History VideoGame / MetroidIIReturnOfSamus

* UndergroundLevel: All of the action in ''Metroid II'' takes place in the caverns of [=SR388=]. The only part of the surface the player sees is the immediate area around Samus' ship, [[spoiler: nd the hills behind it at the end of the game.]]

** This is the only ''Metroid'' game where Samus is shown in her underwear at the end rather than in a practical form-fitting outfit (though one ending for the first game does show her in a bikini.)

* OddballInTheSeries: There are no doors in the game other than those in front of item rooms, with fade-outs and scree-flipping used instead of door transitions. Individual "rooms" are generally much larger in this game than in the rest of the series. Also, this is the only ''Metroid'' game without any trace of the Space Pirates.

* OddballInTheSeries: There are no doors in the game other than those in front of item rooms; otherwise, the gameworld is one big room. Also, this is the only ''Metroid'' game without any trace of the Space Pirates.

** Unlike in all other games, the Varia Suit doubles Samus's running speed.

''Metroid II: Return of Samus'' is an action-adventure video game, the second game in the ''Franchise/{{Metroid}}'' series, and the only one developed for the Nintendo UsefulNotes/GameBoy. The seventh installment in the overall series story (the later ''VideoGame/MetroidPrimeTrilogy'' games serving as {{Interquel}}s between ''VideoGame/{{Metroid 1}}'' and this game), the game was developed and published by Nintendo in North America in November 1991, in Japan in January 1992, and in Europe in May 1992. In 2017 it would receive a TwoAndAHalfD [[VideoGameRemake remake]] for the UsefulNotes/Nintendo3DS, titled ''VideoGame/MetroidSamusReturns'' (which has [[VideoGame/MetroidSamusReturns its own page]]).

* {{Cyclops}}: Senjoo, seerook, mumbo, halzyn, gravitt, yumme and ramulken all have one eye, although they are also much smaller than the mythological cyclops. Autoad and autom are CyberCyclops while pincher fly takes it to {{Oculothorax}}.
* DepthPerplexion: Remember how getting the more aggressive [[PaletteSwap green metroids]] stuck on bits of scenery was viable tactic in the first game? This time around it's turned against you, as several enemy types can pass through material Samus is hindered by, including the metroids, who are all immune to your fancy shoot through walls weaponry. Although ''larval'' metroids are not among them, it seems they are still required to play by Samus's rules until they grow up a little.
* DevelopersForesight: In most sections of the game, you won't be able to traverse the hazardous liquid without dying a horrible death. At one point near the end, though, you would have enough armor and energy tanks to attempt it normally--if the dev team hadn't added a set of spikes blocking that part of the tunnel. [[spoiler:[[BrokenBridge The spikes go away after you destroy the Omega Metroids in the previous section, as does the liquid]]]]. Further, the various beam items respawn after you collect them, so unless you somehow screw with this aspect, you can never get an UnwinnableByInsanity by overwriting your Ice Beam permanently, as you will always be able to collect an Ice Beam at the end.

''Metroid II: Return of Samus'' is an action-adventure video game, the second game in the ''Franchise/{{Metroid}}'' series, and the only one developed for the Nintendo UsefulNotes/GameBoy. The seventh installment in the overall series story (the later ''VideoGame/MetroidPrimeTrilogy'' games serving as {{Interquel}}s between ''VideoGame/{{Metroid 1}}'' and this game), the game was developed and published by Nintendo in North America in November 1991, in Japan in January 1992, and in Europe in May 1992.

In 2017, Nintendo released a TwoAndAHalfD remake for the UsefulNotes/Nintendo3DS: ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhOx-FpEAQk Metroid: Samus Returns]]'', which [[VideoGame/MetroidSamusReturns now has its very own page]].

* VideoGameRemake: Double Subverted. ''Return of Samus'' was originally going to get a DX Remake for the Game Boy Color like ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaLinksAwakening'', but the project was canceled. And then, over ''twenty years later,'' Nintendo announced ''Metroid Samus Returns''.

** As the ''Metroid Prime'' games take place just before this one, the canonical explanation is that Samus' gear was mostly too damaged by Phazon corruption to use, and she has to get replacements.

* OneBulletAtATime

* BigBad: [[spoiler: The Queen Metroid.]]

* DevelopersForesight: In most sections of the game, you won't be able to traverse the hazardous liquid without dying a horrible death. At one point near the end, though, you would have enough armor and energy tanks to attempt it normally--if the dev team hadn't added a set of spikes blocking that part of the tunnel. [[spoiler: [[BrokenBridge The spikes go away after you destroy the Omega Metroids in the previous section, as does the liquid]]]]. Further, the various beam items respawn after you collect them, so unless you somehow screw with this aspect, you can never get an UnwinnableByInsanity by overwriting your Ice Beam permanently, as you will always be able to collect an Ice Beam at the end.

* GottaKillEmAll: An ever-present counter shows how many Metroids are left to kill. This becomes more disconcerting as the Metroids start to mutate, resulting in a mini-boss encounter with each one. At one point, the counter [[OhCrap jumps from one to nine]] (The fourty-seventh and final Metroid is, of course, the dreaded Queen). [[spoiler: Ironically, the game concludes with Samus adopting a Metroid hatchling; rather than snuff out the hated race once and for all ("[[{{Recap/DoctorWhoS12E4GenesisOfTheDaleks}} Have I the right?"]]), Samus takes it under her wing and begins a peaceful climb back to the surface.]]

* LastOfHisKind: [[spoiler: The baby Metroid at the end of the game.]]

* NeverTrustATrailer: [[https://youtu.be/__FmeAQpSoY The American commercial]] says that "One life-sucking Metroid survived the first ''VideoGame/{{Metroid|1}}'' adventure, and it's multiplying rapidly." In actuality, the Metroids are all the offspring of the Metroid Queen, who was presumably born on the planet [=SR388=], and there was no indication of her ''existence'' in the first game. The commercial also [[TrailersAlwaysSpoil shows the final boss fight with the Metroid Queen]].

** Chute leeches don't act much like leeches, although it's possible they lack the ability to feed on someone covered in metal and are simply trying to ram Samus because they are territorial

* UndergroundLevel: All of the action in ''Metroid II'' takes place in the caverns of [=SR388=]. The only part of the surface the player sees is the immediate area around Samus' ship, [[spoiler: and the hills behind it at the end of the game.]]

%%* NeverTrustATrailer: [[https://youtu.be/__FmeAQpSoY The American commercial]].

Also note that [[TheTheTitleConfusion there is no definite article in the title]]. It's ''Return of Samus'', not '''''The''''' ''Return of Samus''.

* NonIndicativeName

* {{Fireballs}}: Wallfires puff these at Samus, though they seem to use some sort of flammable substance, as they can be frozen with the ice beam.

** Zeta and Omega metroids launch projectiles from their mouths, the latter's goes farther and creates damaging shock waves on the surfaces. The Queen Metroid has something in between HomingProjectile, SpreadShot, and PinballProjectile that will block Samus's missiles.

** {{Enforced}}, since the game's monochrome nature prevented the designers from using PaletteSwap to differentiate some aspects of the suit. This resulted in changes to Samus's suit that carried forward into later titles. First, the barrel of Samus's ArmCannon visibly opened when switching to missiles. Second, the Varia Suit looked significantly different from the baseline Power Suit (including [[ShouldersOfDoom larger shoulders]]). In the original ''Metroid'', both the missiles and Varia Suit were represented by color changes. [[{{Retcon}} All flashbacks to the first game depict the redesigned armor]], though ''Zero Mission'''s Varia Suit lacked the shoulders (the Gravity Suit had them, though).

** Zeta and Omega metroids launch projectiles from their mouths, the latter's goes farther and creates damaging shock waves on the surfaces. The Queen Metroid has something in between HomingProjectile, SpreadShot and PinballProjectile that will block Samus's missiles.

* AfterBossRecovery: The metroid queen is the only boss to give Samus energy and missile refills, and is of course the only boss where she almost certainly would not need them, not that a first time player would know this for sure.

** Zeta and Omega metroids launch projectiles from their mouths, the latter's goes farther and creates damaging shock waves on the surfaces. The queen metroid has something in between HomingProjectile, SpreadShot and PinballProjectile that will block Samus's missiles.

* UniqueEnemy: Unlike [[VideoGame/MetroidSamusReturns the official remake]], ''Return of Samus'' includes some very rare enemies that only appear once or twice.

* VideoGameRemake: Double Subverted. "Metroid 2" was originally going to get a DX Remake for the Game Boy Color like ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaLinksAwakening'', but the project was canceled. And then, over ''twenty years later,'' Nintendo announced ''Metroid Samus Returns''.

* BlackOutBasement: In Phase 7, you gain access to one that has a missile expansion, although given that it's in the roof, it's really more of a Blackout Attic. The manual claimed there was an infrared ray scope that would allow Samus to see in the dark, but no such item existed until ''Videogame/MetroidPrime''.

* AllThereInTheManual: The different areas of [=SR388=] lack names in the game itself, but are identified as Phase 1 through Phase 9 in ''Nintendo Power'' Volume 37. Unfortunately, while very similar for the most part, these names do not necessarily correspond to the area names in ''VideoGame/MetroidSamusReturns'', which can make matters a little confusing when discussing the two games.[[note]]''Return of Samus'' begins the naming scheme with Phase 1 being the planet surface and Phase 2 being the first set of Chozo ruins, while ''Samus Returns'' does not include the Surface in the naming scheme and starts with Area 1 being the first set of Chozo ruins. Phase 5 and Phase 6 were combined into Area 4, while Phase 8 was split into Area 6 and Area 7.[[/note]]

-->--- '''The game's instruction booklet'''

** Once again there are plenty of crotch monsters(tsumuri, moheek, needler, glow flies), although this time around you don't have to wait for them to craw to within your gun's range or use morph ball bombs, as Samus ''can'' crouch now. Except gravitts, which can duck down even lower than Samus, although she can just jump over them and shoot down, or use the wave beam.

* WeakTurretGun: There are quite a few that look like eyeless bird busts in an area that can be presumed to have been a Chozo habitation. Some of them are harmless unless Samus touches one, some of them shoot periodically when motion is detected, all can be wrecked with a single beam shot, however, if they are shooting at you. The KnockBack from their shots can knock you off screen and keep you from retaliating but since they're not actually aiming at Samus all you have to do is wait for an opening. After the second 388 quake you'll start encountering stronger gun mounts with extendable "necks" but by then you should have the ice beam, which can freeze them and their shots, or the wave beam, which lets you whittle them down behind cover. And in the event you meet one on level ground, you can just duck.