Loyal Metroid fans waited 19 years for an all-new 2D entry in the franchise, and their patience was rewarded earlier this month. Metroid Dread launched to positive reviews and strong sales numbers, and it looks like the series is primed to become more popular than ever. If you’re still on the fence about picking it up, Nintendo is giving you the chance to try it out. They’ve just released a Metroid Dread demo on Switch eShop, so you can dip your toes in for free.
Metroid Dread demo
The Metroid Dread demo is virtually identical to the opening moments of the real game. It kicks off with a refresher on some important plot points from past games, setting the stage for Dread‘s story. Then there’s a dramatic opening cutscene (which I won’t spoil here), and you’ll soon have control of Samus. The demo is restricted to Artaria, the first of planet ZDR’s nine regions. You’ll be able to traverse a small, mostly linear area, encountering two EMMI bots along the way. The only major difference I noticed from the normal game is that you can’t use save stations, though there are still some auto-saves in play.
As a fun aside, Metroid Dread speedrunners have found numerous exploits, and I can confirm that one of them works in the demo. You can use a glitch known as Pseudo-wave to beat the demo in about a minute! Though I’d recommend you take the long way and enjoy it in its entirety. If you pick up Metroid Dread and are interested in learning more about sequence breaking and speedrunning, we have a variety of guides you can check out.
Metroid Dread guides
- Metroid Dread guide: How to Water Bomb Jump and get early Ice Missiles
- Unlock all Metroid Dread Ending Rewards and Chozo Archives on one file
- Metroid Dread: How to get Grapple and Bombs early + Kraid Quick Kill
- Metroid Dread speedrun guide: How to skip the Drogyga Boss Fight
- Metroid Dread speedrun guide: Getting the Phantom Cloak early
- Metroid Dread speedrun tricks: How to skip the first EMMI
- How to Shinespark almost every boss in Metroid Dread
- Metroid Dread guide: How to get early Gravity Suit
