How to Counter an EMMI in Metroid Dread

I think if there’s one thing more unsettling than the notion you’re being hunted, it’s the notion you’re being hunted by something that has been expressly programmed to do so. A person stops to think, makes mistakes. A machine makes virtually no mistakes, and can move and think at the same time. The EMMIs of Metroid Dread are such a machine, programmed expressly to hunt down Samus and introduce her face to a big pointy thing. While running and hiding is the best option, you will be cornered at times, so it’s wise to have a backup plan. Here’s how to counter an EMMI in Metroid Dread.

When you’re being hunted by an EMMI in an EMMI Zone, any contact with it will immediately launch you into the capture animation. Even if you’re using the Phantom Cloak and it’s not actively pursuing you, it doesn’t matter; any contact means you’re moments away from death. During the capture animation, you have precisely two moments where you can counter the EMMI and escape capture. These moments are indicated by a yellow counter flash, first in its hand, second in its eye. If you can nail the counter, the EMMI will freeze up for a few seconds, giving you a chance to slide under its legs and run to safety.

How to Counter an EMMI in Metroid Dread

To counter an EMMI in Metroid Dread:

1. When you touch an EMMI, it will begin the capture animation
2. Press the counter button a split second before its claw flashes
3. If you miss the first chance, there is a second chance when its eye flashes

While the first EMMI you encounter comes with a quick tutorial about how to perform the counter, the game doesn’t quite give you the full picture. While the counter flashes seem very obvious, the actual window you have to perform them is astronomically tiny, only a frame or two. As such, if you plan on making a habit of countering, you need to become a master of frame-perfect mashing. Rather than when the flash goes off, you wanna try to push the X button for the counter a split second before it goes off.

If you wanna practice, just waltz into an EMMI Zone and let yourself get caught a few times. The nice thing about Metroid Dread is that it has pretty lenient checkpointing, so even if you get captured, you’ll just be sent back to the start of the EMMI Zone.

For more guides and related content, you can check out our website’s Metroid Dread section.