Metroid: Samus Returns

Metroid: Samus Returns is the second major outing for Samus Aran, the skilled sci-fi bounty hunter who roams the galaxy bringing swift justice with her juiced up arm-cannon. After the events of the previous game, Samus must travel to a new alien planet and resume her duty, wiping out any dangerous native foes she comes across. As is common in her adventures, Samus must find new upgrades and forge her path through the unforgiving terrain, battling against monstrous enemies of all shapes and sizes. With some flashy new graphics and a slew of additional gameplay features that makes the experience much more accessible, this is one remake that triumphs over the original.

Main Gameplay Features

• Explore a mysterious alien planet
• Intense sidescrolling sci-fi action
• Discover upgrades and power up

Story

In terms of plot, Metroid: Samus Returns is a direct retelling of the classic Game Boy game, Metroid II: Return of Samus. Having defeated the Mother Brain on planet Zebes in the original Metroid, Samus now roams the galaxy searching for a new mission.

Trying to wipe the alien threat out at its source, the Galactic Federation sends a cleanup crew to their homeworld, SR388. When the entire squad of Federation soldiers fails to return from their mission, Samus is sent in to investigate. Arriving on SR388. Samus begins to explore its expansive cave systems, where she must battle against the metroid threat in their evolving forms. Apart from some brief text at the beginning of the game, there is little in the way of plot, as the story mostly exists to serve the action. Despite this lack of narrative, Samus' second adventure is still plenty compelling.

Gameplay

As a remake, Metroid: Samus Returns does its best to stick to the sidescrolling structure established in the original game, but adds a flurry of improvements. Most notable at first are the visual upgrades, which present the game in a 2.5D space, adding lots of depth to the environment and world. Samus looks sharp, the enemies are crisp and colorful, and bright weapons effects fill the screen. For the most part, the adventure entails searching the lengthy caves, battling enemies and bosses as you discover them. Elements of modern Metroid games have been implemented to keep the experience fresh, including omnidirectional targeting and extra checkpoints. Fast travel stations are also available, cutting back on needless backtracking.

Combat is tough but rewarding, as Samus grows in power as she finds precious resources on SR388. There are four new powers, dubbed “Aeon abilities”, which help Samus stay fit during battle and make navigation easier. This includes extra armor, faster shooting speed, a time slow-down ability, and map scanning. The map scanner is arguably the biggest game-changer, as it reveals sneaky secret areas and other destructible elements of the environment. This makes it easier to find power-ups like super missiles and extra energy tanks, further empowering Samus against danger. You'll need all the strength you can muster, as the game features several gigantic bosses that are thrilling to fight.

Conclusion

Metroid: Samus Returns takes a classic Game Boy game and adds new life to it, with better combat, easier navigation, and superb presentation. Not only does the game look great and hold up on the technical side of things, but it's also great fun.

Pros

• Great visuals despite the aged hardware
• Aeon powers are fantastic
• Combat and exploration feels satisfying

Cons

• Lack of environmental variety
• Mini-bosses feel similar
• Difficulty spikes