Metroid: Samus Returns for Nintendo 3DS

Metroid II: The Return of Samus is mostly fondly remembered for it's fantastic ending that leads right into Super Metroid. There was more to the game at first. Being a Gameboy game it was actually quite an impressive feat and managed to evoke some real classic Metroid tropes such as a great atmosphere and a sense of being lost. Unfortunately, the original Gameboy game hasn't aged well and it's also rather difficult to find. This is where the remake Samus Returns comes into play. It's a remake and an updated one. It takes the best of the classic 2D Metroid games and combines it with some of the finest qualities of Metroid Prime. The end result is perhaps the best Metroid game we've seen in a decade. The story in Samus Returns is pretty simple: Samus has destroyed Mother Brain and has now gone to the Metroid home world of SR388 to get rid of the Metroid menance once and for all. She will go to their homeworld and beging eradicating the Metroid's one by one. But the deeper she gets the more dangerous it becomes. And in this remake she'll run into some harrowing new dangers. The story is simple, but the fun of Metroid storytelling is seeing what unfolds in the story by what you discover as you explore. And there is plenty of that to do in Metroid Samus Returns. Metroid has never been that story centric, though. The most story focused game in the series (Metroid Fusion) ended up telling a GREAT story on its own, but the more story heavy a game is the more likely it is to be linear. As Metroid is more about exploration than that, Metroid Returns relies on the environment and the players deductions about what's going on. In spite of that, though, to call Metroid: Samus Returns a nonlinear experience would also be misleading. Certain portions of the game open up at a time. Your goal is to go roaming through areas and defeat enough Metroids to get a pool of acid to lower even further so that you can explore deeper. The game doesn't really open up until the end of the game. This doesn't mean there's no exploring to do. There's plenty of it. It just means the exploration is more controlled than it lets on. Most of the time your goal with exploring is to find a Metroid to destroy. And often this will take you around the majority of the areas that you're exploring as is. This isn't all there is to exploration, though. As with previous Metroid titles, you'll find power ups that will eventually give Samus better abilities. The original Gameboy game had a surprisingly large number of power ups for such a simple game, but Samus Returns expands on them to provide power ups that would make appearances in other Metroid games such as the gravity suit, power bombs and the grapple beam. All of these additions are weaved in rather well and the game makes sure you'll have to utilize them. The exploration becomes great when you realize you'll have to go back to previous areas to find everything. So yes, it's a more controlled and linear exploration but the fun in exploring is still there. Mostly. In making Metroid Samus Returns more accessible it introduces Aeion abilities. One of them is a scanner that unveils the majority of the map and points out any hidden power ups or strange blocks that can be destroyed with weapons. This is an optional thing, but more die-hard Metroid fans probably want to have their exploration be a bit more exciting than that. That being said, however, what I find the most fascinating about finding powerups (whether they be more missiles or energy tanks) is that getting a lot of them is like solving a puzzle. They're usually not difficult but if finding them feels too easy, you'll be rest assured that the game will make sure you understand its mechanics to get them. Other Aeion abilities allow Samus to do such things as slow down time, utilize a rapid fire effect or put up an additional shield to soak up some damage. Samus can also stop and utilize precision aiming if the player holds down a button. This allows for more accurate shots and you'll know if you'll hit something because the lock on sight line will change colors. While all of these seem like they'd make Samus Returns an easy game, you'll be surprised at just how challenging it can actually be. In particular, the main boss fights require excellent pattern recognition and master of one of the best new additions to Samus Returns: The melee counter. At some points enemies will flash and come in for an attack. When timed correctly Samus can execute a melee counter that will temporarily leave an enemy stunned and allow Samus to shoot them with ease. This isn't just used on standard enemies, bosses and Metroids will have this happen as well. In the case of fighting a lot of the Metroids (and you will fight a lot of them) mastering this technique is required and you'll likely learn it just because you'll fight so many of them. The game's difficulty, however, is definitely more top heavy. By that I mean, the beginning and middle stages of the game are fairly challenging but not so much the last third or so of the game. The difficulty, however, feels rather fair. This isn't the kind of game where you'll find yourself dying thanks to cheap tricks from your enemies. All of the attacks the enemies launch into are telegraphed and can be avoided or countered, it's just a matter of learning them. This is especially true of the game's bosses and the Metroids. You'll find it isn't really that difficult as you fail and begin to learn the attacks of your enemies. Likewise, unlike other Metroid games you not only have a plentiful amount of save rooms and warp rooms, but there's also a checkpoint system outside of boss battles and Metroid battles so that you don't have to constantly start from your last save point. There isn't really a lot that keeps Metroid down to be honest. If there was anything it would be that the fights with the Metroid's often become repetitive. New variants are introduced throughout but most of the time you'll fight the standard alphas more than anything and the layout of the arenas don't often change much. Eventually other types are introduced and they do things like run to other rooms, but after a while you wish that there had been more thrown in there to break up this monotony. For instance, the game has three specific boss fights, but there was definitely room for a couple more. Some Metroid's add in new gimmicks and the like but after you've fought your tenth alpha Metroid the experience feels more like a bump in the road rather than a mission. On the other hand, what bosses you do fight are actually quite enjoyable because the battles go in phases that require you to recognize patterns and really test you on how we'll you've learned the gameplay mechanics. They're fun, exhilirating and lengthy boss fights that really test your mettle. Though they're challenging, I was never frustrated at losing. In part because punishment was usually just putting me one room away and because I could rest assured that I screwed up, not that something unfair happened. Metroid: Samus Returns is a learning experience, and it's actually a fun one at that. The graphics and sound have also been updated. The new look and feel of Metroid Samus Returns is great. It's in 2.5D and has some neat looking backgrounds and environments. The soundtrack is also good, with a lot of themes being remixed from other Metroid titles. There are times when I wanted more Metroid II: The Return of Samus tracks to be updated but I'll have to deal without them. The only real problem with the soundtrack is that it isn't always done well enough evoke exploration but rather action. And sure enough the last third or so of the game is really action heavy with enemies basically being all over the place. Which strangely feels out of place when the original game was so much about isolation the further into this planet you got... only to surprise you with the Metroid Queen. It was a subtle bit of narrative that (whether intended or not) made the trek through the final moments of the game rather haunting. That sense isn't here. Your mileage may vary on that one, but one thing that the original game certainly didn't do was allow it's last moments to be too drowned out in enemies. In particular the original's finale was nice and subtle. The 3DS remake doesn't do that. And while it may be more exciting and it's fun as hell to play, it certainly doesn't make its connection to Super Metroid stronger. Don't take the criticisms to heart, they are merely nitpicks from a fan who rather liked the original. But keep in mind part of the reason the atmosphere of the original game was what it was is because of the limitations of the Gameboy. The 3DS remake has no such limitations. They make great use of the hardware here and a great use of the environment. What's most important, though is that this is simply a solid Metroid game overall. Samus Returns feels like a fitting title for the 3DS remake as it truly is the return of Samus this time around. After Metroid: Other M it seemed like the series would be in disarray after some of the most mixed reception a game in the series ever received. This was not helped when just a few years later the follow up would be Metroid Federation Force, a game that didn't even feel like Metroid. Now we have this gem of a game on the 3DS and it really does feel like a return to form. Small problems and nitpicks aside, Metroid Samus Returns is worth the time to play and worth the time to invest in.

Samus Returns was an excellent game, and it holds up very well to the older 2D entries in the series. I say this as a life-long fan of the series, having played through every mainline entry Super Metroid and forward many times. Compared to the others, I would personally rank this game above Fusion, but slightly below Zero Mission and Super. My runthrough of the game with 100% items took exactly 20 hours according to the 3DS timer, and ~15 hours according to the in-game timer. That makes this the longest 2D Metroid game by quite a lot, and arguably the lengthiest game in the whole series. The gameplay is extremely smooth and natural-feeling, and once you get used to it you almost wonder how you ever got by without free aiming. All of the abilities are well implemented and the maps are very well thought out and beautiful to look at. I also loved the new Aeon abilities you get in this game, which adds a whole new dimension to the existing gameplay formula. If I have one complaint, it's that the maps don't interconnect in quite the same way as they do in Super or Zero Mission, but that's mostly to stay true to the original Metroid 2 which was laid out differently from those games as well. Also, while I personally enjoyed it, many people aren't fond of the new Melee mechanic, which is essential to progressing through the game. In terms of difficulty, this is certainly the most difficult Metroid game. I feel pretty safe in saying that. The saving grace, however, is that the game is *very* generous with checkpoints. That's right, new to the series, this game has a checkpoint system, and the game gives you these checkpoints a *lot*. As far as I could tell, checkpoints occur after every elevator and teleporter ride, before and after every boss/Metroid fight, and of course whenever you use a save station. So, while you will probably die way more in this game than past Metroid games, you will never lose more than just a minute or two of gameplay. Nonetheless, this game is *not* easy - many enemies take out an entire energy tank or more, and bosses can take out several just with one hit - and that's on Normal difficulty. I haven't started Hard or Fusion (very hard) mode yet, but I can't even imagine how difficult those must be. - And finally, as a second part to this review, I want to compare this to AM2R. For those who don't know, AM2R (Another Metroid 2 Remake) is a fan remake of Metroid 2. It took the sole developer an entire decade to complete, and it quickly spread across the internet and got great reviews once it was finished. It is very possibly the most in-depth and intricate fan game ever created. Some would argue that it is actually just as good as a real 2D Metroid game. The game can be found freely many places in the internet for those who may want to play it. (Hint: googling "Reddit AM2R" isn't a bad start to finding it.) AM2R was finished and released about a year before Samus Returns was even announced. I myself did play AM2R, and I was very fond of it. At the time I would have called it the definitive Metroid 2 experience. So how does AM2R compare to Samus Returns? Personally, I liked Samus Returns more. AM2R was great, and I would argue that it, too, holds up well to the older Metroid games. But Samus Returns was still better, to me. The core gameplay was smoother, the boss fights were more polished, and I enjoyed the new gameplay additions in Samus Returns quite a lot. And not to spoil anything, but the climax segment of Samus Returns was also significantly better than in AM2R. The one thing that AM2R *did* do really well, though, was that it did a much better job interconnecting the different areas. AM2R made an effort to interconnect the different areas with a more advanced overworld/system than Samus Returns has. For whatever it's worth, that one aspect of AM2R is better than Samus Returns. (Also, I personally like AM2R's soundtrack better, but that's really very subjective, and the soundtrack in SR is good too.) That being said, Samus Returns is still my preference. After you play and finish Samus Returns, AM2R is a very interesting case study of a remake of Metroid 2 that comes from a completely different angle, and in my opinion it shouldn't be skipped over if you're a fan of the series. But if you are unfamiliar with Metroid 2 or what happens in the game, Samus Returns is the one to play first.

I have a pretty long history with the Metroid series, and I think this is definitely one of the best of the 2D Metroid games. I think too many people get so hung up on nostalgia for the older games that they can't accept how good Samus Returns is. I think it is easily the most playable 2D game in the series control-wise, it's more streamlined making certain movements and weapon switching easier and thus more fun. Being able to stop and aim in any direction is just awesome. People complain about the counter system, but once you get through the early areas of the game, you don't use it nearly as much- but it keeps you on your toes. Having the map on the bottom screen is immensely preferable to having to press a button to go to a second screen, back and forth, back and forth. The 3D effect is excellent in this game- it really feels like you are looking into an alien world, and it really adds to the atmosphere. The graphics are great- nicely detailed polygons, however the frame rate isn't what I would have liked- it's all a bit juddery, and 60fps would have made the game feel and play much better (the Kirby games were able to pull off 60fps- I'd prefer they dial the graphics down if necessary so they can target 60fps). There really should have been a Switch version as well, that does run at 60fps. I do wish there were more boss fights/variety, but that's a weakness of the game that SR is based on- fighting the same Metroids over and over gets a little repetitive. There are only 3 major boss fights. and they are NOT easy fights...they will require multiple tries- I think they could have reduced they difficulty of these fights just a little. But as a total package, I really can't complain. I had an overall great time with it, and recommend it to anyone with a 3DS especially (the 3D effect is worth it- if you only have a 2DS it's still great, but you'll be missing out). I really don't know why Nintendo seems to hate the Metroid series so much that we get games in the series so rarely, but I really would like to get more Metroid games more frequently.

This Samus Returns along with Super Metroid are hands down the best Metroid games to this day! Music in this game can be listened to over and over even outside of playing the game without being bored. The visuals of this game are so incredibly beautiful without me even using the 3D feature, the backgrounds really pop out and make me feel like I'm really playing a 3D game. Just so awesome! This game can be really challenging sometimes and I love how creative some of the boss battles are. There is a counter attack move in this but I never really used it and it's not required to actually enjoy or play the game. I also love how exploratory this Metroid is and how you can get completely lost. There is a map of course but the way the layout is, it's so perfect and so many secret areas to find and explore. There's also some really creative ways to attain some of the items like energy tanks and missile pickups, stuff like that. I also got Metroid Dread but this to me is true Metroid and I want so much this game ported to current systems and want more Metroid's like this one. Definitely get this Metroid game if you want a true Metroid experience, a must buy!

The perfect METROID follow-up!

Samus Returns is a reinvention and a return to form all at the same time. A 2.5 D (3D models on a 2D space) is a place Samus has only gone once before with the "like it or hate it" Other M but beside that and the fact it's a Metroid game focusing on Samus it has nothing to do with that other game. This is actually a ground up remake/reimagining of the original Gameboy(the Grey brick one) game Metroid 2: Return of Samus in that it carries on the same plot of: After the events of Metroid 1 Samus Aran is sent to SR388 with the job of KILL ALL METROIDS. From there it's more environmental storytelling with small blurbs of text here and there. This is from Mercurysteam, the team behind the Castlevania Lords of Shadows series and most notably for this review: Lords of Shadow - Mirror of fate that came out from near launch of the 3DS. It's clear MS learned a lot and refined the old stuff they learned from MoF both from a gameplay and level structure wise. Gameplay wise it's mostly Metroid as we've always known it: Missiles, Super Missiles, Moon Jump, Varia suit and all that Jazz. There are a few new tricks with the Aeon abilities, which are powered by a separate gauge from your health and Missiles that provide new traversal options I won't spoil. There's also the major new addition of the Melee counter, where most(a few don't) of the game enemies will flash before attempting to charge at you and pressing the button at the right time will give a short(3 to 5 seconds) slow downed moment of Samus using her canon to knock the enemy away for what is sometimes an instant kill attack except against the bosses. The Bosses in this game are mainly the titular Metroid aliens with a few curveballs thrown in there. The Metroids start off as armored flying creatures that are mindlessly charging at you but further you get the more complex and evolved they get until you're fighting what can only be described as the offspring of a Xenomorph(Aliens film series with those long black heads) and a Metroid. Level structure has been completely revamped from the original game where you'd kill a few Metroid and something somewhere, for some reason, would lower or open. Instead there's now Chozo(the alien people who raised Samus) built machine controlled reservoirs that require certain amounts of Metroid DNA to lower/shift away from the path you're going. It gives you a clear idea of how many Metroid are left in the area, why things are changed/changing and what is your goal for the area. With a few of the curveball bosses mentioned earlier, you are sometimes knocked off path temporally which breaks up things. They've also kept the secret Health/Missile(and Now Aeon) Tanks that you have to figure out using your abiltieis. For parents who are looking through the reviews for "if this is right for my child": There's almost no blood in this game and the little there is, is alien in origin . There are weapons but they're unrealistic lasers canons that can shoot through surfaces, suddenly produce missiles and freeze things instantly. There's no human-like enemy that acts human. the most intense things that happen are a few scenes of Alien attacking alien or during melee counters with bosses they will show a sequence where Samus will grapple with them before tossing them off or jumping off. Dying in this game consist of the screen going white around Samus, samus yelling out in a small 2 second clip and her armor plating showing her in a body suit (that looks like a blue unitard) before it fades to white then a "Game over try again?" screen showing space in the background.

After the reveal of Metroid Dread, I really wanted to play the game. It looked awesome, but I didn’t really want to drop $60 on a game that I wasn’t sure I would like. Samus Returns is made by the same studio, so I figured it would be a good starting point. If I didn’t like the game I’d resell it, since (at the time of writing) even used copies go for about MSRP. To be brief: I won’t be reselling this game. As my first real entrance into the Metroid genre of games, I’m a big fan and it’s left me even more excited to play Dread now. The gameplay is fluid and fun, the exploration mechanics are excellent, and it looks super good on the 3DS. I’m just getting to the last area in the game now and I’ve throughly enjoyed my play through. There are some tedious parts, but it does a really good job of introducing you to the series’ core mechanics and gameplay loop. Plus the boss fights are super fun. My favorite part is that every fight seems fair. Maybe at first I lost a lot, but the boss’ moves are telegraphed really well, and by the time I finally beat some of them I was able to finally do it without taking any damage because I’d finally learned all its little tricks. Beyond boss fights the game is no slouch in terms of difficulty. I’ve been playing on Normal Mode, but even then there have been times of increased difficulty and I’ve died more than I almost ever do in a Nintendo game. But, again, most every death feels fair. I almost never get absolutely destroyed out of nowhere. Most of the time if I die it’s because I didn’t manage my health or ammo better. Then retreading the paths I lost when I died feels even better because I know what to expect and how to prepare. The exploration is too-notch as well. Some areas are locked off until you can backtrack with stronger items, but exploration is almost always rewarded somehow. It may be an extra ammo or health station, maybe a hidden power-up. The game wants you to explore the planet and does such a good job of motivating you to do it because you get rewarded nearly every time you do

Great game. It’s so much more than a graphics upgrade of the original Metroid 2 on the OG Gameboy. If you enjoy Metroidvania type games you’ll love it. Bonus that it’s somehow still available at the original price unlike many 3DS rpgs that have skyrocketed in price. Came quick and I’ve definitely gotten my money’s worth.