Sooooooooo, this is out! My copy should hopefully be arriving after work (if not, my weekend plans might change a bit!)
I've been really pumped for this, because Metroid II is the only main Metroid I've yet to play (I haven't played AM2R either), so this is for all intents a brand new Metroid game for me while also kinda filling in that last gap in the canon.
Metroid: Samus Returns is so good. So good. I was running around for like, 45 minutes last night. Lost. I had no idea what to do next. I knew generally where I had to go, but no idea how to get there. I was (figuratively) bashing my head against the wall trying to figure it out.
Then, just as I was about to give up, I noticed a small crevice that I hadn't tried to bomb yet. And lo and behold, doing so opened the path for me to move forward.
It was a great feeling of relief and joy having finally solved the "puzzle" while at the same time feeling dumb for not getting it sooner.
Took down my first Omega Metroid. Took me down the first time I fought it. After the re-start, I figured out the pattern and weak spot, and took IT down!
One could say there was a lot going down tonight, lulz.
I liked all the Metroid fights in this game. In fact, the boss battles in general were complex and fun, which is good since the combat was such a focus for SR.
Yeah I was a bit worried that 40 metroids would be a disappointment, but between the different types and different environments you fight them in and stuff like them escaping to new areas and such it has never felt tiring. Though occasionally one pops up that is super easy / basic based on where I am at in the game and it feels a bit out of place.
Anyway I finally got to area uh... 4 maybe? The one with just a single metroid, well, I guess the second one with that since the opening area also only has a single metroid but I also finally decided to go back to all of the areas before and run down all of the old secrets I couldn't get to yet and I still couldn't get to most of them yet so that was a bit pointless.
This game is really big. After Fusion and Zero Mission I just got used to expecting handheld Metroid games to be fun but super short, this is fun and a really nice chunk. That alone probably makes it the best handheld Metroid game to me. (Though I have a bit yet to go so I'll withhold final judgment.)
I agree, I was blown away by how much of a game this is compared with the other 2D games. I was expecting, like, maybe 10 hours or so to 100% but I put in close to twice that.
And you're in for a really good time the rest of the way.
I'm still about 12 Metroids away but I'm already thinking if I wanna play this game on Hard first or just jump into Fusion mode. I'll 100% my second game. I won't bother doing that on my first run.
How different are Hard and Fusion mode? Is Fusion mode like ridiculously tough or something?
@carlosrox As far as I understand it, the only difference are that Hard Mode deals 2x damage, and Fusion mode deals 4x (!!) damage. Fusion is really tough, but it's alleviated a bit once you get the Lightning Armor Aeion, which isn't effected by the multiplier.
Oh, there are a couple aesthetic things with them too. Fusion mode has the Fusion suit(s), and both have a different Samus reveal for beating it quickly enough.
Same. I always take my time and do several rounds of backtracking as well. I've always been blown away whenever someone has mentioned beating Super for the first time in just a few hours.
Fusion mode is pretty cool. I made it to the third big area so far in that mode, and I've been enjoying it. Maybe some later bosses will piss me off, but so far the increased damage has changed the how I play in an interesting way. It almost feels more like a survival horror kind of game. You have to plan your movements carefully- you can't rush through the game since the weakest enemies do 60 damage. The second form of the Metroids can go through 2 or 3 health tanks in a single hit. Because of this, you have to be on the top of your game. Melee counters are a must in the early game, as is stopping to shoot enemies with the free aim. This isn't as annoying as it may have been in normal mode, because now you're not playing this like other Metroid games. You have to carefully consider each enemy before fighting them; you each encounter needs to be thoughtful. Because of this, there isn't really the sense that enemies are getting in the way of your flow as you try to explore the level; the increased difficulty has changed that flow to something new.
Plus, the Fusion suit looks great. One of my favorites for Samus.
