DeVuego

Nightmare Boy had the potential to be a quirky and fun take on the Metroidvania platform, but it squanders that potential by falling flat in nearly all the fundamental components of what makes those types of games fun to play in the first place. It has some neat character designs and thoughtful art choices, but they don’t make up for the numerous glaring flaws. From the generic writing and bland characters to the atrocious level design and floaty controls, my time with Nightmare Boy felt like a bad dream I couldn’t wake up from. 

It has been a staggering 13 years since the last 2D Metroid game and Samus has finally returned to her roots. But Metroid: Samus Returns doesn’t merely hope to satisfy a sense of nostalgia, it transcends those aspirations to become a much more compelling experience. It takes nearly everything about its predecessors that made them great and introduces new elements that make gameplay feel fresh and exciting. It may not top the series’ best titles, but Samus Returns undoubtedly brings 2D Metroid back in glorious fashion, resulting in one the best 3DS games in recent memory.