Metroid: Samus Returns
Metroid: Samus Returns is a 2017 action-adventure game developed by MercurySteam and Nintendo EPD and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 3DS handheld game console. It is a remake of the 1991 Game Boy game Metroid II: Return of Samus. Players control series protagonist Samus Aran, a bounty hunter who is contracted by the Galactic Federation to exterminate the parasitic Metroid species on their home planet of SR388. While the story and structure parallel the original game, Samus Returns features redone graphics, updated controls and user interface, and new gameplay mechanics not seen in previous 2D Metroid titles, such as a melee counterattack and the ability to aim freely at any angle.
Summary from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA, read 5 September 2026.
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- Released
- 2017
- Developer
- Nintendo Entertainment Planning & Development
- Platforms
- 1 systems
- Critics
- Not scored
- Steam Deck
- Unknown
- Download
- Not stated
The record
| First released | 15 September 2017 |
|---|---|
| Developer | Nintendo Entertainment Planning & Development |
| Publisher | Nintendo |
| Platforms | Nintendo 3DS |
| Genres | Metroidvania |
Source. Catalogue facts from Wikidata Q30325600, seeded 30 August 2026.
How long is Metroid: Samus Returns? How long to beat it
Total play time for Metroid: Samus Returns is about 15.2 hours to do everything, and around 11.1 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 | 11.1h | 447 |
| Main + the extras: story plus the side content most people do | 13.4h | 515 |
| Completionist: everything: 100% the game | 15.2h | 676 |
Source: HowLongToBeat community submissions, read 2026-10-19.
Where Metroid: Samus Returns sits on the grid
The grid places every game in the catalogue on measured axes rather than on an opinion. This is where Metroid: Samus Returns lands on each map it has the data for, with the share of the catalogue it beats on each axis.
- Year
- 86ahead of 50% of the catalogue
- Reach
- 30ahead of 72% 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: Samus Returns
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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Common questions about Metroid: Samus Returns
What platforms is Metroid: Samus Returns on?
Metroid: Samus Returns is available on Nintendo 3DS. It first released in 2017.
Who made Metroid: Samus Returns?
Metroid: Samus Returns was developed by Nintendo Entertainment Planning & Development and published by Nintendo.
How long does it take to beat Metroid: Samus Returns?
about 11.1 hours for the main story, 13.4 hours with the main extras, 15.2 hours to complete everything, from HowLongToBeat's player-submitted times. These are community medians, so your own run may be shorter or longer.