4.5/5 ★ – Zimtiki's review of Metroid: Samus Returns.

Years after the events of Metroid Prime, it is decided by the GF that Metroids are simply too dangerous to be left alive, and requests that Samus make her way to SR388, the home world of the Metroids, and exterminate their species once and for all. Oh yeah, baby. This is CLASSIC Metroid at its finest. This game has you exploring the deep caverns of SR388, a former Chozo home world that has since fallen to ruin. As you explore, you’ll come across 40 Metroids down here that have begun to evolve into new forms, something that only seems to be possible on this planet. Some of these creatures are small and only need to be hit a few times to be taken out, while others grow to massive sizes and will take you out it quickly if you don’t recognize their attack patterns. Exploring this games world is really fun too, since the map literally fills out as you find new areas. I found myself wanting to paint the entire map just to show that I’d completely explored it, that might just be my adhd though. The boss battles have to be the highlight of the game though. They’re super intense and they’re VERY difficult, a couple hits means you’re done, despite how much health you’ve accumulated. This means that memorizing the bosses patterns and avoiding their every attack is essential for survival, and when you finally beat them, it truly feels earned. And the secret final boss? So hype, I was shaking in my boots. 100%ing the game also shows the Chozo history, leading up to them being seemingly eradicated by one of their own kind… an armored Chozo with a scarred eye who seems to be a warlord. What happened to this planet? What happened to the Chozo? These are questions that we’ll have to wait a while to hear the answers to….