VG Myths - Can You Beat The Metroid II Minimalist Pacifist Challenge?

Tonight on VG Myths, we return to the Minimum Pacifist challenge, attempting to beat the classic Nintendo game Metroid 2: Return of Samus on the Game Boy while collecting as few items while defeating as few enemies as possible. Turns out there's a couple we have to kill!
If you'd like to support the channel and make possible shows like VG Myths, Every Change To, Region Freedom, Dumb Fun Gaming, and A Complete Review, please consider backing on Patreon~
/ gamechamp
This run's final boss was streamed live on Twitch! If you'd like to catch me when I'm live, you can head to:
/ gamechamp3k
If you'd like to watch the stream archives, they're on the Let's Strem channel. I stream directly on there too, now!
/ letsstrem
Sources
Metroid II: Return of Samus
Music from khinsider
Metroid II Longplay by Tarosan
longplays.org
• Game Boy Longplay [016...
Metroid II TAS by Fortranm & Ferret Warlord
tasvideos.org/5218M
Metroid II Low% Speedrun by behemoth87
• Metroid 2: Return of S...
The Powerpuff Girls for some reason

[@Teqnifii]

I love how murder is disallowed, but perpetually freezing your enemies, leaving them alive but conscious presumably until the end of time, is a consequence-free move

[@appelofdoom8211]

It's like that one image where the batman keeps a quadruple amputated joker stuck to a hospital bed in the batcave because it's not murder and thus moral

[@cosmicjenny4508]

I’m crying, this is literally the resolution the Doctor Who season 11 finale goes for 😭😭

[@poppila7807]

peace, love, and plants! /ref

[@antleymeese2147]

Eh, Samus will destroy the whole damn planet in a few years anyways. That is, for the animals who didn’t get turned into X even earlier

[@princedeven5829]

@@cosmicjenny4508To be fair good old Mr. Tim Shaw did murder... so it's not immoral, it's just him being sentenced to prison

[@SimplySnaps]

A real pacifist knows when taking 47 lives is necessary. Thank you for doing what needed to be done.

[@sageblu2283]

oh hey, my other favorite trans girl challenge runner!

[@irithylldragon]

@@sageblu2283 the two best - simplychamp and gamersnaps

[@Asiago9]

Like killing 47 guards to get the classic suit of the hitman series, as agent 47

[@isadoraximenes9430]

OH SIMPLY SNAPS HIIIII~

[@AngelofGrace96]

Hiii Snaps ❤😊

[@ReikuYin]

"Metroid 2, return of Samus, is the first game in the Metroid 2 series." I thought that was a misspeak but then I remembered the remake. Clever.

[@lovescarguitar]

And AM2R before it

[@dazcar2203]

metroid 2, my favourite trilogy

[@ArtemisAYO]

Yeah, so glad the fans made a remake since Nintendo would never.

[@Nieveria]

@@ArtemisAYO samus returns is good though??

[@briangoldberg4439]

@@Nieveria it's only so-so, like 6/10

[@dazcar2203]

this is probably the game where the pacifist run has the most ludonarrative dissonance

[@PineappleFlau]

To be fair, Samus was only sent there to kill Metroids. If anything this is the MOST lore-accurate playthrough.

[@vivil2533]

​@@PineappleFlau I imagine Samus is trying not to destroy the planets natural ecosystem. Samus may mostly be known for fighting. She probably cares about nature. It seems like the Chozo would, and she is effectively the Chozos legacy! Also it make Fusion all the more tragic, she destroyed the ecosystem by killing the X parasites sole Predator.

[@blakksheep736]

"The other enemies are fine, but the -fish- metroids have sinned."

[@blakksheep736]

​​@@vivil2533 presumably in the later games, she figured that she doesn't have to worry about upsetting the ecosystem if it no longer exists, hence the "every planet you leave detonates" current arc.

[@vivil2533]

@@blakksheep736 well the only planet she "left intact" became infested by the most dangerous creature in the known universe, that almost killed her even, so maybe it's for the best.

[@hbomberguy]

Can YOU Metroid 2 beat the return of samus minimalist pacifist challenge?

[@autisticchopper]

what the

[@monochromegreyson]

I most certainly cannot sir bomberguy

[@DracoVimes]

I don’t know can I?

[@Sage_the_Turtoise]

i bet if i did, my mother would be very proud

[@billyweed835]

@@autisticchopper I feel like I just saw Benoît Blanc hanging out in a random club.

[@connormcnulty6377]

I can’t believe every copy of Metroid 2 comes with a roll of duct tape, in case the one in your Game Boy comes undone.

[@RAFMnBgaming]

I need to hunt down one then, the batteries on my gameboy have been hanging loose for years and that's not even a euphemism.

[@Paraster]

This unlocks the ending where a small white dog becomes ruler of SR388 and inexplicably makes the world perfect for everyone.

[@charziz6693]

I get it!

[@T-Dawg75]

I THINK I get it. Think.

[@user-vw4xp5nt9f]

perhaps we are thinking of different games...

[@bigbang8739]

Hi Gamerchamp, thanks for welcoming me back to VG Myths

[@tibby4503]

fr

[@dooplets._.5776]

So true

[@Roebloz]

Pacifist Genocide, my favorite Undertale run.

[@tibby4503]

But this isn't undertale.

[@An_Entire_Lime]

​@@tibby4503 We all know Metroid for the Nintendo Entertainment System was programmed with Undertale

[@tibby4503]

@@An_Entire_Lime man I'm dead💀

[@dazcar2203]

@@An_Entire_Lime *metroid ii for the gameboy entertainment system

[@samlewis6487]

​@@dazcar2203 The first game in the Metroid 2 series

[@skyblade7438]

Nintendo: “So, we made this game about how committing genocide is bad and how the Metroids were actually just exploited for awful ends with no input of their own.” Gamechamp: “Golly, I’d better follow your advice then.” Nintendo: “Wait, now that’s not-“

[@Dash123456789Brawl]

Is that really what M2 was about? It was a good ending, until more than a decade later, Fusion revealed that the genocide had dire consequences. Then the solution of course is to do more genocide AND destroy the entire planet this time.

[@exorphitus]

Don't forget the sequel game where it turns out Samus blindly genociding a species she knew nothing about was the dumbest thing she could have done, and all she accomplished was to remove the only predator of an even more dangerous species.

[@sentientbowtie5773]

​@@exorphitus its literally not her fault

[@CheshireCad]

26:50 Nothing is quite as satisfying as hearing her triumphant "I don't have to play this game anymore!" laugh.

[@perfectworldbeholder]

The way you use the word "legally" like a weapon is sending me

[@FelisImpurrator]

Classic Gamechamp. She's TECHNICALLY not a lawyer, but shhh, don't tell the games that!

[@abraveastronaut]

Gamechamp is legally not a lawyer

[@bucketts6148]

Love a gamechamp video alongside a bowl of duct tape and a nice tall glass of double sided duct tape

[@ashketchup7354]

I'll stick with my 47 lattes, thanks.

[@shilohmagic7173]

we love a good gamechamp3000 "if it doesn't exist, it can't die"

[@dudujencarelli]

'6:10 - It stopped existing before it had a chance to die'. This may be the most unintentionally funny line I've heard, loaded with philosophical meaning even.

[@ShadwSonic]

I think this is the first time that "programmed on duct tape" actually _prevented_ silly cheese.

[@VeryPeeved]

So, hang on. You're weaving your way through this place, avoiding everyone, except a certain specific set of people that you went there specifically to kill. This isn't a pacifist run, this is a hitman run! It even has the number 47 in it!

[@cam7990]

More like government-sanctioned poaching

[@Zorothegallade-gg7zg]

And when KZbin needed her the most, she returned. Fun fact, I did complete a Kirby's Adventure minimalist pacifist challenge - and it was a "True" one, you CAN beat that game by only killing mandatory bosses and minibosses [killing as in defeating them in a way that awards you points]. There are a couple really tricky sections but they ARE beatable. There is but a single extra star block you need to break at a certain point to give yourself space to dodge a certain enemy, but besides that I don't think it can be refined any further. But piecing the gameplay videos together is quite a nightmare, no pun intended.

[@Iinneus]

I thought the story for this one was gonna be "Samus was tasked with killing all the Metroids, but she isn't here to kill anything _else_ on SR388!" But I very much enjoyed the quick TAS overview!

[@opjm8664]

As someone who gets genuinely lost playing Metroid Fusion: no, I don't think I can beat a Metroid game without an in-game map in general

[@n0tinctrl]

same 😭 i'm very glad we got zero mission and samus returns because i would always get lost in the originsl games

[@edvinkaziunas5847]

Having the end credits be triggered by touching a missile recharging station while having killed all the metroids is interesting

[@trimack]

"It stopped existing before it had the chance to die" Probably one of the most metal things I've ever heard.

[@riluna3695]

Right along with "Kill it before it exists" from a previous episode. One of the Rockman games.

[@ariajohnson8107]

Oh, Gamerchamp-chan, I've missed you! Metroid II was actually the first Metroid I ever played and beat. And I think I accidentally sequence broke the game; as a young girl, I couldn't find any other Metroids to kill, so using the several etanks I found I swiftly made my way through an acid/lava-filled area and found new stuff to kill. Looking forward to the Minimalist Pacifist Run in Super Metroid, and the Damageless Run in the next Rock Man game!

[@darkcherry407]

I'm ready for duct tape

[@mysticalcomments]

Welcome back to Gamechamp’s comment section! The Online Internet KZbin Reaction that continues to love her videos!

[@orangeaurora]

gamerchamp is so cool i love her pacifist run except for the enemies she left for dead while frozen and the metroids she comitted genocide against

[@screenwatcher949]

:0 i thought gamechamp3000 was a man

[@ArloMathis]

@@screenwatcher949 From the channel's about section: "I'm a non-binary completionist-focused gamer who makes videos testing the limits of games with challenges, analyzing game design, and making really dumb jokes." Uses she/they? I think? 'She' at least. Has referred to herself as 'Ms. GameChamp' in prior videos.

[@kuroser353]

​@@ArloMathisUsed to use she/they, now uses only she/her iirc

[@Nate3417]

Upon killing Queen Metroid, you are the new metroid queen.

[@Zorothegallade-gg7zg]

Considering Samus IS a Metroid, that's spot on.

[@suicune3776]

@@Zorothegallade-gg7zg Even more fitting because the baby in her cellular structure was a queen :3

[@myst6673]

There's something really funny about how the most scuffed game completion trigger in the 8 and 16-bit era one could think of is actually one of the most bulletproof of it's kind.

[@ironcloud3463]

Honestly the check for game completion is kinda amazing from a game developing perspective. Making a ship asset which works pretty much like a normal refill station would've been a waste of time, so they just added the refill stations inside the tiles of the ship, but then since the ship isn't an actual object the game couldn't check for "entering ship", so they probably did the next best thing and checked the kill count at the missile refill stations Props to them for saving cartridge space in such a weird way

[@supersmashbro596]

samus: i hope my pacifism towards anything not a metroid won't bite me in the ass down the line- *x-parasite awakens offscreen and eats the nearest homoad* *awkward laugh as samus departs for ceres to continue her mostly-pacifist bounty hunting while sr-388 becomes a nightmarish warped parody of itself due to the x mimicks becoming the dominant species*

[@jraff2735]

The Super Metroid Minimalist Pacifist Reverse Boss Order run is gonna be very fun to watch :)

[@superoof-ck1cb]

I'm now imagining the Federation after this run: "Did she really just kill only a few and just LEAVE?"

[@rho-starmkl4483]

31:54 “This family stinks!”

[@CommissarMitch]

"It stopped exiting before it had the chance to die" is my favorite mental gymnastics.

[@wodwin]

This is more like a hit-man mission, where you have specified targets and need to avoid killing civilians

[@protofailure]

18:58 backshots

[@Celeste______]

So, is this going to be a series now ? Neat.

[@splgk6204]

The series itself might be holding through duct tape only so we will see lmao

[@tibby4503]

celeste

[@ArtemisAYO]

celeste

[@ectotide]

celeste

[@ZiroZenStudios]

Oh boy, Metroid II: Return of Samus! I can’t wait for Gamerchamp to play Metroid: Samus Returns, but only after she plays Super Metroid, Metroid Fusion, Metroid Prime, Metroid: Zero Mission, Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, Metroid Prime Pinball, Metroid Prime Hunters, Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, Metroid Prime Trilogy, Metroid: Other M and Metroid Prime: Federation Force, of course. 🙂

[@vlc-cosplayer]

"Metroid Prime Pinball" Metroid is probably the ONLY game series (along with Super Monkey Ball) where a pinball spin-off would barely be a spin-off at all, since rolling a ball is already a game mechanic 💀 Edit: I just thought about Katamari Damacy, but in that game you're not "the" ball, you're just moving a ball around, so it's not the same.

[@Zwyrx_Hgqfyggz]

I love how both Metroid and Mega Man have GB games people always forget and yet are so important to the lore

[@HolyAlondite]

I'm not sure I'd call the GBA Megaman games super important to the lore, but they do exist. That's for sure.

[@Zwyrx_Hgqfyggz]

@@HolyAlondite Nah I meant GB GB Megaman & Bass is great though

[@AceWolf456]

I think Gamechamp is the only creator who's patreon shootouts I watch. I dunno, it just feels right. Plus all her patrons that have decided to come together to make her say interesting things are basically the co-host of the show at this point. I hope there comes a time where her patron list occupies the better half of the video. That is the final form I envision for Ms Champ's videos.

[@jamburrito]

the patreon section of videos started getting so long at one point she actually had to raise the tier for vocal shoutouts bc one time it was like 1/3rd of a 10 minute video. which the support for her is absolutely deserved

[@ElectricalMatthew]

I didn’t expect a sequel to the first Metroid video but I’m happy to see it

[@matheuskuester8330]

I re-downloaded AM2R and am currently close to beating it again thanks to this video. Never forgot how much better it was than the official remake but i did forget how fun it was.

[@CarissaNomadic]

The Metroid Queen really is symbolic of the entire VG Myths series XD • Beaten by lack of developer foresight • Requires absurd perfectionist gameplay • Causes the run to need to concede on its conditions (one more item in an item minimalist challenge) • An absolute queen is running everything The only thing she could do to make things more prefect is if a latte became part of the strategy

[@geitegud4282]

You can hear the voice training working like a charm

[@maxastro]

I can't believe you came back to Metroid after that first one, but I'm so happy you did.

[@Sircreepington9th]

Ah, shit, here we go again.

[@alicedual-swordlesbian5251]

the inspired feat of conducting a pacifist run in which every progression target is killed. gamechamp pushes new borders every day

[@gamersread2405]

I know a super Metroid game, it’s… Metroid Zero Mission! This is definitely exactly what you asked for!

[@SilverSwordCreative]

What a cool run! Glad to see you again, and well done champ!

[@mageofchaos]

SHE'S STILL ALIVE

[@AerondightofGondor]

It's always a good day when Gamechamp uploads! Metroid isn't my cup of tea, but this'll be fun to watch!

[@tazamane9705]

Damn, what a nice surprise. Not many people who'd even remember Metroid II Thank you Gamechamp!

[@--Josh--]

There are two minimalist runs of Super Metroid that don't involve major glitches (going through walls, activating debug codes, or simultaneous Spazer+Plasma): 14% Ice and 14% Speed. But there's also a different type of minimalist run that seems *entirely* your style: the No Boss MiniBoss (NBMB) run. Collect as many items as possible without defeating any boss or mini-boss. Back when I originally did an NBMB on console, it was possible to get 83% of all items without fighting any bosses. (I did 82% because there's one power bomb that's a *massive pain*.) This involves, among other things, going through almost all of Lower Norfair without the Varia Suit (because no Kraid) or Gravity Suit (because no Phantoon) or Space Jump (because no Draygon). It also involves traversing major parts of Maridia without the Gravity Suit. Today, thanks to some new discoveries, it's possible to get a bit more than that: you can break into the Plasma room, and with Plasma you can get behind Crocomire to get its energy tank without defeating it. There may be additional items as well. This brought new life to what was already one of my favorite games, added some very interesting and satisfying challenges, and seems like exactly the kind of play style that you seem to enjoy.

[@murphthegangster]

I love your videos so much, some have the perfect energy to get my hyped for the day, and some are perfect watches before I sleep, your voice can go from amped up to so calming so fast lol

[@taylorgwynn]

Watching you and behemoth nail that battle is so insanely impressive

[@C0metHalley]

Metroid 2 is one of my favorite Metroid games. I am so happy you did a minimalist challenge for it too

[@ArnieMcStranglehold]

That final battle was beautiful. The final bomb had me thinking it might be a death and there would be a second battle where you won. Very clutch, bigly skillful.

[@Sage_the_Turtoise]

this was such a great episode!

[@Alex-qo7ke]

wait... start 1, start 2, start 3....???? Are you saying there are multiple save slots in this game? And ive just been saving over the same file over and over again for 25 years?! why am I seeing this for the first time today?!

[@Gamechamp3000]

Did you just see "Start 1" and think "Ah, yes, I would like to perform 1 start on this video game"

[@Alex-qo7ke]

@Gamechamp3000 It never occurred to me. I might have thought it was something left in from the translation process. Keep in mind that early gameboy games had weird save/load sequences like links awakening press every button to save, or games like mario Land 1, where saving was an impossibility. Add in translations like "I AM ERROR," and seeing a "1" just didn't click for me that there were more than one save files.

[@UndefeatableTwilightCatgirl]

@@Alex-qo7ke Fun fact: Despite astronomically common belief, "I am Error" isn't actually a translation error. The character is actually named "Error". And no, it's not a mistranslation of "Errol" or anything like that. Nintendo named two characters in the game "Bug" and "Error" as a programming joke, but it was _Bug's_ name that got mistranslated, as "Bagu".

[@hunkydoodle2374]

Cant believe we've got a new episode so soon! You're spoiling us!

[@_The_Dumbass_]

Ms.Gamerchamp thank you for being entertaining :) You make even some of the worst days enjoyable

[@3possumsinatrenchcoat]

i always love when she has that relieved laugh at finally finishing off the last big challenge of the run. always puts a smile on my face :>

[@dixel2047]

Yay I love this channel thanks for your time and art 😀

[@slackot]

What a good thing to wake up to. Thank you ms gamechamp 🥺

[@coleminer8847]

Gamerchamp, back at it again with masoc- i mean duct tape

[@RainbowMan9407]

Awesome to see another ongoing series come into existence on VG Myths, right next to Rockman hitless and Ratchet wrench-only. I'm curious to see whether you include the remainder of the Metroid 2 trilogy and the 3D games. Also, the Metroid Queen fight was absolutely insane.

[@HarbingerYT]

She'll probably do Super next. She tends to go in order.

[@RainbowMan9407]

@@HarbingerYT And I'm eagerly looking forward to her breaking Super in half.

[@monochromegreyson]

You have the MOST unhinged patrons lol. I live for the segment.

[@Cricket-mo4vr]

I love, explaining the final boss fight, it seemed impossibly difficult, then when she executed the plan (and the metroid queen) she made it look super easy!

[@rm_steele]

been playing metroid 2 again recently, this is what i needed

[@AdeptArcanist]

Oh my gosh, the timing is so funny - I just watched the Metroid 1 pacifist run like half a week ago!

[@josephjennings3146]

WHOA. a video so soon and i wasn't honestly ready. I was expecting like a month or so for one of thee but, heck. Putting the DnD on hold. Video watched, I'm glad to seen all of this. its perfect. but I also wish I knew that cheese on my first run. woulda saved me the trouble back then.

[@737Igi69]

I wasn’t expecting this video, one of the two most awaited videos (together with megaman 5 hitless)

[@grantbean3184]

As far as super metroid games go, I've heard Castlevania Symphony of the Night is pretty good

[@RegrettableDeed]

It's been so long! Welcome back Ms Champ! ❤

[@kwonunn4170]

Woh more metroid! Awespme job GameChamp!

[@Deedonis]

Gamechamp is so bad at video games she only managed to kill 47 enemies and barely found any pickups at all. It'd take me years of practice and more patience than I can summon to manage to be that bad at video games so bravo

[@EmeralBookwise]

Absolutely not! I've seen some insane challenges on this channel, but I'm not masochistic enough to even conceive of how much more masochism would be required to even attempt such a challenge, let alone finish it. Congratulations, and I will now be running as far away from the house before Gamechamp collapses into singularity of self-inflicted pain.

[@alooro59]

I’m always here watching my favorite series of Champ being good at videogames.

[@memejohn86]

i'm excited for the super metroid run. can't wait to see the crazy tricks that would be utilized

[@RtrGrd]

Ms. Champ I missed you. You came back right when I needed you, thank you Ms. Champ.

[@ToyKeeper]

I've had this game since it came out, and I never knew you could get inside the end boss to drop spicy meatballs.

[@briangoldberg4439]

2 was always my favorite. nuts crazy to do this though lol. good work

[@Blizzyan]

I just started playing metroid and you drop this BANGER :D

[@Magicdfox]

I see what you're laying down game champ. Can't wait for the zero mission run!

[@scoffeex1740]

your catchphrases are so good

[@adrianomanuelreyparra5165]

Gamechamp: hates Metroid. Also gamechamp: LET'S DO ANOTHER METROID.

[@gabecornett8185]

The correct way to watch this on mobile is windowed, hunched over the screen like a little gameboy goblin

[@hamhamson7740]

I appreciate the closed captions

[@jeremiahwhite8322]

Apart from chuck-e-cheese and arcades along the boardwalk, this is the first game I ever played. Good to see it torn to pieces!

[@RT55J]

It is extremely funny that the next fastest time for low% on the M2 leaderboards after behemoth's run is by a guy with several 2D Metroid WRs under his belt, and yet it's 7 and a half hours slower. Almost the entirety of that run was on the Metroid Queen fight, and watching it happen live was like watching someone lose their grip on reality. Congrats on this incredible achievement.

[@Gamechamp3000]

Oh wow, I feel kind of bad, I got really lucky with my "rely on good RNG" strat and got a successful attempt within 2 hours

[@williamraggett5960]

Needed this upload! Been a long week

[@marcusbeach1762]

These are my favorite videos on the internet

[@GinoDevs]

Hey, it's the Metroid 2 corridor music, I love that song!

[@Fireafyanimations299]

Nintendo really should have called it Return of the Pool of Burnt Duct Tape

[@triggerhappiest6811]

i've watched a lot of challenge run ytbers but gamechamp's voice and inflictions tickle my brain better than all of them

[@bandlabman462]

were the hell ahve u been last vid i saw was the mgs one the like 7 months later you made one video, happy to see you are posting

[@eightiethwheat6431]

Just laid down in bed with a bowl of ice cream, open up KZbin and see a new VG myths episode. I alone am the honored one

[@JJSquirtle]

I am now legally obligated to recommend AM2R (Another Metroid 2 Remake)

[@connorl0204]

Im really glad to see that here lately youve been putting out more content, Champ. Double glad that its still high quality content and not some lower quality stuff just to appease the algorithm. I hope that doing so isn’t putting any more of a strain on you/your sanity than the expected loss of sanity that comes with attempting runs like this.

[@bigtam1687]

Gosh I loved the ending!