Metroid Dread game length: How many hours does it take to complete?
The real question is: How hard is Metroid Dread going to be for you?
The Metroid Dread reviews are in and the Metroid Dread release date has arrived, so you might be sat there wondering just how many hours you could sink into this new 2D action game.
The Metroid franchise has a varying track record when it comes to game length: the longest Metroid game in the mainline 2D franchise is Metroid: Samus Returns (clocking in at around 15 hours), while the Metroid Prime subfranchise's longest entry is Metroid Prime 2: Echoes (which could've taken you 22 hours to beat).
- Buy Metroid Dread from Amazon (£48.74)
So how does the newly released Metroid Dread compare? How long does it take to beat, and just how hard is it? Keep on reading to find out!
How long is Metroid Dread in hours?
According to the handy website HowLongToBeat.com, completing the main story campaign in Metroid Dread will take most players an average of around seven hours. That's if you don't get distracted at all.
If you plan to tackle the main story as well as seeking out a few of the optional extras, the Metroid Dread game length for you should be around 10 hours.
If you're a completionist that wants to tick every box and earn 100% competition, IGN states that this thorough approach should take you around 13 hours.
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How hard is Metroid Dread?
Difficulty is a subjective concept, of course, but we would say that Metroid Dread is significantly challenging at certain points.
There is only one difficulty setting in Metroid Dread, so there's no easy mode or story mode to rely on, and the only ways to get better are to scavenge for more resources or keep on practising. As the old saying goes, 'If at first you don't succeed, die and die again.'
Metroid Dread has regular encounters with EMMI robots that can kill you with one hit - although it is possible to counter these attacks (press X when the yellow flash appears on screen), you only have a split second in which to do this.
The game also has some really tricky boss battles, where you'll need to time your dodges perfectly and deal damage repeatedly and accurately across multiple different stages. These boss fights are no cakewalk and will likely take you multiple attempts to overcome. Our main tip is to try to pick up energy and missiles during the fights to keep yourself alive longer.
It's also worth noting that Metroid Dread doesn't do much to hold your hand between the boss fights - you could easily head off in the wrong direction and lose an hour on a wild goose chase. Don't forget to look at your map regularly and try to find areas you haven't already explored. Some areas of the map will flash too, if you haven't found everything there.
Even during these more exploratory parts of the game, there are loads of alien creatures that will attack you as you walk around and try to progress through the story. You'll need to be on high alert at all times, but the experience of working out how to stay alive is mostly a very satisfying learning curve.
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Authors
Rob Leane is the Gaming Editor at Radio Times, overseeing our coverage of the biggest games on PlayStation, Xbox, Switch, PC, mobile and VR. Rob works across our website, social media accounts and video channels, as well as producing our weekly gaming newsletter. He has previously worked at Den of Geek, Stealth Optional and Dennis Publishing.
