Some people say, this is the weakest title of the series. Let's find out if there's something true about it...
Introduction
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"Metroid II: Return Of Samus" is the sequel to Metroid for the NES and the second game in the Metroid series. It was released in 1992 exclusively for the Game Boy. It's a side scrolling action-adventure game with the main character Samus Aran. Your mission is to annihilate the Metroid species.
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Story
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The story is settled some years after the events of the first game. The Galactic Federation sees a huge risk in the Metroid species. So, the bounty hunter Samus Aran has the mission to destroy every Metroid living on their home planet SR388. But the problem is, the Metroid are evolving, and so there are a lot more dangerous Metroids on the planet than the common baby Metroids met on Zebes. The deeper Samus enters the planet, the more dangerous become the Metroids. Thankfully there are some suit upgrades on the planet which help Samus fight the dangerous creatures.
9/10
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Gameplay
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There aren't lots of differences to the original Metroid game. "Metroid II: Return Of Samus" is also a 2D side scrolling action-adventure game. The biggest, and most helpful, improvement is that Samus can shoot down. I can guarantee that this new feature will help you in many situations, if you want to get fast through some passages for example. What I personally didn't like, is that the game is too linear. The exploring factor, which was huge on the predecessor, is nearly completely gone. You always fallow the same scheme. You have to kill a given number of Metroids, and there will be opened a new area filled with Metroids to be killed. These Metroids are becoming tougher in each area. When you have killed every Metroid, the path will be opened to the final boss, the Metroid Queen. But I have to say, despite all this, there are several possibilities to customize your way to the final boss. Because there are some upgrades, Energy Tanks and Missile Containers, which aren't directly on your way. So you have to find the shortest way to collect all the Items. Because if you want to see the best ending (Samus without suit), you have to finish the game in under 3 hours.
8/10
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Graphics
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If you look at the graphics and compare it to the graphics from actual handheld system, graphics look poor. But as I always say, you have to look at a game from the point of view from when it was released. Because if you compare it with other Game Boy titles from this time, it doesn't look bad. It doesn't get 10 points, because the animations slow down every time you jump. This can sometimes impede the flow of the game.
8/10
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Sound
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In my opinion, the themes which are used in this game match perfectly. Sometimes, they are scary like the Metroid Nest Theme, sometimes they are atmospheric as the SR388 Surface Theme, and sometimes they are simply beautiful (Metroid Hatchling Theme). All in all they have found a really good balance and despite the bad audio quality of the Game Boy the sounds succeeded to make this game very atmospheric.
9/10
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Conclusion
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It's said, that "Metroid II: Return Of Samus" is the worst in series. I can't disagree with this. But this is criticism at the highest stage, because every single Metroid game is great. Even though this game isn't as good as the original Metroid, it's still one of the best games on the Game Boy, and everyone who has a Game Boy, Game Boy Color or Game Boy Advance at home and hasn't played it yet has to buy it. You really miss something with not playing it. You don't have to be a hardcore Metroid fan to like it.
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Final Score
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8.5/10