It's been more than 35 years since the original Metroid was released on the NES. In the time since, the series has grown to include multiple entries that expanded upon the lore behind the titular metroids and their connection to its main protagonist, Samus. And with 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Metroid Dread now out on Nintendo Switch, those fans that played through 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:her other adventures and were awaiting ✨💫her next one are finally getting rewarded.

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This latest entry has been billed as the conclusion to the plot in the overarching series, promising to tie up loose ends left by the previous installments. The game does a decent job of filling new players in on everything they need to know though, with a short intro summarizing Samus' previous encounters with the metroids and the X parasite. But there are several deep cuts and easter eggs in the new game that only long-time fans of the series would pick up on.

Note: There are major spoilers for the events of Metroid Dread ahead.

5 Kraid

A screenshot showing Samus encountering Kraid in Metroid Dread

The Metroid series boasts a decent roster of iconic bad guys, and Kraid is perhaps one of the more recognizable of the bunch. First intr🧸oduced in the original Metroid, he has also appeared in its GBA remake, Metroid: Zero Mission, as well as Super Metroid on the SNES.

The space pirate was believed to have died on the planet Zebes following the events of that last game, so long-time fans were eager to 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:face him yet again in Metroid Dread. No real explanation is given for his survival but he can be seen in restraints when Samus encounters him, implying that he was now a prisoner of Raven Beak, the game's main antagonist, and his army of Chozo soldiers.

4 Draygon

A screenshot showing an encounter with Draygon in Super Metroid

The🃏 action in Metroid Dread takes place on the planet ZDR, and its world is brought to life beautifully, pushing the Nintendo Switch hardware to deliver some of the most technically sound visuals seen on the hybrid console to date.

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The result is screen after screen of scenery that is highly detailed and fully realized. There is hardly any room or area you step into that doesn't have multiple layers for you to scan for hidden callbacks to previous Metroid games in its background or foreground. And sometimes, those callbacks aren't as hidden as one might expect, like when you see what appears to be Draygon being held in a large vat. He was one of the bosses Samus encounters in Super Metroid and his appearance here serves as a nice Easter egg for those who remember.

3 𓆏 The Omega Cannon

A screenshot showing Samus with the Omega Cannon in Metroid Dread

In Metroid Dread, one of the more formidable enemies you'll encounter are the E.M.M.I., a number of large robots that pursue Samus with the singular goal of extracting her DNA. The only way to defeat one of them is by using the Omega Cannon, a souped-up version of her regular arm cannon she gets each time she absorbs energy from a Central Unit.

And long-time Metroid fans should be able to recognize that name as that of another weapon that was originally seen in Metroid Prime: Hunters, a spin-off title that was released for the Nintendo DS in 2006. The similarity ends with their names though, as the Omega Cannon in ✨Metroid Dread actually has more in common with the Plasma Gun featured in Metroid: Other M than anything thing else.

2 𒈔 Connections To Mother Br𓃲ain

A screenshot showing an encounter with Mother Brain in Super Metroid

Speaking of the Central Units, the ubiquitous AI goes hand in hand with the E.M.M.I. in Metroid Dread. The former effectively controls𒉰 the latter, in what the game refers to as E.M.M.I. zones, theꦑ designated rooms wherein they hunt down Samus.

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But that is not the only connection the AI shares with another, as Nintendo itself had drawn people's attention to the similarities it has with Mother Brain . That other AI was featured as the main antagonist in Metroid (and its remake, Metroid: Zero Mission) and Super Metroid. The implication is that the Central Unit has been modeled after Mother Brain, even though it also bears a resemblance to other supercomputers like the Aurora Units featured in Metroid Prime 3: Corruption.

1 Samus' Transformation

A screenshot showing Samus in her new suit in Metroid Dread

One of the main plotlines in Metroid Fusion wa⛦s the infection of Samus and her suit by the X parasite, an infection that was curbed through the application of the Metroid vaccine. This gave her suit the 🌸mutated appearance it had in that game, as well as a host of new abilities.

By the start of Metroid Dread, however, she is seen wearing a different suit e🔴ntirely, with no apparent trace of her prior infection or mutation. But as the events in the game progress, it is revealed that Samus was in fact now slowly becoming a humanoid Metroid, due to her exposure to the Metroid vaccine. Considering that the entire series is built around her connection to the metroids, and the fact that some people have mistakenly called her "Metroid" since its inception, the development helps to bring the whole thing full circle.

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