Turo602
Vocare Ad Pugnam
- Joined
- Jul 31, 2010
- Location
- Gotham City
I just recently completed my first playthrough with 100% completion after about 14 hours and all I can say is it's good to have Samus back. It's just a shame it has taken this long to get another 2D Metroid game on a handheld, and with the 3DS being on its way out and the Switch being the new handheld device in town, I'm honestly worried about this game's sales. Which is a total shame because this is one fantastic game and an excellent and essential addition to the 3DS library.
This is everything I've ever wanted in a brand new 2D Metroid game. I knew there was so much more potential in another 2D entry and Samus Returns has definitely realized that potential by incorporating modern video game conventions such as fast-travel, map pins, and the pulse scan which make backtracking less of a pain, memorizing areas to return to a lot easier, and save you a lot of time on bombing every single inch of the map in hopes of finding items. I tried not to rely on the scan pulse and still played the game like I would any other Metroid game, but it certainly came in handy in the larger parts of the map and during my pre-final boss clean up.
The 3D textures also look a lot better than I thought they would and added so much more depth to the environments. For instance, those seemingly floating platforms from previous games now stretch far into the background and make a whole lot more sense visually. The 3D graphics also allow for more fluid animations and seamless cinematic gameplay interactions and cutscenes, which are just amazing and add so much more flair to the experience. I also don't usually make use of the 3D function during the majority of my gameplay, but with this game it's just absolutely beautiful. The artwork just pops out so wonderfully and the backgrounds often have something going on. There's even this one thing that I expected to see more of on the 3DS since it was announced, which is stuff flying towards the screen as if its popping out at you, which happens when you kill an enemy with the ice beam.
The aeion abilities were a nice addition and utilized fairly throughout the game, but they weren't exactly game changing, at least the combat oriented ones. I didn't find myself using the lightning armor or phase drift much outside of areas and puzzles that required them, but the beam burst was definitely handy during boss encounters and got me out of many desperate situations. Samus' arsenal wasn't too bad either. I haven't played much of the original Metroid II, but I hear the spider-ball was a bit of a pain to control, and while I feel they drastically improved it, there's still some funkiness to it. It works fine for the most part, but for some reason, she would move in the opposite direction when I let go of the slider and push forward again in the same direction. It's very easy to recover from it and move back into the direction you want, but the only time it became pesky to me was during a specific boss fight that requires you to use the spider-ball since you have a small window to use it and have to make constant stops. Though, one ability they did improve on was the grapple beam. Super Metroid is a masterpiece, but one of its very few faults is the way you control the grapple beam. It's a bit clunky but here, it works great and feels smooth. However, it did feel a bit strange playing a 2D Metroid game without the speed booster and being able to shinespark.
Now let's talk about the melee counter. While it's a great addition to combat, especially during boss fights, the game was way too reliant on the feature. I don't think there's a single enemy that doesn't charge you which can be really annoying because this is by far the most combat heavy 2D Metroid game in the series with the massive amount of enemies you encounter, which is fine and fitting given the premise of the game. However, there were several times when I've taken unnecessary damage because I was progressing through an obstacle and an enemy happened to be close by to instantly charge me during my vulnerable state. There were also many times when two enemies would be too close to each other and charge me one second after the other, so that when I finish countering one, the other hits me. It's a great feature for sure and I would like to see it return in future installments, but maybe just limited to boss fights and certain enemy types.
That aside though, Mercury Steam did an amazing job getting the physics and movement down. This feels like a proper Metroid game through and through. I even love that you can feel the weight of the morph ball whenever it's falling. The 360 degree aiming is really satisfying but also oddly allows for both improved precision and massive error, which I think the slider is to blame for. I'd often miss simple missile shots while hanging from a ledge because her arm would slightly be aiming diagonally when I'm just trying to shoot straight from off a ledge so I can grab an item. It's a small nuisance, but I thought I'd mention it anyway.
Overall, Metroid: Samus Returns is more than just a remake or a return to a classic formula. It may be limited by the premise and structure of the original Metroid II, but Samus Returns goes above and beyond to make this feel like a brand new experience while improving on the standard Metroid formula. As I see it, there's no reason to ever go back to Metroid II ever again as this is what Zero Mission was to the original Metroid, a permanent replacement. Also, huge props for that
This is everything I've ever wanted in a brand new 2D Metroid game. I knew there was so much more potential in another 2D entry and Samus Returns has definitely realized that potential by incorporating modern video game conventions such as fast-travel, map pins, and the pulse scan which make backtracking less of a pain, memorizing areas to return to a lot easier, and save you a lot of time on bombing every single inch of the map in hopes of finding items. I tried not to rely on the scan pulse and still played the game like I would any other Metroid game, but it certainly came in handy in the larger parts of the map and during my pre-final boss clean up.
The 3D textures also look a lot better than I thought they would and added so much more depth to the environments. For instance, those seemingly floating platforms from previous games now stretch far into the background and make a whole lot more sense visually. The 3D graphics also allow for more fluid animations and seamless cinematic gameplay interactions and cutscenes, which are just amazing and add so much more flair to the experience. I also don't usually make use of the 3D function during the majority of my gameplay, but with this game it's just absolutely beautiful. The artwork just pops out so wonderfully and the backgrounds often have something going on. There's even this one thing that I expected to see more of on the 3DS since it was announced, which is stuff flying towards the screen as if its popping out at you, which happens when you kill an enemy with the ice beam.
The aeion abilities were a nice addition and utilized fairly throughout the game, but they weren't exactly game changing, at least the combat oriented ones. I didn't find myself using the lightning armor or phase drift much outside of areas and puzzles that required them, but the beam burst was definitely handy during boss encounters and got me out of many desperate situations. Samus' arsenal wasn't too bad either. I haven't played much of the original Metroid II, but I hear the spider-ball was a bit of a pain to control, and while I feel they drastically improved it, there's still some funkiness to it. It works fine for the most part, but for some reason, she would move in the opposite direction when I let go of the slider and push forward again in the same direction. It's very easy to recover from it and move back into the direction you want, but the only time it became pesky to me was during a specific boss fight that requires you to use the spider-ball since you have a small window to use it and have to make constant stops. Though, one ability they did improve on was the grapple beam. Super Metroid is a masterpiece, but one of its very few faults is the way you control the grapple beam. It's a bit clunky but here, it works great and feels smooth. However, it did feel a bit strange playing a 2D Metroid game without the speed booster and being able to shinespark.
Now let's talk about the melee counter. While it's a great addition to combat, especially during boss fights, the game was way too reliant on the feature. I don't think there's a single enemy that doesn't charge you which can be really annoying because this is by far the most combat heavy 2D Metroid game in the series with the massive amount of enemies you encounter, which is fine and fitting given the premise of the game. However, there were several times when I've taken unnecessary damage because I was progressing through an obstacle and an enemy happened to be close by to instantly charge me during my vulnerable state. There were also many times when two enemies would be too close to each other and charge me one second after the other, so that when I finish countering one, the other hits me. It's a great feature for sure and I would like to see it return in future installments, but maybe just limited to boss fights and certain enemy types.
That aside though, Mercury Steam did an amazing job getting the physics and movement down. This feels like a proper Metroid game through and through. I even love that you can feel the weight of the morph ball whenever it's falling. The 360 degree aiming is really satisfying but also oddly allows for both improved precision and massive error, which I think the slider is to blame for. I'd often miss simple missile shots while hanging from a ledge because her arm would slightly be aiming diagonally when I'm just trying to shoot straight from off a ledge so I can grab an item. It's a small nuisance, but I thought I'd mention it anyway.
Overall, Metroid: Samus Returns is more than just a remake or a return to a classic formula. It may be limited by the premise and structure of the original Metroid II, but Samus Returns goes above and beyond to make this feel like a brand new experience while improving on the standard Metroid formula. As I see it, there's no reason to ever go back to Metroid II ever again as this is what Zero Mission was to the original Metroid, a permanent replacement. Also, huge props for that
Metroid Fusion connection and possible set-up to a Fusion sequel. I just got to say, I don't know if the origin of the Metroids was ever revealed prior to this, but after that final Chozo memory, I can't help but feel like Metroid is once again just following whatever the Alien franchise is doing and it's honestly pretty cool.
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