Metroid Dread goes extreme with Dread and Rookie modes, plus a Boss Rush

Something new for streamers and die-hard fans

So much happened at today’s Nintendo Direct, even Metroid Dread squeezed in for a moment. If you’re looking for a gnarly challenge, or perhaps a leg up, there are two new modes joining the game today in a free update: Dread Mode and Rookie Mode.

Metroid Dread‘s February 9 update:

• Dread Mode — one hit, one kill. If Samus takes damage, that’s the end of the saga. You’ll need to clear Hard Mode first to unlock Dread.
• Rookie Mode — an exploration-minded option with more HP from items and less damage from bosses.
• Expanded Mission Results — further stats to pore over including “Total Play Time (which includes time spent on the in-game map and all retries), Item Collection Rate, Times Defeated, Total Damage Received, and more.”

Another update planned for April:

• Boss Rush — a race to clear all of the bosses back-to-back. A genre staple!

One of my favorite parts of Castlevania games is rushing down bosses, so I’ll definitely loop back around on Metroid Dread. I’m not in the mood to replay it all — the first playthrough was great, but that was enough, and I’m honestly disappointed that’s how things shook out. That said, I pretty much adored the bosses. Especially him.

If you’re curious to try Metroid Dread, there is a demo, and in fact, Nintendo just updated it with the new Rookie Mode and the Corpius boss fight.

I wasn’t really expecting to hear anything new on Metroid Prime, so that’s fine. And when it comes to Nintendo’s track record with content updates for well-liked games with big audiences, well, your guess is as good as mine. This ended up being a pleasant surprise.