Arguably one of the showstoppers of E3 2021 was the surprising announcement of Metroid Dread, the newest entry in Nintendo's 35-year old genre-defining franchise, and the second in the series to be developed in partnership with Spanish studio MercurySteam. The game, which is the fifth main entry in the series and a thematic revival of a canceled Nintendo DS game, will launch on October 8 with a special edition and two amiibo up to pre-order now. Nintendo has now detailed how these amiibo will interact with Metroid Dread.
Metroid Dread was announced at Nintendo's E3 2021 Direct presentation yesterday and has already generated some of the most buzz surrounding a game at E3. The game, which serves as a direct sequel to 2002's Metroid Fusion, follows Samus Aran as she explores the new planet of ZDR, where she is hunted by rogue EMMI robots as she attempts to destroy the remaining X Parasite. According to producer Yoshio Sakamoto, Metroid Dread will be the final game in the series to focus on Samus Aran's "uncanny" relationship with the Metroid species. However, he did not clarify if this means it will be the last game to feature the iconic intergalactic bounty hunter herself.
Shortly after announcing the game at E3 2021, Nintendo revealed that Metroid Dread will launch with two versions, a standard edition and a special edition which contains a steelbook case, 198-page artbook, and a set of five holographic art cards. It also revealed that the game will launch alongside two new amiibo, one based on Samus' new suit, and another based on the EMMI robot that hunts the player down throughout the game.
Today, Nintendo revealed that both of the amiibo can only be used once per day, with the Samus amiibo providing the player an extra in-game energy tank, and replenishing their health. The EMMI amiibo will provide an Energy Plus tank while also replenishing the player's missiles once per day.
Unlike cases like The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD, the amiibo in Metroid Dread will not take away features intended for the main game, a decision that Nintendo has received a lot of criticism for in the past. Many fans were disappointed with how the upcoming Zelda and Loftwing amiibo figure will allow the player to fast travel between Skyloft and the surface world, a feature many fans requested as a quality of life feature in the HD remaster of the Nintendo Wii game.
The amiibo functionality in Dread remains consistent with that of Metroid: Samus Returns, with that game's Samus and Metroid amiibo functioning similarly to the new Samus and EMMI amiibo. Additionally, it is likely that any version of the Samus amiibo will work with Dread, including the Super Smash Bros. and Metroid: Samus Returns versions.
Metroid Dread will release on October 8 exclusively for Nintendo Switch.
