I'm going the right way about accessing the missile tank and it's driving me nuts.

  Hide contents

Dashing in from the train room, getting the boost, jumping and bouncing off wall and continue boost into small tunnel to the other side and then try to get out of the ball and go ShineSpark

I'm not sure it's doable, especially the last bit, but I'm getting so close....

 

Spoiler

Don't forget to use the entire length of that tunnel. Only charge downwards and the far left end, then go back, bomb and boost upward.

 

[Hexx]

Yeah worked just now ta

[scottcr]

Parrying an EMMI feels great - and looks great too as it gives you the opportunity to slide through it's legs and do a bolt.  

[Gambit]

55 minutes ago, Stanley said:

Either I’ve become better at parrying or the last EMMI has a larger window, probably the latter, because I can pull them off a lot more consistently, maybe 50% of the time. 

 

Same for me.

 

I ended up parrying 3 times in a row. Proper blew my mind.

 

[joffocakes]

I think the E.M.M.I parry window is more generous in the underwater sections? I don't know if it's generous enough to react to though, rather than pre-empt.

[scottcr]

I love the fact you get two goes at the parry as well - and the 'aw fuck' you do when Samus' leg comes up too early.

[Made of Ghosts]

I love how difficult the parry is. It makes me think of Into The Breach and the extremely low chance that a building will resist an enemy attack. You can’t rely on it because it’s so unlikely, but when it does happen it’s a great “fuck yeah” moment. 

[Protocol Penguin]

OK, how are you expected to beat

Spoiler

Kraid

with only one extra energy tank?! I really am not liking the artificially high difficulty level on this game.

[metallicfrodo]

Learn the patterns. On the scale of video game bosses Kraid is pretty easy.

[Stanley]

9 minutes ago, Protocol Penguin said:

OK, how the fuck are you expected to beat

  Reveal hidden contents

Kraid

with only one extra energy tank?! I really don’t like the artificially high difficulty level on this game.

I guarantee by the time you beat him you’ll barely take a hit, and you get energy back throughout the fight anyway. 

[Exit Chamber]

22 minutes ago, Protocol Penguin said:

OK, how are you expected to beat

  Hide contents

Kraid

with only one extra energy tank?! I really am not liking the artificially high difficulty level on this game.

 

Pretty sure I had two tanks by that point, maybe worth some more exploring if you're really struggling. It does become much easier once you nail the patterns though and the second phase allows you to refill your health.

[deerokus]

Yeah I had two extra tanks iirc and it took me a while. Take it slowly with him and be patient. Prioritise staying alive over doing damage. Remember there are ways to keep recovering health during the fight.

 

He isn't that hard it's just easy to make mistakes on him so it may take quite a lot of attempts.

 

The game is definitely challenging at times but I wouldn't describe it as brutally or artificially difficult at all.

 

 

[Hexx]

Got to the purple Emmi - oh got they made them even shitter

[HarryBizzle]

49 minutes ago, Protocol Penguin said:

OK, how are you expected to beat

  Hide contents

Kraid

with only one extra energy tank?! I really am not liking the artificially high difficulty level on this game.

In the second stage, when you drop down, if you crouch in the bottom left, you should be able to spam attack and destroy the projectiles he spits out before they kill you. There’s one you have to dodge but the others can be destroyed. You can also charge fire but it requires better timing. 
 

 

I beat Z57 today. It was a fun fight but it was not obvious to me at all that you could do damage during the counter cutscene. 

[MikeBeaver]

This last boss can get in the bin.... to the point where I am almost tempted to sack it off and just watch the ending on Youtube!!

[Strafe]

1 hour ago, MikeBeaver said:

This last boss can get in the bin.... to the point where I am almost tempted to sack it off and just watch the ending on Youtube!!

I’d recommend watching a how to on YouTube on how to beat him instead. Once you have all his movements down he will fall.

[Popo]

I’m not sure the EMMI counter really works. It’s too narrow a window for it to feel earned, or anything other than luck really - so it doesn’t make you feel skilled or powerful like, say, a successful Dark Souls parry.

[Strafe]

I did an EMMI counter 2 times in a row! Died the third time.

 

I kept messing up the grapple hence getting caught so many times 🥴

[kempstar]

8 hours ago, Calashnikov said:

Disagree. If they made that parry window larger those segments would become utterly rote. Get caught and parry reliably all the way to the exit. As it is, there’s always a pang of panic at being caught, and a moment of exhilaration and relief whenever you do manage to land a rare counter. It keeps being captured interesting. It’s something to test the player with while they feel like they’re essentially waiting to re-do the section. 

Disagree. The parry windows as they are, are utterly rote. I gave up even trying after 20 or 30 failures. It isnt a pang of panic, its a pang of frustration. What is basically an almost entirely unavoidable one hit kill is not fun to watch, again and again. Particularly as the EMMIs themselves arent predictable.

 

The rest of the game is, largely, great, but the EMMIs are crap game design. Great idea, badly implemented.

 

They almost drained my enthusiasm completely. But not quite….. just the last boss to do.

 

 

[kempstar]

29 minutes ago, Popo said:

I’m not sure the EMMI counter really works. It’s too narrow a window for it to feel earned, or anything other than luck really - so it doesn’t make you feel skilled or powerful like, say, a successful Dark Souls parry.

Yeah, basically this. Eloquently put. Have a pos.

[iknowgungfu]

Daft question - how do you know the boss names which you are mentioning e.g. Kraid?

 

I played Super Metroid but I can’t remember anything about it really beyond enjoying bomb jumping. 

[kempstar]

7 minutes ago, iknowgungfu said:

Daft question - how do you know the boss names which you are mentioning e.g. Kraid?

 

I played Super Metroid but I can’t remember anything about it really beyond enjoying bomb jumping. 

I have played Super Metroid a few times over the years, so the boss was instantly recognisable. I didnt remember his name though, had to Google that!

[LaveDisco]

The beauty of the parry is that it give purpose to the death cutscene. Without it, you would watch the cut scene with increasing frustration. Instead you keep engagement, and get a final Hail Mary. You fucked up to get into this situation, and it’s a super hard chance out. 
 

It feels like it can be mastered, so you keep trying throughout the ten hours you play the game. When you manage it you feel like a super star.  It’s brilliant game design. 
 

if it was easier, every fail would feel like being kicked when your down. If it was removed, the discussion would be about how frustrating the emmi’s are. 
 

A perfect example of how Nintendo design things.