the review aggregator website Metacritic, Metroid Dread has a score of 88 out of 100, indicating "generally favorable" reviews. Samuel Claiborn of IGN praised the boss fights, writing that they "range from the traditional big, drooling monsters with patterns and weak points to learn, to almost Smash Bros.-esque encounters with enemies that mimic your move set". Chris Carter of Destructoid said Dread "masterfully" executed the Metroidvania formula, and that it "doesn’t take a lot of big swings, but it rarely bats a foul ball". Nintendo Lifes PJ O'Reilly liked the returning mechanics and the newer additions, saying "it always feels as though you've got a ton of choice in how to explore and move around your richly detailed surroundings". Joe Findly of CGM wrote that "Metroid Dread is a wonderful, modern take on a classic game from childhood". IGN wrote that it "brings back the legendary exploration and progression and merges it with excellent modern combat and some of the best boss fights ever". Sales Metroid Dread pre-orders topped the Amazon Video Game Best Sellers list in the US, UK, Japan, and Australia. It was also the most pre-ordered game following E3 2021 at GameStop. Dread had the highest-grossing physical launch of the franchise in the UK, debuting at number three on the weekly video games sales charts. Including digital copies, the game is also the fastest-selling Metroid game in the UK. In the United States, Dread debuted at #3 and sold 854,000 copies in its first month, making it the fastest-selling Metroid, according to Nintendo of America president Doug Bowser. In Japan, it debuted at number one, selling 86,798 retail copies in its first week of release. Including digital copies, Dread outsold the life-to-date sales of nearly every Metroid game in Japan in its first week. By May 10, 2022, it had sold more than 2.9 million copies worldwide, making it the best-selling Metroid game. Awards and accolades At the Game Awards 2021, Metroid Dread won the award for Best Action/Adventure Game. At the Golden Joystick Awards, it won in the category Nintendo Game of the Year. It was also named Game of the Year by Time and Digital Trends. Notes References External links 2021 video games Cancelled Nintendo DS games Golden Joystick Award winners Metroid games Metroidvania games Nintendo Switch games Nintendo Switch-only games Side-scrolling video games Single-player video games The Game Awards winners Vaporware video games Video