Wow, combat is so frustrating

[metroid]

Ha, I killed the mutant dog! I jumped on a crate and just kept hitting it. It did bite me once or twice. It wasn't a lot of fun actually.
And also I've found out that I can look at monsters with the corner of my eye without panicking. Why do I panick anyway? I think the game mechanics could be better.
The puzzles are not bad though, quite easy so far (I hate adventure games with obscure puzzles) And the atmosphere is nice. Is Black Plague better, gameplay-wise?