How Metroid II Creates Dread

[@hariman7727]

Growth! It's a GROWTH cycle! Not an evolutionary cycle! Metroids grow like multistage insects, who shed their prior form at least one, if not multiple times.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Quite right, my bad.

[@bigleo9291]

If you want to be technical, it could be classified as metamorphosis.

[@Dizz2K7]

@@bigleo9291 that's the same thing...

[@pkmntrainerred4247]

@@Dizz2K7 He said ``if you want to be more technical`` . So the terms are same but metamorphosis is more scientific & technical, it`s the change in tone.

[@thatguyineverycommentssection]

underrated evolution

[@Zeithri]

Don't forget as well, the deeper you go, the less life you find. In the lair of the Omega, life barely exists. And once you reach the Queen's Lair, all life is dead except for the Metroids. Very eerie atmosphere. Love this game. I rank it the highest in the whole series though, admittedly, Super Metroid stands on a pillar alone, as it is just as great but for different reasons.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

That's true, yeah! I think someone else commented on this. I'll be sure to bring this up when I recap the games in future.

[@raakone]

True. Except somehow, below the Queen's lair, there's a trio of....Septoggs flying (those "platform bugs") But I also notice the real last non-Metroid enemies all have some kind of armor on them, makes things even more foreboding...as in only the toughest survive down here!

[@novustalks7525]

Agreed!

[@alicevioleta3184]

ngl RoS did it better than SR. SR totally changed everything, and i'm really not a fan.

[@nintendolife]

"The longer the note, the more dread" Lovely stuff, keep it up!

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Hey, thank you! More to come :-)

[@DLSMaster]

@@VideoGameAnimationStudy By the way... I am wondering if you are gonna continues with this series or not, if so, are you gonna tackle... AM2R ???

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

At some point

[@lingeringking7097]

You bhys must be happy that dear finally got announced

[@novustalks7525]

Metroid 2 is underrated

[@legionbeast]

The music, or lack thereof, is paramount to the feeling of traversing this hostile planet. You start by your ship with weapon and health recharges and a save state. You have fantastic heroic music and you're all set to handle this problem. But you get deeper and deeper, them music pulls back. It has it's foreboding "temple" music, but most actual music just goes away, leaving you with ambient animal sounds in the speakers. Faint beeps and boops, and it only gets more malicious the deeper you go. It gives a sense that the only creatures left are the ambient "giant space bugs", but then as you keep going deeper, soon those are gone and only Metroids remain...

[@theguy3851]

I'm just gonna copy this and put it in some random essay

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

😤

[@theguy3851]

@@VideoGameAnimationStudy what?

[@bojiden]

yes so true

[@Pyre]

Far and away one of the best executions of atmosphere not just in Metroid, but in gaming in general. Almost nothing I've played since has captured the sheer foreboding and fascinating dread that Metroid 2 did. The original Bloodrayne's second level evoked it. *Silent Hill 2* *evoked* it. Ender Lillies does much the same, but there the sheer detail means it's not quite so unsettling until the very end. Metroid 2, the original, the PROPER one, is so *empty* by the end. So alien. Almost nothing is recognizable even from the rest of the game. Almost nothing is there, but you and the monsters. And this is the first time I've ever realized that the *soundscape* contributed to it, so thanks so much for that. There's a trait in games, a tendency to have grand, sweeping areas with vast places you cannot go. Or the implication of such places: a waterfall that tumbles down into nothing, or a crack in the natural stone walls of a desert, showing a seemingly infinite desert beyond (for the FFXIV fans). In Metroid 2, you can descend all the way down into the very deepest places. There is no terrible depth you cannot explore, and you MUST explore them to succeed. In the original game, the final battle didn't work like anything else in the game, and the PAUSE feature was disabled: one last horror before you could claim victory. There is an artistry in Metroid 2 that has never since been completely recaptured. I'm not sure it could be. Like a beautiful, dark, quiet glory.

[@mevb]

You didn't mention that near end of the game, when there is only one Metroid left on the counter, it suddenly goes up as more Metroid hatch from their eggs and attack you giving the sense of "Oh my god! MORE Metroids?! I thought it was almost over!"

[@jeremylloydgamboa5425]

Cant wait for "how metroid dread creates II"

[@ronanlana270]

Wow, did this video series motif age like wine.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Planned from the start 😏

[@walt_man]

I've watched some 70's films that had the same style of music.

[@siouxsiexymox6594]

Tell the films so that i can watch them

[@Bloxed]

I love how you had a Gameboy puke green theme to the video! You really are underrated!

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Thanks! (And thanks!) I'll get there one day

[@Bloxed]

I hope that day comes soon! :)

[@YukiKazami]

Thank you for crediting the speedrun footage used! As an M2 runner myself, our scene can always use some more exposure

[@Pyre]

Bless you. First run through that game took me 15 hours. In my defense I was like, 12. But strategizing for maximum speed in that beautiful monster sounds like an incredible undertaking.

[@JulietStMoon]

Finally decided to play through this game last year before Samus Returns came out, and dear goodness, this game doesn't get enough credit at all. I honestly think it's better than Metroid 1.

[@henrygutierrez3243]

Nicholas Jabbour I love them both for different reasons. Since the first one is designed non-linearly, it's best played when you forget where everything's at. Metroid II is very linear. It's better for Speed runs as you try beating all the Metroids faster and faster. At least that's how I feel.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

They're different beasts, for sure. And like like you said, you'd likely play them for different reasons.

[@quentinarchpomple-bigginsw352]

Nicholas Jabbour I did exactly the same thing! It was surprisingly enjoyable, although I did download a map otherwise you get hopelessly lost. Would recommend. Edit: Also, looking back I'm impressed by how they made each area feel distinct despite working with very limited resources. I think it might even be better than the remake it that respect!

[@kimballbelliston5925]

Right?!

[@looe9195]

"How Metroid 2 Creates Dread" Can have a whole different meaning now xD

[@indigocactus3089]

Great job once again Dan, though I honestly can't understand how you can get across such a deep analysis in 4 minutes! I honestly believe Metroid 2 gets it's eerieness from just how harsh the sounds are. It certainly used the gameboy's fullest potential in making music, turning it's arguably greatest weakness into a strength.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Thank you so much! Yeah, I'm blown away by how they managed to get the screen and sound to look good, it's an era that only happened once, it was a really unique problem to solve.

[@syweb2]

It's thematically appropriate and well-done for the time, but as of now the sound design is one of my main barriers for entry when playing this game, along with the tiny screen size. The remakes may not have captured everything from the original, but I just find them generally more accessible. Sucks that we don't have a game that fits the best of both worlds, though.

[@indigocactus3089]

@@syweb2 Oh yeah, same. It's not even just this game for me, even iconic and catchy songs like The Legend of Zelda's overworld theme is too grating for my ears. But I can't help but admire those songs, knowing what I know about how hard it was to make them on the systems they were on.

[@sonicmastersword8080]

Chaotic, dissonant music works very well, if you know how to do it. As a musician myself, I prefer what I call "calculated chaos". As a human cannot produce randomness, and randomness is rather I preferred in composition, calculated chaos relies off of composing deliberately against expectations at specific intervals. Simply put, set a theme and lure the listener into false expectations, only to throw them for a loop. That or give no conceivable pattern and be almost completely erratic in positioning.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Ahh that's really interesting! Yeah, I Imagine it must be difficult for the human ear to hear certain things properly hat aren't man made.

[@sonicmastersword8080]

Dan Root The best way to learn it is to observe sounds in nature, both natural environments and contemporary. The sounds of nature can be represented as sections of something referred to as 'noise'. Often times you can get away with just repeating short segments, but to the trained musician that won't be hidden very long. What I like to do is to build potential expectations and then tear them down. Music has known patterns. When you break them, you either get conflicting tones and dissonance or unexpected results. Breaking them at carefully planned intervals, especially in an industrial style of composition, allows for the consistency of machinery to be heard, but yet with the random factor of noise. 8-bit systems can only do this so much. To me, the battle theme sounds more like an alarm mixed with a rising and falling melody.

[@bfish89ryuhayabusa]

I'm surprised by how few videos exist pointing out the game's design as it stands. Many seem to miss the point, dismissing the soundtrack because the ambient tracks get unpleasant, or the level design because many rooms look similar, completely missing that those are the intended effects, and that the game is meant to make you uncomfortable and disoriented.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Exactly! It's easy to judge something because it's old, but there was so much going on here

[@syweb2]

Intentional doesn't necessarily mean fun or enjoyable. While the game's design takes advantage of what's available, I think part of the issue is that of comparison - games that come after it (or even before, or around the same time) are simply more welcoming and accessible, and what used to be taking clever advantage of limitations has looped back around to simply being a barrier for entry. While Metroid 2's eeriness and slight unpleasantness work well thematically, the way they were accomplished only holds up for so long, and it doesn't change the fact that the game not only just _feels_ dated, but that some of the technical aspects are just not fun (like sounds that just grate on your ears and make you not want to play anymore), especially when there are games the likes of Super that not only accomplish similar Metroid moodiness, but also have color, a decent screen size/visibility, and sound design that doesn't make me want to play on mute. I love Metroid 2's boss themes and some of the soundtrack, and I like the _idea_ of what it does with its technical limitations, but it's aged somewhat poorly (much like the original Metroid), and certain elements of it bar me from ever wanting to pick it up in favor of Super or the _two_ remakes that are out there. It was a masterpiece for its time, but now it just feels like a slog, even if it does do some things better than the remakes. I don't intend to say that old automatically equals bad (just look at Silent Hill, which takes advantage of technical limitations to do some really cool things, and Super Mario Bros pretty much holds up to this day), I just think that some aspects, while well-done, have a shelf life that simply doesn't match up to that of its contemporaries. I'd love it if the remakes captured some of the parts of the original's mood and theming that they lacked (and trust me, they are _lacking_ in some aspects), but as it stands they are simply more fun to play, so I would probably choose to play them over it 99% percent of the time. TL;DR - Original Metroid 2 was great, but it was still a product of its time, and parts that were intentionally taking advantage of limitations are still barriers for entry in comparison to other options that are available. Would love it if the remakes captured all of the mood and tension of the original, but they sadly don't ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.

[@bfish89ryuhayabusa]

@@syweb2 I don't think being unpleasant is necessarily a bad thing. It's a horror game built around making you feel uncomfortable and lost and overwhelmed. To remove that from the game in the name of making it easier to get into removes what makes it great in order to make it good. Silent Hill is a great comparison of another horror game that uses its limitations to make the game more uncomfortable. Both games, for instance, use the limitations to present a sense of claustrophobia where you don't know what's just outside of your narrow field of view, thus increasing the tension. The soundtrack is supposed to unnerve you. It's an ambient soundscape of an alien world that you're invading to commit genocide. You're not supposed to be there. It does a great job of making you feel more and more overwhelmed. This game's dedication to theming is what makes it an all time great game, where the remakes are good, but nothing particularly special. The whole crux of the game is that your mission is wrong and bad, and it therefore should not be intrinsically rewarding or "fun" in the sense of being an easy to enjoy pleasure loop. (while AM2R does this, Samus Returns absolutely goes full tilt into making genocide inappropriately "fun", and ruins the beautiful ending section by shoehorning in a boss that completely defeats the point that everything becomes peaceful and pleasant the moment Samus is done killing things) To ignore the theming and overall experience in favor of making a more accessible game is a major disservice that seems to say that the type of experience Metroid 2 is, is inherently a bad type of experience that should be "corrected" to a different and more accepted type of experience, and that this type of experience has no value.

[@nathaneskin3572]

@@syweb2 You can play it on a computer screen or a TV, and you can play it with the custom color palette the developers created special for when you play it on gameboy color (which looks very nice unlike the palette that the super gameboy uses for it), so the lack of color and small screen are solved problems and not barriers to entry, to be fair.

[@spunkyd99]

I appreciate this video. Metroid II was my entry point into the Metroid series in the early 90’s and I’ve been a fan ever since. I remember hours spent hunching over my brother’s shoulder to watch him explore, finding the Varia suit and seeing the impressive [at the time] visual upgrade of Samus’ armor! I remember the instances where the game threw in few a few jump scares by strategically placing a Gamma Metroid in vertical shafts and having the unpleasant surprise of running into one unprepared for the fight. That lead to us “stutter stepping” Samus through any area that was eerily devoid of other creatures that normally inhabit it. I remember we got so lost to the point that it took many hours to get to the final boss. But best of all, although I think my brother beat the game before I did, I was the first to complete the game quickly enough to get the best ending. While [I think] we knew that Samus was a woman, we didn’t know about the character reveal until I happened to finish it and noticed the difference from when my brother played (and proudly showed him my accomplishment). The whole experience solidified my love for the Metroid concept and it only got better when we finally played Super Metroid (about 2 or 3 years after its release) and saw that it picked directly up where Metroid II ended. Good times y’all. Goooood times. 😊

[@gamerofgamers1417]

The title predicted the future.

[@lilblack2531]

The title is foreshadowing

[@Sheriffhyperofficial]

You know what's fun about this game is they let you slip into the ship

[@ShepardCZ]

Looking forward to: How Metroid Dread creates dread.

[@MishKoz]

I fear the ear destroying soundtrack

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

The beginning music is literally the only worthy track

[@MishKoz]

Yeah. Although I do like the song at the end when you find the Metroid larva.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Oh yeah, so do I actually. And the credited. Obvs.

[@13gamerbullet]

I enjoyed the "The soundtrack even manages to pull off some Jump-Scares!" tidbit. (2:20) This game was my childhood, and I legitimately flinched when you approached the Gamma Metroid in the hallway. I know that feeling of happy exploring interrupted by how DANGEROUS and scary these [Metroid Evolutions] are.

[@nathaneskin3572]

Woo! I like this game. The atmosphere is very fitting for a game where you exterminate an entire species by breaking into each metroid's home and murdering it. I've also always liked how organic everything feels in Metroid 2. It's linear, but it's confusing and it feels like you're actually lost and just bullshitting your way through a lot of the time. Like they only put the missile doors in so that the buildings would have doors, they didn't even need to bother (since you start with missiles anyway) but they put doors at the entrances to buildings (and nowhere else) just because it made sense. The later games sometimes feel too over-designed, like big clockwork puzzles where everything fits together perfectly. That's good for game design but it also feels really artificial. (To be fair though the lava feels pretty artificial in 2, but if they didn't separate the levels somehow it would be a nearly unplayable mess) I also like how they managed to keep an impressively logical ecosystem (for an 8 bit game), with different enemies in the main shaft, and different enemies at different depths. Some enemies only show up once or twice in the whole game. Also the Caverns 3 "music" (?) is freaky and weird and it's perfect for Metroid.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Yeah, Metroid 2 is definitely the black sheep of the series. I'm not sure I agree that later games feel artificial (as we'll see later in the series) but it's easy to get caught up trying to make sure a game follows certain "rules" the series seems to have put in place.

[@OmegaWarrior42]

In regards to the sound design, the one thing I noticed was a pattern in the final background songs in the game, basically from the Omega Zone onward. The base percussion line seems to mimic a muffled heartbeat, one that is going rather fast. Played in isolation, this heartbeat actually slowly increases in tempo several times, first as you enter the nest, again as the new brood of Metroids appears, and once more in the final corridor before the mother Metroid. It's an almost subliminal signal to get your own heartrate up the closer you get to the end boss, only going back to a slow background acknowledgement after the fight has ended. Brilliant design, especially considering the limitations of the GameBoy's sound card.

[@BroadswordMedia]

One thing I've noticed that I don't think very many people have pointed out in this game is that the dark music for every dungeon(I don't know what to call those areas) is actually the same song with every single dungeon but as you progress through the game they add more beats to the song and then finally get to the last dungeon, you hear the full song. I'm sure many people who have played both these games have noticed this like myself, but some sound effects including the pause sound in Metroid 2 were reused later in Wario Land.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Huh, I can't say I've noticed that.

[@TGMShoNuff]

Beyond that, this channel is getting subbed. I love your studies!!

[@ghosty2548]

I mean when you think about it. İt litreally created dread...

[@Bloxed]

Most underrated channel on KZbin!

[@EdgeOfEntropy17]

Just found this channel and man do I feel like I missed out! The content is perfect!

[@thesuperbrostoad8247]

How Metroid Dread creates II

[@enemy627]

Next Up: "How Metroid Dread creates II"

[@Metroid4ever]

Make sure you check out AM2R! The creator, Milton/Doc, really implemented tons of tension throughout the game. Couldn't tell you how many times I screamed out loud at various points that caught me off-guard. I've probably had a couple years shaved off my life, but hey, it was worth it.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

I certainly will once the main line games are done.

[@Metroid4ever]

Nice to hear! I'm keepin' an eye out for your stuff~

[@raakone]

Another stroke of musical genius....notice how when you leave either a temple or the main shaft, you hear the "fading bass" before going into the ambient sounds? The last area, there is music, but it seems to be a variation on that. Makes things more creepy. Even though there's a save point when you first hear it.

[@hypershadix1]

Aww man the Gameboy I've had such fond memories of playing all kinds of games like Tetris, Casper the friendly ghost and many other great games at the time and now here we are 28 years later with the Switch hybrid console which I love oh so much

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

It's pretty smart, isn't it?

[@hypershadix1]

Dan Root indeed it is Dan I mean having a console that's also a handheld is the most brilliant idea I've seen from Nintendo since the 3ds's release

[@bobby2bend]

Underrated channel

[@tomwylie6562]

Very cool video, I like how you changed your own animation to match

[@moni426]

this level of polish amazes me, did anyone else notice that when samus enters a big hall the sound of her jumping has a big echoe to it, but not in smaller areas...... mind blown oh and i forgot to mention that you can hear a heartbeat getting progressively louder as samus gets closer and closer to the queens lair. sic

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

There's an echo in larger spaces!? How did....I not notice that?

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Hmm, I'm not sure the echo is there actually, I can only seem to hear it throughout the entirety.

[@moni426]

@@VideoGameAnimationStudy that is right but there is more delay to it in bigger spaces 😎

[@moni426]

for example compare the jumping sound inside the chozo ruins to the sound when you get out to the open cave. i love this stuff

[@hotchocolate8008]

Love that Gameboy animation style! Great job like always!

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Thank you!

[@crashbandicoot430]

Your artstyle is just amazing

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Thank you!!

[@izzyalistair]

I love this series Dan, I wish I would have discovered your channel sooner, Super Metroid is my favorite game ever.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Thank you! Yeah I'm slowly adding to this Metroid atmosphere series.

[@izzyalistair]

@@VideoGameAnimationStudy omg wow, didn't except a reply in general, none the less this soon. Can't wait for Prime 4 and your breakdown

[@KellsKats]

DREAD??? Well well well.

[@PhilipJFryII]

Awesome style man

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Thanks! It was fun!

[@TheCastellan]

3:35 Metroid's inspiration was the Alien films. Also, if one thinks of it, the 1975 Doctor Who classic story, "The Ark in Space" could be in inspiration for Alien....and as well as Metroid.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

That's right yeah. And Aliens and The Thing are good inspirations for Metroid Fusion

[@Part_Time_Fox]

Nice job!

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Thanks, Patron ;-)

[@ninemugetsu]

Title aged like wine

[@novustalks7525]

Metroid 2 is one of my favourites

[@Marc_Araujo]

Never had (or wanted) a Game Boy as a kid but begged my parents for a Super Game Boy to play this and Link's Awakening.

[@theycallmejpj]

If you sit on the title screen for a minute it will start an exclusive song

[@MrFarnanonical]

love you too.

[@UnTalCoto]

Metroid 2 in my case is a lot of fun, exploration and skills make it very good

[@natiprot69]

Younjust got yourself a new sub!

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

You just got yourself some new gratitude!

[@natiprot69]

Dan Root I guess these probably take some time, but are you going to do the prime series?

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

I'll be doing the games in release order, yeah. So Prime will be next, after my next animation video 😊

[@hzafary]

I wish this video was longer!

[@indiebutterknife952]

You never stop with the amazing videos do you? Jeez well I don't know if it means much but i look to you for inspiration.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

That's absolutely wonderful of you to say, thank you! I'm glad I can be of inspiration to you! What sort of videos to you do?

[@indiebutterknife952]

I did reviews. Shifting my self towards analysis and video essays, after a year of hiatus. Currently working on one for Samus Returns.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Oh cool. Yeah keep at it, you've got good thumbnails!

[@BigLord]

More like "How Metroid: Samus Returns (the remake of Metroid II) creates dread", amirite fellas? MercurySteam joke!

[@tameow]

Great video! Keep it up

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Thanks so much!

[@woozy1885]

The intro is amazing

[@roaringthunder115]

I like the word Monochroid

[@NoName-md6fd]

Nevermind the fact that samus is running around in an underground cave system full of ruin buildings from an ancient alien race, and that cave system is infested with the most dangerous species in the universe. The story isn't told in words, the music either tells you that you are in your way to the next ruin, in a ruin or that metroids are nearby. Once there is an established pattern for when the next metroid fight occurs, that pattern is either broken, the metroid changes form or both. We witness the evolution of the metroid life cycle in realtime. And when you think you have seen all the tricks, there is the queen fight.

[@kimballbelliston5925]

You didn't even mention that moment in the queen's lair when the Metroid counter suddenly goes UP

[@ZeroSpawn47]

The thing that caused dread for me was never knowing where I was, where I was supposed to go, or what I was supposed to do.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Ha! Too true

[@rtyuik7]

you earned my Subscription with the "Monochroid...Metronome?" bit...good job lol

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Haha, thanks!

[@emmywillow6599]

i think one thing to note is the sound quality relatively. the sounds are so sharp bc it was designed to be heard on shitty tinny game boy speakers

[@Vaporvice84]

Dating myself here but, the 'main theme' at the start of the game (when you're first running around) is actually "Open Your Heart" by Madonna, a hit song for her in 1986. Listen to both songs back to back and you'll easily notice it.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Huh, I'll have to check that out!

[@unvergebeneid]

Metroid 2 was killing me. As a kid, I'd stumble through that grey labyrinth for ages without a save station. Then a metroid would suddenly jump me and I was dead.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Ah man, yeah that happened to me too!

[@ClassifiedGamez]

He forgot how enemies are plentiful and strong in the beginning and then get weaker and less in appearance until they disappear before the metriod queen

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Yeah I did forget to mention that too.

[@JoeySplat5]

Oh Dan! I love you

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

And I you

[@lmeza1983]

M2 is a master piece worth playing today just pick up the gameboy color and play it on an emulator if need be. It took me more than 15 years to finally decide to play this game and OG metroid because the really outdated graphics and gameplay but turns out they are great in their own right and yeah I played Zero mission and AM2R before them.

[@LordShrek13]

Pop the game in a gameboy color and its all Blue. Powerups are orange

[@TGMShoNuff]

Someone mentioned this already but to note, the composer of Metroid 2 stated the music you hear in the game isn't music, but the Planet's ambient sounds. Two tracks are the only ones that are considered "music".

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

That's right!

[@stephen5060]

What are your thoughts on the atmosphere in Samus Returns?

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

I actually haven't played Samus Returns as I don't own a 3DS. It'll be the last game I look at in this series, so I've got some time to play it and get a feel for it.

[@azzyiseternal4745]

With this game's lack of music, it's nice to see how it can create such dread in a player.. I respect all opinions toward this game, Positive or Negative.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

I agree, and it has many positive and negative. It all chips out an interesting game though.

[@Chayaen]

Metroid II - Return of Samus is a horror game. Metroid 2 - Samus Returns is an action game. Chance my mind.

[@Mannwhich]

Right? In Return of Samus, you feel strong, but vulnerable, cautious, wary of what might jump out at you, as the threats were real, only missiles worked. If you ran out while fighting a Metroid, kiss your ass goodbye! Samus Returns focuses to much on her being overly bad assy. It's hard to feel a horror aspect if you feel like an unstoppable tank.

[@michaelwilliams7140]

1:35 how do you get mouse on game boy do I send it to Nintendo

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

It was an emulator

[@michaelwilliams7140]

Video Game Animation Study yeah I know I was jesting

[@justinb7542]

Took me countless tries to actually get into meteoid 2. After playing through Samus Returns, I decided to try it one last time. And I finally got it. Knowing the general layout of the field map made the hunt make sense for me, and in some cases, made Metroid 2 a better game than Samus Returns (though I do love what they did for the game)

[@ravagingwolverine666]

That's really great that the game finally clicked with you. It's a wonderful thing when you go back to a game that just didn't grab you for some reason and then you totally get it. I've had that experience many times and some of my favorite games now are ones I didn't like all that much at first. Exploration games are really hit or miss for me because I prefer to know where to go and what to beat, but they can be very good. I had Metroid 2 when it was new based on a recommendation and it quickly became one of my favorite GB games and one I've always held in high regard.

[@110100111000]

Didn't the programmers somehow manage to cram a Super Gameboy/Gameboy Color compatible color palette in this thing? If so how does that change the experience?

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Hmm, interesting! I guess it'd end up being a more sophisticated version of Metroid, as all the details would be present as well as colour

[@Fella-hf3nc]

Still going good! :)

[@E1itetube]

This game makes you feel like you are deep in the ground on an alien planet. All the rest of the series still hasn't recreated that solo, alien XP.

[@bananaJacob]

Im gonna try this game 😊

[@CelestinaakaClonaClox9999]

I personally liked Metroid 2 a lot more than the original. (Although the original definitely topped it on music and sounds) I feel like Nintendo games that don’t take place in the expected area usually hold more meaning. For Super Mario games that aren’t in the Mushroom Kingdom, and for The Legend of Zelda games that aren’t in Hyrule. Metroid is no exception for games that aren’t on Planet Zebes

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Yeah I get what you mean, though there's only two (or three) games set in Zebes. I think Metroid games not purely about Metroids are more interesting, like Prime 2.

[@CelestinaakaClonaClox9999]

Ahhh ok I wasn’t aware of that. (I’m playing the series in order of games released and I’m only on Prime 1)

[@ap239]

I hate how Samus Returns completely ignores this atmosphere, and makes the game bright and flashy...

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Mm yeah. Bit of a shame.

[@megatroid7083]

Can you do one about how Metroid Dead creates II?

[@bojiden]

The fact that he pronounced NES "ness" instead of "N.E.S" almost made me close the page. Besides that great video though. I just beat that game a few weeks ago, so I'm glad to find a video about it.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Yeah he says it the way people say it in the UK. And thanks.

[@eljotarodejumpforce2614]

Yo made a spoiler with the video title

[@0xEmmy]

Did you lift some of that soundtrack from AM2R?

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

I haven't used any from that, no.

[@tiborvegh700]

What if you play the game on GBC?

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

@@tiborvegh700 There are options

[@bodhiston5550]

Someone say Metroid Dread?

[@randomassortmentofthings]

You actually could choose palette colors on the GBC or the GBA so.it wasn't totally grey. The reason why is pretty cool: it was created while the GBC was undergoing final testing and so received a secret color palette chip

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

That's right.

[@megamech2268]

monochroid? metronome?

[@theguy3851]

Why didn't you talk about the pancakes with eyes?

[@penelopehoward3222]

Gameboy color players:we get color!

[@just-mees]

1:30, you use emulation, I see the cursor.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Bloody good spot! It's actually not my footage, the link is in the description, as I didn't have a decent emulator or capture card for it this time around.

[@just-mees]

I only played am2r, I hope its accurate

[@just-mees]

Yeah the music is catchy at least, and the metroid encounters have gotten more jumpsare to them

[@adderallfannumberonefanofa3074]

b r u h

[@Transgender-ProphetMohammed]

Many years ago i had a stupid pal in second class. He sold me that game for 5DM wich wasnt very much. Totally loved that game but this music made me shit my pants.

[@popular_dollars]

If you intentionally cut out that "Love you, bye" then good job.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Nah...it's at the end.

[@emmanuelgatica4998]

You should do twilight princess

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Hmm, maybe. I'll do the Metroid games first and see how I feel after.

[@Marc_Araujo]

...should've captured game-footage from the Super Game Boy 2.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Should I have?

[@Marc_Araujo]

@@VideoGameAnimationStudy official color palette from Nintendo...looks sharper and way better overall than the black and white from the base Game Boy.

[@marinellovragovic1207]

​​@@Marc_Araujo the recommended palette for Metroid 2 is the default GBC palette. The creator of Metroid is also the creator of the GB and GBC. What I don't know is if the SGB2 uses that same palette or not.

[@Lulink013]

Less is more.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Absolutely!

[@samwisegamgee1243]

As a kid I really hated this game because of how bleak it looks and sounds. It wasn't until later that I realized it was intentional by design. Quite innovative for pixel game of its time.

[@Mannwhich]

I felt that was the defining feature of this game. Starts off upbeat (almost celebratory) as you're finally playing a Metroid sequel. Then after awhile everything suddenly goes quiet save for animal / bug noises, it was unexpected. Unnerving even! Imagine being out in the woods listening to birds chirping and other sounds, only to hear everything go immediately silent, including the wind. It's fear inducing! As your natural instincts are warning you to either run or hide, because shit is about to go down!

[@hyperpowerfulform5132]

This must have easy(er) to color than your typical video, huh?

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Haha! Sort of...