I beat the game the other night. Pretty awesome. The final boss was pretty epic!

Done! 100% completion in just under 12 hours. Didn't get to see any skin (literally none!) from my Amazonian Goddess Waifu, but oh well.

All in all, this was a solid return for 2D Metroid, but I think it goes near the bottom of my Metroid pile. The nature of the Metroid hunt setup and level design means its structure doesn't allow much for sequence breaking or low% runs like in Super and Zero Mission. And it doesn't quite have a special sauce like Fusion does with the SA-X. And while I can't remember much specifically of AM2R, I remember enjoying it as much as those other Metroid games, while Samus Returns falls a bit short overall. I'd put it around Other M's level (and hey, I liked Other M, despite its flaws it was ambitious and really shook up the formula). But yeah, the first few hours of Samus Returns felt like I was just going through the motions, just playing for it to eventually ramp up. The game overall felt a tad bloated, but it did pick up and had its moments for sure.

More detailed thoughts below...

Brick said:

I think I've encountered a glitch, and it may be preventing me from getting 100%. In the Surface area, there's a missile hidden a bit above an energy recharge station, but when I go to where it's supposed to be, a texture won't go away, making it look like I'm behind a wall, and now that texture is gone, but there's no missile upgrade, even though on the map it's still a circle, so I don't know if I've already picked it up yet or not.

This happened to me two or three times: I'd go for a missile upgrade and it just...wouldn't be there. Maybe a wall texture would be visible but passable in its place like what happened to you, or it would just be an empty tile where the upgrade should be. Not a huge deal, as I'd reset and it would be there, but it's not the sort of bug you see a lot in Nintendo games, particularly.


Thoughts on the Abilities
-- Not sure how I feel about the melee attack. It kinda dominates the early game and sorta the boss battles, too, a bit more than I'd prefer. I do think there's room for Samus to have some flashy, Quick-Time-Event-esque moves, and this was a pretty natural way to do that. Better than Other M's hyper-simplified approach, at least.
-- 360-degree aiming is kinda neat, and I think they built the Metroid battles around it really well. I wouldn't miss it if it was absent from the next game, though.
-- I love the Scan Pulse. Even replaying 2D Metroid games can feel like a pixel hunt at times for me. It made the post-game 100% item hunt way less tedious than usual. And it's optional!
-- A little disappointed we never got the Speed Booster, but I think it made sense to drop it for this one. And the final Aeion ability made a lot of sense as a substitute, and it was one of the few actually "new" upgrades for Samus.
-- The other two Aeion abilities were just okay: I didn't like how the rapid-fire beam was the only way to kill so many enemies (unless you wanted to sink tons of missiles into them), and the shield was a nice crutch at times, not sure how I feel about the game having you use it as a damage-boost for getting items and stuff.
-- I actually liked the way the Ice Beam was separated from the stack in this one. Just feels right having it as a separate weapon primarily for dealing with Metroids.
-- Also disappointed that the Grapple Beam was so much more rigid than it was in Super. More Bionic Commando than Yumi's Odd Odyssey this time around.
-- On the topic of that ability the game never tells you about, I actually discovered it myself by accident shortly before my post-credits item loop through the game, so that was fortunate, haha. Kinda neat I think, but yeah you'd think the game would nudge you into discovering it at some point.

Post-Queen spoilers
-- It was cute having the baby around for the post-game item cleanup, but I wish it did more than eat blocks.
-- The surprise boss fight against Ridley was cool, reminded me of Other M's endgame Phantoon surprise in that it felt more like fanservice than a meaningful plot development. I like that it was more straightforward after the Metroid fights were more calculated, puzzle-ish affairs where you chip away with the Ice Beam until you can find a time to hit them hard with missiles and such. Just a nice cathartic slugfest to end the game.

100% Item Acquisition Teaser Spoilers
-- Wow, that was a loop. A Chozo coup seems the most likely to me, as I think the X parasites just make their hosts into mindless monsters, right? My question is, were they a faction of the SR-388 Chozo who disagreed with the decision to seal off and abandon the Metroids, or was it an off-world faction of Chozo coming in and punishing the SR-388 Chozo for creating them or something? I'm not sure if the ships in the background are supposed to be evacuation ships or a rescue fleet.

All I know for sure is, I just want Metroid 5 already, and this has me thinking we might finally get it. Samus is in a really interesting place post-Fusion, and this new revelation only makes it potentially more complicated. And it'd be a great excuse for Samus to acquire some brand new abilities that could really freshen up the Metroid formula in ambitious new ways. Samus's repertoire hasn't expanded much since Super Metroid. I'd love to see a whole new bag of tricks next time.

Haven't had a chance to play all fucking week for one reason or another. I got to an area with a gorgeous Super Metroid remix. What a great track.

@Hero_Of_Hyrule
I was basically already playing this way anyways.

@carlosrox

It’s on 3DS! You can play it wherever, whenever!

You must have been very busy. Condolences.

I only play in my room in the dark with headphones all the way up. Nothing else will suffice.

@carlosrox Pssh, that's all? I play in a sensory deprivation chamber buried thirty feet underground. On the moon.

@nate38

Jupiter's moon.

@carlosrox

I definitely get that kind of playstyle. I personally prefer to play Metroid at a quicker pace- I think it just works better for the series. So the Fusion suit offers players like me the structured incentive to play it differently. If you already approach the game that way, then I would imagine Fusion Mode would have limited appeal.

Props to you for getting as much out of the game as you do.

It's Metroid. I ain't cheaping it by playing it on the bus when I can hear crowds of people all around me or on my lunch break. Fuck that.

Other games I don't mind as much but I still always prefer playing at home, in the dark, with the sound up. If I'm not doing that it'll be something that doesn't require my full attention/immersion. I'd never wanna play a major new part of any game (for example a Divine Beast or new world in Odyssey) in those situations either. I don't mind playing indie games, Arms, Rabbids, minor exploration in BOTW, etc, etc under those conditions either.

But yeah, when I really wanna sink my teeth in I need my home base.

Not really feeling this game. It's great, don't get me wrong--it's just nothing I've never done before.

To me, Samus Returns is right there with A Link Between Worlds. It's Nintendo saying, "Hey, we kinda messed this series up, here's a little apology game for 3DS that'll get you hyped up for the big one in a few years, because we need to practice before making it." It's a great blend of old and new that'll hopefully introduce a ton of new kids to the series!

For me, though, I'm out until we get Metroid Prime of the Wild. I've already played Samus Returns half a dozen times.

Secret_Tunnel said:

Metroid Prime of the Wild

Please no. How would that even work and still feel like Metroid?

@Hero_Of_Hyrule

"Metroid Prime of the Wild" in the sense that it's a massive step up for the series and feels like something completely new, not necessarily in the sense that it'd be open world.

But, hey, Metroid games are already super open anyway. I'm sure they could pull off an even more open one!

Just like how I don't need another sidescrolling Metroid, though, I also don't need a clone of Breath of the Wild. Make something new!

15:20, 6 troids left!

@Secret_Tunnel
If it's great, you should feel it.

I feel it. I hope Prime 4 is as good as this. I want this in first person. I want this on Switch!

I want this ported, I want a sequel.

This is the 3D World of the series, and that's an immense compliment. It also feels like a Breath of the Wild of the 2D games, and Prime 4 will do that for the Prime series.

@Secret_Tunnel

Nothing you've ever done before? Lie. You've never done the parry move before. Or the Aeon abilities. BOOM.

Joking aside, isn't that kind of the point of this game? To bring it back to the roots? After Other M and Federation Force, this is the perfect game to re-align the franchise. It's kind of funny, because the there was a big outcry to return Metroid to its exploration, non-hand holding, silent protagonist roots. For YEARS.

And now you're all like, "Pfft. Whatever! Not feeling it, it's nothing I haven't done before!" lulz.

Hahaha! I love how different the opinions are right now.

Secret_Tunnel: Meh, same ol', same ol'.

carlosrox: THE BREATH OF THE WILD OF 2D METROID!!11!

@carlosrox

I actually might give it another shot on the Switch! I think having a nice ergonomic controller would help me get more into it, its a game that begs to be mastered, but its controls just don't quite jive with me on my tiny OG 3DS.

@GameDadGrant

I totally get all that, though! Like I said, A Link Between Worlds did the same thing, haha, it totally brought the series back to its roots after Skyward Sword.

I remember even years ago, though, when people were begging for Metroid Dread, thinking, "Wait a second, how different could yet another 2D Metroid actually be? Do we really need another one?"

And I'm actually pretty surprised of how new Samus Returns feels in spite of that. I prefer pixel art myself, but I'm glad they went with this new style because that's an area where the game does feel new. The dynamic camera and background elements and Metroid Prime aesthetic really make it feel like a modern day 2D Metroid.

But it's still a 2D Metroid.

@r_hjort

For real, I wish I was loving it as much as carlos!

@Secret_Tunnel
I wish I was loving anything as much as carlos!

Secret_Tunnel said:

But it's still a 2D Metroid.

Yeah, but...that's a bad thing now? Eh, oh well. To each his own.

r_hjort said:

I wish I was loving anything as much as carlos!

I LOL'd!

@r_hjort No joke, it's an enviable quality.