OpenCritic: 88

Metacritic: 88


Release date: Friday, September 15


IGN - 8.5

Aside from a few minor tweaks and a new look, Metroid: Samus Returns doesn’t do anything new to the series; and that’s probably for the best. Metroid has made a few wrong turns since the Metroid Prime Trilogy, with sub-par spinoffs like Federation Force and disappointing games like Other M leaving fans like myself longing for a return to the Super Metroid-style 2D adventure. Samus Returns may technically be 3D, but its 2D platforming gameplay still looks and feels like classic Metroid, and it plays even better.

http://m.ign.com/articles/2017/09/12...returns-review


IB Times UK - 4/5

MercurySteam takes no time at all proving it is the perfect fit for a series overdue a resurgence. Another studio may have recreated Metroid as it was, but the Castlevania veterans modernise the Nintendo franchise with new abilities, freer movement, quality animations and lush alien design brimming with mystery and the unknown.


If this remake was a test to see if there's life yet in the franchise, it passes with flying colours, only let down by a lack of the memorable boss encounters the series is known for. Maybe in a sequel the MercurySteam team could address this. They've certainly earned the right to try.

http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/metroid-sam...series-1638936


Press Start - 9/10

Metroid: Samus Returns is an outstanding reinvention of Metroid 2 and a great game in its own right. After all these years and missteps, Samus is back.

(They also note Melee counters can be a little jarring.)

https://press-start.com.au/reviews/3...g-reinvention/


NomComms - 9.5/10

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlmdnL4-GOM (video review)


Vooks - 4/5

It sounds cliché, but Metroid: Samus Returns feels like a return to form for the franchise. It has all the key characteristics that you’d expect from a Metroid game – level design crafted to encourage exploration and discovery, a positive characterization of Samus, and a general flow to it like no other game in the franchise. Visually, the game is a feast, if not slightly uninspired, but it takes great advantage of the 3DS hardware to really sell the idea of an abandoned planet that nature has taken back.


The looming question over Samus Returns is whether it will join the ranks of esteemed titles such as the approachable Zero Mission, or the seemingly untouchable Super Metroid. I was in no rush to play it again after finishing it just once, but what MercurySteam have provided here is a solid game – one that easily surpasses the original it’s based on, yet still respects the vision of the creators who built it. It’s so exciting to say this, but Metroid is well and truly back and hopefully here to stay.

(They also note Samus is positively characterized in a way that is significantly distinguishable from Other M.)

http://www.vooks.net/metroid-samus-returns-3ds-review/


Cubed3 - 9/10

This is right up there with Super Metroid in terms of sheer class, taking the spirit of Metroid II: Return of Samus and transforming it so wondrously for the modern day that it is barely recognisable, with a plethora of brand-new extras thrown in. Metroid: Samus Returns is no mere remake of a Game Boy classic; it is a love letter to the Metroid series, and a thorough reimagining of the core concept, adding in some favourite elements from later releases, and new content that fits hand in glove. Lay any concerns down, as this is top notch entertainment through and through.

http://www.cubed3.com/review/4189/1/...tendo-3ds.html


Everyeye - 8.7/10

Metroid: Samus Returns is more than a brilliant remake of a relatively obscure cult-classic: it's a very significant moment for the whole saga, one that actually marks the rebirth of a beloved heroine after a troubled time.

http://www.everyeye.it/articoli/rece...lle-34958.html (review in Italian)


Gamespot - 9/10

Samus Returns is both a return to form and a look to the potential future for 2D Metroid games, where combat plays a bigger role and exploration involves clever thinking rather than persistent guessing. Fans get more than they bargained (and hoped) for, and everyone else gets an excellent 2D action game with one of the most captivating and capable video game heroes around.

(They also note one hit of inconsistent logic is one frustrating bump on the road to 100%.)

https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/met.../1900-6416751/


Polygon - 9/10

To call Metroid: Samus Returns a remake feels unfair. Remakes are old games with new coats of paint: an upgrade in resolution here, reworked artwork there. Samus Returns is far more than that. It’s a top-to-bottom reimagining, bringing the bones of a game that’s over 25 years old into the modern era with fantastic results.

https://www.polygon.com/2017/9/12/16...returns-review


Game Reactor - 8/10

https://www.gamereactor.es/analisis/...Samus+Returns/ (review in Spanish)


Retronauts - Jeremy Parish (no score)

I hate to sound too down on the game. As I said before, there's a lot to like about it. It looks great, controls well, and the main battles against the metroids have real bite. I fully intend to keep plugging away at it a bit at a time — I'll get through it pretty soon. While it's far from a perfect return to form for the series, Samus Returns definitely feels like a step back in the right direction after a seven-year hiatus. I just don't think the constant focus on combat is quite what I'm looking for in a Metroid game. But maybe that's OK; the metroidvania genre has become crowded with countless other games that do the Metroid thing note-perfectly, and I can't blame Nintendo for wanting to differentiate their work from its imitators. And maybe the game's methodical pace and counter-strike conflict are precisely what a new generation of fans weaned on Dark Souls wants from Metroid. Samus and I have had 30 years of great adventures together; it's OK for us to have grown apart after all this time.

https://retronauts.com/article/551/s...-a-little-lost


Vandal - 8.6/10

http://www.vandal.net/analisis/3ds/m...-returns/49165 (review in Spanish)


Easy Allies - 4.5/5

https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=...&v=6_GjwrY_tNk (video review)


InsideGamer - 9+/10

Metroid: Samus Returns offers everything fans of the Metroid- franchise want, but thanks to the clear gameworld structure it's also a great first entry for newcomers. The 3DS has too few buttons for the many moves of Samus, which is why it takes some hours to get used to the controls - but when you do, its a tremendously enjoyable experience. Samus Returns is a fantastic return of one of the toughest heroines in the game-industry.

http://m.neogaf.com/showpost.php?p=248678081

http://www.insidegamer.nl/recensies/...roid-franchise (review in Dutch)


Verge (no score)

Like Metroid: Zero Mission before it, Samus Returns is an ideal reimagining, a game that takes the essence of the series and makes it feel completely at home on modern hardware. There’s no aspect of Samus Returns that feels archaic. It’s a game that belongs in 2017. But more than just being a great remake, it’s also a great reminder of what Metroid is. Spinoffs like Other M and Federation Force largely got away from the focus on freeform exploration that made Metroid so iconic. They were loud and busy. Samus Returns is the opposite. It’s dark and moody, slow and methodical — everything a Metroid should be. Hopefully it won’t be another decade before we can experience that feeling again.

https://www.theverge.com/platform/am...w-nintendo-3ds


Eurogamer (no score)

There's also something off about how Samus Returns folds in some of the more combat-heavy leanings of Other M - that most divisive of Metroids - into this remake. Samus now has a free aim, and is reliant on counter attacks that open up the defences of enemies. The problem is how a majority of enemies require that counter in order to be dealt with, leading to a staccato rhythm to the action as you're constantly stopped in your tracks for such one-note encounters. It's all counter to the free-form exploration that the rest of Samus Returns dictates, and it's not helped by a slight sloppiness that can be felt in the controls.


It all adds up to an underwhelming return. MercurySteam now has the curious distinction of being the one developer to have worked on both Metroid and Castlevania on the 3DS and fallen wide of the mark on both. This isn't quite the disappointment that was Mirrors of Fate, and there's a hard-edged gem to be found in what was always going to be a troubled exercise. Samus Returns is ultimately a noble remake that fixes so many of the original's problems, but it doesn't do so without introducing a handful of its own.

(I included a slightly longer excerpt of this one because it is one of the few less favorable reviews so I thought people might like to get a feel for what issues one may have with the game.)

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/20...returns-review


Nintendon.it - 9/10

the game is amazing. It's Metroid. Controls are perfect, in one second you feel like you're playing Zero Mission again. Very good level design and atmosphere, fun from beginning to end (11 hours to 100%).

It's not perfect though. The soundtrack has some amazing remixes but the atmospheric tracks didn't stick with me. Defeating Metroids could feel repetitive, and even though the surprising new bosses are a good addition, they kinda spoiled too much.

The backtracking may be divisive: the game is divided in areas, each area is full of backtracking but once you are done, you may want to come back only for powerups. And fuck the amiibo bullshit.

Overall a great game and a worthy 2D Metroid. If you have questions I'm here.

http://m.neogaf.com/showpost.php?p=248678456

https://www.nintendon.it/recensione-...returns-132797 (review in Italian)


Nintendo Life - 10/10

Don’t be fooled by the connection to Metroid II: this game has been revamped, redesigned and rejuvenated to such an extreme degree that to all intents and purposes it’s a brand new adventure. This is far and away one of the best Metroid games ever made, and one of the best examples of the entire Metroidvania genre as a result. Melee counters and free aiming have made combat feel fresh and exciting again, while the environments are incredible – especially when viewed in auto-stereoscopic 3D. It’s a given that this is a must-buy for Metroid fans, but it’s also essential for those who’ve never played a 2D Metroid and want to see what the fuss is all about. This is what the fuss is all about, and the wait was so, so worth it.

http://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/..._samus_returns