Metroid II: Return of Samus is a pivotal moment in the series' history. Originally released on the GameBoy in 1991 to generally favorable reviews, it was unfortunately considered by some critics to be weaker than the 1986 original Metroid on NES. To me, the game is another example of a sequel to an acclaimed series first game that was met with mixed reviews when it departed from the series' norm. (I. E. Super Mario Bros. 2, The Adventure of Link, Castlevania II Simon's Quest etc.) It makes sense that they would try something new but when people responded poorly, they quickly went back to the series' roots in the following games which all became classics and some of the best games of all time (Super Mario Bros. 3, A Link to the Past, and Castlevania III Dracula's Curse). I believe this is a prime example of expectation vs innovation. People want more of the same but get tired if it is too much of the same. They want innovation but then miss what made the first so great. Return of Samus does a great job of balancing these two.
The story sees Samus assigned with eradicating the series' titular creatures at their point of origin: planet SR388. The Galactic Federation send a special combat group consisting of armed soldiers from the Federation Police to check the planet for any remaining metroids after considering the threat their terrible and destructive power pose to the galaxy. These troops are never heard from again after transmitting their landing data. Cue Samus Aran, galactic space warrior and the Federation's last hope of annihilating the Metroid threat and restoring peace to the galaxy.
When Samus arrives to the planet's surface she finds no signs of the Federation troops. She soon discovers the Metroid species thriving and evolving to monstrous creatures of incredible size beneath the surface of the planet. As she hunts them down one by one there seems to be a never ending number of them as she delves deeper and deeper into the planet. Will she find the source of the metroids? Will the species be exterminated for good? Where do the metroids come from? The game holds these answers and practically begs you to think about them as you destructively tear your way into the Metroid lair.
The gameplay on the original GameBoy is appropriately claustrophobic and you can never quite see what is lying ahead, which is at times terrifying. The small nature of the GameBoy's screen allows for larger and more detailed sprites than the original on NES and Samus looks better than before. There are a lot of series' firsts here: Samus's gunship makes it's first appearance here, as well as her iconic Varia suit shoulder pads which change her appearance to how we know her for the rest of the series, and of course her iconic kneeling pose which she can actually perform in this game unlike the NES original. There are many iconic upgrades seen here for the first time as well and many improvements like energy and missle refills which somewhat eliminate the need to farm which can be agonizingly time consuming in the original.
Since the setup of the game is to annihilate the remaining metroids, the game boils down to finding and defeating multiple bosses similar to Shadow of the Colossus. This can become a bit repetitive until you get deeper into the game and then the Metroids begin to evolve but the encounters are more or less the same. It makes sense both from a story perspective but also a gameplay one that it would be setup this way. Since this was designed with a portable system in mind it makes sense to have this type of mission structure so that you could pick up the game, defeat a Metroid or two, then put it back down. It also makes sense since Samus is hunting down an entire species similar to the first game except there are now 2-3 times more since you are on their homeworld.
It becomes more and more dreadful as you go deeper into the planet's crust and the metroids get larger while the wildlife and other creatures grow fewer. The once vibrant and populated areas become tunnels filled with jagged rocks and there are no other creatures to be found, while the music once heroic and adventurous becomes quiet and just ambient sounds. These sounds are limited due to the GameBoy's soundchip but it still works.
The finale is iconic and sets up the next and best game of the series, Super Metroid, with a somewhat reflective and uplifting tone. A moment of quiet after the slaughter and an act of mercy are quite impactful and you view Samus as a character differently after. The fact that all of these emotions and nuances are conveyed and felt in a GameBoy game from the 90s is a testament to it being truly ahead of it's time but limited by the hardware of that time as well. It's legacy is seen in Super Metroid, Metroid Fusion, Other M (shudder) as well as remakes like fanmade AM2R and Nintendo's own remake Samus Returns.
From what I have seen most people seem content to disregard this game as a relic of the past and recommend it's remakes in place of this one, which I cannot fault them for, as they bring much needed quality of life upgrades to the game. That being said, this game is still unique and experiencing it is still distinct from the remakes (which are excellent).
Metroid II: Return of Samus is not a mind blowing game or even one of the best of all time but it is an incredible example of making the most of the limitations of it's time and is also incredibly important to the Metroid series' lore. Nintendo and game developers in general are, in my opinion, at their best when they are forced to become creative because of the limits of the technology they have access to and this game truly does some awesome things with the GameBoy limits. Playing it on a Super GameBoy on an SNES is the ideal way to play as you get that console experience as well as the added colors that it provides.
If you are a fan of Metroid, the GameBoy, or retro games in general then this is a fantastically nostalgic and well crafted experience that will stay with you for long after the credits have rolled. It holds a special place in my heart and I will always look back fondly on those late nights holding my GameBoy up to the light so I could see as I went with Samus into the dark depths of the Metroid hive.
See you next mission. 👍🏻
The story sees Samus assigned with eradicating the series' titular creatures at their point of origin: planet SR388. The Galactic Federation send a special combat group consisting of armed soldiers from the Federation Police to check the planet for any remaining metroids after considering the threat their terrible and destructive power pose to the galaxy. These troops are never heard from again after transmitting their landing data. Cue Samus Aran, galactic space warrior and the Federation's last hope of annihilating the Metroid threat and restoring peace to the galaxy.
When Samus arrives to the planet's surface she finds no signs of the Federation troops. She soon discovers the Metroid species thriving and evolving to monstrous creatures of incredible size beneath the surface of the planet. As she hunts them down one by one there seems to be a never ending number of them as she delves deeper and deeper into the planet. Will she find the source of the metroids? Will the species be exterminated for good? Where do the metroids come from? The game holds these answers and practically begs you to think about them as you destructively tear your way into the Metroid lair.
The gameplay on the original GameBoy is appropriately claustrophobic and you can never quite see what is lying ahead, which is at times terrifying. The small nature of the GameBoy's screen allows for larger and more detailed sprites than the original on NES and Samus looks better than before. There are a lot of series' firsts here: Samus's gunship makes it's first appearance here, as well as her iconic Varia suit shoulder pads which change her appearance to how we know her for the rest of the series, and of course her iconic kneeling pose which she can actually perform in this game unlike the NES original. There are many iconic upgrades seen here for the first time as well and many improvements like energy and missle refills which somewhat eliminate the need to farm which can be agonizingly time consuming in the original.
Since the setup of the game is to annihilate the remaining metroids, the game boils down to finding and defeating multiple bosses similar to Shadow of the Colossus. This can become a bit repetitive until you get deeper into the game and then the Metroids begin to evolve but the encounters are more or less the same. It makes sense both from a story perspective but also a gameplay one that it would be setup this way. Since this was designed with a portable system in mind it makes sense to have this type of mission structure so that you could pick up the game, defeat a Metroid or two, then put it back down. It also makes sense since Samus is hunting down an entire species similar to the first game except there are now 2-3 times more since you are on their homeworld.
It becomes more and more dreadful as you go deeper into the planet's crust and the metroids get larger while the wildlife and other creatures grow fewer. The once vibrant and populated areas become tunnels filled with jagged rocks and there are no other creatures to be found, while the music once heroic and adventurous becomes quiet and just ambient sounds. These sounds are limited due to the GameBoy's soundchip but it still works.
The finale is iconic and sets up the next and best game of the series, Super Metroid, with a somewhat reflective and uplifting tone. A moment of quiet after the slaughter and an act of mercy are quite impactful and you view Samus as a character differently after. The fact that all of these emotions and nuances are conveyed and felt in a GameBoy game from the 90s is a testament to it being truly ahead of it's time but limited by the hardware of that time as well. It's legacy is seen in Super Metroid, Metroid Fusion, Other M (shudder) as well as remakes like fanmade AM2R and Nintendo's own remake Samus Returns.
From what I have seen most people seem content to disregard this game as a relic of the past and recommend it's remakes in place of this one, which I cannot fault them for, as they bring much needed quality of life upgrades to the game. That being said, this game is still unique and experiencing it is still distinct from the remakes (which are excellent).
Metroid II: Return of Samus is not a mind blowing game or even one of the best of all time but it is an incredible example of making the most of the limitations of it's time and is also incredibly important to the Metroid series' lore. Nintendo and game developers in general are, in my opinion, at their best when they are forced to become creative because of the limits of the technology they have access to and this game truly does some awesome things with the GameBoy limits. Playing it on a Super GameBoy on an SNES is the ideal way to play as you get that console experience as well as the added colors that it provides.
If you are a fan of Metroid, the GameBoy, or retro games in general then this is a fantastically nostalgic and well crafted experience that will stay with you for long after the credits have rolled. It holds a special place in my heart and I will always look back fondly on those late nights holding my GameBoy up to the light so I could see as I went with Samus into the dark depths of the Metroid hive.
See you next mission. 👍🏻
