Metroid games, from their inception, have been made with gameplay in mind before anything else. The original Metroid has the morph ball because technical limitations made it impossible to get Samus crawling. I can understand if you’re put off by how archaic this game feels to play today. Metroid II is a linear descent through some vast areas connected by twisty caverns, where you fight the same boss 40 times, because that’s what the technology called for. That being said, there are some improvements made to what was laid down in the original Metroid for NES, like save points and resource-refill stations. Still, I think the Gameboy’s limitations elevate this game’s aesthetic, even if accidentally. Those cramped corridors and less-aggressive enemies compliment each other. And both of those on their own make sense, you’re invasive in this planet’s ecosystem, things are not built for you. Most “enemies” are less aggressive than they were in the original Metroid, they’re usually just minding their business. The Metroids themself lie in their domains, the path to them devoid of all life, they’ll attack you, but they won’t give chase. Tying these repetitive and simple combat encounters to progression means it’s a lot simpler to move through the game. These elements help its story come together in an impressive way. When I make that last plunge into the very depths of SR388 to make good on my bounty, the bleeps and bloops of the Gameboy sound-chip turn into a solid wall of sound, tension building as I hear the wails of the Queen Metroid, the sequence that ensues after killing her, the final Metroid on the planet, it all comes together. It’s fun, it’s thought-provoking, it’s satisfying, and it's a little shitty, but it’s a really GREAT GAME.