The 2021 Game Awards has left its mark on the gaming industry, crowning some of the year’s best games for their tremendous achievements. While the show may have been longer than some truly anticipated, it was still marked by some remarkable awards and stunning world premieres. One of the most highly anticipated awards for the show was for2021’s best action-adventure game, and out of all of the nominees, any of them would have been worthy of the recognition. When it came time for the announcement, though, the award ultimately went to Nintendo’sMetroid Dread.
The story ofMetroid Dreadis one that has been well documented at this point, as the first mainlineMetroidgame in almost twenty years after numerous delays. Hopes were always relatively high for the next installment in the series for longtimeMetroidfans, but leading up to release, there was a prevalent fear thatMetroidcould experience another period of dormancy if the game didn’t excel in one way or another. Luckily, now thatMetroid Dreadhas blown fans and critics away, the fact that it now ranks among some of the best action-adventure games in the industry should be a good sign forMetroid’s future.
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Giving Nintendo a Reason To Keep Metroid Going
Over the last twenty years, Nintendo has built up a rather unfortunate reputation for letting some first-party franchises fall by the wayside while others continue to shine in the spotlight. Whether it’s because of a lack of financial success or no new ideas, Nintendo staples likeF-ZeroandStar Foxhave fallen dormant while franchises likeSuper MarioandThe Legend of Zeldahave received continued support.Metroidwas one such franchise that had fallen dormant for quite some time, as the last home console release beforeDreadwas 2010’s divisiveMetroid: Other M.
Metroid Dreadproved that the franchise can still stand among some of Nintendo’s biggest properties, however, as it was a tremendous success across the board. Not only was it received well by fans and critics alike, butMetroid Dreadset a franchise sales record, breaking the previous record set by the acclaimedMetroid Primeso many years ago. Now that the game has also one a major gaming award, Nintendo has been given more than enough reason to think that gamers wantMetroidto continue, and will support new releases so long as Nintendo continues to support the franchise with quality titles.
Predicting The Future of Metroid
With all of the accolades thatMetroid Dreadhas received in the months since its release, the future looks pretty bright for the series as a whole.Metroid Prime 4is still in development, and with all of theMetroidhype that has been built up byDread, the long-awaited game could do much better than some may have previously anticipated. And althoughMetroid Dreadwas meant to conclude the main story started by the firstMetroid, it would be no surprise to see MercurySteam given the reins once again for another 2D adventure with Samus Aran.
The Game Awardshas become one of the biggest stages in gaming over the last few years, and the fact thatMetroid Dreadranks as one of its award winners should be a source of pride for both Nintendo and MercurySteam. Few franchises have been so influential to the industry asMetroid, and the return to form thatDreaddemonstrated is more than befitting of best action-adventure game of 2021. While the next step for afterDreadmay be a mystery, there’s no doubt thatMetroidhas thoroughly brought itself back into today’s age of gaming.
