Return of Samus marks a fascinating and significant moment for Metroid. While the original NES title punches above its weight, Metroid II scales its ambitions to the limitations of its hardware. The open-endedness of the original is replaced with a segmented world design, a move resulting in a game that is playable without a map, something complemented with more distinctive level-design. This linear progression now builds greater tension, as you descend deeper with no "aha!" moment as you loop back on yourself.
Mechanically speaking, we're still far below the standard set in the next game, but it's a huge jump up regardless. Notably, the abilities to aim downwards in mid-air and to crouch are added. One-block-high enemies in the original were more of a pain than was reasonable, and these abilities make them the trivial foes they ought be.
While all the above is nice, it's the elements outside of the core gameplay that truly make Return of Samus a unique experience. The core task of culling Metroids from existence is morally dubious. While they are scary and possess properties which could be dangerous in the wrong hands, Metroids are not evil, just predators, and the game is keen to bring this to the player's attention in a key subversive moment. The general clunkiness of the gameplay arguably complements this through-line, as the Metroids are not particularly fun to engage with.
A lot has been said of the atmosphere and environmental storytelling, and while I generally agree, I think there's a recency bias at play, with most of the great stuff coming toward the end. The shed Metroid skins are a great touch throughout though.
Despite being held back by limitations, Metroid II also works within those limitations to deliver a minimalist piece of storytelling with surprising emotional and thematic complexity. In its uniqueness, it remains one of the most significant titles in the series, as well as one of the more interesting to discuss, even if it's not best in a normative sense.
Mechanically speaking, we're still far below the standard set in the next game, but it's a huge jump up regardless. Notably, the abilities to aim downwards in mid-air and to crouch are added. One-block-high enemies in the original were more of a pain than was reasonable, and these abilities make them the trivial foes they ought be.
While all the above is nice, it's the elements outside of the core gameplay that truly make Return of Samus a unique experience. The core task of culling Metroids from existence is morally dubious. While they are scary and possess properties which could be dangerous in the wrong hands, Metroids are not evil, just predators, and the game is keen to bring this to the player's attention in a key subversive moment. The general clunkiness of the gameplay arguably complements this through-line, as the Metroids are not particularly fun to engage with.
A lot has been said of the atmosphere and environmental storytelling, and while I generally agree, I think there's a recency bias at play, with most of the great stuff coming toward the end. The shed Metroid skins are a great touch throughout though.
Despite being held back by limitations, Metroid II also works within those limitations to deliver a minimalist piece of storytelling with surprising emotional and thematic complexity. In its uniqueness, it remains one of the most significant titles in the series, as well as one of the more interesting to discuss, even if it's not best in a normative sense.