How to counter an E.M.M.I. in Metroid Dread

The odds are good that at some point in your first playthrough of Metroid Dread, you’ve accidentally been grabbed by the stalkers of the game, the E.M.M.I. These near-invincible machines cannot be harmed without acquiring an Omega Cannon upgrade, which is only (briefly) obtained from defeating bosses.

You may be wondering what to do if an E.M.M.I. corners you — and unfortunately, there’s only one option, which is the counter. Samus’ counter tool is fantastic against weaker enemies, but against the E.M.M.I., it can only buy you an escape from a game over, and even then, only if you time it right.

You get one shot at the grab-breaking counter, and it’s either when the E.M.M.I. first grabs you or right before it impales you. If you time it poorly at any point during the sequence, the E.M.M.I. will instantly impale you, sending you to the game over screen. The indication for you to press the X button is the flash of light right before the E.M.M.I. does something, but this is a nearly frame-perfect window of opportunity — you have 1 or 2 frames of time to press the button and escape the grab.

Worry not, however — game overs do not send you back to your last save point. They do send you back to the last time you traversed an E.M.M.I. zone door, however, so you will have to contend with the robots again.