Metroid II: Return of Samus
Metroid II: Return of Samus is a 1991 action-adventure game developed and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy. The first Metroid game for a handheld game console, it was released in North America in November 1991 and in Japan and Europe in 1992. It follows the bounty hunter Samus Aran on her mission to eradicate the Metroids from their home planet, SR388, before the Space Pirates can obtain them. Players must find and exterminate the Metroids to progress.
Summary from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA, read 5 September 2026.
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- Released
- 1991
- Developer
- Nintendo Research & Development 1
- Platforms
- 2 systems
- Critics
- Not scored
- Steam Deck
- Unknown
- Download
- Not stated
The record
| First released | 1 November 1991 |
|---|---|
| Developer | Nintendo Research & Development 1 |
| Publisher | Nintendo |
| Platforms | Game Boy, Nintendo 3DS |
| Genres | Metroidvania, science fiction video game |
Source. Catalogue facts from Wikidata Q2471454, seeded 30 August 2026.
How long is Metroid II: Return of Samus? How long to beat it
Total play time for Metroid II: Return of Samus is about 5.4 hours to do everything, and around 4.8 hours to reach the end of the main story. These are player-submitted times from HowLongToBeat, not our own, shown with the number of players behind each.
| How you play | Hours | Players logged |
|---|---|---|
| Just the main story: straight through the critical path | 4.8h | 167 |
| Main + the extras: story plus the side content most people do | 5.1h | 145 |
| Completionist: everything: 100% the game | 5.4h | 138 |
Source: HowLongToBeat community submissions, read 2026-10-19.
Where Metroid II: Return of Samus sits on the grid
The grid places every game in the catalogue on measured axes rather than on an opinion. This is where Metroid II: Return of Samus lands on each map it has the data for, with the share of the catalogue it beats on each axis.
- Year
- 45ahead of 4% of the catalogue
- Reach
- 38ahead of 79% of the catalogue
Percentiles are against the games that carry a reading on that axis, not the whole catalogue: counting a game with no figure as a zero would flatter everything that has one. How the grid works.
What readers say about Metroid II: Return of Samus
Reviews written by people who have played it. These are separate from the GamingPickz Score and are never averaged into it: that score comes from thousands of Steam reviews with a sample-size correction, and a handful of unverified ratings would distort it rather than improve it.
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Where Metroid II: Return of Samus appears
The ranked lists and finder pages Metroid II: Return of Samus qualifies for, from its own genre and platform to what it takes to run.
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Common questions about Metroid II: Return of Samus
What platforms is Metroid II: Return of Samus on?
Metroid II: Return of Samus is available on Game Boy, Nintendo 3DS. It first released in 1991.
Who made Metroid II: Return of Samus?
Metroid II: Return of Samus was developed by Nintendo Research & Development 1 and published by Nintendo.
How long does it take to beat Metroid II: Return of Samus?
about 4.8 hours for the main story, 5.1 hours with the main extras, 5.4 hours to complete everything, from HowLongToBeat's player-submitted times. These are community medians, so your own run may be shorter or longer.