Metroid Dread is here, and it marks the conclusion to the decades-long story that's been told across the 2D side of the series, dating back to the original Metroid. While it may be a landmark game in that sense, the actual structure of it is very much still what you'd expect from a Metroid, as Samus starts out her journey stripped of her powers before slowly (and sometimes not so slowly) accumulating them again. It's typical Metroid fare, but whether it's been years since you last touched a game in the series or are making this your starting point, we've got some tips to help ensure your hours spent on the planet ZDR are dread-free.

Dread is a challenging game, but in many ways, it's not especially punishing. The new EMMI enemies that have been featured all over the game's marketing pose a serious threat to Samus, but thanks to checkpoints just outside of the zones you inhabit, an encounter going awry with one will only set you back a minute or two at most. Boss battles can also be quite difficult until you learn their patterns, but you can make things easier on yourself by putting in some legwork beforehand. With all of that in mind, let's dive into the tips.