Today’s Nintendo Direct was filled with surprises like the announcement of Mario Strikers: Battle League, Wii Sports’ reincarnation as Nintendo Switch Sports, the announcement of Xenoblade Chronicles 3, the announcement of new Mario Kart 8 DLC, and far more. Perhaps one update that wasn’t on anyone’s prediction list includes a new update for Metroid Dread.
During the Direct, it was confirmed that Metroid Dread would receive an update later today that adds two new game modes, as well as a new game mode in April. The latter didn't provide a specific release date, but it's unlikely for it to be delayed beyond April. Beyond that, though, there was no mention if these were the last updates or if more content was coming afterward; this wisely leaves the future of Metroid Dread as open-ended as it needs to be.
The two modes added today, February 9, include the Rookie Mode and the Dread Mode. They are self-explanatory, but the first mode makes Metroid Dread easier. Fans will be able to complete the game without as much difficulty as before, but for those who want an even greater challenge, Nintendo is providing that too. Dread Mode means any single hit will see a Game Over screen for Samus, really pushing a player’s skill level.
Then, in April, players will be able to check out the new Boss Rush mode. This will allow players to fight the various bosses of Metroid Dread one-vs-one back-to-back, adding even more replayability to the title. These boss fights were a highlight of the base game for many, and getting the chance to face them all again should be welcome. As aforementioned, though, there's no mention of anything coming to the game in late 2022 or beyond.
Thus far, Metroid Dread hasn't received anything similar to story DLC, and at this point that is even less likely. Since Metroid Dread was wrapping up a story years in the making, story DLC wouldn't really make sense, and there's not a lot of avenues it could go down even if it was pursued. As such, anything that does come later fans should expect to be on the level of Rookie, Dread, or Boss Rush modes; there's certainly more to do with the game in that regard.
That's not to say Metroid, as a franchise, will slow down though. Metroid Dread provided a ton of momentum for it, and this is only good for when Nintendo finally reveals Metroid Prime 4 again. The latter essentially had its development restarted a few years ago, and on that metric, it would make sense that Metroid Prime 4 could become the main focus in just a couple of years.
Metroid Dread is available on Nintendo Switch.
