Metroid II: Return of Samus is a 1991 action-adventure game created and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy. It was the first Metroid game made for a handheld console. The game was released in North America in November 1991 and in Japan and Europe in 1992. The story follows Samus Aran, a bounty hunter, as she travels to the planet SR388 to eliminate Metroids before the Space Pirates can capture them. To advance in the game, players must find and destroy all Metroids.
Like the original Metroid, which was released in 1986 for the Nintendo Entertainment System, Metroid II was developed by Nintendo Research & Development 1 and produced by Gunpei Yokoi. The game added new features that became common in later games, such as Samus’s Space Jump, Spazer Beam, Spider Ball, and the round-shouldered Varia Suit.
Metroid II received good reviews for its story, setting, and improved gameplay. However, some critics noted that the graphics and audio were not as strong. By late 2003, the game had sold 1.72 million copies worldwide. It was later released again on the Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console in 2011 and on the Nintendo Classics service in February 2023.
A sequel, Super Metroid, was released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1994. A remake called Metroid: Samus Returns was released for the Nintendo 3DS in 2017. An unofficial remake, AM2R, was released for Windows in 2016.
Gameplay
Metroid II is an action-adventure side-scrolling game where the player controls Samus Aran on the fictional planet SR388. To progress, players use Samus' weapons to defeat 47 Metroid creatures. A detector shows how many Metroids remain in the area. When all Metroids are eliminated, an earthquake happens, lowering the planet's lava levels and allowing Samus to explore deeper tunnels. Metroids appear in different stages of their growth cycle: original, Alpha, Gamma, Zeta, and Omega. More advanced Metroids have stronger attacks. The game includes save modules placed around the planet, letting players save their progress and return later.
Two new weapons are introduced: the tri-splitting Spazer Laser Beam and the Plasma Beam, which can pass through enemies when fired. Samus can only use one beam at a time but can switch between them by returning to where the weapon was first found. The game also introduces the Space Jump, a suit upgrade that lets Samus jump infinitely to reach high or hard-to-access areas. It also includes the return of the Morph Ball, a mode where Samus curls into a ball to move through narrow tunnels. Additionally, Metroid II is the first game in the series to feature the Spider Ball and Spring Ball. The Spider Ball allows Samus to climb walls and ceilings, enabling exploration of new areas. The Spring Ball lets Samus jump while in Morph Ball form.
Plot
In the first Metroid game, Samus Aran stopped the Space Pirates from using the newly found creature called Metroids. Later, the Galactic Federation decided to make sure the Metroids' power could never be used again by the Pirates. They sent several teams to SR388, the Metroids' home planet, to eliminate the Metroids. When the teams disappeared, the Galactic Federation hired Samus to complete the mission.
Samus hunts and kills the Metroids one by one. Each Metroid changes in different ways: they start as small, jellyfish-like creatures and grow into large, hovering lizard-like beasts. After destroying most of the Metroids on the planet, Samus kills the Queen Metroid.
Returning to her ship, Samus finds a Metroid egg. A baby Metroid hatches and forms a bond with Samus, thinking she is its mother. Unable to follow her mission of extermination, Samus decides to save the baby Metroid's life. As Samus exits the tunnels, the Metroid helps her move through the tunnels. When they reach the planet's surface, Samus and the baby Metroid board the ship together.
Development
Metroid II was created by Nintendo Research & Development 1 (Nintendo R&D1) and produced by Gunpei Yokoi. Both also worked on the earlier Metroid game for the Nintendo Entertainment System. The game was directed by Hiroji Kiyotake and Hiroyuki Kimura, and designed by Makoto Kano. Takahiro Harada was the main programmer. Metroid II reached a "new high point" for handheld game consoles, with graphics nearly as detailed as those in 8-bit games for the NES. The game improved from its predecessor by making controls easier, allowing Samus to crouch while firing and jump while shooting straight down to attack enemies below. It used the cartridge’s battery-backed memory to save the player’s progress. In a 2004 interview with Nintendo Dream magazine, Kiyotake explained that the planet SR388 was named after the Yamaha SR400 motorcycle.
The Game Boy’s black-and-white graphics led to changes in Samus’s gear that became permanent. In the original Metroid, color was used to show the difference between Samus’s Power Suit and her Varia Suit (an upgraded version). Without color on the Game Boy, the two suits would have looked similar, so developers added a visual indicator to help players identify which suit Samus was wearing. They also redesigned the Varia Suit, adding round metal shoulders that have been part of the suit in every Metroid game since.
Release
Metroid II was released in North America in November 1991. It was then released in Japan on January 21, 1992, and in Europe on May 21. By late 2003, the game had sold 1.72 million copies worldwide. Nintendo included the game in its Player's Choice marketing label in North America in 1993. It was re-released through the Nintendo Power service in Japan on March 1, 2000. Metroid II, along with other Game Boy games such as Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins, Mega Man: Dr. Wily's Revenge, and several others, was released on the Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console service in 2011. The game was released in Japan on September 28 and in North America and Europe on November 24.
An unofficial remake of Metroid II, AM2R, was released in August 2016 for Windows. It received positive reviews, with critics calling it impressive and noting the improved visuals compared to Metroid II. Shortly after its release, legal action from Nintendo caused development of AM2R to stop, and download links were removed. An official remake of Metroid II, Metroid: Samus Returns, was developed by MercurySteam and Nintendo EPD and released for the Nintendo 3DS on September 15, 2017.
Reception
From reviews in Aktueller Software Markt, GB Action, and The Daily Progress, the game's sprites and animation were praised. Reviews in Dorset Echo, Famitsu, and Daily Record described the graphics as average. A Famitsu reviewer said the graphics were plain, and a critic from Video Games [de] said they were too dark. A Video Games reviewer noted the game's atmosphere was hard to see on the Game Boy. A Famitsu reviewer said the game still had the "dark atmosphere" from the original Metroid. Entertainment Weekly said the game felt like "being trapped in someone else's nightmare," a quality shared by great science fiction.
Some reviewers compared the game to the original NES version. Two Famitsu reviewers said it was worse than the first game, and Martin Gaksch of Video Games said it only partly met expectations as a sequel. The Daily Progress said the game had a longer playtime than the original, calling that "quite an accomplishment." Entertainment Weekly said the game improved on the first Metroid by making the world bigger and giving monsters the ability to change, making the mission harder. A review in Player One [fr] called it a "rich and challenging game" and said the game's length matched its replay value.
Reviewers discussed the gameplay. A Famitsu reviewer said the game had many surprises that made it satisfying for the Game Boy. Gaksch said navigating the game was confusing and wished it had a map. Total! said the game had large, empty areas. Gaksch said the game focused more on shooting and running than on action-adventure elements, calling it a "good action game" but not as good as expected. Génération 4 [fr] called it "well made and original," GB Action said it was "not among the best games" for the Game Boy, and Aktueller Software Markt called it a "pretty decent game for young gamers."
In March 1992, Game Players magazine included Metroid II in their "Excellence Awards" category for Game Boy games, along with Battletoads, Beetlejuice, Hatris, Mega Man: Dr. Wily's Revenge, Prince of Persia, and Super R.C. Pro-Am.
Brett Weiss of Allgame said Metroid II's controls were tight and praised the larger areas to explore. Game Informer agreed, saying the game was bigger than the original Metroid. Both said the game had fewer secrets than the earlier version. Jeremy Parish, writing for 1up.com in 2004 and USgamer in 2017, said the game's zoomed-in view made jumping and ranged combat hard. He said the alien monsters kept the game interesting but noted that exploration felt "long and repetitive" because of few unique areas. He said the Game Boy's small screen was not good for exploring, and the music was "painful" compared to the series' usual style.
IGN said exploration became boring and that new players might get lost. Nintendo Life said the game was linear and that the lack of a map would not be a problem. Nintendo Life said the music was "not really good" and "random bleeps and bloops" that were supposed to be environmental sounds. IGN said the music was "strange" but that its lack of detail helped the game's atmosphere.
Game Informer said the graphics were "near perfect," and Weiss praised detailed backgrounds and Samus Aran's sprite. IGN said the visuals were appropriate but "a tad plain," noting similar walls caused confusion. IGN said the sprites looked better on the Game Boy Color and recommended playing it there. Parish said the graphics were not bad for the Game Boy, but only Samus's sprite looked great.
Parish said the game was still a Metroid game and that the American gaming press liked it. He said the game felt outdated in 2004 and was best for fans who collect games. In 2017, he said Metroid II added new ideas, like more weapons, save points, and a multi-stage life cycle for metroids. He said the original NES game was better and that Metroid II felt "artificial and contrived" compared to later games like Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. He said the game was "nearly forgotten" in Japan. IGN said the game was "very good," with good suspense and variety.
In September 1997, 12 Nintendo Power staff members ranked Metroid II at 34th on their list of the top 100 games of all time. They also ranked it 85th on their list of the best Nintendo console games. Videogames.com included it in their list of the best Game Boy games. Nintendo Power said it was the 12th-best Game Boy / Game Boy Color game, praising it for introducing abilities that became important to the series. In 1998, Game Informer included it in their list of the "Top 25 Game Boy Games of All-Time." Ben Reeves of Game Informer said it was the ninth best Game Boy game and noted it divided fans.
Sequel
Super Metroid, the third game in the Metroid series, was released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1994. The story happens after the events of Metroid II and follows Samus as she goes to planet Zebes to retrieve an infant Metroid that Ridley stole. Metroid director Yoshio Sakamoto spoke at a conference in 2010 and said he was "very moved" by the ending of Metroid II, which inspired him to create Super Metroid.