A really good Metroid game on paper, Samus Returns unfortunately suffers from trying to reinvent the original game too hard, up to the point of focusing on making a MercurySteam Metroid instead of staying true to the actual Metroid II. While the game is really fun to control (aside from the touchscreen shenanigans) and has some exciting abilities and the combat is some of the best in the series, it lacks the charm and nuance that Return of Samus had already perfected on the Game Boy, and which AM2R still somehow improved upon.
Nonetheless, Samus Returns is a very fun - although occasionally mindless - metroidvania action romp, with more emphasis on the action, rather than the exploration. I would only recommend playing this after gaining an appreciation for the franchise as a whole, though. If you just want to experience the best version of Metroid II, play AM2R instead.
Pros:
+ Great combat, a few genuine standout bosses here that rival even those of Dread
+ One of the best depictions of Samus out of any Metroid game, as well as an excellent story setup to Dread
+ Some pretty great bosses
+ Actually a better implementation of Aeion abilities than in Dread
+ Really cool and unique new upgrades in general
+ Solid environmental puzzles, especially some that use the Grapple Beam in interesting ways
+ Using the Grapple Beam isn’t as bad as people make it out to be since it automatically switches on without the touchscreen when aiming at a grabbable object/enemy
+ Some of the best graphics the 3DS had to offer
+/- While pretty much all the non-Metroid II remixes included in this game are pretty good, some even surpassing their originals, it's unfortunate MercurySteam didn't try composing more of the game's songs themselves, as most of the ones they've borrowed from other titles feel woefully out of place here.
+/- While most Metroid fights are good, some take you on a frustrating trip across multiple rooms that is fun and novel for the first few times, but starts getting repetitive real soon. There's also a weirdly large amount of Alpha Metroids almost up until the end
Cons:
- Doesn't really surprise you in any major way. This is just Metroid II again, if they'd tried to improve nothing about the locations' blandness or linearity, published by a second-party studio 23 years later
- Completely misses the point of the original's drab worldbuilding by oversaturating each area, making them even less distinct and cramming every empty or silent part of the game with enemies. Somehow the original Metroid II conveyed more nuance with literal shades of gray on a 100 x 144 screen.
- Incredibly linear despite having a much more interconnected world unlike Metroid II, and there's very little reason to backtrack, wasting the genuine leaps in the new ways you can find items with abilities like the Scan Pulse
- Minimap icons are often hard to read even with modded increased resolution
- Aside from the aforementioned color differences, every area feels extremely samey and has the exact same theming of cracked rock and ancient structures. There's little variation in their apparent purpose, as most just look like shapeless temples and hallways, aside from a few standouts like Area 3's waterfall distribution center that leads to the tower.
- Some incredibly obvious level themes are also just downright missing. Metroid hive designs bleed into the surrounding world design so gradually that you often don't even notice you're in one.
- There is no specific fire area stand-in (i.e. Norfair, Magmoor, Bryyo), so heated areas are just messily placed all around the map with little logic to it all. The Magmoor Caverns theme is also used in said hot areas so obsessively that it's literally the only song that is able to play there, and can even override Metroid boss themes when they’re supposed to appear in said areas
- Fusion Mode is locked behind an amiibo
Nonetheless, Samus Returns is a very fun - although occasionally mindless - metroidvania action romp, with more emphasis on the action, rather than the exploration. I would only recommend playing this after gaining an appreciation for the franchise as a whole, though. If you just want to experience the best version of Metroid II, play AM2R instead.
Pros:
+ Great combat, a few genuine standout bosses here that rival even those of Dread
+ One of the best depictions of Samus out of any Metroid game, as well as an excellent story setup to Dread
+ Some pretty great bosses
+ Actually a better implementation of Aeion abilities than in Dread
+ Really cool and unique new upgrades in general
+ Solid environmental puzzles, especially some that use the Grapple Beam in interesting ways
+ Using the Grapple Beam isn’t as bad as people make it out to be since it automatically switches on without the touchscreen when aiming at a grabbable object/enemy
+ Some of the best graphics the 3DS had to offer
+/- While pretty much all the non-Metroid II remixes included in this game are pretty good, some even surpassing their originals, it's unfortunate MercurySteam didn't try composing more of the game's songs themselves, as most of the ones they've borrowed from other titles feel woefully out of place here.
+/- While most Metroid fights are good, some take you on a frustrating trip across multiple rooms that is fun and novel for the first few times, but starts getting repetitive real soon. There's also a weirdly large amount of Alpha Metroids almost up until the end
Cons:
- Doesn't really surprise you in any major way. This is just Metroid II again, if they'd tried to improve nothing about the locations' blandness or linearity, published by a second-party studio 23 years later
- Completely misses the point of the original's drab worldbuilding by oversaturating each area, making them even less distinct and cramming every empty or silent part of the game with enemies. Somehow the original Metroid II conveyed more nuance with literal shades of gray on a 100 x 144 screen.
- Incredibly linear despite having a much more interconnected world unlike Metroid II, and there's very little reason to backtrack, wasting the genuine leaps in the new ways you can find items with abilities like the Scan Pulse
- Minimap icons are often hard to read even with modded increased resolution
- Aside from the aforementioned color differences, every area feels extremely samey and has the exact same theming of cracked rock and ancient structures. There's little variation in their apparent purpose, as most just look like shapeless temples and hallways, aside from a few standouts like Area 3's waterfall distribution center that leads to the tower.
- Some incredibly obvious level themes are also just downright missing. Metroid hive designs bleed into the surrounding world design so gradually that you often don't even notice you're in one.
- There is no specific fire area stand-in (i.e. Norfair, Magmoor, Bryyo), so heated areas are just messily placed all around the map with little logic to it all. The Magmoor Caverns theme is also used in said hot areas so obsessively that it's literally the only song that is able to play there, and can even override Metroid boss themes when they’re supposed to appear in said areas
- Fusion Mode is locked behind an amiibo