Metroid: Samus Returns is a side-scrolling action-adventure video game developed by MercurySteam and Nintendo for the Nintendo 3DS handheld game console, with the latter also publishing it. A part of the science fiction Metroid series, the game is a reimagining of the 1991 Game Boy game Metroid II: Return of Samus. Players control Samus Aran, who is sent by the Galactic Federation to exterminate the parasitic Metroids on their home planet of SR388. It was released worldwide on 15 September 2017.
The story and structure are similar to Metroid II, but the game adds controls, visuals, and gameplay, and introduces features new to 2D Metroid games, such as a melee counterattack, the ability to fire freely at any angle, and a selection of abilities. Development began in 2015, produced by longtime Metroid developer Yoshio Sakamoto. The game received positive reviews for its visuals and improved gameplay over the original game, with many viewing it as a return to form for the series.
Video Metroid: Samus Returns
Gameplay
Metroid: Samus Returns is a side-scrolling action-adventure game played on a two-dimensional plane with three-dimensional graphics. Players take control of series protagonist Samus Aran, a bounty hunter who explores labyrinthine environments, kills hostile aliens, and collects power-ups to gain access to new areas. Samus Returns is a reimagining of the 1991 Game Boy game Metroid II: Return of Samus; as such, it features a story and structure similar to the original game, but with new controls, visuals, and gameplay.
This instalment introduces some features that are new to the 2D Metroid games. Samus can perform a melee counterattack to deal critical damage on foes. In Metroid II, her firing direction was limited to specific angles, whereas now she is capable of firing freely at any angle. Samus also has a selection of new powers, called Aeion abilities, that rely on an energy gauge for their usage. One example of an Aeion ability is the Scan Pulse, which lets Samus scan the surrounding environment for hidden pathways and items. The game also features Teleport Stations, allowing Samus to fast travel between areas. Several abilities introduced after Metroid II are implemented in Samus Returns, such as the Grapple Beam, Power Bombs, and Super Missiles.
The game features Amiibo support, with compatible figurines being based on the Metroid series. When scanned, players can unlock reserve tanks and a Metroid Marker which can be used to locate nearby Metroids. After the player finishes the game at least once, certain Amiibo-exclusive content is unlocked; such content includes a new Fusion Mode, which features Samus's Fusion Suit and offers an increased level of difficulty, and multiple art galleries. A standard hard mode is also unlocked upon completing the game, but it does not require an Amiibo figurine.
Maps Metroid: Samus Returns
Plot
In the year 20X5, a lone bounty hunter named Samus Aran is sent by the Galactic Federation to infiltrate the Space Pirate base on the planet Zebes. There, she foils the Space Pirates' plans to use the parasitic organisms called Metroids, and defeats the Space Pirate leader, the Mother Brain. Seeing the threat posed by the Metroids, the Federation sends a special squadron of elite soldiers to the Metroids' home planet of SR388 to investigate, but the squadron soon goes missing. After retrieving a small sampling of data confirming a Metroid presence within the planet, the Federation decides to send Samus to SR388 to exterminate the species once and for all.
Samus lands on the surface of SR388 and explores the planet, travelling through its caverns. She encounters the Metroids in different evolution stages, growing from small jellyfish-like creatures to large reptilian beasts. After killing most of the planet's Metroids, Samus finds and destroys the Queen Metroid. Shortly afterward, Samus discovers a Metroid egg that hatches in front of her. The Metroid hatchling immediately imprints onto Samus, thinking that she is its mother. Unable to carry out on her mission of extermination, Samus decides to spare its life. As Samus and the infant Metroid reach the planet's surface to return to her gunship, they are attacked by a half-mechanical Ridley. After a long battle, Ridley is defeated, and Samus and the Metroid hatchling leave the planet together in her gunship. In a post-credits scene, a Hornoad is seen wandering on the planet's surface, before being infected by an X parasite.
Based on the player's item completion rating, they can unlock the history of the Chozo race that inhabited SR388 in a series of images. After landing on the planet, the Chozo encountered the X parasites, which use the planet's creatures as hosts. To this end, the Chozo created the Metroids using their advanced technology to combat the X parasites. Although the Chozo lived in peace when the X parasites were gone, the Metroids grew out of control and the civilisation came under threat. A discussion was held between two Chozo leaders; the final image reveals that one leader seemingly killed the other, standing over its body while overlooking its army.
Development
Metroid: Samus Returns was developed collaboratively by the Spanish video game development studio MercurySteam and the Japanese company Nintendo. Yoshio Sakamoto, executive officer of Nintendo's Entertainment Planning & Development division, served as the game's producer, while Takehiko Hosokawa of the same studio was the co-director, along with Jose Luis Márquez of MercurySteam. As thirteen years had passed since the last 2D Metroid game--2004's Zero Mission--was released, Sakamoto had a desire to create a new game in this style. He was also aware of the growing demand from fans for a new 2D Metroid game. Sakamoto had heard that MercurySteam were interested in taking on the challenge of remaking a Metroid game, so he visited their studio to organise a collaboration. Although Sakamoto did not work on Metroid II, he believed it to be an important game within the series and so he was enthusiastic about remaking the title. Enric Álvarez, the head of MercurySteam, described their collaboration with Nintendo as an "incredible" achievement for the developer. The development on Samus Returns began in 2015.
Sakamoto noted that the potential for 2D games in the Metroid franchise had opened up for Nintendo following the announcement of the game. He expressed that he was keen to evolve some of the traditions in 2D Metroid games. As a remake, he wanted to preserve some of the originality and wanted to avoid changing things without good reason. Their approach was to add to aspects which improved upon the game's core concept. These ideas led to some control enhancements, such as the addition of free aiming for more precise firing. The idea of a melee counterattack came from MercurySteam, who had implemented a similar parry mechanic in their 2013 game, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate. Sakamoto felt that the inclusion of the melee counterattack offered players an alternative combat style, in contrast to previous games where the player had to rely on dodging charge attacks from enemies and then defeating them from afar.
The decision to transition from the 2D pixel art of previous Metroid titles to 3D polygonal graphics was made so that the development team could incorporate a lot of varied animation and use different angles to enhance the cutscenes. The music was composed by Daisuke Matsuoka and directed by Kenji Yamamoto, with the latter previously co-composing the music for the 1994 Super Nintendo Entertainment System game Super Metroid.
Release
The project was revealed on 13 June 2017 during Nintendo's Treehouse livestream at the Electronic Entertainment Expo 2017. It was released for the Nintendo 3DS handheld game console on 15 September 2017. A special edition version of the game includes a reversible cover and a soundtrack CD called Samus Archives, featuring 25 tracks from numerous Metroid games including Samus Returns. A European Legacy Edition version also includes a soundtrack CD, alongside a 40-page art book, a Morph Ball keyring, an S-marked pin badge, a download code for Metroid II, and a steelbook designed in the likeness of a Game Boy cartridge. Two Amiibo figurines were released alongside the game; one figurine is of Samus kneeling in the pose shown on the cover art of Metroid II, while the other is of a Metroid creature that has escaped containment. A special "Samus Edition" of the New Nintendo 3DS XL console was also released alongside the game.
Reception
Metroid: Samus Returns received "generally favorable" reception, according to review aggregator Metacritic. Andrew Webster at The Verge viewed Samus Returns as a return to the series' roots. Peter Brown of GameSpot believed that it represented a look at the potential future for 2D Metroid games. Russ Frushtick of Polygon thought that the game's visuals were "remarkable", while Webster thought that the game's 3D visuals made it easier and more playable than Metroid II. Webster also praised its use of the handheld's glasses-free 3D effect, stating that it added a "wonderful" sense of depth. The game's soundtrack by Daisuke Matsuoka also received praise, with Chris Carter of Destructoid calling the melodies "hauntingly beautiful".
Chris Scullion at Nintendo Life wrote that the "Scan Pulse" ability was a useful feature and made the game "far more entertaining" as a result, although Brown felt that it removed some of the thrill of discovery. Webster called the game's combat "fast and fluid", while Brown wrote that it was more aggressive and satisfying than expected. Conversely, Martin Robinson of Eurogamer criticised the effect of the counterattack system, writing that it led "to a staccato rhythm to the action as you're constantly stopped in your tracks for such one-note encounters". IGN's Samuel Claiborn complained about the controls, stating the Samus's complicated weapon options have players "working the 3DS shoulder buttons, slider, and face buttons in a downright painful way".
During its first week in the United Kingdom, Samus Returns was ranked eighth in an all-format chart. It was the third best-selling game in Japan in its debut week, with 30,855 copies sold. An additional 6,206 copies were sold the following week. It was also the eighth best-selling game in the United States during September 2017.
Accolades
Metroid: Samus Returns won the "Best Mobile Game" award at the Gamescom 2017 Awards. It also won the Best Handheld Game category at The Game Awards 2017. At the 2017 Golden Joystick Awards, Nintendo EPD won Studio of the Year, while the game received a nomination for Nintendo Game of the Year. Samus Returns won Destructoid's award for Best Portable Game of 2017. It also won IGN's Best 3DS Game as part of their Best of 2017 Awards. The 2017 Game Critics Awards awarded Samus Returns for Best Handheld Game. At the Global Game Awards 2017, only the game's publisher, Nintendo, won the award for "Best Publisher". GameSpot listed it as one of five best Nintendo 3DS games in 2017. Game Informer gave it the award each for "Best Mobile/Handheld Exclusive" in their "Best of 2017 Awards", and for "Best Handheld" in their 2017 Action Game of the Year Awards. In their Reader's Choice Best of 2017 Awards, the game came up at second place for "Best Mobile/Handheld Exclusive". Polygon ranked the game 30th on their list of the 50 best games of 2017. It also won the Tappan Zee Bridge Award for Best Remake at the New York Game Awards 2018, and won "Handheld Game of the Year" at the 21st Annual D.I.C.E. Awards. The game was also nominated for "Control Design, 2D or Limited 3D" and "Original Light Mix Score, Franchise" at the 17th Annual National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers Awards.
References
External links
- Official website
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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