Metroid Dread: 8 Things You Might Have Missed On Your First Playthrough

Like any great metroidvania, Metroid Dread appears to be loaded with secrets and hidden paths through the game that will likely elude a player on their first run through. Oftentimes, after following the beaten path through the game, a player will reach the mission complete screen with around 50% of the available items, which speaks to just how much is still out there to find.

In addition to the secrets the developers intended players to be able to find, there are many unintentional hidden techniques and sequence breaks that players are already starting to discover. Using Samus’ abilities in unusual ways will frequently open up unique pathways through the game, and more will surely be uncovered in the future.

8 A Clever Reference To Super Metroid

Anyone who’s played the title that defined the modern metroidvania genre, Super Metroid, will have immediately recognized that pipe in Metroid Dread. Super Metroid‘s glass pipe was responsible for many an abandoned playthrough, lending it a notorious reputation among the fanbase. It, of course, can be destroyed with super bombs, but the visual indications encouraging a player to use bombs are scarce, making it a challenging obstacle to overcome.

Dread references this in hilarious fashion by once again presenting players with a conspicuous glass tube that can only be destroyed with a super bomb. Subtle references like these are a great way to reward players with franchise experience, and at the same time, it might help someone, somewhere, finally complete their Super Metroid playthrough.

7 Skippable Flash Shift

Metroid Dread features pressure plate activated shutters that are supposed to be impassible until Samus has acquired the flash shift. The key word is “supposed to” here, because it seems that Reddit user TheSparx_ has found a way to get past them using only the morph ball.

It appears to be possible to hop the morph ball over the entire pressure plate if a jump is timed perfectly, which means that, in theory, it should be possible to skip the flash shift altogether. This doesn’t look like an easy technique to replicate, though, and it’s still unclear whether or not the game can be cleared without the flash shift.

6 Experiment Z-57 Insta-Kill

The menacing experiment Z-57 is one of the game’s many challenging bosses, which help ensure that this is a metroidvania even Dark Souls fans will love. In addition to powerful melee attacks that can seriously chunk Samus’ health, the beast has an array of ranged beam attacks that require some very precise movement to dodge. In one such attack, Samus is forced to the left wall of the arena by a powerful gust of wind and must dodge a flurry of shots coming her way.

This attack also constitutes Z-57’s biggest weakness, though, as there’s just enough time at the tail end of this particular attack to get a full charge out of Samus’ speed booster. Getting to a full charge just as the attack ends allows the player to shinespark Samus directly into the creature’s head, doing enough damage for an instant K.O.

5 The Change In Adam

The Federation A.I., Adam, was introduced in Metroid Fusion, a fan-favorite title that lands high on rankings of the series, and it shares some personality similarities with Samus’ old C.O. in the Federation military. Those who have completed the game will know the twist that reveals who Samus is actually talking to, but it’s easy to miss out on some key points of foreshadowing early in the game.

Fans of Metroid Fusion will have likely been more attuned to this than most, but there are some subtle shifts in Adam’s behavior early on in the game that betray the fact that he’s been replaced by Raven Beak. Namely, he drops his favorite nickname for Samus — “Lady”, choosing instead to just refer to her by her real name.

4 Infinite Bomb Jumping

A familiar technique makes a triumphant return in Metroid Dread — the infinite bomb jump. Using precision maneuvering and careful timing, it’s possible to boost the morph ball up into the air with a bomb, and then to extend the jump by placing another bomb at just the right time. Skilled players could theoretically pull this off endlessly, which will likely lead to impressive tricks down the road.

While the game doesn’t ever require the player to use this technique, it’s still an important tip for new players, because a skillfully deployed morph ball jump could possibly be used to access upgrades or routes that would otherwise be sealed. It seems that players have already found a way to use this technique to get super missiles early, so who knows what other sequence breaks might be out there?

3 Skippable Spin Boost

Dread has only been out for a couple of days, but talented players have already started splitting it open with insane sequence breaks. One of the most impressive of these is a way to skip the spin boost upgrade, an ability that the game leads players to believe is essential to traversing bodies of water before the gravity suit is unlocked.

As demonstrated in this thoroughly impressive YouTube video, it’s actually possible to shinespark across the pool that’s supposed to only be traversable with the spin boost. Doing so requires some incredibly precise movements, though, so this isn’t going to be a sequence break that just anyone will be able to pull off. Moreover, although it’s clearly possible to skip this ability, it’s as of yet unclear whether or not it’s possible to complete the entire game without it.

2 Shinespark Puzzles

Chances are, most of the upgrades a first-time player will miss out on are locked behind some utterly baffling shine spark puzzles. An upgrade will often be tantalizingly out of reach, sealed away by speed booster blocks that seem nigh impossible to get to.

Fear not, though, and 100% run is within grasp. Although shinesparking takes a lot of getting used to, it’s one of the game’s most powerful abilities, and not just because mastering it is the key to clearing the game with 100% items. Most of the sequence breaks discovered in the game thus far use the shinespark in one way or another, so it’s a good skill to get a handle on.

1 The Secret Kraid Death

One of the earliest sequence breaks in Metroid Dread is the early grapple beam, which allows the player to get the grapple beam before they’d normally be able to by following a secret route. What’s more is that by getting the grapple beam early, Samus is also able to unlock morph ball bombs early, which has some interesting consequences for the Kraid fight.

As it turns out, a player with morph ball bombs has access to an instant kill in Kraid’s second stage. By hopping into the hidden morph ball booster at the bottom of the boss arena, Samus can get boosted directly into Kraid’s guts, letting the player bomb his insides to bits. It’s an unsavory end for poor Kraid, but it’s incredibly cool that the developers reward the sequence break in this manner.

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