The first, new, "real" Metroid game in more than a decade arrives on October 8, 2021, and the Nintendo Switch's newest iteration comes with it. We had an opportunity to sample both a few weeks early at a preview event held by Nintendo in New York City. We're holding off on formal reviews and numbered scores for both Metroid Dread and the OLED Nintendo Switch until we can spend much more time with them, but we like what we've seen so far.

The OLED Nintendo Switch

Let's start with the new OLED Switch, an upgraded version of the original Switch, which itself was soft-upgraded with a larger battery two years after its 2017 launch. The Nintendo Switch (OLED Model), as it's unwieldly called, features a larger screen and a few revised design elements that differentiate it from the standard Switch. It doesn't have more processing power than the Switch or Switch Lite, though; the internal hardware isn't significantly upgraded in any form, so temper your expectations.

The biggest change is the use of a 7-inch, OLED touch screen instead of the current Switch's 6.2-inch LCD screen (and the Switch Lite's 5.5-inch LCD screen). OLED technology tends to offer far better contrast than LCD screens, along with excellent color performance. I couldn't directly compare the OLED Switch's screen to an LCD Switch screen during my time with the system, but it certainly looked very good. Like the PlayStation Vita's revision from OLED to LCD, or even the slight color saturation differences between the Switch and Switch Lite, the OLED Switch's screen might represent only a modest visual upgrade that you won't really notice unless you put two systems right next to each other.

So far, the larger screen size is the more compelling upgrade than the change to OLED; the extra 0.8 inch of diagonal space means a bigger picture to enjoy. Even better, the larger screen doesn't increase the Switch's size, as the new Switch is the same size as the current Switch. I immediately noticed the much narrower black border around the active part of the screen compared with the LCD Switch, and it's definitely an improvement. The screen has the same 720p resolution as the LCD Switch's 6.2-inch screen, so technically it's slightly less sharp with larger pixels, but I didn't notice any real visual change.

Besides the screen, the OLED Switch has other upgraded elements. The system apparently has more powerful speakers, but I couldn't really tell in the open, somewhat noisy space where I tested the system. More compelling is the increased onboard storage, doubled from 32GB to 64GB. You should still invest in a microSD card if you want to load your Switch with games, but 64GB is pretty generous considering the reasonable size of most Switch games (at least, compared with recent Call of Duty games on home consoles).

Then there's the kickstand. The original Switch has a tiny plastic strip that flips out to let you set the tablet upright on a flat surface. It tends to easily snap off, but when it stays on, it holds the Switch pretty precariously. The OLED Switch, on the other hand, has a wide, plastic panel that runs the entire width of the tablet's back; a panel that you flip out to use as a kickstand. It's much more stable than the current kickstand, and has a much wider range of motion so you can use it at different angles. If you want to use your Switch on a table, this seems like a vital upgrade.

Finally, the OLED Switch's dock includes an Ethernet port, so you don't need to get a separate LAN adapter to use a wired network connection. I didn't try that out.

Unlike the battery-boosted Switch, the Nintendo Switch (OLED Model) doesn't replace the current Switch. In fact, Nintendo will continue to sell the current Switch alongside the OLED Switch. The OLED Switch will retail for $349.99 compared with the standard Switch's $299.99 price. For a bigger screen, more storage, and improved kickstand, that extra $50 seems well worth it, but we'll see when we test the OLED Switch much more thoroughly.

Metroid: Dread

I spent about an hour playing Metroid Dread on the OLED Switch, and I got a pretty good handle on the game. This is officially the fifth Metroid game, with Nintendo considering 2002's Metroid Fusion to be Metroid 4, and not formally recognizing Metroid: Other M or the Metroid Prime games. Nintendo seems to hold the side-scrolling Metroid games as the primary series, with the 3D movement games as side games.

Metroid Dread takes place after Metroid Fusion, which makes it the most recent game in the series, chronologically. The Metroids have supposedly been eradicated by Samus Aran, and she also took care of the equally dangerous X parasite. So, naturally, when an X parasite is spotted on the planet ZDR, Samus is sent out to investigate it. Although I didn't see any Metroids in my play session, I would put money on the toothy, energy-sucking, jellyfish aliens showing up somewhere on ZDR.

After landing, Samus encounters an imposing bird-alien warrior known as a Chozo, the race that raised Samus and gave her her power suit. This Chozo warrior didn't seem particularly welcoming of their adoptive cousin, though, and beats Samus into the ground. She wakes up later, deep in the bowels of ZDR and completely disarmed save for her basic arm cannon. The unique blue shoulders Nintendo has shown on Samus' design in Metroid Dread appear to be where the Chozo warrior ripped off her iconic Varia Suit shoulder pads. As excuses to once again take away all of Samus' previous equipment and start from scratch, being seriously beaten and having her armor ripped apart is one of the better ones.

Samus starts in Artaria, a deep cavern system on ZDR that fells similar to Super Metroid's Crateria. After some running around, Samus makes contact with her ship's computer, Adam, that directs her to return to the surface because she's so weakened. It's an interesting perspective; starting deep down in the planet, and needing to make your way to the ship. The situation really enhances the feeling of isolation and mystery already common to the Metroid series.

Traversing Artaria highlights both Samus' agility and limitations. She doesn't have her morph ball ability, and I didn't run into it during my entire time exploring. However, she can hold onto ledges like she could in Metroid Fusion, and pressing the left trigger lets her slide through holes (though if the hole isn't floor-level, she can't get through it until she presumably recovers the morph ball and can bomb jump).

While I didn't see the morph ball ability anywhere, I sampled one of Samus' new movement abilities after a boss fight: the spider grip. It lets her grab onto any surface with a blue glow. She can climb along these surfaces, and ride certain platforms with that same glow to get to new places. I also didn't see any red doors that required missiles to open, but instead I found plenty of dark yellow doors that need full-power shots from the charge beam, in contrast with the lit yellow doors that open with normal shots.

Exploring as Samus in Metroid Dread feels very much like it did in Super Metroid and Metroid Fusion. Combat, on the other hand, is straight out of developer MercurySteam's remake of Metroid II: Samus Returns on the 3DS. Samus can aim her arm cannon at any angle, even while moving, thanks to the Switch's two analog sticks. Holding the L button keeps Samus in place so she can aim more precisely, and holding the R button switches from energy shots to missiles.

Samus can also use a melee counter just like in Samus Returns; pressing X when an enemy flashes makes her smack it away with her arm cannon and leaves it open to a blast that not only destroys it, but results in far more health and missile pickups that otherwise would be dropped in combat. The counter requires precise timing, but it's extremely powerful.

The melee counter is one of two specifically MercurySteam-feeling elements in Metroid Dread's combat. The other element is Aeion powers, first introduced in Samus Returns. These abilities are used separately from Samus' standard suit upgrades, consuming their own energy meter to enable some useful moves that must be used sparingly. I only unlocked one Aeion Ability, Phantom Cloak, which lets Samus turn invisible to sneak past enemies and motion-activated doors. I got the power shortly before my time with the game ended, so I couldn't try much besides get through some doors that previously shut when I approached them.

I do know that the Phantom Cloak will make it easier to sneak by E.M.M.I., which is one of the major new aspects of Metroid Dread. E.M.M.I. are robots sent by the Galactic Federation to investigate ZDR before Samus, and they appear to have been corrupted, as they attack Samus on sight. This is a big problem, because they're heavily armored to the point that Samus' regular weapons simply won't work on them, and if they grab Samus they'll capture her for unknown purposes, resulting in an instant game over.

There are seven E.M.M.I. in the game, and each is restricted to its own patrol zone. This means you can feel safe if you aren't in its territory, but if you are in its zone you could be chased down at any time. If an E.M.M.I. hears you moving nearby, it will investigate. If it sees you, it will chase you all over the zone. Early in the game, this means you have to run and hide as fast as you can. If an E.M.M.I. catches you, you might be able to perform a counter that can stun it long enough to get out of its clutches, but the timing for this is much, much tighter than the regular melee counter. So, yes, these robots will be an ongoing source of dread, much like the SA-X in Metroid Fusion.

E.M.M.I. aren't truly indestructible, though. They can be beaten if you get omega energy by absorbing it from a special power core. This charges Samus with a unique energy that can destroy an E.M.M.I.'s core with a charged and well-aimed blast. I managed to destroy two E.M.M.I. this way, and the sense of freedom you get when their territory is no longer a hunting ground is incredibly satisfying.

Omega energy isn't a permanent upgrade like Samus' other weapons and abilities. Blasting an E.M.M.I. uses up the energy, forcing Samus to find more if she wants to defeat another robot. The first power core I found was simply on the ground near an E.M.M.I.'s patrol zone. The other one was guarded by a suspiciously Metroid-like floating eyeball in another E.M.M.I.'s zone.

This looks like it will be a big part of Metroid Dread's structure and pacing. First, you must traverse a dangerous area, and avoid the E.M.M.I. that patrols it. Then, you must find a nearby power core to get charged with omega energy. Finally, you can blow up that E.M.M.I. and freely explore its territory. This is all on top of the standard Metroid exploration, of which Metroid Dread seems to have plenty because E.M.M.I. patrol zones appear to be very limited compared to what seems to be a massively sprawling map.

I scoured Artaria, fought a few bosses, blew away two E.M.M.I., and briefly explored the second area, Cataris, a lava-filled location similar to Norfair in Samus Returns. I didn't find the morph ball in my travels, but I still built up a solid handful of tools to help Samus explore and fight through a constantly widening range of dangerous caves and corridors.

Looking Good

We only got a taste of Metroid Dread and the OLED Switch, but like what we've seen with both. The new Switch seems like a solid upgrade, even without additional processing power, and the new Metroid game looks like it's packed with exploration, action, and stealth. We'll dig much deeper into the new hardware and software as we get closer to their October 8, 2021 launches.