| Metroid II: Return of Samus | |
|---|---|
 European box art | |
| Developer | Nintendo R&D1 |
| Publisher | Nintendo |
| Directors | Hiroji Kiyotake Hiroyuki Kimura |
| Producer | Gunpei Yokoi |
| Designer | Makoto Kano |
| Programmers | Takahiro Harada Masaru Yamamaka Masao Yamamoto Isao Hirano |
| Composer | Ryoji Yoshitomi |
| Series | Metroid |
| Platform | Game Boy |
| Release | |
| Genre | Action-adventure |
| Mode | Single-player |
Metroid II: Return of Samus[a] is a 1991action-adventure game developed and published byNintendo for theGame Boy. The firstMetroid game for ahandheld game console, it was released in North America in November 1991 and in Japan and Europe in 1992. It follows the bounty hunterSamus Aran on her mission to eradicate theMetroids from their home planet, SR388, before the Space Pirates can obtain them. Players must find and exterminate the Metroids to progress.
Like the originalMetroid, released in 1986 for theNintendo Entertainment System,Metroid II was developed byNintendo Research & Development 1 and produced byGunpei Yokoi. It introduced several features that became staples of the series, including Samus's Space Jump, Spazer Beam and the Spider Ball, and round-shouldered Varia Suit.
Metroid II received positive reviews, with praise for its story, setting, and improved gameplay, but was criticized for its graphics and audio. By late 2003, it had sold 1.72 million copies worldwide. It was rereleased on theNintendo 3DSVirtual Console service in 2011 and on theNintendo Classics service in February 2023.
A sequel,Super Metroid, was released for theSuper Nintendo Entertainment System in 1994, and a remake,Metroid: Samus Returns, was released for the Nintendo 3DS in 2017. An unofficial remake,AM2R, was released in 2016 forWindows.
Metroid II is an action-adventureside-scroller game[3][better source needed] in which the player controls the protagonistSamus Aran on the fictional planet SR388. Players advance through the game by using Samus' weapons to kill a fixed number (47) ofMetroid creatures.[4][5] The player is given a detector that displays the number of Metroids remaining in the area.[6] Once all the creatures are eliminated, an earthquake occurs and the planet's lava levels decrease, allowing Samus to travel deeper through its tunnels.[4][5][7] The Metroid creatures are encountered in different evolution stages of their development cycle: original, Alpha, Gamma, Zeta and Omega. The more developed the organism is, the stronger its attack.[5][7]Metroid II featuressave modules located around the planet, which allow players to save their progress and continue in another session.[5][7][8]
The game features two weapons new to theMetroid series: the tri-splitting Spazer Laser Beam, and the Plasma Beam, which passes through enemies when shot. Samus can only equip one beam at a time, but she can switch between them by returning to where they are first found.Metroid II features the Space Jump, a new suit enhancement that allows Samus to jump infinitely and access otherwise unreachable areas. The game also sees the return of Samus' Morph Ball, a mode in which she curls up into a ball to travel through small tunnels. In addition, the game is the first in the series to feature the Spider Ball and Spring Ball. The Spider Ball allows Samus to climb most walls or ceilings, giving her freedom to explore both the surfaces and ceilings of caverns, and the Spring Ball gives Samus the ability to jump while curled up into a ball in the Morph Ball form.[7][9]
| Metroid | |||
| Story chronology | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Main series inbold, remakes in parentheses | |||
| [10][11] | |||
In the firstMetroid, Samus Aran foiled theSpace Pirates' plans to use the newly discovered lifeform known as Metroids. Some time later, the Galactic Federation resolved to ensure that the Metroids' power could never again be used by the Pirates, and sent several teams to the Metroid's home planet SR388 to destroy the species. When the teams disappear, the Galactic Federation contracts Samus to finish the mission.[12]
Samus hunts and kills the Metroids one by one. Each exhibits unique mutations: the Metroids grow from small jellyfish-like creatures into large, hovering lizard-like beasts. After destroying most of the planet's Metroids, Samus kills the Queen Metroid.[13]
Returning to her ship, Samus finds a Metroid egg. A Metroid hatchling emerges andimprints onto Samus, thinking that she is its mother. Unable to commit to her mission of extermination, Samus spares its life. She exits the tunnels while the Metroid helps clear the way. Reaching the planet's surface, Samus and the infant Metroid board the ship together.[13]
Metroid II was developed byNintendo Research & Development 1 (Nintendo R&D1),[14] and produced byGunpei Yokoi; they both also worked on the previousMetroid game for theNintendo Entertainment System.[7] It was directed byHiroji Kiyotake andHiroyuki Kimura, and designed byMakoto Kano, while Takahiro Harada serving as the mainprogrammer.[15]Metroid II marked a "new high point" forhandheld game consoles, with graphics that were almost as good as the 8-bit graphics in games for the NES.[16] The game features enhancements from its predecessor that include easier controls which allow Samus to crouch while firing at the same time, and jump while shooting straight down to attack anything below her.[7] The game utilizes thecartridge's battery-backed memory for saving the player's progress.[7][16] In the 2004 interview for theNintendo Dream magazine, Kiyotake revealed that the planet SR388 was named after theYamaha SR400 motorcycle.[17]
TheGame Boy's black-and-white graphics resulted in changes to Samus's gear that eventually became permanent. In the originalMetroid, color was used to differentiate between Samus's Power Suit and her Varia Suit (an upgraded version), but without color on the Game Boy, the two suits would have appeared similar, requiring the developers to develop a visual indicator for players to determine which suit Samus is wearing. They also updated her Varia Suit, adding round metal shoulders that have been a part of the suit in everyMetroid game since.[7][14][18]
Metroid II was released in North America in November 1991.[1][2] This was followed by the release in Japan on January 21, 1992,[19][20][21] and in Europe on May 21.[19][better source needed] It has shipped 1.72 million copies worldwide by late 2003.[22] Nintendo included the game in itsPlayer's Choice marketing label in North America in 1993.[19] It was re-released through theNintendo Power service in Japan on March 1, 2000.[21]Metroid II, along with other Game Boy games such asSuper Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins,Mega Man: Dr. Wily's Revenge, and several others were released on theNintendo 3DSVirtual Console service in 2011.[23] It was released in Japan on September 28,[21][24] and in North America and Europe on November 24.[25][26]
An unofficialremake ofMetroid II,AM2R, was released in August 2016 forWindows.[27][28] It received positive reviews, with critics calling it impressive and commenting on the improved visuals compared to those ofMetroid II.[29][30] Shortly after the release, following legal action from Nintendo, development ofAM2R was halted and download links were removed.[31][32][33] An official remake ofMetroid II,Metroid: Samus Returns, was developed byMercurySteam andNintendo EPD and released for the Nintendo 3DS on September 15, 2017.[34][35]
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| Aktueller Software Markt | 7/12[36] |
| The Daily Progress | A[37] |
| Daily Record | 6/10[38] |
| Entertainment Weekly | A+[39] |
| Famitsu | 6/10, 7/10, 7/10, 5/10[21] |
| Génération 4 [fr] | 75%[40] |
| Joystick | 76%[41] |
| Player One [fr] | 91%[42] |
| Total! | 66%[43] |
| Video Games [de] | 72%[44] |
From contemporary reviews, reviewers inAktueller Software Markt,GB Action,The Daily Progress complimented the sprites and animation in the game.[36][45][37] Reviews inDorset Echo,Famitsu andDaily Record were generally found the graphics as a whole mediocre, with aFamitsu reviewer finding them plain, and a critic writing forVideo Games [de] finding them too dark.[21][38][44][46]The reviewer inVideo Games said the atmosphere of the game did not come across well through the Game Boy hardware.[44] AFamitsu reviewer said it still had the "dark atmosphere" from the originalMetroid.[21]Entertainment Weekly described it as giving "the feeling of being trapped in someone else's nightmare — a quality shared by the best science fiction, be it in the form of books, movies, or video games."[39]
Some reviewers compared the game to the original NES game. Two reviewers inFamitsu found it to be a step down from the first game, while Martin Gaksch ofVideo Games writing that "expectations were only partially met" as a sequel toMetroid.[21][44]The Daily Progress commented on the games length and scope, with the former publications writing that as it had a longer playtime than the original, which was "quite an accomplishment."[37] andEntertainment Weekly improves upon the firstMetroid by enlarging the terrain and giving its eponymous monsters the ability to mutate, complicating the search-and-destroy mission.[39] A review inPlayer One [de] found it to be a "rich and challenging game" and that "the length of the game matches the game's longevity".[42]
Discussing the gameplay, a reviewer inFamitsu found there to be plenty of surprises to make it a satisfyingMetroid game for the Game Boy.[21] Gaksch found navigating the game too confusing and wished the game had a map feature whileTotal! said that the game was full of large and empty featureless areas.[43] Gaksch concluded that "instead of "real" action-adventure elements, shooting and running dominate" and that the game was "a good action game" but it "doesn't turn out to be the top-notch game we expected."[44]Génération 4 [fr] described it as a "well made and original",[40]GB Action summarized that it was "not among the best games" for the Game Boy, andAktueller Software Markt concluded that it was a "pretty decent game for young gamers."[40][36][45]
In March 1992,Game Players magazine had their Annual Awards for the best video games of 1991.Metroid II was included in their "Excellence Awards" category for Game Boy games, along withBattletoads,Beetlejuice,Hatris,Mega Man: Dr. Wily's Revenge,Prince of Persia andSuper R.C. Pro-Am.[47]
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| 1up.com | D+[48] |
| Allgame | 4.5/5[49] |
| Game Informer | 8.5/10[50] |
| IGN | 9/10[51] |
| Nintendo Life | 7/10[5] |
| USGamer | 3/5[52] |
Retrospectively, Brett Weiss ofAllgame felt thatMetroid II's controls were tight.[49] He complimented the larger areas to explore, andGame Informer echoed this sentiment, stating it was even larger thanMetroid. Both felt that despiteMetroid II being larger, there were less secrets to discover than the earlier game.[49][50] Jeremy Parish, writing for1up.com in 2004 and again forUSgamer in 2017, said that the zoomed-in perspective led to a terrible impediment for a game focused on jumping and ranged combat, although he felt the alien monsters kept the game interesting.[48][52] Parish wrote that exploration felt "long and repetitive" due to a lack of unique areas, stating that "the brilliant level designs for which the series has become known hadn't yet gelled". He also felt that the small size of the Game Boy's screen did not really suit the explorationMetroid was known for.[48][52] He felt the music was "downright painful", particularly for a series "known for its moody, atmospheric compositions."[48]
IGN felt the exploration grew tedious and that first-time players were certain to get lost.[51] Conversely,Nintendo Life found the game fairly linear and felt that the lack of an in-game map would not cause problems to players.[5]Nintendo Life found that the music was as a whole was "not really good" and "random bleeps and bloops which are supposed to be environmental tones".[5]IGN found the music "strange", but its lack of aesthetic detail boosted the games atmosphere.[51]
Game Informer described the graphics as "near perfect" while Weiss complimented detailed backgrounds and the quality ofSamus Aran's sprite.[50][49]IGN felt the visuals overall were appropriate for the game while being "a tad plain", specifically noting that the walls were too similar, which led to confusion in navigation.IGN felt the sprites overall looked far better on theGame Boy Color, and recommended that it be played there instead.[51] Parish said the graphics were not bad for the Game Boy, but only Samus's sprite looked great.[48]
Parish summarized retrospective reception to the game, saying "it's still aMetroid game. Which means that as the American gaming press, we can't help but love it a little."[48] Parish concluded that the game "painfully antiquated in 2004" and "best left to completists".[48] In 2017, he wrote thatMetroid II made up for its shortcomings by introducing many new ideas to the series, specifically with a wider array of weapons and powers, save points for the player, and a multi-stage lifecycle for the metroids.[52] Parish found the original NES game superior, while feelingMetroid II was "artificial and contrived" compared to later games in the genre, such asCastlevania: Symphony of the Night (1997).[48] He suggested that the game was "nearly forgotten" in Japan.[48]IGN described it as "very good", heightened by its superb suspense and increased variety compared to the average platforming game.[51]
In September 1997, 12Nintendo Power staff members voted in a list for the top 100 games of all time.[53] The magazine placedMetroid II at 34th place on their list of top 100 games of all time.[54] In their Top 200 Games list,Nintendo Power also ranked the game as the 85th best game on a Nintendo console,[55] andVideogames.com included it in their list of the best Game Boy games.[56]Nintendo Power listed it as the 12th-bestGame Boy/Game Boy Color video game, praising it for introducing several staple abilities to the series.[57] In 1998,Game Informer included the game in their list of the "Top 25 Game Boy Games of All-Time".[58] Ben Reeves ofGame Informer included it the list of the ninth best Game Boy game and noted that it polarized fans.[59]
Super Metroid, the third installment of theMetroid series, was released for theSuper Nintendo Entertainment System in 1994. The game's story takes place after the events ofMetroid II, and follows Samus as she travels to planet Zebes in an attempt to retrieve an infant Metroid stolen byRidley.[60]Metroid directorYoshio Sakamoto said at the 2010Game Developers Conference that he was "very moved" by the ending ofMetroid II, which motivated him to createSuper Metroid.[61]
Game Boy — 11/1991 Metroid II: Return of Samus
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)Sakamoto: I came in again afterMetroid II came out, so that was the sort of environment that I came into. I think I may have discussed a little bit in my GDC speech how I was very moved by the last scene inMetroid II, and that stimulus became my motivation and inspiration in creatingSuper Metroid.
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