Why Going in Circles Can Make for a Great Video Game

Do you love nothing more than to backtrack through a part of a video game you've already been through? I surely do--I love to confidently revisit an area I struggled through once I've powered up and am now able to take it on with ease. Backtracking can be divisive (my very own editor can't stand it), but if you, too, find it satisfying, you need to get yourself Metroid Dread--the first original Metroid story in nearly two decades, now on Nintendo Switch. It's a game that finds innovative ways to deliver the surprising pleasures of returning to an area again and again, reaffirming my love for this conceit that others may still scoff at.. What exactly are those pleasures, for those who can't fathom traveling to the same place multiple times? I'm glad you asked--because I'm not at all alone in loving this practice.