 Available in A4 (£7.99) or A3 (£10.99)Description
The Return of Samus
Released for the Nintendo Game Boy in 1991, Metroid II: Return of Samus was the second game in the Metroid series and the first to bring Samus Aran’s adventure to a handheld console. This time, Samus is sent to SR388, the home planet of the Metroids, with a very different mission from her first adventure. The Galactic Federation has become increasingly concerned about the threat posed by the Metroid species. After attempts to investigate SR388 go wrong, Samus is sent to the planet to eradicate the Metroids before they can once again fall into the hands of the Space Pirates.
Her mission is simple in theory: find the Metroids and destroy them all.
But SR388 is a hostile and mysterious world, filled with underground caverns, ancient ruins and dangerous creatures. As Samus ventures deeper into the planet, she encounters different stages of Metroid evolution, making the mission considerably more dangerous than it first appears.
Welcome to SR388
Where the original Metroid took Samus through the sprawling regions of planet Zebes, Metroid II places the emphasis on exploring the underground world of SR388. The planet is divided into a series of interconnected areas, with Samus needing to explore increasingly dangerous environments while hunting down the Metroids hidden within them. The Metroid population itself becomes an important part of the progression. As Samus advances through the game, she encounters increasingly evolved forms of the creatures, including Alpha, Gamma, Zeta and Omega Metroids.
The result is an adventure with a darker and more isolated atmosphere than its predecessor. Samus is effectively alone on an alien world, searching through its underground environments for the creatures she has been sent to eliminate.
New Abilities for Samus
Metroid II expanded the abilities available to Samus and introduced several features that would become important parts of the series. Among the additions are the Spider Ball, which allows Samus to roll along walls and ceilings while in Morph Ball form, and the Space Jump, which gives her much greater freedom of movement. The game also introduced the Spazer Beam and a distinctive new design for the Varia Suit. These upgrades are important to exploration, allowing Samus to reach areas that were previously inaccessible and helping her progress further into the planet.
As with the original Metroid, discovering a new ability can completely change how you approach the world around you.
An Important Chapter in the Metroid Story
Metroid II is particularly significant because of where it sits within Samus’s story. The game follows directly from the events of the original Metroid and sets the stage for Super Metroid. It also introduces elements that would have a major impact on the wider series, particularly Samus’s relationship with the Metroids themselves. The events of Metroid II were later revisited and reimagined in the Nintendo 3DS game Metroid: Samus Returns, released in 2017.
For fans of the original 2D games, Metroid II therefore represents an important bridge between the NES original and the much larger adventure that followed in Super Metroid.
A Game Boy Metroid Classic
Metroid II is also an interesting piece of Nintendo history because it was designed specifically around the limitations and characteristics of the original Game Boy. The monochrome screen gave the game a darker visual identity, while the handheld format made SR388 feel particularly isolated. The limited screen size and distinctive presentation created an atmosphere that was very different from the NES original.
Despite those limitations, the game expanded the Metroid formula with new abilities, new Metroid forms and a much more focused mission structure.
For retro Nintendo fans, it remains an important part of the series’ early history and a key chapter in Samus Aran’s original 2D adventures.
Design & Style
This poster is based on the original Game Boy key art for Metroid II: Return of Samus, bringing the distinctive artwork of Samus’s second adventure into the same clean, minimalist format as the rest of the Metroid collection.
- Original Metroid II: Return of Samus Game Boy key art used as the main image
- Artwork representing Samus’s mission on the Metroid homeworld of SR388
- Metroid II title positioned above the main artwork
- Developer, publisher, genre and launch platform information displayed in the top-right
- Six colour swatches sampled directly from the artwork positioned in the top-left
- Short description of the game and its original release year positioned beneath the main image
- Original Game Boy platform branding incorporated at the bottom
- Clean gallery-style presentation designed to combine authentic retro artwork with modern gaming wall art
If you’d like to see the game itself rather than its original artwork, there’s also a Metroid II: Return of Samus gameplay screenshot poster available, providing a different visual take on Samus’s journey across SR388.
This design also follows naturally from the Metroid NES Key Art Poster, while the two can be displayed together as the opening chapters of Samus’s classic 2D adventures.
Print Details
- Available in A4 – 210 × 297mm
- Available in A3 – 297 × 420mm
- Printed on 240gsm Premium Gloss Photo Paper
- High-quality colour reproduction
- Designed for easy framing and display
- Ideal for gaming rooms, bedrooms, offices and retro gaming collections
Shipping
- Free UK shipping
- International shipping available
- Carefully packaged to help ensure your poster arrives in excellent condition
Perfect For
- Metroid fans
- Nintendo Game Boy collectors
- Retro gaming enthusiasts
- Samus Aran fans
- Classic Nintendo collectors
- 2D Metroid fans
- Game Boy nostalgia
- Gaming rooms and retro displays
- Fans of Samus’s original adventures
25% OFF WHEN YOU BUY 2+ POSTERS – DISCOUNT APPLIED AUTOMATICALLY
Add two or more posters to your order and the 25% discount is applied automatically at checkout.
This Metroid II design also forms part of the Metroid 1–3 Key Art Poster Bundle, bringing together the original Metroid, Metroid II: Return of Samus and Super Metroid key art designs in one matching three-poster collection.
