Metroid Dread Fan Finds Kraid Throwback Easter Egg

A Metroid Dread fan has discovered a subtle Easter egg found just before Samus fights Kraid in Cataris. Metroid Dread released to critical acclaim earlier this year, and was one of the nominees for Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2021. While Metroid Dread lost to It Takes Two at TGA, the title has been a must-play for fans, and marks the first reappearance of Kraid in the series since the remake of Metroid on the NES, Metroid: Zero Mission.

There are several theories as to how Kraid is alive in Metroid Dread following the events of Metroid: Zero Mission. One theory is that Kraid was captured by the Chozo warriors before the destruction of planet ZDR. This is supported by the Chozo memory CG unlocks when collecting all the items in Cataris, which shows Kraid being restrained by the Chozo. Another theory is that this is another species of Kraid altogether, possibly even a clone made by the Chozo. Whatever this version of Kraid in Metroid Dread may be, his appearance in the game surprised many longtime fans, and his boss fight proved to be one of the more difficult ones to overcome in the game.

Twitter user CaptainDoge1 discovered the Metroid Dread Easter egg in the room just before Samus fights Kraid. A comparison of pictures shows that the chamber before fighting Kraid subtly resembles the same room from Super Metroid and Metroid on the NES. The room has the same spikes at the top of the ceiling, and though it may be hard to see, there are faint red eyes above the spikes in the Metroid Dread room. It’s a reference that, though very easy to miss, is yet another attention to detail that is aimed to please Metroid fans.

Nintendo’s Metroid Dread is filled with secrets and subtle details that add layers to the experience of exploring planet SR388, and the aforementioned Chozo memories give new context to certain events that happen in the story. Though some are up for interpretation, the lore they provide is a nice reward for getting 100% completion in each area, and serves to give the adventure more replayability.

Though this Easter egg is small, it’s another example of the attention to detail put into Metroid Dread. Everything from the lore to the mechanics is finely tuned to craft what many fans consider to be one of the best Metroid experiences in recent years. The game also re-implements sequence breaking from past Metroid games to allow players to skip certain sections of the game entirely and get Metroid Dread items early, which is true to the Metroid formula. It’s these types of details that make it unsurprising that Metroid Dread won the award for Best Action-Adventure Game at the 2021 Game Awards.

Metroid Dread is available now on the Nintendo Switch.

Source: CaptainDoge1/Twitter

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