Play Metroid 2 Online

Metroid 2: Return of Samus is one of those Game Boy games that sticks with you. At first glance, it's just Samus creeping through tight, dimly lit caves—but the longer you play, the more it sinks its claws in. The planet SR388 feels genuinely unsettling, like you're being watched the whole time. And you kind of are, since those freaky Metroids keep evolving into nastier versions every time you think you've got them figured out.

What surprised me was how much the Game Boy's limitations actually worked in its favor. The grainy visuals and eerie silence make every blip of your motion tracker feel like a jump scare waiting to happen. And yeah, the Spider Ball mechanic is genius—rolling up walls never gets old, even if the controls take a minute to click.

It's not as flashy as later Metroid games, but there's something raw about this one. You really feel alone down there, just you and your dwindling ammo against a planet full of nightmares. Still holds up if you can handle the old-school jank.