LTTP: Metroid Samus Returns, the most OK Metroid game so far (or, "Junk Food Nintendo Game, Metroid Edition")

[Archduke Kong]

So I've been playing Samus Returns and I can't tell if it's hyped me or killed my hype for a MercurySteam Metroid game. I think the core movement is really good, abilities are satisfying to use, I weirdly like the semi-cartoon-stylized look of Samus's character model, I even like the melee counter (pulling it off against several enemies in a row is actually pretty fun, and considering this is supposed to be Samus in her.... Prime, it's cool seeing her do some flashy combat stuff). Plus the core of a decent linear take on a Metroidvania game is there, with backtracking/acquiring new abilities/discoveirng new areas based on your new moveset driving the game forward. That'll always be satisfying.

At the same time, it's a little too... plain. I'd describe a lot of Nintendo's first party 3DS games (at least that I've played) as "junk food" games: good, enjoyable, mechanically fun but lacking anything to really make me remember much of what I played. Memorability is, at the moment, a big issue for me with this one. I don't remember much as far as the areas I've explored, the caves are pretty samey. Kind of like Zero Mission before the Zero Suit segment, it feels pretty basic as far as Metroid games go. Brown caves, some splashes of color here and there (the fire area is red, that kind of thing).

My biggest gripe is that enemies are too aggressive and take off WAY too much damage. It feels kind of stuck between "this is an oppressive alien planet, you have to be careful navigating it, go slowly and explore" and "this is a Metroid game! Samus gets stronger and you're a fast moving character with lots of cool movement options while you're exploring! go go go". If I'm constantly losing half an energy tank to the basic grunts, and I lose a similar amount of health to the Metroids. Kind of makes the Metroid hunt feel on par with battling basic enemies, which might defeat the purpose of the game. Also the environmental storytelling doesn't really seem to be here. There's a random dead federation soldier here and there, I guess, but that seems to be the extent of it.

I feel like I have more issues that I can't articulate yet but I don't know. I do like the game, it's fun and I can see myself playing it again, I'm happy to have a new(ish) Metroidvania starring Samus to play through. It's just kind of frustrating to play through in spots and I'm not sure if a sequel will fix the issues I have if the same team does it. I think maybe being shackled to remaking Metroid 2 during the period where Nintendo was being very conservative with their IPs didn't help them. I will say I'm hopeful a Metroid V (or whatever the rumored 2D Metroid they're working on) let's MercurySteam flex their creative muscles a bit. This team pitched a Metroid Fusion remake to Nintendo, which is one of the weirdest/least traditional games in the franchise and if anything, I think some new creative ideas is exactly what Metroid needs. I don't want a return to the basic Zebes biomes with a Ridley fight somewhere in the mix for the next game, I want something new and weird and ALIEN.

I feel like we could see a really strange and out there game come from them with the tight gameplay Samus Returns lays the groundwork for if they're allowed to really try and make something fresh. I just hope... you know, I can explore without dying every five seconds.

 

[RedHeat]

I liked the game, at least mostly. My main issue with it is the extreme difficulty jump towards the end of which put me off from ever touching the hard mode. Also, the collectibles get stale which is weird for a Metroid game imo

 

[ChaosXVI]

I enjoyed Samus Returns a fair bit, but it's probably my least favorite 2D Metroid made after 1994. AM2R is infinitely better in just about every way, to the point that I understand why Nintendo had to nuke it for business reasons, because it completely shits on SR.

Even so though, I do want to see what their Metroid 5 will be like, if it's really coming.

 

[Ramirez]

Maybe I'm just old and bad, but the final boss took me forever and I raged so hard, lol.

Doesn't help that I hate the 3DS' tiny ass screen, woulda much preferred if it had a Switch edition.

 

[onpoint]

I got like 50% in and just... didn't care anymore. And I love Metroid. Something about this just left me feeling... unsatisfied and empty. Pretty sure I'm not going to go back, either.

 

[RochHoch]

Mercury Stream did a fine job. The game is limited by being a remake of a game that's not really that good, but its still fun and the new boss fights that they added were great. I'd love to see what they could do with an entirely new game.

 

[Doskoi Panda]

Metroid 2 is a more linear and straightforward take on Metroid, and Samus Returns, being a remake of Metroid 2, doesn't shy away from that. It's not AM2R where the developers set out to try and make the game feel a bit more like a traditional Metroid in terms of structure and progression (and even AM2R still feels like Metroid 2 in spirit). MercurySteam chose to make the combat more interesting in service of creating a remake of Metroid 2 that held closely to the game's original structure but enabled more interesting or action-packed combat. It (and the Prime-like visual style) changes the tone of the game somewhat, but I thought it was an interesting take on what a Metroid 2 remake could be.

 

[RoboitoAM]

Needs a 1080p/60fps Switch version

Make it so, Nintendo

 

[GabriocheXD]

I liked what they tried to do, but at the end of the day... The original was bland and repetitive, and so is this remake. I love me some Metroid, but I stopped playing when I reached the second to last section.

 

[lightning16]

I think better visuals would've gone a long way into making Samus Returns feel a bit more remarkable, and the Metroid hunts got a bit old by the end. Still, I thought the game was fairly good overall. I think the game controls extremely well and I think Samus feels better to control in Samus Returns than she's ever felt. Once you get the hang of the free aiming system the game has, you can breeze through rooms more quickly and satisfyingly than I can remember in any previous 2D Metroid.

If MercurySteam makes a new 2D Metroid at some point, I'd love to see them carrying over the feel of this game with a more inspired visual style and a game structure closer to what we typically expect from the series.

 

[Bane]

I liked the game quite a bit but thought the robot boss and the final boss were each way too big of a difficulty spike.

 

[Cow Mengde]

Metroid wasn't exactly the best entry in the series, so being a remake of that affects it greatly. Kinda like Fire Emblem Echoes, Fire Emblem Gaiden wasn't all that great, and Echoes suffers for it.

 

[ClickyCal']

Beating the game on fusion mode was brutal.

 

[Ridley327]

I do wish that Sakamoto and the guys at Mercury Steam were a little more adventurous with the structure of the game, as aside from the Diggernaut sections and the final boss, there's really not a ton of major deviations in terms general progression, even if the order of things is a bit different and the addition of the suit abilities do spice up the combat a fair bit. Part of the reason why Zero Mission worked so damn well as a remake was that it started out as a faithful update on the original game but very much in the same mold as the games that bettered it before hitting you with the big surprise final third of the game that flips all of your expectations upside down. SR does that in pockets, but it really needed something substantially meatier than that to really measure up to that standard and wrap a bow on all the stuff it absolutely improved upon from the original otherwise. AM2R kinda aims for that, but it's hard to ignore how, well, fan game-y it can get with its deviations not all being created equal and the struggle it has with modernizing the combat to better accommodate the various Metroid species, which is a major point in SR's favor. Good game otherwise and very appreciated for not only doing a great job of modernizing the gameplay of 2D Metroid, but also reinstating all the things folks loved about Samus as a video game character in the first place. Some of the best 3D on the system, too!

 

[Palazzo]

I liked the game when I played through it initially, and I still generally do, but I recently went back to Metroid 2 (not having played through it for like eight years), which made me realize how strong the original game is and how some of Samus Returns' additions are kind of superfluous.

The original Metroid 2 is actually a very lean and well-considered game. Despite not having a map, the level layouts are made in such a way that you won't really get lost as long as you stay attentive (even through the tiny Game Boy resolution, you can keep a good sense of the area's layout and where you are in it, which is impressive) and the game's action moves at a good clip. I think it's actually one of the best games in the series - not quite on the level of Super Metroid, and I like the original a bit more due to its more interesting structure, but 2 is still very strong in ways that many of its followups aren't.

Samus Returns' additions and changes don't really enhance or improve the game; they just detract from its original and fairly straightforward seek-and-destroy appeal. The issue it has with its enemies is basically the same one Metroid Prime does; exploration and continuous backtracking gets tedious if fighting enemies is repetitive and takes more than a minimum of time - Metroid 2 and Super Metroid got this right, but Samus Returns' added parrying system and the way enemies are built around it makes navigation feel slower than it needs to be. And Metroid 2's world layout doesn't really benefit from the addition of Super Metroid's "use x new item to destroy these hidden blocks to progress" setup; all of those "puzzles" end up just feeling like cruft and padding.

I think it kind of ties into Metroid's weakness as a series: no developer has really figured out how to evolve the series past Super Metroid, and I don't think the Metroid formula is one that can be simply iterated on endlessly as much as something like Mario. Fusion, Zero Mission, and Samus Returns (and the fan game AM2R) are all perfectly fine games, but none of them really manage to stand out as distinct and uniquely high-quality titles compared to the original three Metroids.

 

[Allan Holdsworth]

Samus Returns' additions and changes don't really enhance or improve the game; they just detract from its original and fairly straightforward seek-and-destroy appeal. The issue it has with its enemies is basically the same one Metroid Prime does; exploration and continuous backtracking gets tedious if fighting enemies is repetitive and takes more than a minimum of time - Metroid 2 and Super Metroid got this right, but Samus Returns' added parrying system and the way enemies are built around it makes navigation feel slower than it needs to be. And Metroid 2's world layout doesn't really benefit from the addition of Super Metroid's "use x new item to destroy these hidden blocks to progress" setup; all of those "puzzles" end up just feeling like cruft and padding.

Click to shrink...

This describes why I liked but didn't love this as much as other 2D Metroids. Game is too focused on combat, which makes it feel repetitive after a while.

I beat the game and I enjoyed it, but I never went back for harder difficulties, or to get the fast time endings. Something which I've done for all other 2D Metroids.

 

[ClickyCal']

This describes why I liked but didn't love this as much as other 2D Metroids. Game is too focused on combat, which makes it feel repetitive after a while.

I beat the game and I enjoyed it, but I never went back for harder difficulties, or to get the fast time endings. Something which I've done for all other 2D Metroids.

Click to shrink...

I think that's more because of it being a remake of metroid 2. Tons of bosses, so they focused on combat.

 

[Freshmaker]

I think that's more because of it being a remake of metroid 2. Tons of bosses, so they focused on combat.

Click to shrink...

It's more how they set up pointless extra mechanics so you had to limp through QTEfests instead of just shooting them with missiles. (That diminishes once you get screw attack etc, but the cumbersome added mechanics make the early game extra sluggish.)

 

[night814]

The melee attack is an awful addition and it being required a lot of the time makes it even worse. It's really is the most "ok" Metroid. I think I prefer the original 2 still.

 

[Defect]

Low tier Metroid but I was happy to play that after all those years waiting.

 

[Cess007]

I hated the first half. It was super repetitive, dull and loop of get metroid, unlock new area got boring really fast.

I liked the second half much better and had fun with some of the bosses.

 

[rude]

I really enjoyed this one and would welcome a new one by the same team for Switch.

 

[bottledfox]

It's one of my favorite 3DS games, but it would've been a much better experience on Switch.

 

[babyzelda]

I really like the original Metroid 2 and I hated this game, they killed the rhythm of everything. Having to wait for counter-attacks all the time just got so old.

 

[CurseVox]

It's no Super Metroid, that's for sure. Metroid 2 was good back in the day because it was Metroid on the gameboy. It was definitely limited in a lot of ways because of that. A new coat of paint isn't going to hide it's shortcomings.

 

[Madao]

i liked the game plenty. i still need to go back to replay it since i only beat it once with 100%.

 

[TheSpaceBetween]

Yeah, much like Zero Mission, it felt very safe, being a remake. Still love them both though. But it sucks that the last super exciting 2d entry was Fusion, frigging 18 years ago.

 

[Laxoon]

I flip flop a lot on how much I like Samus Returns but I definitely like it. As "ok" as it is for a metroid it's still leagues more enjoyable than most pathformers.

 

[KarmaCow]

Having a pace ruining end game clean up section is hardly something new to Metroid or Metroidvanias in general but it's even more egregious in Samus Returns because it fucks up one of the few good things about the original.

 

[zMiiChy-]

I loved how difficult the game was.
All of the other 2D metroid games barring Zero Mission on Hard Mode are a joke to complete in comparison.

 

[NioA]

Lol I like it even more than Super Metroid, that's something for a "junk food" game.
It's an incredibly good iteration of a modern Metroid and at the same time a good classic game since they handled the remake so well, I'm glad they did it.
Also, the 3ds is perfect for the game, the fact that I had to wait till the 2017 to play a Metroid game with the map always on the touch screen (a blessing for a Metroidvania game) is somewhat absurd, I wish they did more.

 

[MP!]

This is pretty much how I feel about ALBW
I liked a lot about those 3DS games but in the end I don't remember what...

 

[Clive]

Nothing touches Super Metroid but I found this on the same level as Fusion and Zero Mission. Each have their own strengths and weaknesses. The 3DS graphics suck compared to pixel art and the environments were repetitive but the level design/maps great, controls were tight and the added bosses were fun and challenging too. Excellent game overall.

 

[Bard]

I really enjoyed it but like others have said, the original game wasn't anything all that special and this remake doesn't do all that much to change the pacing of it. So it suffers as a result as well.

 

[BassForever]

I enjoyed the game, but like AM2R both it and Returns were impacted by having to remake the worst classic Metroid game. I would like to see a lot of the mechanics Returns introduced expanded upon in a full Metroid 5

 

[Aadiboy]

I don't like the combat focus in the game. I'd prefer if Nintendo themselves developed the next 2D Metroid, even if that's unlikely to happen.

 

[Comic Obsessed]

It's definitely an "okay" Metroid.

That still puts it above most games but below some of the best Metroidvanias released in recent years (Hollow Knight, Ori, Steamworld Dig 2 and a few others).

I still want a 60FPS Switch remaster though.

 

[Ridley327]

I don't like the combat focus in the game. I'd prefer if Nintendo themselves developed the next 2D Metroid, even if that's unlikely to happen.

Click to shrink...

Sakamoto's team just isn't big enough for the amount of resources an HD 2.5D Metroid is going to need, which is why his side of it on SR was more focused on the general game design. It wouldn't at all surprise me if the core members of SR were already hard at work collaborating with Mercury Steam on Metroid 5 (or whatever they wind up calling it), while the rest of his team is plugging away at the Switch debuts of either WarioWare or Rhythm Heaven.

 

[Deleted member 25721]

Such a waste releasing this game on the dying 3ds and not the switch. I couldn't get into it. AM2R I enjoyed more.

I still want a 60FPS Switch remaster though.

Click to shrink...

I'd buy it again.

 

[MaitreWakou]

It was way better than just ok imo. They really nailed the game given the base source. It looks good, Samus is more smooth than ever to control (aiming at any precise direction is incredible), I personally liked the physical combat, and it had some incredible bosses, especially coming near the end.
I'm all in for Metroid 5 by them. This time it will be able to be a more classic, "open" Metroid experience. Also loved the stuff that lets you, only if you want, be able to show the secret zones and secret upgrades. If you're an hardcore metroidvania fan and want to search, you can just not use it at all. If you want a more casual approch to it, use it as much as you want, no need to ever feel the tedium of having to search a guide and search the exact page where it says how to get that item in the place you're currently are. They've found a great way to assist you.

 

[ADS]

Lol I like it even more than Super Metroid, that's something for a "junk food" game.
It's an incredibly good iteration of a modern Metroid and at the same time a good classic game since they handled the remake so well, I'm glad they did it.
Also, the 3ds is perfect for the game, the fact that I had to wait till the 2017 to play a Metroid game with the map always on the touch screen (a blessing for a Metroidvania game) is somewhat absurd, I wish they did more.

Click to shrink...

I agree with all this, surprised at the negativity here. I also thought the difficulty was pretty much perfectly balanced, challenging, but never too hard.

 

[Dogui]

I feel like Samus Returns is the best it could be as a remake of Metroid 2, which means, yeah, it's okay. Tho i never played AM2R so dunno.

I think Mercury Steam has the potential to make a really good original Metroid if given the chance. I hope Nintendo does.

 

[Hzsn724]

Samus Returns is a godsend if you ever played the og on Gameboy. Lots of nights lost to that game when I was a kid. Playing this as an adult was just absolutely insane.

 

[oatmeal]

Needs a 1080p/60fps Switch version

Make it so, Nintendo

Click to shrink...

Such a no brainer. Should have come out years ago.

 

[spam musubi]

The combat in the game straight up ruins the whole game. They used effectively the same system they had in mirror of fate, but it worked a lot better there. The pacing of the game is awful because of the combat, and the level design is super bland so having to trudge through all of it with the combat constantly interrupting your momentum sucks. Additionally, it's not very great at Metroid style secrets. Everything is hidden quite obviously and uninterestingly. You really don't have a reason to explore because the design of secrets is uninspired, and the game structure is rather linear, and the combat slows everything down. It's just a poorly designed game with systems that don't mesh well together. I don't buy the excuse that they were constrained by the original game since they changed so much about the original. Clearly they could change more if they wanted to. The game has the exact same issues that mirror of fate had, but that game had a lot more charm and the gameplay style fit castlevania better. I hope that this team doesn't make another Metroid game. (Also AM2R really showed how poor this game is)

 

[xir]

The Shadow Complex* of metroidvanias

*minus shitty politics

 

[jmsebastian]

I thought Samus Returns was an okay game, but something about the melee combat really bothered me. Having to slow down your traversal just to counter weak enemies all the time was really annoying and made me feel like I was crawling through the whole thing rather than building up my skill to the point where I could just run past the things I didn't want to fight.

Maybe I just never got that good at it, I don't know. I really should finish it, but just lost interest the more it dragged on. There's just something about Metroid games that makes them very hard to get right. Out of the whole series, I'd argue that the only truly great games are Super Metroid and Metroid Prime. Everything else is just kinda okay, with Samus Returns being

 

[AllEchse]

I think the games biggest problem is that it's a remake of Metroid 2.
They kinda changed the atmosphere by making it more like Super Metroid, but I feel people interpreted more into the original than there was because of it being a Gameboy game.
I feel like Mercury Steam could make a really good Metroid when they get the chance to make a game with any kind of enemy variety.

 

[El Crono]

I enjoyed Samus Returns a fair bit, but it's probably my least favorite 2D Metroid made after 1994. AM2R is infinitely better in just about every way, to the point that I understand why Nintendo had to nuke it for business reasons, because it completely shits on SR.

Click to shrink...

Just the second post and it already says all I came here to comment. Samus Returns is not a bad game at all, but I had finished AM2R just days before starting SR and I was deeply disappointed about the creative choices made on the official remake (that bit at the end that wasn't in the original is pure nonsense in the Metroid canon). AM2R offers nostalgia, excellent gameplay and controls, and even a tiny bit of innovation to the franchise. A shame that Nintendo could not at least acknowledge the efforts made by fans to resurrect an overlooked classic.

 

[LordHuffnPuff]

It felt to me that Mercury Steam really did not understand what made Metroid II good. The fact that there is any combat at all after you find the Baby Metroid instead of giving the player the quiet time to decompress and think about their actions really drives this home.