They could show you so little — so they put the darkness to work.
The Game Boy was tiny: one small grey screen, no colour, a sprite a few pixels wide. Most people would call that a weakness. Metroid II called it a tool. The caves feel cramped because the screen really is — the fear comes from how little you can see. Gunpei Yokoi, who guided the game, had a name for this: 'lateral thinking with withered technology' — don't wait for better hardware, make what you already hold in your hand say something. Play it again with that in mind, and the smallness stops looking like a limit. It starts looking like a choice.
— inspired by Gunpei Yokoi
About this game
Released in 1991, Metroid II: Return of Samus was the first Metroid game for a handheld console — and it used the Game Boy's limitations as storytelling tools. Set on the Metroid homeworld SR388, Samus hunts down and eliminates the entire Metroid species. The game's oppressive atmosphere, claustrophobic caverns, and seismic counter tracking remaining Metroids created a tension unique to the series. Its final encounter — the Queen Metroid and a newborn — became one of gaming's most quietly moving moments.
Key Features
Seismic counter tracking remaining Metroids to eliminate, new Samus abilities including the Spider Ball and Spring Ball, evolving Metroid forms across the game's progression, and an ending that set up Super Metroid's narrative directly.
Gallery
The Story Behind
Metroid II occupied an unusual position in the series: darker and more methodical than the original, it laid the narrative groundwork for Super Metroid. Its claustrophobic design — with limited screens, small sprites, and constant atmospheric unease — was partly a product of hardware constraints and partly deliberate design.
Tricks & Tales
The Baby Metroid born at the end of Metroid II becomes central to Super Metroid's plot — its relationship with Samus forms the emotional core of the SNES sequel. Producer Gunpei Yokoi guided the development, which was handled by Nintendo R&D1. The game was removed from the Nintendo eShop in 2017 when the fan-made AM2R remake was released.
Collector's Guide
Region & Compatibility
The Game Boy is region-free: a Japanese copy of Metroid II plays on a Game Boy bought anywhere in the world, and the other way round. The cartridge also runs on a Game Boy Advance — if the picture looks stretched there, hold Select and press Start to return it to its original proportions. The only thing a different region changes is the language printed on the packaging; the game itself is the same.
Maintenance Tips
If a Game Boy game won't start, the contacts — not the cartridge — are almost always the reason. Wipe the gold pins gently and lengthwise with a cotton swab dampened in 90%-or-higher isopropyl alcohol, then let it dry fully before playing. Never blow into a cartridge: the moisture in your breath corrodes the very pins you are trying to clean. For storage, keep both cartridge and console out of direct sunlight — the grey plastic yellows over the years not from dirt but from UV and heat, and once that change sets in it cannot truly be undone.
Going deeper
Explore the machine this game ran on, and what to check before you buy or care for one:
What to Watch Out For
Before buying, these are the points worth knowing — from someone who handles original Japanese Metroid II: Return of Samus copies regularly.
Will a Metroid II cartridge still save my game?
Metroid II was the first game in the series you could save, and it keeps those saves alive with a small coin battery — a CR1616 — sealed inside the cartridge. That battery was built to last fifteen or twenty years; every copy is now past thirty-five. So if a cartridge forgets your progress the moment the power goes off, it usually isn't broken — the battery is simply tired. It can be replaced, though removing the old one clears the saved game, so back up anything precious first. When buying, it's worth asking whether the save battery has already been changed.
Is the Game Boy version of Metroid II region-free?
Yes. The Game Boy has no region lock, so a Japanese Metroid II cartridge works on any Game Boy or Game Boy Advance anywhere in the world. Only the text printed on the box and label differs by region — the game inside is identical.
My Metroid II cartridge won't start — should I blow into it?
Please don't. The trouble is almost always dirty contacts, and the moisture in your breath slowly corrodes them further. Clean the gold pins gently with a cotton swab and 90%-or-higher isopropyl alcohol instead. Blowing only ever seemed to work because you also took the cartridge out and put it back while doing it.
Before You Buy
Things worth knowing before you buy Metroid II: Return of Samus
A short checklist for buying a used Game Boy cartridge wisely — useful with any seller, anywhere.
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Choose a seller who tests it before shipping
A copy that has actually been powered on and checked is a known quantity. An untested one is a gamble you only settle after it arrives.
Look for a seller who states it was function-tested and says what they confirmed. A serious seller can tell you exactly what was checked.
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Good news — Game Boy is region-free
Game Boy and Game Boy Color cartridges are not region-locked, so a Japanese copy plays on any Game Boy worldwide.
Just confirm the hardware family — original GB, Color, or Advance — matches the cartridge.
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If this title saves your progress, check the battery
Cartridges that save use a small coin-cell battery that fades over decades — a dead one wipes your save without warning.
Ask the seller whether the save function was tested. Replacing the battery is possible, but doing so erases any existing save.
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Check that the contacts are clean
Dirty edge contacts are the most common cause of startup and sound trouble in cartridges of this age.
Choose a seller who cleans the contacts before shipping. A note that it was tested and cleaned means the basics were handled.
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Read the seller's reviews and return policy
A 100% positive record across thousands of sales is close to a guarantee — packing, communication and problem-solving all work for everyone. A return policy protects you if something is off.
Read the feedback and confirm a clear return window before you buy.
The last step before buying anywhere is knowing what it's worth.
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Rooms this game lives in
Wander deeper — explore the themed rooms where Metroid II: Return of Samus sits alongside its kin.
Memories from around the world
This is a young museum, and this page is still waiting for its first voices. The memories people send reach Taisei personally, and the ones that move him find a home here over time — always with the writer's blessing. Yours could be the very first for this game.
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