Shinesparking is one of the trickiest abilities you absolutely need to know about to earn 100% in Metroid Dread. And Shinesparking is surprisingly versatile — there are ways to get around the apparent limits and break blocks in ways you might never imagine. I’m a Shinesparking newbie, but if you’ve played Metroid: Zero Mission you’ll already have a leg-up. There are some advanced Shinespark abilities that are absolutely required here. Not just for sequence breaking (though Speed Booster tricks can still be used for sequence breaking in Metroid Dread) but for getting the trickiest power-ups in the game. Yes, you really need to know how to Speed Boost wall-jump, save up multiple Shinesparks in a row, and use Morphball Shinespark.
More Metroid Dread guides:
How To Evade EMMI | Artaria & Corpius | Walkthrough Pt. 1 | Cataris & Kraid | Walkthrough Pt. 2 | Burenia & Drogyga | Walkthrough Pt. 3 | Elun & Escue | Walkthrough Pt. 4 | Screw Attack & Z-57 | Walkthrough Pt. 5 | Hanubia & Raven Beak | Walkthrough Pt. 6 | How To Find All Energy Tanks & Missile Tanks | 100% Completion Guide
How Shinespark Works
To Shinespark, Samus must acquire the Speed Booster suit upgrade. To acquire it, you need to destroy the yellow EMMI in Dairon. Once you acquire the Speed Booster, you can begin using Shinespark.
- How To Charge Shinespark: Once Speed Booster is activated by running for about 5 seconds, Samus will enter a super-speed state. In this state, you can charge Shinespark by ducking. Once Samus ducks, she will begin to glow — this means Shinespark has been charged.
Once Shinespark has been charged, there are multiple ways you can use it. The charge will dissipate if you do not activate Shinespark in a number of seconds, so you need to act fast. Let’s get into all the different methods to use Shinespark.
- Neutral Standing Shinespark: Once Shinespark is charged, you can Shinespark in five directions — left, left-up, up, right-up and right. Shinespark by standing still and jumping while Shinespark is charged.
- To avoid activating Shinespark, perform a Spin Jump. This will cause Shinespark to not activate.
- After pressing jump and activating Shinespark, Samus will float for a fraction of a second. Press the D-Pad in the direction you want to launch Samus during this short animation.
Samus will launch and only stop when she collides into a wall. After collision, Samus will generate a horizontal shockwave that can destroy further Speed Booster Blocks.
NOTE: To ensure a successful Shinespark, remove your thumb from the D-Pad so Samus is perfectly neutral and not moving, then press [B] to jump.
In addition to the normal Neutral Standing Shinespark, you can also Morph Ball Shinespark.
- Ball Shinespark: This works exactly like a normal Neutral Standing Shinespark, but can be performed while Samus is in Morph Ball form. The benefit of this is that Morph Ball Samus can reach 1×1 Speed Booster Blocks, and that Samus can launch herself down.
- To Ball Shinespark, store a Shinespark charge, then transform into Morphball Form. Press [B] to jump, and during the brief animation, hold up, down, left or right to launch.
Aside from Ball Shinespark and Standing Shinespark, you can also Shinespark mid-jump in Metroid Dread.
- Mid-Jump Shinespark: Unlike other games in the series, you can now activate Shinespark even when you’re in the middle of a spin jump. To perform this, press [B] while the D-Pad is in a Neutral Position even mid-jump.
- Remove your thumb from the D-Pad and jump again to activate. This is tricky and can take some practice.
There’s more to Shinesparks. Using the Speed Booster, you can Speed Booster wall-jump to travel long distances and still retain a Shinespark Charge. You can also restore your Shinespark Charge if Samus is launched into a diagonal slope.
- Advanced Shinespark Maneuvers:
- Speed Booster Wall-Jump: To travel further and faster, Samus can perform wall-jumps after charging up with Speed Booster, allowing Samus to charge up on a lower area, then jump up to where you need the Shinespark Charge.
- After reaching full Speed Booster speed, jump into a wall. Just as you touch the wall, press the opposite direction on the d-pad and jump again. This takes extremely tight timing.
- Restoring Shinespark Charge After Shinesparking: Samus can Shinespark, then press down to restore her Shinespark charge again. This can only be done in very specific areas.
- A Shinespark Charge can be restored if Samus launches a Shinespark into a diagonal slope. After sliding up the slope, press down to restore the Shinespark Charge.
- Speed Booster Wall-Jump: To travel further and faster, Samus can perform wall-jumps after charging up with Speed Booster, allowing Samus to charge up on a lower area, then jump up to where you need the Shinespark Charge.
Those are some of the most advanced techniques you can use with Shinespark. If you can pull them off, you’ll be able to unlock any of the items in the game — and the trickiest items always require advanced Shinespark maneuvers to get.