Metroid: Samus Returns Reviews
Samus Returns is a welcome return of a long-missed friend, but euphoria about the comeback didn't last long once I actually started playing the game: Exploration is unrewarding and leads into dead ends more often than not and the repetitive Metroid boss fights almost feel like grinding. With its modernized combat and controls, some cool and fresh ideads like the counter and 360° aiming, Samus Returns is still a solid Metroidvania game - but it's not quite the return to form that I was hoping for.
Review in German | Read full review
Metroid: Samus Returns is a remake that plays it close to the original, for both good and the bad. To its credit, the story (or lack thereof) is still a thrilling exercise of environmental storytelling and the puzzles are varied and interesting; however, the lack of boss variety, experimental stop-and-go gameplay, and dated visuals make this Metroid title more of a love letter for old-school fans, and potentially a chore to those more accustomed to contemporary genre norms.
Metroid: Samus Returns will satisfy most, but leaves too much to be desired to be considered a true leap forward.
If you desperately want to show your support with your wallet and want a return to classic gameplay, then Metroid: Samus Returns will give you just that. A pleasant easily digestible experience with enough style and visual gloss to keep you entertained. If you were expecting a more deliberately made installment for hardcore fans or a revolutionary retelling of one of the weaker Metroid experiences, you may want to lower your expectations.
Metroid: Samus Returns is a fairly competent game completely neutered by the device it's locked to and lazy design choices.
A great deal of effort clearly went into making this game work and bringing SR388 to life once again. However, as a Metroid game, it still falls short of earlier releases.
Complaints aside, there's no denying that Metroid: Samus Returns is an addictive and rewarding remake of a classic game.
Even though it stumbled a little, overall I was quite pleased with Metroid: Samus Returns. I managed to beat it in just over 12 hours with 62% map completion, and only got seriously stuck a handful of times. Not only was this remake gorgeous, but it offers a fantastic return to form for the long running series. If you’re a fan of the series, or are just looking for an excuse to jump on board, you can’t go wrong for only $39.99. Best of all, if the ending is any indication, this might not be the last remake of a 2D Metroid we can look forward to! Here’s hoping Samus is around for many years to come, annihilating alien scum and looking great while doing it.
"Bounty hunter returns to her day job."
Review in Finnish | Read full review
Breathing new life into Metroid II’s storyline and setting, Samus Returns is a delightful, fully engaging and tense journey back to the depths of SR388. Between the music and bold visuals, the original nostalgia never feels lost amidst the new features. A new twist on an old format, albeit with a few errors, the essence of a Metroid game is firmly found in Samus Returns.
Metroid: Samus Returns provides a strong return for the series, but ultimately the source material the remake is based off of holds it back from being more than it is...
While not allowing for the subterranean trek through SR388 to fully flourish in its own individual right, Metroid: Samus Returns is nonetheless a highly enjoyable remake of one of the series' more overlooked and forgotten entrants.
'Samus Returns' brings Metroid back from the dead, and it does so in style
Samus Returns is my favourite 2D Metroid game since Super Metroid, and feels the best to play of any of them, but it's hard to evaluate on that front.
Metroid: Samus Returns is a commendable re-imagining that has clearly been crafted with plenty of love and care by MercurySteam.
Metroid: Samus Returns is a triumphant return to the 2D Metroid games, now taking the form of the series' renovated second game, which successfully adds new elements to the experience that feel just right and provides a marvelous audiovisual environment with a healthy lifespan. All this contributes to form an instant success and a very welcome addition to the Metroid saga.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Metroid : Samus Returns is a powerful remake of the old Game Boy classic. By taking so much freedom from the original, Mercury Steam delivers a solid version, which still suffers from the structure of it. Much more narrowed than other games in the series, Metroid : Samus Returns only becomes a real blast through its last sections, but still offers a good run for every fan of the genre.
Review in French | Read full review
MercurySteam takes no time at all proving it is the perfect fit for a series overdue a resurgence. Another studio may have recreated Metroid as it was, but the Castlevania veterans modernise the Nintendo franchise with new abilities, freer movement, quality animations and lush alien design brimming with mystery and the unknown.If this remake was a test to see if there's life yet in the franchise, it passes with flying colours, only let down by a lack of the memorable boss encounters the series is known for. Maybe in a sequel the MercurySteam team could address this. They've certainly earned the right to try.