Review cover Metroid: Samus Returns (Nintendo 3DS)
Official GBAtemp Review

Product Information:

  • Release Date (NA): September 15, 2017
  • Release Date (EU): September 15, 2017
  • Release Date (JP): September 15, 2017
  • Publisher: Nintendo
  • Developer: Nintendo EAD, MercurySteam
  • Genres: Action-Adventure

Game Features:

Single player
Local Multiplayer
Online Multiplayer
Co-operative
Metroid: Samus Returns is a re-imagining of the classic Gameboy title Metroid II: Return of Samus. After the events of Metroid, the Federation concludes that the Metroid species are too dangerous to be left unchecked. After the teams they send to SR388 lose contact, they call in Samus to exterminate the Metroid menace once and for all. Is it merely a remake or does it stand in its own right?
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A Beautiful Dark World

Like the original title, Samus Returns is much more linear compared to other games in the series, as you would expect given its source material. In order to progress further through SR388, you must fight and destroy the various Metroids at different stages of their evolution. Some are easy to find, while others require a bit more exploration and thought to track down. Along the way you will find many different upgrades, from the Spider Ball for climbing along walls to Super Missiles and the Plasma Beam, which greatly help with navigating the depths of SR388. And, at its core, Metroid is a game about exploration and shooting things.

One of the best features is the use of the bottom screen as a map. It displays all areas you have explored, power ups, doors and points of interest. You can also place your own makers, each colored differently, so you can place your own reminders to come back and explore an area that may not be accessible at the time. The bottom screen also displays Energy, Aeion Gauge, Missiles remaining and allows you to switch weapons on the fly with a simple touch of the bottom screen

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One of the things that stands out is the amount of detail in the environment. Everything in the game is rich and vibrant right from the beginning. Whether it's the lush mossy caverns or the crystalline lower depths of SR388, my eyes were drawn to the backgrounds more often then they should have been. It is definitely one of the the best-looking games in the 3DS library.

Bosses and Metroids are incredibly fun to fight. They're not overly difficult but not easy either. The combat has good pacing, but a bit of trial and error at times. The enemies are good-looking and detailed as well, with a fair amount of variety between them, in terms of attacks and appearance. I never found myself too overwhelmed or too bored with any of the enemies in the game. Everything is very well balanced throughout.

The game also has amiibo support for any of the Samus amiibos available. These grant various rewards such as items and other things. I however don't have one so I didn't use it. I generally don't play with the stereoscopic 3D on but I gave it a try on this game. On the lowest setting (about 1/3 up), it gave the game a nice little pop that was easy on the eyes and pretty enjoyable. Beyond that, I found that the 3D was a bit harder on the eyes and made it a bit more difficult to focus.

A Whole New Samus

However this isn't a simple 1:1 remake. Samus has a host of new skills and powers not originally in Metroid II. These new skills, called Aeion Abilities, are a fantastic addition to the game. Beam Burst increases damage output and allows for rapid-fire. Scan Pulse reveals map information and breakable blocks. All of these use a bit of the Aeion gauge, which, like Energy and Missiles, can be increased through upgrades hidden throughout the game.

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Another new ability is the Melee Counter. Just as an enemy is about to strike, pressing the X button executes an upward strike similar to one of Samus' attacks in Smash. A successful counter stuns enemies and allows a quick shot which dispatches of foes quickly. Most every enemy can be countered and sometimes the effects vary based on what you are fighting. It really helps with the pacing of combat and is another good addition to Samus' already large set of skills. The L button allows Samus to stand stationary and aim in any direction. It takes a little time to get used to, particularly in intense battles, but is most certainly is a huge advantage in getting your shots to hit their mark. Once you get the hang of it, you can do it while jumping and falling with incredible ease.

The game's controls are quite polished and relatively easy to grasp. The initial area of the game has a pretty easy and straightforward tutorial that takes about 3 minutes to get through. But, as with most games, practice makes perfect. While I didn't struggle too much in the beginning, as I got further into the depths of SR388 and as the Metroids became stronger and more deadly, I really had to work on mastering the controls and Samus' different abilities. The platforming mechanics are very on point as well, with Samus moving and jumping as you would expect. Samus Returns is true to the classic Metroid formula.

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Mission Accomplished

With just over 12 hours of gameplay (and to be honest, I got lost a few times), Metroid: Samus Returns stands high as more than just a remake. It returns to the basics of the series and is one of the best games I have played on the 3DS. For both fans and newcomers, this is a solid addition to the 3DS library. With plenty to do after your first play-through, I cannot recommend this game more. Samus Returns indeed.

Metroid Samus Returns Launch Trailer

Verdict

What We Liked ...
  • Classic Metroid gameplay
  • Beautiful environments
  • Incredibly fun bosses
  • Decent amount of post-game content
What We Didn't Like ...
  • Wish it was a bit longer
9
Gameplay
Although it takes time to get used to a few of the controls, once you do, gameplay is very good. Standing and shooting or run and gun, the shooting is very precise. The new powers are a welcome addition and really add a lot to the game. Bosses are fun and pretty awesome all around.
9
Presentation
MSR is a beautiful game and the story is presented quite nicely in the beginning and throughout, even with no dialogue. Incredible environments and lovely detail everywhere.
7
Lasting Appeal
Apart from finding everything and trying for a better completion time, there is plenty to do and unlock after you beat it so it should have you be coming back for awhile.
9.1
out of 10

Overall

Metroid: Samus Returns is one of the best games on the 3DS and it is definitely more than just a remake. A return to classic Metroid, it is a must play if you have a 3DS.
D
Great! The Review is out already. I will read it after my first playthrough. :P

Edit:
Alright, i completed the game today.
I would rate it 8 out of 10.
The Boss battles are the definite highlight in the game.
The Graphics are nicely detailed.
The Soundtrack fits the different areas of the game but is not very memorable.
Love that ending.:)
Locking forward to that new Prime Game for the Switch.
 
Excellent! I was worried they'd cock it up somehow. There was a worry they'd add voice acting. By me. Glad it didn't happen. I remember this being my first gameboy game when I was a kid, so I am extremely eager to buy this a few times over (as gifts)
 
B
Was expecting more AM2R comments

I'm disappointed in you guys
 
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L
I'll buy the game but stay away from the overpriced on-cart DLC (amiibo locked content).
 
I'm several hours into my playthough... And I can't help but feel like AM2R did it better... MSR had good music and audio effects. But a lot of it sounds like a straight copy of Prime, or doing its best to copy Prime's feel. AM2R on the other hand blends a lot of musical and audio cues from the entire series. The new visuals and style are excellent. But I find myself liking AM2R's blend of Super, Fusion and Zero more. The environments are meticulously detailed and varied. But again, I feel like AM2R had better execution in the reimagining of the various biomes. The new abilities in MSR are fun and cool. But AM2R, I feel, does more with abilities that have become series staples since the original Metroid II versus introducing new ones. (And yes, I realize that MSR brings back and implements some series staple abilities in new ways, too, like those cool Charge Beam doors. I just think that AM2R, frankly, integrates them better.)

Now for a couple nitpicks that don't have anything to do with AM2R...
  • You can't remap the controls, despite there being a dedicated controls window in the in-game menus. Why put it there if people can just look at the digital game manual anyway? Super allowed input remapping in 1994, so how is this not a thing?
  • In a similar vein as my last point, there's no support for New 3DS-specific controls (ZR, ZL and the C-stick).
  • Sometimes the game will drop you in the middle of 3+ enemies that decide to charge you all at once. Good luck getting out of that. It's a good thing that you can be knocked out of the melee counter, as it rewards smart choices and mastery of the game... But literally getting dropped into a group of enemies, surrounded, and they all rush at once is frustrating. You can't counter 3+ enemies in a second, and you'll get knocked out of the first one you get and take damage. Evading is also likely to fail and end with the player getting dealt damage in that scenario, too.
  • Morph Ball is a bitch to get in and out of. It doesn't feel as snappy and easy to enter and exit the mode as in previous games. Props to the devs for allowing a simple bottom screen tap to toggle Morph Ball, but with the screen sharing real estate with other functions, it's easy to mistap. The 3DS touchscreen also isn't terribly responsive in general. This is where N3DS users would have benefitted greatly from button remapping and support for the extra controls.
  • Wall jumps don't seem to work like older games. It seems like you need more space than in Fusion, Super and Zero. For all the bragging of exact classic gameplay with new abilities (which is pretty nailed down otherwise), this just feels wrong.

So, is Metroid: Samus Returns a good game? Absolutely, no doubt, 9/10, go get it. It's more than worthy of the Metroid name and looks and plays beautifully. But if you've played AM2R... If you're anything like me, you'll have that nagging voice in the back of your head comparing the two. And in my opinion, AM2R does a better job of being a remake that not only does justice to the source material, but handles the integration of new abilities, areas and enemies, as well as reimagining of the environments better.
 
nostalgia is what i am feeling. It has been awhile I always try to get 100% even from the back of my head in the good old Game boy days now its hard to find where is what now.
 
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Id say the biggest con for me is that its a remake and not a completely new game, with new story. But its a good game non the less!
 
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Was expecting more AM2R comments

I'm disappointed in you guys
So far - it's the control scheme that bugs me the most compared to AM2R. A common technique I used in early AM2R exploration was fast morphball->spiderball, something that is damn near impossible with the touchscreen now being fast morphball - and completely impossible when using the thumbstick to "double-tap down" for standard morphball.

other than that, and a couple of other small problems, I'm prefering this to AM2R - which is no mean feat, as I was nearly calling AM2R the best Metroid game to date (yes, even better than Super Metroid). If I had a complaint with AM2R, it was the staggeringly high difficulty of the final boss compared to all other bosses in the game. (still - STILL haven't beat it - and other than that, i have 100% completion on the game so far).
 
I'm disappointed they went with 3D graphics rather than 2D sprites, well, still looking forward to it.
Honestly - give it a try. I was having issues with this before playing it, and aside from an animation issue I have with it, it's been quite nice, visually. The only complaint I have now is that certain animations - specifically when you get the melee attack on certain enemies - can't be turned off. They're nice the first time or two they play - but when you're trying to play it smoothly, it's a bit jarring.
 
Great post!
I really don't like the controls and am playing on N3DS.
Yeah - they're okay to me, but I got spoiled on AM2R. IF there was a button dedicated to fast morphball, and IF there was some way to swap dpad and thumbstick controls, I would say it's just about perfect, but as it stands, AM2R plays better
 
I actually found a bug in the game by mistake. I closed my screen on the title screen to go do something, came back, and the music was disabled in the game. I played for like 15 minutes without the music, and the game felt more atmospheric.
 
I can't wait for a proper 3ds emulator that allows for HD. This game is going to look brilliant at a far higher internal resolution. That and playing on a snes controller.

For right now, I'm loving this game. It's not super easy, it requires a bit of skill, and it keeps me wanting to explore. It's pretty claustrophobic, but the original was like that too.
 
A BIG MINUS is that i need to buy amiibo (and since i have old 3ds i need amiibo reader) just to play fusion mode... THATS BULLSHIT!

Also, game has no memorable music or unexpected events, just few... also gravity suit is ugly!
 
Also, that move where you smack creatures than shoot them..its overused and gets borring..every creature is aggressive. i know they wanted to make it more interesting but when you explore it can become dull and gimmicky
 
Oh yes, also, the game is not in smooth 60 FPS like kirby games lets say...idk why steam engine, it sucks, but ok....
 
A BIG MINUS is that i need to buy amiibo (and since i have old 3ds i need amiibo reader) just to play fusion mode... THATS BULLSHIT!

Also, game has no memorable music or unexpected events, just few... also gravity suit is ugly!

Or just take your 3DS to a store and tap it on the package :creep:
 
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Side Scrolling Metroid has been returning way too many times after a long absence.

Im waiting for another 10 year absence and the new game would be called
"Metroid Samus Comes Back."
 
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Side Scrolling Metroid has been returning way too many times after a long absence.

Im waiting for another 10 year absence and the new game would be called
"Metroid Samus Comes Back."
Thats what i was thinking xD but it was nice game with some new lore, i find that exciting. But i do want a new game, which is a rare thing these days, in this remake world
 
Thats what i was thinking xD but it was nice game with some new lore, i find that exciting. But i do want a new game, which is a rare thing these days, in this remake world
Yes I love the Metroid series I want more. Its a shame not more are coming out. I hope that more metroidvania types coming out. Metroid Prime 4 looks awesome too. The metroid series in general is just awesome.
 
A BIG MINUS is that i need to buy amiibo (and since i have old 3ds i need amiibo reader) just to play fusion mode... THATS BULLSHIT!

Also, game has no memorable music or unexpected events, just few... also gravity suit is ugly!

Nintendo now constanly locks content that is already on the cartridge/disk. I remember Capcom receiving TONS of criticism for it when it happened in a fighting game. It really sucks. Originally they said you'd just have to buy e.g. Link once. Yeah right...
 
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Nintendo now constanly locks content that is already on the cartridge/disk. I remember Capcom receiving TONS of criticism for it when it happened in a fighting game. It really sucks. Originally they said you'd just have to buy e.g. Link once. Yeah right...
I dont like the practice. Maybe im old school, but thats wrong. I remember when i bouht metroid fusion (first came to mind) and i tried hard to unlock stuff, and it had everything in it already, i just had to try hard! I like that cUse it makes game more interesting.
 
I think the whole stop->melee drags down the game a bit and the fact that every single thing is locked behind a powerup you get later in the game. There's like only 1 thing which you can grab before you are meant to, by doing bomb jumps. The rest are all locked behind different powerups, more than ever. In every previous 2D Metroid game there were plenty of powerups you could grab early on if you showed great skill (wall jumping, bomb jumping, timing shots perfectly etc). In this game, every single thing is behind an upgrade barrier, not a skill barrier which is sad.

Also one of the last bosses made me insane and I think the design was poor as all the stars needed to be aligned in order for you to beat him. It didn't feel as epic the fifth time you tried as everything relied on perfect execution. But once defeating him felt like: "phew, now I never have to do that again", then quickly realizing you'll want to play the game in Fusion mode.

I'm not sure, but there are several places where the boss music didn't play and the level music just kept on playing. That felt a bit lame to me.
Also there's places where there was really no music at all and it felt a bit empty.
 
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Don't forget to dump the cart and upload it to that iso-site. :creep:
dont encourage people to pirate especially when its something that's worth buying, and the game is the same thing that was on gameboy except it's better looking.
 
Honestly - give it a try. I was having issues with this before playing it, and aside from an animation issue I have with it, it's been quite nice, visually. The only complaint I have now is that certain animations - specifically when you get the melee attack on certain enemies - can't be turned off. They're nice the first time or two they play - but when you're trying to play it smoothly, it's a bit jarring.


Well, I would have to give a try eventually.
I also got a review copy from Nintendo of Portugal (still haven't gone around to review it though, too many games to play at the same time), from what I've played so far even the 3D effects look awesome.
 
@Skelletonike This game is cool. The thing is that they used too many sound effects and music from past meteoroid games. Lots of metroid prime and super metroid in it. At times it doesn't feel like metroid 2 remake. I liked fighting the metroid stages though.
 
damn, this game is GOOD... the boss battle patterns change a lot, i think ive died at least 10x when the only time i can remember a gameover was from ghetto wii motion sequences in Other M or bad partners in Federation Force (i really liked MP:FF)
 
I've come back to this game since selling my Switch and made it up to the final boss today, but he's kicking my ass!
I just can't control Samus fast enough on the N3DS, my hands are too large lol :(
Going to go and clean up the map see if there are any energy tanks I've missed.
Great game though, I think it's the hardest of the 2D Metroids and the 3D effect is actually really good.
 
I've come back to this game since selling my Switch and made it up to the final boss today, but he's kicking my ass!
I just can't control Samus fast enough on the N3DS, my hands are too large lol :(
Going to go and clean up the map see if there are any energy tanks I've missed.
Great game though, I think it's the hardest of the 2D Metroids and the 3D effect is actually really good.

why did you sell your switch? and for how much?
 
why did you sell your switch? and for how much?
I got fed up of having it hacked. I ended up spending more time messing with it than actually playing it so I decided to sell it before the new hardware is revealed and the resale value plummets.
I will buy the revision and keep it legit.
 
L
I just can't control Samus fast enough on the N3DS, my hands are too large lol :(
I feel your pain. My hands are so used to the Switch Pro Controller now, playing the 3DS for too long hurts my thumbs.
 
I got fed up of having it hacked. I ended up spending more time messing with it than actually playing it so I decided to sell it before the new hardware is revealed and the resale value plummets.
I will buy the revision and keep it legit.

i almost sold mine for $500 but theres no guarantee of a hack for the new one. but im gonna buy a pro version ad keep it legit too. I had buyers lined up for my switch who were willing to pay more but I chickened out and wanted to keep my hacked version for some reason...
 
Review cover
Product Information:
  • Release Date (NA): September 15, 2017
  • Release Date (EU): September 15, 2017
  • Release Date (JP): September 15, 2017
  • Publisher: Nintendo
  • Developer: Nintendo EAD, MercurySteam
  • Genres: Action-Adventure
Game Features:
Single player
Local Multiplayer
Online Multiplayer
Co-operative

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