Metroid: Samus Returns

With the last two entries in the Metroid franchise being the controversial Other M, and the lukewarmly received (speaking generously) Federation Force, it seems fair to say that the franchise has been in a bad place for the last few years. So, can the newest entry in the series repair the damage, or is the franchise destined to remain its depression for a little while longer?

Metroid: Samus Returns is a remake of the simlarly named Metroid II: Return of Samus, which was released on the original Gameboy back in the early nineties, and for a time was seen as the worst in the series. Although, that wasn't such a high (or low) bar back then.

However, this reimagined version has had some touch-ups, to set it apart from the original. It does attempt to take advantage of the advances in the technology, to try to create a much superior version. Much as Metroid: Zero Mission did the same for the original Metroid back in 2005.

Warning:  Possibly some very slight spoilers beyond this point.

To begin with, the story is much simpler in this one, compared to many modern games. The players are once again placed into the role of Samus Aran, space bounty hunter, who has been given a contract to eradicate the threat of the metroids once and for all. That's pretty much it, at least to start, a fairly simple premise to get the ball rolling. Although, the opening of the game does have a brief sequence that explains the plot of the original game, for newcomers.

Of course, with Samus Returns being a remake, it does make some small changes to the plot, moving it in line to how the story of the series has changed over the years.

The first thing to note is that Samus' character design has undergone a revamp since her appearance in Other M. The pauldrons are bigger, the visor is a little smaller, and her armour overall seems to be just a little bulkier. It all speaks to the designer trying to distance themselves from the slimline design seen in the previous game. Whilst I didn't exactly dislike the slimmer design, I do like the new redesign too; it creates an impression of power, without going too far, and turning Samus into some sort of monster, at least from the player's perspective.

There is also a sense of personality to Samus, that would not have been possibly to create during in the original Gameboy version. Whilst Samus has no spoken dialogue, the way she acts towards enemies and in cutscenes, and even the way he stands on the elevator, helps to give a small glimpse into the type of person that she is. It goes towards proving that a lack of dialogue does not mean a lack of characterisation.

The world around Samus is also well designed, holding that mix of energy, mystery, and foreboding. The use of vibrant colours bring life to the various areas within the game, and choice of colours used bring the sense that certain areas are dangerous or worn-out. For example, the use of purples and blues create a sense of somewhere dank and dark, despite the colours themselves being rather bright.

The enemies too are visually distinctive, and slightly abstract, whilst still being quite obviously dangerous. Enemies also strike a good balance between telegraphing their attacks, and striking unexpectedly; this allows the player to anticipate their attacks; without making the battles too easy.

Most importantly, everything stands out just as much as it needs to. Enemies do not get blended in against the backgrounds, and important environmental elements do not get lost amidst clutter. At the same time, important parts of the scenery do not stick out so much as to be too obvious. Although, there are many hidden areas in the game, and these can be a lot more difficult to spot, since they are supposed to hidden. Fortunately, Samus has new abilities that can help with that.

That brings us to the new aeion abilities; there was some concern that these abilities would break the balance of the game, but in my opinion this is not the case. The game has been properly restructured to account for these new talents, and whilst they are very useful, it never really removes any of the difficulty.

The above paragraphs are important, because this game in hard. Obviously, it's not on the level of Dark Souls, but it does provide a rather meaty challenge. However, it never feels frustrating. It never feels like the came is cheating, there is always a fairness to the events, no matter how difficult it actually gets. There is also a sense of satisfaction when you overcome a tough enemy, or solve a puzzle, and gain that energy tank.

This all help along by the control scheme, with is relatively simple, and easy to learn, which is always a plus. Whilst most abilities do need to be selected from the menu, this has been trivially easy to do without pausing the game. For example, selecting an aeion ability is done by pressing the corresponding direction on the d-pad, and then hitting the “A” button. Helping to keep the combat quick, and meaning you can switch between tools in the middle of battle without hassle.

Overall, the controls are fast and responsive, which is good because reaction time is more important than ever before, due to Samus' ability to counter. Whilst Samus feels satisfyingly weighty in her power armour, but also very agile and athletic. Controlling her feels like playing as a powerful super soldier.

The sound is also top quality. The soundtrack has a lot of remixes of previous songs in the series, updated for a more modern sounds, whilst retaining the spirit of the originals. The soundtrack helps sets the tone for the action switching easily between mysterious, fast-paced, and foreboding, without ever feeling jarring.

The monster sound-effects however, are least stellar. Yet they are serviceable, and help to give some small sense of life to the various enemies.

Finally, there is a lot of replayability on offer. There are enough secrets and unlockables to last for a long time, and many playthroughs; and this is without the extra content offered from the tie-in amiibo. Although, having content hidden behind amiibo, that would have been free once-upon-a-time is a little annoying; but it is nothing too important.

To answer the question I posed at the beginning of this review, this is an excellent game, and a return to form for the series.

Samus is most definitely back.

Until next time,

PhoenixAct.