Metroid: Samus Returns (Nintendo 3DS)

I’ve been playing through all the 2d Metroid and Castlevanias recently. This was on my list to play, as I’m working up to Metroid Dread on the switch. This game has started to become expensive, but I managed to get a copy for a reasonable price. It’s definitely worth playing and is an excellent Metroid game. The graphics are really vibrant and look fantastic on the 3ds. The 3d effect is particularly effective, giving the usually 2d backdrops a real depth. It really is impressive and possibly the best use of 3d I’ve seen on the system. I often turn off the 3d but with this game it was so impressive it stayed on my entire play through. The gameplay was equally great and the controls are really tight and we’ll implemented on the handheld. It’s the usual Metroid formula overall, but with enough tweaks and well thought out game design to make it appealing and intriguing. I basically loved playing it, it is a substantial game in size and content and absolutely essential if you’re fan of the series, or indeed Metroidvanias.

Samus is back in all her 2D glory after many, many years. This is surely one of the last wave of great games for the 3DS and serves as a great way for the handheld device to bow out. Playing on a regular size New 3DS, the game looks great and a lot better than I expected after looking at still images online. Whilst I still generally prefer sprites visually for this style of game, the 3D effect of Samus Returns does look a lot more impressive in person. The various visual effects throughout the game add a lot of colour and texture that give it a very uniqure feel that's not to be scoffed at. Gameplay wise this feels like a smart evoloution of the formula. 'Free-Aim' is achieved by holding one of the shoulder buttons and this swftly feels natural and neccesary. A seperate energy resouce for special abilities is a neat way to add another layer of systmes to Samus' arsenal and feels like another natural step forward in improving the Metroid formula. The classic exploration and backtracking is all here as you'd expect and a few new abilities add some new puzzles to what you'd expect, without changing anything too drastically. The music is generally good, with some new remixes of classic tunes from Super Metroid and others. Some didn't leave much of a mark on me, which isn't much of a complaint but as a huge fan of the series I didn't feel like this game offered anything dramtically new or exciting in this regard. It's good. Similarly the atmosphere of the different environments is generally varied considering the adaptation of the original game, but not quite as colourful and varied as the unofficial AM2R for example. I felt that this game didn't give me the same sense of progression as games like Super Metroid, but that's probably to be expected. Overall this is a great new entry in the franchise. It brings some new ideas to the table without straying far from the core formula we all love. AM2R is possibly still better, but both can be enjoyed seperately without feeling like too much De ja vu. It's main fault is purely the fact that this is a remake and not a purely original idea - which could have given it more scope to surprise and impress.

Finally, after so many years, Nintendo has delivered, Metroid is officially back! Metroid: Samus Returns is a remake of the original Game Boy game Metroid II: Return of Samus. Even though Samus Returns stays faithful to the classic game in terms of story and pacing, there are so many major improvements and new features that it feels like an entirely new game! The visuals, despite being on the 3DS, look absolutely breathtaking, with detailed environments that also look stunning with the 3D effect enabled. The gameplay feels drastically better as well, especially with the introduction of the free aim mode which allows Samus to aim in any direction possible instead of the restricted aiming that is featured in every 2D Metroid game prior. Another new addition to the gameplay is the melee counter, which can be used on all kinds of enemies. While it took me a while to get used to, once I got the hang of it, it became incredibly satisfying and was often a lifesaver in frequent moments of heated battle. Even though Samus Returns has a fairly big emphasis on combat, there is still the sense of exploration, loneliness and wonder that the Metroid series is known for, complemented by the excellent music which mostly consists of remixes of classic tunes, as well as the stunning environments which really give you an idea of how expansive and hostile the planet you explore really is. I can absolutely recommend Metroid: Samus Returns for Metroid fans and even newcomers to the series. I am beyond excited that this legendary Nintendo series is back with the best iteration in 10 years! Samus has indeed returned!

Fantastic game. My first Metroid since Fusion on the GBA and MercurySteam have done a great job. Complex, challenging and fun. Great controls and of course designed perfectly for the DS line of systems. The final star is absent due to the poor boss design. The metroids are a good challenge but the other bosses often feel cheap and require so much trial and error to beat it just drains the fun out of the game. Overall though a good buy and a great game for the system.

Ordered on the day of release, arrived the very next day, can't get better than that. The game is just awesome. I can't comment on the previous metroid games (Primes) as I only briefly played them, but wasn't a fan of the FPS nature of them. This however is so very well done, from the smoothness of the game play, the difficulty, to the new additions which have already been covered by numerous reviews and posts on the internet, that I couldn't possibly not leave a review for this. I'm still no where near completing it and believe I have only just started scratching the surface. I have a 2DS XL and it works superbly on it. Even considering getting a 3DS XL just for this game alone. Excellent game, well done to the developers on this one.

Nintendo have really done justice to a Classic game originally released on the Gameboy as Metroid 2. Samus Returns is a glorious remake of this title and is done extremely well with new controls new abilities and fresh visuals making for a super Sci-fi experience. This is an amazing dungeon crawling game with tons of upgrades for Samus to use keeping the gameplay fresh and exciting. Don't expect to many boss fights though sadly there aren't many but this is still hands down a MUST BUY for any Nintendo 3DS owner.

A fantastic game. A few of the controls take a little getting used to and the normal difficulty is a challenge especially to new comers but once it clicks it Is fantastic. There are a few things that bug me. The respawnig enemies come back a bit too quick and if you have never played a Metroid game before the difficulty may frustrate you, but stick with it. Once you have the style in your head it is great. I've died less on the hard difficulty as I have learned how to play it. For long time fans this is a must buy. For new comers, I'd still recommend picking this up. You won't regret it.

I love this entry. With this release this marks the first system which has had both a side scrolling Metroid and an FPS Metroid built for the system (the other being Federation Force). Development on this game started on Wii U as a first person shooter game where multiple bounty hunters were going to be playable. Nintendo rejected the game and MercurySteam instead started discussing remakes. Their target game was apparently Metroid Fusion although Yoshio Sakamoto (creator of Metroid) rightfully chose the only entry that needed a remake. Metroid II Return of Samus. This is the most important part. It is the first time Sakamoto has acknowledged the impact that the Metroid Prime series had (which he often implies is set in a parallel universe). The design he approved is a cured Phazon infected Samus which has her visor resemble her dark counterpart. That is not all. It gets better. There are at 3 remixes of Metroid Prime themes. The first being Magmoor Caverns. The second is a theme which plays during the final boss. A more minor remix is when you collect the Aeon abilities it plays a remix similar to the Hunters Octolith and the collection of the Chozo Artifacts in the original. There are also 3 tracks directly from Metroid Prime. Both the item jingle and missile collect jingle are here as well as the result theme which shows your final percentage completion. Now for the big question. Are you one of the many people who attempted Metroid in the past but got lost or stuck because you couldn't figure out where to go? If you are MercurySteam have presented a solution for you. It is now a lot easier to find your way around the map and collect all the items because of a new ability called the scan pulse. A lot of other previously more difficult tricks to pull off (such as something called the Shinespark) are no longer needed. This makes collecting the pickups a lot easier. And don't worry veterans. There are new tricks you can try instead. A new technique involving Power Bombs took me a while to figure out. The game itself was difficult on my first attempt but got easier as I replayed it. I have realised playing this in the same way I play Fusion and Zero Mission just wasn't working. This game plays heavy focus on a countering system. I have actually done multiple completions where I used the old trick of jumping and ducking around enemy movements. This is an excellent collaboration between Nintendo and MercurySteam and I hope Nintendo reconsider their stance on MercurySteam's Metroid because I'd like to see what they have in mind for the series. Having said that now Metroid II has had the remake it deserved I think it is time Sakamoto moved on to the biggest cover-up at Nintendo. Metroid Dread.