It’s been 13 years since the last side-scrolling Metroid Game.
THIRTEEN YEARS.
So it’s fitting that the first new installment in all that time, being Metroid: Samus Returns,
has a title that seems acutely aware of that fact.
And like the previous sidescrolling game, Samus Returns is also a reimagining of past
title, being Metroid II: The Return of Samus,from from the original Game Boy--even if it barely
seems like it.
Although based on the 75 minutes I spent with it at a recent preview event in San Francisco
Samus Returns almost feels like less of a reimagining and more of an entirely new experience
Because while the premise and overall structure is the same, with Samus tasked with visiting
the Metroid’s homeworld to exterminate them once and for all, pretty much everything else
has been overhauled to the point that this it’s almost unrecognizable
Even just visually-speaking, it looks like a brand new Metroid game, being the first
side-scrolling one to be made using 3D assets, which ensures that the cavernous underground
passages truly look the part--a sensation that’s enhanced even further by the stereoscopic
3D, which impressed even these 3D-jaded eyes.
In a way, it further heightens the sense of isolation, further separating Samus from the
background.
Samus also moves with a fluidity not seen outside of the 3D games, including the ability
to aim with 360-degree accuracy, which removes the occasionally awkward shuffling in the
past Metroid games in order to line up your shots with the enemies.
So whether you’re gunning while running, standing still, or even clinging from a ledge--it
feels really good.
And speaking of feeling good, Samus has a brand new ability too, in the form of a powerful
counterattack, allowing her to fight off enemies at close-range by swinging her arm--but it
requires near-perfect timing, which introduces an interesting risk vs reward mechanic.
Do you go for the more powerful counter, at the risk of screwing up the timing and taking
damage, or do try and attach from a safer distance, which is slower?
Both are viable options, in most cases, although the counter is extremely useful when being
assaulted by dive--bombing bats, or when taking on any of the myriad Metroids, as successfully
landing a counter will then let you open fire on them freely for a few seconds
And there are a lot of Metroids to track down--40 in fact, and like in the original game, your
progress through the world is gated until you hunt them all down in the local area first,
causing the acid to recede allowing you to venture deeper into the planet’s murky depths.
Now back on the Game Boy, the game didn’t provide any kind of indicator of how many
Metroid you needed to find in each area--but this time you’ll find actual gates, that
when activated, reveals how many Metroid you need to find--and it even adds a counter to
the touchscreen as a persistent reminder.
Now tracking down Metroids could also be quite frustrating in the original version due to
a complete lack of indication as to where they were hiding, but this time, the Metroid
counter will begin to beep whenever you get close one, growing faster the closer you get.
In fact, navigation has been greatly improved in general, largely due to the fact that you
now finally have a map--something that the original game lacked entirely--besides whichever
one you may have drawn yourself.
And since the map resides on the Touchscreen, consulting it has never been easier--it’s
always right there.
And as you might have guessed, it works pretty much like any of the more recent Metroids,
filling in room by room.
However, if you’re stuck, or just want some additional guidance, Samus has another new
ability in the form of the Scan Pulse that permanently reveals any nearby rooms or hidden
areas on the map.
Of course, it’s still up to you to figure out how to get to them.
It’s super helpful--and also super optional, for you Metroid purists.
And on top of all of this, you’ll also now find teleporters in each sector that allows
Samus to instantly warp between regions, which should help making traversing from one end
of the map to the other a little less tedious.
Now even with all of these changes, rest assured feels like a classic Metroid title--I mean,
I found myself completely stuck on two separate occasions...that is, until I literally bombed
every square inch of the room to find a hidden exit.
Yep, this is really is a classic-style Metroid after all!
Which also means, it’s no pushover--as I died multiple times during my playthrough--sometimes
by enemies, other times by wandering into areas I clearly shouldn’t be yet.
But if you find the game too difficult, you can make things a little easier on yourself
by scanning in one of the 4 supported amiibo, which will net you extra tanks for your Energy,
Missiles, and Aeion energy.
But be warned that once you’ve activated any of those 3, there’s no going back, as
they’re permanently locked to your save file, meaning you may want to think twice
before using them if you want the purest experience.
As a bonus, these amiibo will also unlock new things to additions to game’s gallery--but
only after you beat the game.
And if you scan in the new Metroid amiibo, the game will highlight exactly where to find
the closest Metroid on your map--pretty handy.
The Metroid amiibo is also the only way to unlock Fusion Mode--which lets Samus play
through an even harder difficulty than Hard Mode--while wearing her Fusion suit.
But again, this only works after you’ve beaten the game-- ..which I was of course
no where close to achieving from my 75 minutes with the game.
But what I do know from that time is that I was truly digging what I played.
This is classic old-school Metroid, but smartly updated in what appears to be all the right
ways.
It looks great--especially in 3D, Samus controls beautifully particularly with her 360-aiming,
navigation’s been much improved, and I was already finding myself addicted to tracking
down every weapon and collectible that I could--and I’m sure I still missed a bunch.
I really can’t wait to play more.
And fortunately, I won’t have long to wait, since the game launches on September 15th.