"Two steps forward, one step back" is how I would describe Metroid II: Return of Samus. for every genuine improvement made to the original game, and there are a lot, there's an unfortunate compromise made due to the inherent limitations of the GameBoy.

let's start with the improvements. for one, Metroid II is a lot less frustrating than its predecessor for multiple reasons. firstly, Samus is a lot less slipery, and so she no longer slips after landing. controlling her is snappy and responsive, and the floaty jump means it's very easy to land where you want to. the newly added abilities to crouch before entering the morph ball as well as shooting downwards are a god send and singlehandedly make the controls a lot smoother.
secondly, the level design is a lot less dickish. there's no massive dead ends, platforms are wider so they're easier to land on, no beginner's trap, as well as a lot more landmarks and unique rooms, meaning navigation is easier and you're less likely to get truly lost. Metroid II, unlike the first game, never purposefully wastes your time, which is greatly appreciated. this, coupled with the addition of save stations and energy/missile recharges, while few and far between and the latter being hidden, means the game overall is way easier.
additionally, enemies deal less damage, and due to the capacity of the GameBoy, creatures can't fill the screen without setting the poor console on fire, so there's less enemies and you're never overwhelmed. this allows creature design to also be more detailed ironically enough, as sprites are generally a lot bigger due to the reduced screen size. this means there's no slowdowns which is also appreciated, the game runs at a crisp 59.7 FPS and never dropped once. the only true challenge comes from the titular Metroids who can be pretty difficult to fight especially when they surprise you, though they're never unfair. I also appreciate the added enemy variety. the wildlife of SR388 all look and act distinct from one and another, a lucky side effect of the GameBoy not having color.
while in the first game, Samus started as weak and grew powerful, here Samus starts powerful and eventually becomes unstoppable thanks to the reduced damage and new abilities like the space jump, spider ball and spring ball which all make exploration a breeze. there's also the fact that enemies outside of Metroids never really attack you, they just kind of exist and accidentally are in your way, which I really like as a story detail: the only hostile entities on SR388 are the Metroids and Samus herself. the rest are merely living. smarter people have already analyzed the story which you can read if you're interested in, but I like how Samus rescues the one baby Metroid. it humanizes her in an unexpected way.

now, there are a few elements that are transferred over from the first Metroid, mainly the lack of a map, which while not as detrimental this time around due to the improved level design, still means it's easy to get lost. the final boss is also a frustrating damage sponge and an unnecessary difficulty spike, tho it doesn't throw a billion projectiles at you which is a definitive upgrade. you also can't have more than one beam type, meaning I was just using the ice beam for 95% of the game and renders all other beams functionally useless, which is a shame. there's also more energy tanks and beam stations that you can collect which is just a strange move that I don't fully understand.

now for the downgrades. notably, I don't think the screen crunch is too much of a problem here, since the game designers were smart and built the game around it. you're never unfairly attacked by enemies you couldn't see coming, and it's not disorienting. it replicates the feeling of exploring a dark, uncharted planet. I would've liked a bit more screen space but it's not the end of the world.
no, my biggest problem with Metroid II is that for 90% of the game, there's no music, and I don't know why! the music that is present is very good, and I know they could've made oppressing ambiant tracks because the original game had songs like that. here however, you're accompanied by silence most of the time which is a shame.
there's also no color at all, which just makes the environment feel very repetitive and more confusing than necessary. the game is also shorter and more linear, which means you don't really get to use your abilities to their full extent, rendering them kind of superfluous which is never something you want. the game is also very repetitive, since it follows the exact same formula with no real surprise.

overall though, I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by Metroid II! I consider it an improvement over the first game, with most of its flaws coming from the inherent limitations of it being a GameBoy game. this makes me very excited to see what Super Metroid is capable of, especially considering everything I've heard about it.

It's not as daunting as a you for think for a Metroidvania without a map. The game is split up into sections where you eliminate all of the Metroids in an area and then move on to the next. The game really doesn't ask you to backtrack to the extent that Super Metroid or Dread might. This is probably the Metroidvania where I had to consult the internet the least, although the best method ro defeat the final boss is fairly obtuse. That said you should probably play it within the span of a weekend or so, rather than just pick it up and finish it later, so you'll have a stronger mental map.

To give this game a bit more criticism, I wish there was more than 2 area themes. I implied it's easy to find your way to the end, and it is, but some different tunes would be appreciated . Still this is one of the best Gameboy games in my opinion and definitely has all the Super Metroid vides down( as much as you can given the vastly weaker hardware).

I dunno, I just don't like the feel of it. I mean, it's definitely an improvement over the NES game but I just don't really vibe with how it runs. I feel like some of it is just really clunky compared to other games on the GameBoy (I think Kirby's Dream Land 2 ruined my expectations of the GameBoy forever). The movement and combat isn't terrible but it just feels really awkward, though I will say the game at least doesn't have terrible physics or any slow down. I also just REALLY don't like the lack of a map and the monochrome visuals just feel a sort of worse than other GameBoy games I've played so far. Again, like NEStroid, I might come back to this one day but for now, I think I'll just stick to the remake, sorry. Overall, a definite improvement over the first game, but not something I'd want to invest a lot of time in so I'll stick to trying out the remake.

The heyday of the 3DS Virtual Console was a magical time. I would play this and Link's Awakening on long car rides to and from Southern California, an experience that many others probably had before me when they originally released on Game Boy in the 90s. Having renewed access to important moments in Nintendo's history delighted me, elevating an already amazing handheld library to new heights. I had played retro games before, but this time is what made me a fan of retro games.

There's something special about this one in particular. The lack of a map, while annoying, is not as crippling as it was for the original Metroid, and with some trial and error I could still make progress through the winding tunnels of SR388 while keeping the thrill of exploration and isolated atmosphere intact. It was also--and Samus Returns never quite achieved this--genuinely scary! Samus' sprite is comically huge, yes, and it leads to some unfair blind jumps, but it also lends itself to a cozier, more immersively claustrophobic experience than the likes of Super Metroid. You truly are walking around in the dark on an alien planet, anticipating what horror may lurk beyond the next corner or sea of acid. Dissonant beeps and boops in the soundtrack are just eerie enough to pay off in an effective jumpscare when you scroll the screen just far enough for a hatchling Metroid to bust out of the wall and absolutely WRECK you. A simple counter at the bottom of the screen for how many you have left to go is a refreshingly simple objective to shoot for, fittingly placed next to your missile count. This is one of the few Metroid games where the amount you are given is justified and needed to take down the bosses, and there's not so many arbitrary expansions that it becomes too easy.

It's an awesome little game that leaves me excited, lonely, and a little unsettled each time I come back to it. And isn't that what Metroid is all about?