Metroid: Samus Returns

 3DS
Metroid: Samus Returns Image
Metascore
85

Generally favorable reviews - based on 83 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
8.7

Generally favorable reviews- based on 641 Ratings

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  • Summary: A classic Metroid adventure returns, rebuilt from the ground up. Brave the hostile terrain of an alien planet teeming with vicious life forms as legendary bounty hunter Samus Aran. Her mission? Terminate the Metroid menace in this masterful reimagining of her 1991 Game Boy adventure. SamusA classic Metroid adventure returns, rebuilt from the ground up. Brave the hostile terrain of an alien planet teeming with vicious life forms as legendary bounty hunter Samus Aran. Her mission? Terminate the Metroid menace in this masterful reimagining of her 1991 Game Boy adventure. Samus Arans arsenal has been enhanced with new moves and abilities that are sure to help her face the deadly surprises that await. This intense, side-scrolling action platformer is a great entry point into the Metroid franchise and perfect for returning fans as well, and its available only on the Nintendo 3DS family of systems.

    Features:
    * This intense, side-scrolling action platformer has been completely remade with engaging and immersive 3D visuals and a rich, atmospheric color palette.
    * Classic Metroid II: Return of Samus gameplay is joined by a wealth of new content, including a set of brand new abilities that utilizes a mysterious energy resource called Aeion, a powerful melee counterattack, and 360-degree Free Aim Mode.
    * There are plenty of secrets to findand if you uncover enough of them, you may even start to unravel the mystery of Planet SR388s past.
    * Two new amiibo figures*Samus Aran and Metroidwill be released as a set alongside the game. This game is also compatible with the Zero Suit Samus and Samus amiibo from the Super Smash Bros. series. Functionality details will be revealed at a later date.
    * While supplies last, fans will be able to purchase a special edition of the game, which includes a physical copy of the game, a sound-selection CD featuring 25 tracks from across the Metroid franchise, and a reversible title-sheet insert for the game case.    … Expand
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Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 77 out of 83
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 83
  3. Negative: 0 out of 83
  1. Gaming Age
    Oct 3, 2017
    100
    Metroid: Samus Returns is an easy recommendation and you can’t go wrong with this in your 3DS library. The team put a lot of work into polishing this remake and it shows. I can’t even tell who gets the better deal here between fans of the original or newcomers like me. All I can say is that this game makes me realize how much I miss a true Metroidvania game made by masters of the craft. If this is how Nintendo wants to pay homage to classic games, I say let’s go for more!
  2. Hobby Consolas
    Sep 12, 2017
    93
    Samus returns with an adventure that it's an example of how all remakes should be, respecting the original game, honoring the classics and adding a pinch from the latest games. Samus Returns is not only a great Metroid game: is also one of the best titles for the Nintendo 3DS.
  3. The Sydney Morning Herald
    Sep 14, 2017
    90
    Offering a fresh take on Super Metroid while updating the franchise for modern audiences and supplanting the sluggish (but narratively important) Metroid II, this return to form is everything a 2D Metroid game should be. Not every modernising addition to the classic formula is as well-polished as it could be, but this is still one of the best entries the series has to offer.
  4. SpazioGames
    Sep 12, 2017
    85
    A lot could have gone wrong with this remake of Metroid II, since Mercury Steam's last work didn't impress and the franchise was dormant for far too long. Luckily, Samus Returns is a very good metroidvania and an honorable episode of one of the dearest Nintendo franchises.
  5. Worth Playing
    Oct 3, 2017
    85
    Metroid: Samus Returns is a solid remake that doesn't reinvent the wheel or eclipse the high points of the franchise but represents an enjoyable and well-made return to what makes Metroid work. It's low on story and high on exploration, and that's all it needs to be. The frustrating moments are few and far between, and the 3DS iteration eclipses the Game Boy original in pretty much every way. It's a Metroid title that shows why the old 2D classics were popular, and it succeeds wonderfully. With a ton of hints dropped throughout the game about a new Metroid game after Samus Returns, it should be interesting to see what Mercury Steam can do with an original game.
  6. JeuxActu
    Sep 13, 2017
    80
    Metroid Samus Returns is a very good remaster of the original GameBoy game with a load of new features that make the game more user-friendly. We only wish the hard mode would have been included in the game, and not exclusive to amiibo owners.
  7. Edge Magazine
    Oct 12, 2017
    60
    Its ragged edges mean it feels more like a competent cover version that occasionally strays off key, rather than the genuine article. [Dec 2017, p.120]
    All this publication's reviews

See all 87 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 147 out of 177
  2. Mixed: 19 out of 177
  3. Negative: 11 out of 177
  1. BillyHerrington
    Sep 15, 2017
    10
    AM2R was good but this one is even better. Really. Game Design is top notch. It could be a bit more open for my taste. Getting the hang forAM2R was good but this one is even better. Really. Game Design is top notch. It could be a bit more open for my taste. Getting the hang for the controls takes a bit time.… Expand
  2. MrLanzio
    Sep 22, 2017
    10
    Simply the best 2D Metroid. While it will not receive the adoration it rightly deserves due to biases -
    metroid old-timers, its console, etc.    Simply the best 2D Metroid. While it will not receive the adoration it rightly deserves due to biases -
    metroid old-timers, its console, etc. this is surely a 10/10. Game of the year contender in the best year ever in video games (2017)    … Expand
  4. GojiraSan
    Sep 17, 2017
    10
    The only thing missing from this game is a Switch port.............one can only dream, please Nintendo please. 10/10 awesome!!! ( and now weThe only thing missing from this game is a Switch port.............one can only dream, please Nintendo please. 10/10 awesome!!! ( and now we wait for Prime 4 )… Expand
  5. SabesLink
    Mar 23, 2018
    9
    This was my first Metroid, i never want to play a metroid before, but when my friend lend me this game, i gotten low expectatives, i saw theThis was my first Metroid, i never want to play a metroid before, but when my friend lend me this game, i gotten low expectatives, i saw the metroid series like a boring franchise of all the Nintendo games.

    Whatever, when i played my first five hours of the game, i was too impresed, thats because the gameplay is to easy and fun to learn, but at the same time, all the level designs was a little hard, and what to say about the bosses, i love the variety of enemies, and the graphics look to fine in a 3DS XL, i never used the 3D mode but witout that, the game is greatly in a 3DS screen.

    In conclusión, now i'm a fan of metroid games, i loved the style of the game, the music, and the gameplay of the same, for me this is an indispensable game for the "metroidvania games" fans    … Expand
  6. mirthy
    Sep 20, 2018
    9
    After a whole year, what do I think of this game. The best in the 2D series yet.

    Honestly, in terms of pure mechanics I think Samus Returns    After a whole year, what do I think of this game. The best in the 2D series yet.

    Honestly, in terms of pure mechanics I think Samus Returns triumphs over them all, with more complexity than the regular 2D games, but not as dynamic as Prime. Samus Returns has that well balanced middle ground in terms of variety. But where the mechanics really shine is the combat. This is the best Metroid game in terms of combat, with the movement system being just quick enough to compliment the shooting. Alongside the 360 aiming and melee counter (though the latter is used a little more than it should be) the combat is the current height of the Metroid franchise.

    The exploration is good, but not as good as it should be. This simply comes down to the upgrades. Finding them isn't as satisfying as it should be, there's no real "aha!" moment in the game (though that could be just me, I have played this game about 16 times). I don't think the scan visor is a bad thing, it helps other players get into the series. Metroid is a tough series to get into, the gameplay can be cryptic, but nowhere near as bad as people make it out to be, and the combat can be lacking.

    The boss battles are also very good. They are well made and a large improvement over the originals, however there are only 2 new bosses in this game, and it really could've worked with even more. But those few bosses are great, with them having dynamic attacks and also have great themes. Which reminds me.

    The soundtrack is absolutely godly. It takes a lot of existing tracks and gives them a more advanced feeling to them, such as the Diggernaut theme being a remix of the first boss of Metroid Prime 3. It's very atmospheric. However the track that plays near the end of the game while you're making your way back to the surface does miss the point.

    One final nitpick I have is that you have to wait until the end of the game to be able to collect every upgrade. If you've been back tracking a lot to get more of them along the journey, this does mean there will be some upgrades scattered around the various areas.

    Overall, a fantastic Metroid game, and really does push the 2D series into a new form. If they make a Super Metroid remake or a Metroid 5, I would be very happy if the game turns out to be like this one. I recommend it to anyone who likes Fusion and or Metroid Prime 2.    … Expand
  7. Jojogonpa
    Apr 13, 2021
    8
    mon 8/10 concerne plutôt AM2R, qui est un bien meilleur remake que celui ci, Un jeu absolument magnifique a ne pas oublier!
  8. RetroBRW
    Dec 23, 2020
    0
    This is a horrible excuse for a Metroid game and I don't understand why people like it so much. It looks pretty, but it plays horribly. IThis is a horrible excuse for a Metroid game and I don't understand why people like it so much. It looks pretty, but it plays horribly. I absolutely hated it from about 10 minutes into it, till the time I took it out of my 3DS a few hours later. I only made it to the third area, and found the difficulty of the game to be purely masochistic. It doesn't feel like a proper 2D Metroid game. The game is actually WORSE than the original Game Boy game they tried to remake.

    Things I liked:
    -Graphics. The game does look pretty.
    -Sound. The game does sound pretty.

    Things I hated:
    -Melee Counter: does not belong in a Metroid game. Whoever greenlighted this idea needs fired.
    -Aeion abilites: These comes off as more annoying than useful to me. Especially when you get to the third area that many monsters require the use of the rapid fire one. Oh yeah, it drains the aeion gauge in seconds. Garbage.
    -Level design: I expect a decent amount of mazes in a metroid game, but when EVERYTHING is a maze, it's not fun. It's way more complicated than the original for no reason whatsoever.
    -Overaggresive enemies: Pretty self explanatory. Enemies are overly aggressive for no reason, other than to shoe-horn in the previously mentioned garbage melee counter system.
    -Difficulty level: I can enjoy a hard game, but this goes way past hard into pure masochistic territory on the NORMAL DIFFICULTY. I'm a fairly seasoned Metroid player. I've beaten Super Metroid, Fusion, and Zero Mission multiple times, and the game boy game this was based on. This game gets the balance way too screwed up. Normal monsters do 1/3rd an energy tank of damage per hit AFTER THE VARIA SUIT. Metroids can take a whole tank at once. It's not fun, it's unfair and makes this game frustrating.

    TL;DR: Metroid Samus Returns is a game that looks pretty on the surface, and people raved over it because they thought it was a "return to form", but when you actually play it, the game is frustrating and a massive disappointment. Both the original and the fan remake AM2R(A PROPERLY REMADE METROID GAME THAT PLAYS LIKE A METROID GAME!) are infinitely better games than this officially released turd.    … Expand

See all 177 User Reviews

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Awards & Rankings

1
#1 Best 3DS Game of 2017
2
#2 Most Discussed 3DS Game of 2017
3
#3 Most Shared 3DS Game of 2017