Holds up better than you would expect, and I got used to the floaty controls and screen crunch pretty early on. Obviously AM2R and Samus Returns improved on quite a lot here, but the aesthetics of hunting metroids (at their scariest imo) through an 8-bit, desolate cavern system is something that was never fully replicated.

7.2

Metroid II: Return of Samus is a pioneering handheld adventure that sends Samus to the Metroid homeworld, SR388. While the Game Boy's limitations cause some graphical monotony and control stiffness, the core Metroid experience of exploration, power-up acquisition, and battling monstrous creatures remains intact. Hunting down and exterminating the various Metroid forms offers a satisfying challenge, even if the lack of a map and some repetitive environments can lead to frustration.