METROID II: RETURN OF SAMUS (GB)
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Publisher: Nintendo.
Developer: Nintendo R&D1. Released: May 1992 (Europe). Genre: 2D Action/Adventure. Posted 31st July 2013. By Chris Weatherley © 2013 |
Probably the most famous female alien destroyer since a certain Ellen Ripley screamed “get away from her you bitch!”, the power-suited commando hard-ass Samus Aran made a belated but unsurprising return in the second Metroid game, but what was surprising was the format it came to you on. Exclusive to the Game Boy and entirely canon with the series, Metroid II: Return of Samus continues the story from where the first NES game left off. When all attempts have failed to extinguish the dangerous metroids once and for all, it’s time to call up the hardcore beauty for yet more mutant lasering. Taking the platform adventure style of the first, subtle changes have been made in an attempt to move the sequel on and give it a unique monochrome persona of its own. The Game Boy gives an okay account of itself to envisage the sinister planet SR388 with its gloomy maze-like caves and terrifying metroids, and without quite hitting the heights of its famous predecessor, it just about pulls this off in the end. However, it’s not without a few mischievous bugs left in the system.
The problems with making a sequel to such a highly acclaimed original on a handhand can be explained with brevity. People expect bigger, better and harder, and in all these aspects the humble Game Boy cannot quite cut it. It was ambitious for Nintendo, and if you look into it, very predictable. The Game Boy was selling like white-hot cakes at the time and with the NES heading for the retirement home, prolonging extra sales with such a favoured title was an obvious move. But the exploration, size and sheer epic-ness of the original have been cut down considerably; I ascribe this partially to the GB’s limited memory and display. On first play, this Metroid feels just a little feeble, a little empty and a little uninspiring. The combination of hit-and-miss visuals and the lack of memorable BGM just emphasise this feeling. Although Samus herself is big and lucid, the scattered enemies are mostly a much of a much-ness. Only a few stand out, and whilst some of the metroids themselves are menacingly drawn, the run-of-the-mill mutants are largely indefinable floating blobs, which is a big let down. The environment is also not at distinctive as it could or should be, and using the monochrome palette as an excuse is not feasible. Detail and diversity can be depicted nicely on the old Game Boy, but too many cloned blocks, drab platforms and brief backdrops just get repetitively dull a few levels in, and certainly don’t give the desired effect of a creepy, claustrophobic, tension-building alien planet. Static images fair better; save points, item relics, missile effects and spaceships are fine and do provide some disposition and an appropriate, fitting tone.
Being a sucker for shiny fluttery things, Samus didn't even see the ravine
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"It's behind you! Oh, nevermind..."
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Speaking of atmosphere, for me music is a key part of generating any kind of it for sly apprehension or unseen threats, and while a few ditties like the eerie title music hit the spot nicely, there is a large amount of unwelcome silence where the only sounds are of Samus’s footsteps, the terribly misplaced Mario-esque jump and apt firepower noises. It’s a half-effort; with good SFX and acceptable tunes, but not enough of either to trump the sounds of the first game and satisfy the player. The tunes that are present are quite catchy and mostly fitting with the theme, but we are not talking the par of Pokemón or Tetris, which for a high-ranking franchise is a little poor and inadequate.
What Metroid II does give us is a fair amount of exploration and sense of unknown mystery. Numerous targets, secret openings, various routes, weapon upgrades and a well judged difficulty curve are hailed highly. The dependable mix of (simple) mazes, monsters and firepower array still has the gift to draw you in; to find that screw attack and beat down all the metroids with the ever-effective ice beam is still just as pleasing. And now we have even more destructive faculties available for use. The tri-spazer laser and the plasma beam are very useful and essential in certain parts, as now the metroids have to be dealt with in various methods, and the spider ball and spring ball give our heroine even more, erm, balls. The former becomes somewhat redundant upon acquisition of the jump boots however.
What Metroid II does give us is a fair amount of exploration and sense of unknown mystery. Numerous targets, secret openings, various routes, weapon upgrades and a well judged difficulty curve are hailed highly. The dependable mix of (simple) mazes, monsters and firepower array still has the gift to draw you in; to find that screw attack and beat down all the metroids with the ever-effective ice beam is still just as pleasing. And now we have even more destructive faculties available for use. The tri-spazer laser and the plasma beam are very useful and essential in certain parts, as now the metroids have to be dealt with in various methods, and the spider ball and spring ball give our heroine even more, erm, balls. The former becomes somewhat redundant upon acquisition of the jump boots however.
Samus engages in a dangerous game of rock/paper/scissors/claw
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Getting distracted by/talking to faeries is a good way to get yourself killed
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Only one special weapon can be carried at once, so forward planning can be crucial. Oh, and did you know where Samus gets her fetching Hilary Devey shoulder pads on her Varia suit? That’s right. With the Game Boy’s inability to display colour, the upgraded suit changes appearance instead. This has been kept ever since in the more modern Metroid games. All these additions and changes stand the game in good stead and mask its obvious shortcomings in the sound and graphics areas. Add to this a well-paced fluidity, a smooth multi-directional scrolling/flick-screen mixture, and it transpires to be a rather enjoyable escapade indeed. To add a dose accessibility and portability, the game includes battery back-up enabling the player to save multiple game states. This creates the simplicity to pick up and/or get straight back into the action, something which adds a more user friendly side to Metroid II, and this maybe is its ultimate saving grace. For a tough platformer, it’s surprising this works as well as it does, and helps to aid a more casual short session side to Metroid.
So, does the faithfully reconstructed gameplay of the original with added baubles save the day for Samus? Well, yes it does. With the ending setting up the story for Super Metroid too, it fits well into the series as a whole. It may be the weakest game graphically in the series and certainly in the audio, and maybe a home version would have been beneficial, but it still maintains that challenge, fear of threat and playability of its NES antecedent. It’s not as lengthy as I would have liked from a sequel, nor is it more striking, but it’s a nice, tough platform shooter to largely quash the genetic-abomination annihilating tendencies in most of us. Not one of Samus’s best catwalks by any means, but no rummage through the space slums either.
So, does the faithfully reconstructed gameplay of the original with added baubles save the day for Samus? Well, yes it does. With the ending setting up the story for Super Metroid too, it fits well into the series as a whole. It may be the weakest game graphically in the series and certainly in the audio, and maybe a home version would have been beneficial, but it still maintains that challenge, fear of threat and playability of its NES antecedent. It’s not as lengthy as I would have liked from a sequel, nor is it more striking, but it’s a nice, tough platform shooter to largely quash the genetic-abomination annihilating tendencies in most of us. Not one of Samus’s best catwalks by any means, but no rummage through the space slums either.
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VERDICT
Visual: 6/10
Audio: 5/10 Gameplay: 8/10 Longevity: 7/10 OVERALL: 7/10 |