Metroid: Samus Returns Review

It's been a while since I have actually been able to make a review of a game in a timely manner. It took a couple of weeks, but I finally got through Metroid: Samus Returns on the 3DS. If you exclude the Metroid spin-off, Metroid Prime: Federation Force, this is the first real entry in  Metroid series in friggin' seven years. The last entry in the series, Metroid: Other M,  left a bad taste in fans' mouths with a very contrived story/dialogue, the method of unlocking Samus's abilities, and the odd tone the game gave off in general. Most of all fans disliked the the way Samus was treated. Instead of being a very independent and strong woman, she seemed to hang on the every whim of her commanding officer. Majority of fans could tell that something was off with the game.

The Metroid series is very near and dear to my heart mainly due to Super Smash Brothers Melee. I ended up getting pretty good with Samus and my favoritism led to consumerism. So I ended up buying as many of the Metroid games I could get my hands on. I still very fond memories of exploring Metroid Prime for the first time. The game was truly special and graphically impressive for its time.

Samus Returns isn't an original game, though it definitely feels like it. The game is actually a complete overhaul of the Metroid II: The Return of Samus that was released on the original Gameboy. I never actually had a Gameboy (though I did get a Gameboy Color), so I never got to play the game when it came out. So Samus Returns is a really appropriate for a Metroid fan like me.

There are some faults with Samus Returns that need to be mentioned. I feel like the faults of the game actually hindered the game from being good. Part of it is due to the original game and part of it is do to the platform it was released on. After all, this type of game is what fans were waiting for: a return to the era of 2D Metroidvania games. I'll get to discussing that later in the review. Let's go through the categories.

Gameplay

Metroid broke into the gaming scene with a very interesting game map/game progression system that revolutionized adventure/action games. It was the primitive version of an "open world" game in my opinion. Players could go anywhere they'd feel like but would not be able to pass obstacles in the game map without another ability found somewhere else in the game world. Super Metroid refined this system to perfection. Along with Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, the genre of this type of action-exploration game was succulently called "Metroidvania."

Metroid II and consequently Samus Returns are a little bit different then flagship titles since they were designed for a portable system. The world is more clearly divided into sections that need to be completed one at a time in order to get to the endgame. The only reason to revisit the previous areas is to find extra health and ammo upgrades. Otherwise, pressing on is the best option. This changes the games dynamic dramatically because it changes the game from "exploration" to "search and destroy." Each area is self-contained and each area needs to be completed (all upgrades need to be found and all metroids need to be killed) before moving on to the next area. It sort of takes the wonder out of the game. Maybe it wasn't something that was easy to see in the original Gameboy game, but it's pretty obvious in Samus Returns. Once I found out that I didn't need to backtrack through the game for anything it sped up my completion time considerably.

In Samus Returns,  you can jump, shoot, roll, and sort of wall jump (which I never found useful). There are other abilities that can be found later in the game, but the main method of defeating enemies doesn't really change. The one mechanic that separates this game from its originator is that Samus can now counter. While I welcome the new ability, I found that in the early stages of the game, you ALWAYS needed to counter or else you would die and die hard. Another mechanic that was introduced were "Aeon Abilities." They act mainly as a crutch for the player, but also act as a tool to help solve puzzles. The abilities are all great and definitely help when Samus's back is againdt the wall. One particular power, rapid fire mode, makes Samus even more bad ass that she already is.

The best thing about the game is the progression of the strength of Samus. Powerups, armor, and abilities are placed in such a way that you always feel like you're getting stronger. You start by being a vulnerable sheep (completely and utterly dependent on the counter mechanism) and end up being a goddamn murdering machine that shows no mercy on anything. I loved going back to previous areas and seeing how powerful I became by using my fully upgraded gun on little trash mobs.

The bosses in the game are a mixed bag and it's mainly due to the developers sticking closely to the original game's concept. The story has Samus hunting down 40 Metroids since they are considered a threat my the Galatic Federation. All the Metroids are mini-boss fights that play mostly the same. I say mostly because the forms of the bosses change after a certain amount of Metroid are defeated. This helps stop the game from being a repetitive slog. But fights stopped being tense or exciting after the first 20. There are only two other main boss fights besides the final boss. The lack of real bosses makes the game a bit on the forgettable side and it didn't help that the first of those few boss fights happens 3/4ths through the game. But I have to admit that the those three boss fights really had me on the edge of my seat and were really well done.

My last topic under gameplay is controls. The 3DS has been an RPG console for me because that genre doesn't normally require much dexterity. With Samus Returns, it hurt to play sometimes. There are multiple buttons to hold and let go of and with my big hands, my skill level suffered. I had to take frequent breaks because my hands would start to get pins and needles. And it also made longer boss fights and platforming sometimes a pain to play. This really hurt the experience.

Graphics

I think it's necessary to point how well of a job Mercury Studios did to bring a Gameboy game to the modern portable era. Heck, Metroid II basically had plastic surgery and a sex change. The environments are all well detailed with a lot of stuff happening in the background as well as the foreground. Even for a small screen, the game looks pretty. Samus is animated very well and there's a lot of little animations put into everything she does. Even something like activating a save station has her saunter into the capsule and then have the capsule spark all around as she strikes a power pose.

One thing to mention is the that 3D effect is actually pretty cool and gives a good sense of depth to he environments and the user interface (menus really pop out of the screen). However, due to the games fast paced action and platforming, I couldn't keep the 3D on for a very long time. It started to really give me a headache.

Music and Story

I normally don't talk about either of these very much in my game reviews, but I thought I'd include it just for show. I don't have too much to say about either of he topics. The score does have some cool remixed tracks from older Metroid titles, but  I spent most of the my time playing the game with the sound off. I just do this with portable titles for some reason (unless I have a pair of headphones). Call it a weird quirk, if you'd like.

The story was basically described in one sentence back in the Gameplay section. Samus's primary mission is to exterminate Metroids. Other than that, there's no real plot. There is definitely some lore left in the environment with broken Chozo statues and some sort of factory you explore but nothing really develops. You do your job and the ending sets up the next story in the Metroid franchise. The cut scenes in-game are mainly used to introduce bosses. They don't necessarily tell the story.

I would like to touch on the fact that the Metroid series, as a whole, does have a story. Samus Returns and Metroid II are set to introduce the Metroid hatchling that befriends Samus which is precedes Samus's adventure in Super Metroid for the SNES.


Conclusion

Metroid: Samus Returns is a beautiful and well done remake of a game that I don't necessarily like too much. It did win me over in the end, but not without some gripes in the early reliance of countering, the linear map progression, and the 3DS just being plain uncomfortable for platforming. But most of this isn't due to the remake itself, but to the original source material. At 40 dollars and a 100% completion session in about 14 hours, it may not be the best bang for your buck. But I'm a huge Metroid fan, and I'd love to see more original takes on the series. So I supported this game with my wallet and while I wasn't disappointed, it wasn't a stellar experience.

This may be because I have just finished Hollow Knight and it's game progression is just so...free. There is just a stark contrast in Samus Returns linear progression that it really changes the games feel despite it having all the rest of the regular trappings of a Metroid game.

There is a Metroid Prime 4 in development for the Nintendo Switch and I am highly anticipating this title. I can't wait until it comes out.