Metroid: Samus Returns Review

Metroid: Samus Returns

Release: September 15, 2017
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Mercury Steam
Genre: Action, Adventure, Nintendo 3DS Reviews, Platformer, Shooter
PEGI: 10+
Comments:

 

Comment

If you haven’t, please check out my Metroid: Samus Returns reviews-in-progress part 1, part 2, part 3, and part 4. Today, I want to provide you with my full final review of Metroid: Samus Returns for the 3DS. Will Metroid fans love this game? If you’ve never played a Metroid game before, would this game be easy to get into? I’ll answer those questions while also, of course, letting you know if the game is good or not.

Story has never been super important for Metroid games. Most Metroid games just briefly set up the story and then off you go hunting Metroids and looking for powerups. The few times that the series has tried to go more story focused hasn’t always been a good thing…

So what about Metroid: Samus Returns? Is it story focused? Nope, this game just briefly introduces everything and then sends you on your way. I am totally fine with that. Metroid works best this way. What about the gameplay? Is this a true Metroid game?

If you’ve never played a Metroid game before, then Samus Returns would be a good place to start. The gameplay here is easy to understand and the beginning of the game is fairly linear and a bit handholding. Not all Metroid fans will like how much the game holds your hand at first. Once you get out of the early areas though, you’ll be on your own more and this is something Metroid fans are use to. I think newbies to the Metroid franchise and classic fans will enjoy this game overall. Samus Returns is one of the best Metroid games I’ve played.

This new Metroid has all the classic gameplay from the franchise you’d expect, but it also offers some things that will sometimes make things a little bit easier and just keep you from getting too frustrated. There are more save points in Samus Returns then I’ve ever seen in other Metroid games. There are also stations in which you recharge your power and your missiles and you’ll find these fairly often. And this game has teleporters, which means less backtracking in some parts. You’ll still find yourself exploring a lot and running into some pretty hard situations.

Some of the Metroid fights are pretty hard and there are other surprises that will keep you on your toes too. Samus Returns may fool you at the start and in some other areas and make you think its an easy game, it is definitly not an easy game.

That said, I do wish there was more variety in the Metroid fights. Some of these fights are similar to each other. It can be too easy to pick up the patterns in these fights. A bit of warning, though, to not get too confident. The battles can be tricky sometimes, even if you know the patterns. Thank goodness that you won’t have to worry about tricky controls in this game!

Metroid: Samus Returns controls exactly how you would think it would, with the analog and button controls working very well. This game also has some touch screen intergration. The map on the second screen is handy and its nice how you can look all around it and place marks on the map for areas that you want to further explore. You can also access the morph ball and subweapons via the touch screen. Accessing the subweapons here can sometimes be very helpful, especially if you’re in a spot where you have to access them quickly. Samus Returns, basically, feels like a new traditional Metroid with some cool bells and whistles.

Metroid: Samus Returns is a very good game overall. I’m happy to report that its not just the gameplay thats fantastic, the game’s graphics and sound are great too!

Metroid: Samus Returns is a very good looking game. In fact, its one of the best looking Metroid games I’ve seen, especially in the 2D genre. The developer, Mercury Steam really out did themselves here. Everything from Samus to the enemies and the backgrounds look great. I loved the 3D on this game too. If I had only one complaint about Samus Returns its that I didn’t think there was enough visual variety in the caverns you visit and the enemies you fight. It would have been nice to see a bit more variety in the ways things looked. Otherwise, I am very happy with the game looks.

And the soundtrack in Metroid: Samus Returns is good too! If you’ve played a Metroid game before, then the music in this game will be pretty familar. The soundtrack here is as Metroid as it gets. The same can be said about the game’s sound effects. If you are a fan of the Metroid franchise, you’re going to be really happy with the way this game sounds. And, overall, if you are a fan of the franchise, then you need to buy this game! Also, if you are thinking about a Metroid to start with, you couldn’t go wrong with this game.

Metroid: Samus Returns is a great game. Everything from the quick story setup to the graphics just screams Metroid. If you love this franchise, you better buy this game. If you’ve ever wanted to get into this franchise, then this would be a good game to start with.

Metroid: Samus Returns is a remake of Metroid 2 for the Gameboy but it really does feel like a totally new 2D Metroid.

Is it a perfect game? No, but its the best Metroid game we’ve seen in awhile. Do not pass this game by!

Thanks to Nintendo for providing a review copy of this game. Metroid Samus Returns is now available in stores and on the Nintendo 3DS eshop.

Trailer