Metroid: Samus Returns is the first game in the series that I've completed 100% in my entire lifetime. Considering the fact that the franchise has been out for more than 30 years, it's pretty sad. I've watched multiple Metroid game playthroughs on YouTube and know that the majority of the games are pretty good, and I'm ashamed that I never picked up the Metroid Prime Trilogy due to the fact that I'm a major FPS fan. Super Metroid is currently on my Wii Virtual Console and SNES Classic, but I never was a fan of the non-linear gameplay. After hearing a remake for the 1991 Game Boy game was coming out, I decided to give it a go.
Metroid: Samus Returns is a 2.5D remake which is mostly done right. The multiple areas are gorgeous to look at, the level design is solid, and the boss fights, while some with the metroids were repetitive, were enjoyable. What made this game really stand out though was the added Aeion abilities (Scan Pulse, Lightning Armor, Beam Burst, and Phase Drift) the free aim, along with the map in front of you on the touch screen at all times. These games are known for their multiple areas, and they usually take a while to explore. With the map on the touch screen, and all the item locations highlighted after passing through that particular area or scanning with the Scan Pulse, it makes first time players like myself know when and where to backtrack for items that I couldn't get until I got a certain ability. The music is also great. Ridley's theme, the Diggernaut chase sequences, and the areas where you need the Varia and Gravity Suits to withstand the high temperatures and traverse through lava were the most memorable.
While MercurySteam should be applauded for these amazing additions to the game, they messed up in the most important area of the game. Samus' control is way too stiff, and she's nowhere close to being as agile from the previous games. Super Metroid was her 2D controls done right, and from what I've watched, Fusion and Zero Mission were great as well. What really irks me is that you can't toggle crouch in the game. Why not? In previous games, all you had to do was hold down on the d-pad for her to stay crouched, and you just tapped down on the d-pad twice for her to go into her morph ball. In Samus Returns, when you move the circle pad down, she stays in her crouch position, until you either jump, press down again to go into morph ball mode, or press up. That's awkward, especially in boss fights where you need fast reflexes to dodge attacks from the metroids. You can touch the touch screen to immediately go into morph ball mode, but the problem is my hands are always focused on the face buttons, going to the touch screen during a fight with multiple enemies or during a boss fight is out of the way. The Ice Beam in this game is a joke. It's weak, doesn't stack with the rest of the beams, and you have to use it against all the Metroid bosses, except for Ridley, The Melee Counter helps with immediately destroying enemies after freezing them, but I never really used it much. Enemies rush at you way too fast to even try to counter, and if your timing is off, you'll take a hit. The damage output from enemies also seems pretty high. Taking hits from small to medium sized enemies made Samus take anywhere from 25 to 75 points of damage. Early on in the game, with minimal energy tanks, that can be a problem.
While the Aeion abilities, boss fights, multiple gorgeous areas, music, and proper use of the touch screen with the map really add new flavor to this remake, Samus' control is what's holding it back. If Samus controlled the way she did in Super Metroid, Fusion, and or Zero Mission, this game would easily be a 9. I give it a 7 out of 10.