                              O-----------------O
                              |   METROID II:   |
                              | Return of Samus |
                              O-----------------O
                             FAQ/Walkthrough, v1.1
                     Written by Snow Dragon (C) 2002-2003.
                              All rights reserved

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                               TABLE OF CONTENTS
                               =================
                                    Updates
                                Intro and Notes
                                    Control
                                     Items
                                 Enemy Summary
                        Metroid Countdown (Walkthrough)
                        Epilogue **WARNING - SPOILERS**
                          Credits & Legal Disclaimers

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                                    UPDATES
                                    =======

9-28-03: Finally, after a year of neglect, I have answered the call of all of
         those who have told me that my way of defeating the final Queen
         Metroid is slow, tidy, and inefficient. Here are the names of the
         people who offered up their ways of getting down and dirty with the
         last boss, defeating her in mere seconds in some cases. Over the
         past year, I have received 15 e-mails on this subject, from the
         following very kind people:

   D P
   DTHMTL
   Robert
   Lord Aeneas Kure Kame Kaeru (Lord Phat Kat)
   Lightning Bug (twice!)
   Daniel Wakefield
   Skyler Cover
   Rafael Llerena
   Joseph Hawkins
   Hibana
   Ragnar! Skunk
   Timothy Hoffman
   Florian Groenendijk
   PRML. SCRM.
   JediPikachu1

Thanks very much to these people for their cool methods and the fact that they
took time to e-mail me. It was not in vain!

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                                INTRO AND NOTES
                                ===============

Hello, welcome to this, my 27th FAQ, for a game I feel has too little
coverage (however, that is not at all to say that what is there is not
complete): Metroid II: Return of Samus, the female bounty hunter's second
adventure, only on the old gray paperweight Game Boy. I find this more fun
than the original because the frustration factor is not nearly as high as in
the first (this game is thankfully more accessible than the NES adventure
which I despise). Since there's practically nothing in the given section for
it, I decided to put a few other projects on hiatus and cover this fun title.

This guide is meant to cover everything in as comprehensive detail as
possible. You'll find anything you need to know in here from the first
Metroid Battle all the way down to the epic struggle against the Queen
Metroid. However, should you be confused by this guide's layout, you can
consult these notes I've arranged to allay your befuddlement.

** I used the real names of the non-Metroid enemies within the text, so
   if you can't tell which creature I might be referring to, use an
   instruction manual or the Enemy Summary section I have provided. The
   enemy names are done from memory, so if there is a mistake on any of
   SR388's many indigenous denizens, inform me (see below).

** Enemies are listed in alphabetical order, with Metroids being placed
   at the end in order of their evolutions.

** I'll put a warning here as I did in the table of contents: the Epilogue
   section, while still technically a little piece of walkthrough, contains
   information that you won't want to know if you're a Metroid novice.
   Spoilers are abundant there, so only refer to said chapter if you have
   beaten the game.

** Should a deep burning within your loins compel you to contact me, I
   can be reached at <eubanks1084@hotmail.com>. This is where I peruse
   and reply to almost all FAQ-related mail (not all of it is smart
   mail, you see). There are three criteria that I like to see in each
   e-mail I receive, and if you follow them, there's a good chance that
   I'll write you back satisfied. Here we are with them, then:

     1. First of all, make sure that you put stuff in the subject line
        that is relevant to your dilemma, such as the name of the game,
        or in certain cases, the exact thing you're having trouble
        with. Since Hotmail has an incredibly crappy junk filter, I
        need to know what is there that is worth my time, and so just
        do that one thing for me (and a few others). Also, make sure
        the file size is under, say, 20k or so, so that I don't think
        it's spam or a virus.

     2. Relevancy of the query you present me is always of the utmost
        importance. In other words, make sure that the e-mail you send
        me contains a question that is not already answered in the
        walkthrough. If it's a stupid question - despite what your
        third-grade teacher told you, they do exist - it will be sent
        immediately to the trash can or at best replied to rudely.
        Please triple-check to make sure I didn't cover it first, and
        then give me a holler. I hope that's not too hard to acquiesce
        to.

     3. I am a Hotmail member, so yes, I have MSN Messenger. Do not,
        under any circumstances, try adding me to your contact list. I
        don't want to talk to you in person about anything. Leave me be
        except through e-mail. I share a computer with the family, so I
        don't need total strangers who think they are saying "hi" to me
        be saying "hi" to my parents. Don't add me to your buddy list,
        because I will block you. With that said, you now know what
        constitutes a good and proper e-mail for me.

** That should be all, so let's dig into Metroid II!

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                                CONTROL
                                =======

Samus is a fairly easy bounty hunter to control, but if you push her buttons
wrong you'll end up in a lot of trouble. (...) Here's how to get a handle on
the Metroid-extinctifying woman in the armor suit.

Right/Left
----------
-> Run left and right. She runs around everywhere, but it takes her forever
   to get where she's going. Typical woman.
-> Cycle through game files at the title screen. You can have three saved
   games at once.

Up/Down
-------
-> (Up) Point your gun arm skyward.
-> (Down) Point the gun down, but only while in midair.
-> (Down) Revert to ball form. Use the ball to get through narrow passages.
-> (Down, from ball form) If you have the Spider Ball, you can turn into this
    ball that can creep slowly along most surfaces. Use the directional pad
    to go along the corresponding path.

Select
------
-> Press it with a file selected at the title screen to bring up a Clear
   option. Press Start on it to delete a file; you will hear an exploding
   sound.
-> Switch between your current gun and missiles.

Start
-----
-> Confirm title screen choices.
-> Pause the game (except at the end).
-> Save when standing on top of a save post.

B Button
--------
-> Fire a beam or missile.
-> Plant bombs while in ball form (if you have them).

A Button
--------
-> Used only for jumping. If you have the Space Jump, tap A repeatedly
   while in midair to stay there indefinitely.

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                                     ITEMS
                                     =====

Samus can have several items on her person at once as long as they are
accessories. She can only have one gun at a time, excluding her missiles. The
items that she gets from the Chozos (those bird statues) will help her
immensely as she continues on her quest. Here's a rundown of all relevant
power-ups, listed by the following sections:

   1. Status Items
   2. Artillery
   3. Suit Enhancers

---------------
1. Status Items
---------------

Small Energy Ball
-----------------
Refills 5 points of energy.

Large Energy Ball
-----------------
Refills 20 points of energy.

Small Missile Refill
--------------------
Replenishes your missile supply by five.

Energy Sphere
-------------
These lie only in certain areas and can be used an infinite number of times.
When Samus touches one, all her energy will be refilled.

Missile Battery
---------------
Works like an Energy Sphere, but refills all your missiles up to as many as
you have gotten.

Energy Tank
-----------
This will add one full energy tank to your maximum amount. Although there are
five located throughout the game, you only need to find four, as five is the
most you can have (and you start with one).

Missile Pod
-----------
Every time you get one of these, your maximum missile stock goes up ten. By
the end of the game, you will need to have more than 200 missiles to allow
yourself leeway for the end boss.

------------
2. Artillery
------------
** Note that the initial gun you receive is not listed - you don't
   obtain it, and it sucks anyway, so what's the point of mentioning
   it?

Ice Beam
--------
This handy gun will encase most foes in a sheet of ice, at which point they
become paralyzed. You can either shoot them down after that or leave them to
die (they don't thaw out, they explode - you must fire liquid nitrogen or
something).

Wave Beam
---------
Wave Beam has incredibly good range and will be a good gun to last you for a
while. It kills most enemies with ease and is good for cutting through sand.
Keep it on you - it's a good friend.

Spazer
------
Though you won't have this equipped for long, it's still a handy weapon for
slicing through enemies in a single shot, and it can tunnel through sand
fairly efficiently. It fires three short beams column-style.

Plasma Beam
-----------
This straight line kills most enemies in a single hit, but you sacrifice
flexibility for ruthlessness when you take it. It will take a while to get
through a sand area with it, but otherwise, it's the best gun the game has to
offer. It should serve you well. (Why am I so hung up on sand???)

-----------------
3. Suit Enhancers
-----------------

Bombs
-----
As a ball, you can plant bombs once you receive them from the Chozos. They
will get through certain walls easily and can kill some armored enemies where
guns cannot.

Spider Ball
-----------
Being able to crawl walls is a good thing - ask Peter Parker. This device
will let you creep up walls, accessing areas that are otherwise unreachable
until you get the Space Jump (see below).

Varia
-----
This will enhance the defensive capabilities of your Chozo-endowed suit of
armor, reducing all damage you take by half.

High Jump Boots
---------------
These will increase your jumping ability twofold. Use them to access new
areas when you receive them.

Spring Ball
-----------
Found from a monster in the game that you only see one time, this will allow
you to jump while as a ball. This isn't just a great item, but it has its
moments.

Space Jump
----------
Press A repeatedly while in the air once you have this object to stay in the
air as long as you want. This should do you a lot of good, and is more
effective in cases where the Spider Ball doesn't get you where you want.

Screw Attack
------------
When you jump, you can take out certain enemies with a sort of sawblade
attack that cuts right through them and usually picks up a power-up at the
same time if one is left behind. If an enemy isn't killed by it, they'll be
deflected with a weird grinding noise. This holds true most often for
Metroids.

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                                 ENEMY SUMMARY
                                 =============

Your comprehensive guide to the many inhabitants of SR388. (listed in
alphabetical order)

Amoeba
------
Probably the weakest, most boring enemy in the game. It's just a unicellular
blob that moves back and forth.

Arachnus
--------
Only found in one area of the game, this monster harbors the almighty Spring
Ball. Do this armored freak in with enough bombs and he'll go down for the
count.

Autoad
------
As the name suggests, it's a robotic frog. Take them out with the Plasma Beam
for best results.

Autom
-----
Moves haphazardly from left to right and stops to blow a column of fire down
to the ground occasionally. Getting past them safely just takes guesswork,
and you can't kill them because they're indestructible. Why then are they not
the final boss? That'd be a challenge for ya.

Autrack
-------
Those things that reach their necks up and fire lasers at you. They're good
for a quick energy boost.

Blob Thrower
------------
Yes, that is the technical name, I recall this clearly. It's a large plant
that rains down these tiny little spheres. Only Wave Beam will hurt it.

Chute Leech
-----------
These lie on the ground in wait for you, then pop up and float back down to
the ground like a feather. They look sort of like disoriented frogs.

Drivel
------
They look like bats that spit acid down on you. Easy to get at when they're
not drooling all over you.

Flitt
-----
These harmless forms of life have two varieties: the stationary ones that
occasionally blink out of existence and then back in (thus the name Flitt, I
suppose), and the ones that move and are always there. They make decent
platforms, unless of course you prefer the Space Jump.

Gawron
------
Found near the lair of the Spider Ball, these will come out of pits of
frozen-over liquid in spades to attack you. Jump after they come at you to
throw off their attack pattern.

Glow Fly
--------
The little light on their heads gives away their position. Shoot them before
they're able to rush at you.

Gravitt
-------
A tricky critter - it sits in the ground until you get near, then comes at
you. Easy to jump over, not worth a kill.

Gullugg
-------
They look like mosquitoes with nothing but heads. Flying around in circles,
missiles are the only reward they have to offer upon their deaths.

Gunzoo
------
Funny how the name applies - this enemy is literally a menagerie of guns.
He's firing constantly, but his patterns are transparent. Fire at him enough
to kill him.

Halken
------
Has shells on its side, and it floats through the air in a sort of drunken
wavy pattern. Get it in the form of an aerial attack or from below.

Hornoad
-------
A biological variant of the Autoad. Its hopping is a bit harder to avoid,
however.

Moheek
------
It crawls along all four sides of a surface and hurts if you touch the
tentacles on its head.

Moto
----
Kill this quadruped from behind. It's got a hard protective shell on its face
that prevents direct assassination.

Mumbo
-----
The first enemy you encounter in the game. They just fly mindlessly back and
forth.

Needler
-------
A ball of spikes that has the same movement pattern as Moheek (see prior
entry).

Octroll
-------
Pretty much your average floating octopus - they give out great energy, and
how!

Pincher Fly
-----------
A variant of the Glow Fly. Shoot it down.

Proboscum
---------
The name is obviously derived from their enormous schnozz. You can stand on
it as long as it's out, but once it flips down, prepare to take a dive.

Ramulken
--------
Has a hard shell on its head, meaning you have to kill it from below to do
anything to it.

Seerook
-------
Looks like a bug that floats back and forth.

Senjoo
------
One-eyed robotic thing that floats in a diamond-like pattern and generally
just hurts if you run into him.

Septogg
-------
These things are actually out to help you - somewhat. They don't hurt to
touch, and can be used as platforms. If you stand on them, your weight will
cause them to sink.

Shirk
-----
It has spikes on its face and moves around in a diamond-shaped fashion. Other
than firing at you, there's not a lot to defeating this guy.

Skorp
-----
Looks like a pole with two sawblades on its head. They move slowly in and out
of walls and the ground. They only give missiles as a reward.

Skreek
------
These creatures look like birds and rise up from lava to shoot at you. See
how fat they look? That's a good indicator of the energy reward they leave
behind.

TPO
---
Looks like a small dumbbell moving back and forth.

Tsumuri
-------
Found near the beginning of the game, they move around in the same fashion as
Moheeks and Needlers (see prior entries).

Wallfire
--------
Exactly as its name states - a gun on the wall. Shoot it once to disarm it.

Yumbo
-----
Sort of like Mumbo's first cousin, but they both just fly around aimlessly.
There's practically no distinction whatsoever, so in the walkthrough I might
get a little confused about which is which. It shouldn't matter though.

Yumee
-----
They act much like Gawrons in that they're concentrated in packs and come
straight at you, but they have a needlepoint on their foreheads that hurts
you more than the brunt of a Gawron's body. Shooting them down is the wisest
alternative.

THE METROIDS
------------

Metroid
-------
The typical one that most casual gamers have seen. They're only found in one
area of the game though. All the others are unique to this Game Boy
adventure.

Alpha Metroid
-------------
Five missiles will take down this one that looks sort of birdish. It just
comes at you, hurting you with its body.

Gamma Metroid
-------------
Alphas sometimes shed their outer layer to become Gammas, which can spit some
cruddy-looking lightning out of their mouths. They look disturbingly like
mutated roosters.

Zeta Metroid
------------
By far the game's most annoying Metroid. There are only a few in the game,
but their non-stop aggressive approach gets to be extremely aggravating. Put
them to sleep as soon as you can, and launch an all-out offensive of your
own.

Omega Metroid
-------------
Despite being the final mutation, these are disappointingly docile aliens.
They fire fireballs and swoop down at you every now and then, but that's it.
Constant firing at the torso should make you the victor, and relatively
unharmed at that.

Queen Metroid
-------------
Wait till you get a load of THIS ...... whoa mama!!!!

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                               METROID COUNTDOWN
                                 (Walkthrough)
                               =================

+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
| T A B L E   O F   C O N T E N T S |
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
1. Beginning of the Game
2. In Which Samus Receives the Ice Beam, the Spider Ball, and Some Bombs
3. In Which Samus Receives the Varia and the High Jump Boots
4. In Which Samus Obtains the Space Jump
5. A Short One-Metroid Interlude
6. Flashback
7. In Which Samus Obtains the Screw Attack
8. Omega-mania
9. Sudden Increase
10. Vs. the Queen

                                   Chapter 1
                             Beginning of the Game
                               METROIDS LEFT: 39

You start at your spaceship, and your only choice at this point is to head
right. Early on in the game, your spaceship serves as a good landmark. If you
jump in and explore it a little, you'll find it contains both an Energy
Sphere and a Missile Battery. You won't often use this place to get pumped
up, especially if you're trying to beat the game for record time. From here,
go to the right.

There aren't many enemies along the path here - just Hornoads, Mumbos, and
various wall-crawling species. Shoot through the cracked blocks, pointing up
or down to do so. It's mostly a one-way path until you come to a fork. To the
right is a save post, and this is a good place to get accustomed to that. If
you have time, take a quick detour and back up your progress. If you want to
get through this the speedy way, head left.

You'll find some Mumbos and Hornoads in a corridor with a few puddles after
progressing down the long drop full of ledges from the previous room. The
Mumbos ought to refill any energy you might have lost up to this point, and
the Hornoads will provide missile replenishment (though you shouldn't have
wasted any yet). After the final Hornoad, go left.

The Alpha Metroid will hatch from the egg at the bottom row. As soon as it's
done casting off the egg shell or whatever, it will hurry at you. Fire a
steady stream of missiles at it to throw it backward. After five missiles, it
will die in a nifty pyrotechnic display. Go up to the invisible rock wall.
Nestled inside are an Energy Sphere and a Missile Battery - touch them as
needed for maximum refillage.

At this point you will experience an earthquake. This happens whenever you
have killed all the Metroids in a given area. These tremors indicate that the
lava has subsided in a certain place. Lava keeps you from progressing too far
forward, beyond the average capability you should display in a certain area.
When the earthquake is over, backtrack to the save post at the first fork in
the path you saw and go right. It's time to do some Metroid killin'.

                                      ***

                                   Chapter 2
    In Which Samus Receives the Ice Beam, the Spider Ball, and Some Bombs
                               METROIDS LEFT: 38

From that save post, which records your progress the instant you tap the
Start button, go to the right. The enemy you most want to watch out for on
your journey through this tunnel is Moheek. They crawl all over the walls in
a really annoying fashion, and those tentacles sting you at 13 energy points
a pop. If you do get hurt, take it like a man (er, woman?) and try to find
energy refills to get back up to max. When you reach the area with the Chute
Leeches, the music stops and you only hear little ambient sounds that
resemble music. This is how you will know that you have successfully reached
this chapter.

Go up past the enemies to the high path that leads to a narrow, enemy-less
corridor. When you reach the other side, you can take two paths: the high
road and the low road. First, let's go high. You'll be better equipped to
take on the low-road enemies once you get the stuff offered along the other
path.

Shoot the Chute Leeches while they're up in the air and you might grab up
some small refills. The Gullugg flying in circles will give you missiles if
you're lucky as well. Proceed to the next room, a vertical area filled with
roads to several other areas. Drop all the way down and go left. Your
advancement is blocked by a door that is impervious to regular gunfire. Take
the missiles you used to kill the first Metroid of the game and use five of
them to disintegrate it. Switch back to regular gun and shoot the orb that
the Chozo Statue carries. Touch the glass case that is revealed to receive
bombs. You get a chance to use them in this very room; just bomb the brick
above the Missile Pod to receive ten more missiles.

Go back to the vertical room and find the first path above you that goes to
the right. In that room there is a Wallfire that appears to be the guardian
of a dead end. However, shoot his face off and stand on him. Ball yourself up
and roll through until you cannot proceed any farther. Bomb the brick and go
through the gap. On the other side is an Energy Tank. You now have two sets
of 99 energy points to go until you die. Keep moving forward.

After the Energy Tank room is a vertical area much like the one you just came
out of, except there are multiple Wallfires in this one. Again, drop straight
down and go left until the door, which you need to take down with five more
missiles. Inside is the Ice Beam. Get it. You can now fire small pellets of
ice that will encapsulate most foes in a sheet of the frozen stuff. Go back
to the Wallfire lair and head up past the first open hallway on your right to
the second one. Through here is the path leading to the Spider Ball.

Pass the Chute Leeches and take note of the hatched Metroid egg on the edge
of the cliff above you. Go into the room to the right and fall down the long
pit. Use bombs in ball form to boost yourself up to the tunnel. Roll along
until you have the Spider Ball, then use it to get out of this area. Go back
to that hatched Metroid egg and use the Spider Ball to go up along that wall.
You will reach an entrance that you could not have reached in a single jump.
Enter and kill the Alpha Metroid with five missiles.

                               METROIDS LEFT: 37

Leave and go all the way back to the Wallfire lair. There should be another
room below that goes to the right. It contains three Missile Pods. Get them
all with the aid of your newly obtained Spider Ball and go back to where you
got the Energy Tank. Ball yourself up and go through the wall, bombing the
Wallfire so as not to sustain injury. Return to the save point and go left.
Freeze the Gullugg and shoot him dead, then Spider Ball up the wall to the
right. Bomb the rock at the end of all the Chute Leeches and go inside to get
two Missile Pods. Once you have them, go back the way you came, all the way
to the rocky room with the Needlers crawling around on the ledges. Fall all
the way to the bottom. You should be able to go to the right.

Two rocks along the bottom row block your progress, so bomb them and get on
with it. If you attach yourself to the ceiling with Spider Ball and go along
the ceiling in that corridor with the two bricks stacked on top of each
other, you will be able to skip a lot of Gulluggs by going through a faux-
wall tunnel with an Energy Ball. Use it to go around, but watch out for the
Seerook and the Gullugg upon your departure. Cut through the sand slowly but
surely using Ice Beam and keep going right.

Fall through the long area with the Seerooks, using the side juttings to make
sure you don't fall in the vinelike stuff at the bottom. There will be a
hatched Metroid egg there along with the choice of going left or right. Go
right and freeze-kill all the Chute Leeches. Through the door to the right is
an Alpha Metroid. Five missiles will do it in as usual.

                               METROIDS LEFT: 36

Go left past the Metroid egg in the Seerook room to another long freefall
with more Seerooks. Stay to the right, because there's a Gullugg hovering
around the egg shell at the bottom. Stay well away from him and take the path
to the right, once again killing the Alpha Metroid inside.

                               METROIDS LEFT: 35

Kill the Gullugg flying around the Metroid egg and head through the opening
to the left. This room will be full of empty space, so there's no need to
progress cautiously, but you will catch an Alpha Metroid at the beginning of
the next one. Use the open space to your advantage to kill him.

At this time another earthquake will take place. Backtrack all the way to the
area where you found the Moheeks crawling just above the lava. You will find
that it is no longer at such a high level. Travel downward into the newly
drained region, which leads to another area full of Metroids and power-uppy
goodness. Watch out for the many Moheeks on the way down. When you see the
Metroid egg halfway in the lava, you'll know that you're in the next area.

                                      ***

                                   Chapter 3
           In Which Samus Receives the Varia and the High Jump Boots
                               METROIDS LEFT: 34

Leap across the Septoggs hovering over the sand and go to the left into a
room that looks like the one where the Gawrons flew endlessly at you. Proceed
with caution, for there is an Alpha Metroid up ahead that you need to do away
with.

                               METROIDS LEFT: 33

Go past the two enemies here with the spikes on the heads and through to the
next room, which holds a save point right at the beginning. Save there and go
forward until you see the Autrack firing plasma beams at you. Duck to avoid
the gunfire, then get up when it's up and fire an ice shot at it. It will
take several more shots to kill it, but it's worth it if you get a large
energy ball out of it that heals you for 20 hit points. Save at the save
point on the left end of the room and leave to the left.

Dip into the water ahead and go right. Kill the Chute Leech and the Needler
and go in the room to the right. Spider Ball up along the right wall to find
a Missile Pod, then revert back to normal form and equip your missiles as you
walk through the water along the bottom row. When you come to the Alpha
Metroid, kill it quickly and easily, then Spider Ball upward through the
small tunnel above.

                               METROIDS LEFT: 32

Shoot the door open. You know that this type of door typically leads to a
Chozo Statue carrying an item, and yes, the Chozo is there, but where's the
item orb? Bomb the floor in front of it and go through, using the Spider Ball
to reach a room filled with orbs. Most of them must be bombed to break
through them, but you will notice that one out of the group is explosion-
proof. Shoot through it with your Ice Beam to reveal the Varia, a neat item
that makes your suit bigger and reduces all damage done to you by half.

Leave the entire water area and find the wall to the right that leads back to
the save point. If you need to, then save, and then go up that wall. There
are a few Senjoos along the path, so wait them out if they get near your
path. Once at the top, run to the right and bomb the block. Go in the room to
an Alpha Metroid who is just hatching from the egg. When you kill him, don't
leave just yet, because there's some very important stuff beyond this room.

                               METROIDS LEFT: 31

Bomb the floor in front of the hatched egg to make a hole. If you use Spider
Ball, you'll eventually come to a tube that you can fall through and land on
a T-shaped ledge. From here you can go either left or right, but left is the
more important direction. Spider Ball will reveal that most of the wall to
the left is fake but that there are two bombable spots in it. Bomb them and
ice the Autoad. It will be the last enemy for a while that you use Ice Beam
on. Shoot the door open and get the Wave Beam. When you have it, go right
from the T-shaped ledge.

You will find yourself in a room with white blocks that shrink out of
existence when you shoot through them. Jump over the columns up here and go
to the right until you find an invisible wall that you can walk through.
There are Wallfires all the way down to the bottom, and to the left is a door
containing an item. Bust it down and get the High Jump Boots, which increase
your jumping power exponentially. You're not done in here though: bomb the
floor and Spider Ball through the barely noticeable fake wall to the left. In
this room you will receive a Missile Pod and another Energy Tank. When you
leave, kill the Wallfires with Wave Beam and jump on their shattered bodies
to get back to the white block room.

There is a door to the lower left that will give you access to two more
Missile Pods, and after you get them, there is nothing else to do here.
Spider Ball up through the tube from whence you came.

When you bomb the rock that led you to the Alpha Metroid here, go a little
bit to the left and come back. The rock will have regenerated, allowing you
to go up the wall with the Spider Ball. Go up until you find the Blob Thrower
plant, and then shoot it down with Wave Beam. To the right is a hole. Fall in
it and go left, shooting down the door with five missiles as you always do.
When you shoot the item sphere, however, it crackles and bounces at you. This
is the Arachnus enemy, and normal shots won't kill him. Turn into a ball and
lay bombs everywhere that you can. He usually lands right on top of a few if
you are able to guess at his trajectory, so it won't take very long to kill
him. When you do, you'll earn the prestigious Spring Ball, which allows you
to jump while in ball form! And you never have to fight another Arachnus
again! Woo!

Head back left and drop all the way down to the watery area, heading left
from there as well. When you go into the next room, you can take either the
up or down path. Go up first - there are less Metroids that way. When you
come out to the right, you will be on a fair-sized overhang. Jump to the
upper wall of that overhang and navigate the wall with Spider Ball until you
come to another open corridor. Inside is an Alpha Metroid. Kill it and return
outside.

                               METROIDS LEFT: 30

Now that that Metroid is dead, you can go ahead and take the lower path in
that one room. Kill the Mumbos on the way down and keep your eye out for the
Metroid egg. Go right through the first room, then equip your missiles for
the second. You will see that the Alpha Metroid is evolving into a Gamma
Metroid, the next evolution on the list. These take ten missiles to kill and
can shoot lightning from your mouths. If you stay in the alcove below it and
let it come to you, you should have no problem killing it.

                               METROIDS LEFT: 29

From the Metroid egg two rooms back, go left. Go one room left and kill the
Alpha Metroid, then head further left.

                               METROIDS LEFT: 28

Fall through the next room leading down and go right. Wave Beam, as you can
see, cuts very efficiently through the sand. Use it to get through and get to
the next room. There is an Alpha Metroid in here that you need to kill; as
usual, he makes himself an easy target. Although there is a room past him,
there is nothing in it, so turn around and head left.

                               METROIDS LEFT: 27

Past this Metroid egg is another chamber filled with sand. Don't allow
yourself to get caught off guard by the Gamma Metroid in here, however. It
will attack mercilessly, and the sand behind will regenerate once it's out of
your line of vision. You might get hurt a lot, but the best idea is to just
tough it out no matter how badly it takes you down, because just past this
room is an Energy Ball. While your energy is filling back up, you will
experience an earthquake. Leave this area, saving along the way so that none
of your data to this point goes down the toilet.

                                     ***

                                  Chapter 4
                    In Which Samus Obtains the Space Jump
                              METROIDS LEFT: 26

Once you're back to the main hub area where all the lava is, it's a pretty
straightforward path to the next area. Go down until you meet lava, then head
right. When you get to the new area, ball up and roll through the maze-like
area. Jump over the lava that's in here (you'll be returning here later). You
will enter an upwardly mobile room that has spikes along the bottom row of
ground tiles. There is one entrance part of the way up that you don't need to
go through yet - you will more than likely run out of missiles if you take
this route first. Head to the one at the very top of the cavern and keep
going right until you find yourself on an overhang.

Drop straight down and you'll land on some sand. Shoot through it until you
find a hidden Missile Battery to refill all yours. When you have refilled
them, go over the wall with the Spider Ball, avoiding or shooting at the
Gravitts hidden cleverly in the ground. When you drop down again, you'll be
in more sand. Watch out for ambushing Gravitts and go left to a room where
you will retrieve the Space Jump. If you tap A at the right moments while in
the air, you can jump literally forever, or until your thumb gets tired.

To the right is a wall with spikes that prevent you from using the Spider
Ball to get up it. Use your new Space Jump to head up there, but beware the
Halken at the top. Go across until you come to a hole. When you fall in,
shoot through the sand. Reveal a pathway to a buried Missile Pod, then go
left to a save point. Save there (duh) and go on through the pit to the left.

Avoid as many Autrack beams as you can as you proceed all the way down. When
you get to the bottom, go to the left and blast your way through a procession
of Autoads and one Autrack. In the item room is the Spazer, which fires three
beams at once that are very powerful and efficient for cutting through sand.
Go back to the Autrack vertical room two screens back and go upward, looking
for the pathway to the right that you might have seen on the freefall down
here. Equip your missiles before going in there, because a Metroid will
strike as you make the fall.

You might be able to get in one missile on this Gamma before you fall all the
way to the bottom. Whether you do or don't, go to the right and Space Jump up
to the small ledge against the wall. Lure the Metroid toward you, then fire
away until it's dead. When it's gone, head up the wall and bomb the block
nearest the wall to get to a large empty space. To the left of that empty
space is a Missile Pod you need to get. Grab it and fire through the sand at
the very bottom of the screen.

                              METROIDS LEFT: 25

Go left at the fork in the path. You probably won't notice that there's a
Metroid in here until you hear the music, so switch over to missiles as soon
as you can and fire away. Try to keep it above you or to your right. You
shouldn't get hit too terribly much.

                              METROIDS LEFT: 24

Continue to run left toward the item room to get the Plasma Beam. Well, the
Spazer was fun while it lasted, but this is a stronger gun. You should get
this.

Going to the right side of the fork in the path, kill the Autoad and obtain
the Missile Pod it's guarding, then keep going right. In the next room is a
wall full of spikes arranged in such a way that you will need to use your
Space Jump to get to the top. If you have not finely honed your skills with
that particular accessory, now is the time. Regardless of how much damage you
sustain, you need to get to the top of the room and go left. The Automs blow
fire downward randomly, so just run and hope for the best, killing the Shirk
between them. Bomb the small brick while in Spider Ball form to go left. They
go easy on you here by placing an Alpha Metroid in this roomy hallway. Kill
it and grab the Energy Tank in the room to the left.

                              METROIDS LEFT: 23

Leave this entire area (where you got the Plasma Beam, that is) and save at
the save post. Go up through the hole that led to the save point and go
farther right; you should be at a long abyss, the right wall of which is
lined with Proboscum enemies. Let yourself fall all the way to the sand at
the bottom. Fire straight beams through it with the Plasma Beam and go right.
Stay along the wall to the right and fall to the bottom, switching to
missiles in anticipation of the lone Gamma Metroid in here. The space at the
bottom offers plenty of room for ten easy shots. After you kill it, there's
nothing beyond this room, so leave out the door you came through.

                              METROIDS LEFT: 22

See those Proboscum to the right? On the opposite wall is a bombable rock.
Get at an angle where you can drop from the right wall to the left and bomb
that boulder. Go in to the narrow hallway to find an Energy Tank and, on the
other outside end, a Missile Pod. You are now well enough equipped to head to
the lower level of this area. On your way out, be sure to refill your
missiles using the Missile Battery hidden in the sand under the overhang. You
should have approximately 180 missiles at this point in the game - either
that many or a little more. If you don't, don't worry too much - you just
won't have as much stock for the final battle.

Before going down the hole, be sure to save on the pole to the right. Fall in
here, but don't let too many of the Yumbos get you. Go in the first room to
the right to face a Gamma Metroid who's totally in your face. When you defeat
it, shoot through the cracked bricks in the ground and take that lower
corridor to the right.

                              METROIDS LEFT: 21

In the room to the right are enemies that move back and forth and look like
dumbbells - TPOs. There are two different paths in here, one to the right and
one at the very top. Take the upper one for now and clear out a space for
fighting in the next room. Fortunately, it's just an Alpha Metroid. Try to
waste as few missiles as possible cutting through the cobwebs. When you
defeat this one, Spider Ball along the wall to the right until you find a
narrow tunnel.

                              METROIDS LEFT: 20

In this upper room, you'll have to go through the Metroid egg through the
invisible ground below to get to the Gamma Metroid. There're a lot of cobwebs
in his domain as well, so only clear out a small space and make him come to
you while trying to get him with your missiles. Don't waste too many in the
effort. When he's dead, go back to the TPO room.

                              METROIDS LEFT: 19

Now you can go in the room to the right of the TPOs. Fall straight down,
being careful not to touch the lumpy things on the wall. Go to the left and
fall down along the wall to the right. A Gamma Metroid will pop up just
moments before you hit a ledge. Mainly, you should stay there to fight it,
but if you have to move some, do so only as necessary. At the bottom is an
Energy Ball - you'll need to turn into a ball to get to it.

                              METROIDS LEFT: 18

Go to the left past the Amoebas in this room to face another Gamma Metroid.
Let it follow you to the Metroid egg hatching and come down to you through
it. It will be easier to take it on in that corridor. When it's dead, go
through the invisible rock wall to the left and go up at the far left end.
You'll come up through a Metroid egg hatching in a room full of Yumbos.

                              METROIDS LEFT: 17

Go to the left from the Yumbo room. To the left of this Metroid egg is
another Alpha that mutates into a Gamma. This is the second hardest to fight
in this area (first place goes to the Gamma in the cobwebs), but it is also
the last. After you defeat it, head left through another invisible rock wall
and wait for the earthquake to come. When you jump up through this hole, the
screen will fade to black. Hold the A button and Left on the D-pad to get out
of the spike pit. This exit provides a quick shortcut to the main hub area,
where you will travel yet farther down into the ugly heart of SR388.

                                     ***

                                  Chapter 5
                        A Short One-Metroid Interlude
                              METROIDS LEFT: 16

It's a short trip to the next area once you're back in the central area where
the Metroid II main theme plays on an endless loop. Go down, shooting the
Skorps that pop out of the wall in hopes of missiles. When you see the
Metroid egg, go left. If you're low on energy, worry not - the Octrolls here
will provide in spades. Travel the one-way path to the lone Gamma Metroid
here. Oddly enough, after defeating it, you'll hear an earthquake, but when
you get back to the main area, the lava will not have lowered any. Where
could there have been possible drainage? For the answer to that, you'll have
to go back to the area you explored in Chapter 4 (In Which Samus Receives the
Space Jump). Go back up there, and when you notice where the lava drained -
which should be right below where the Halken is floating around - proceed to
the next chapter.

                                     ***

                                  Chapter 6
                                  Flashback
                              METROIDS LEFT: 15

Follow the path that winds down until you find not one, but TWO Metroid eggs.
You can go in either direction that is indicative of the presence of
Metroids, but in this walkthrough, we're going to go left first.

The Flitts floating above the lava are of the moving variety, not the
blinking. Use them if you're new to the Metroid experience, but if you have
Space Jump skills, use that to get across - it's faster and far more
efficient than waiting on moving platforms. The next room leads down and left
to an Energy Ball. Replenish yourself and fight the Alpha Metroid to the
right. When it's dead, return to the two Metroid eggs and go up.

                              METROIDS LEFT: 14

The path given here is similar to that of the left road, and you'll meet Moto
for the first time here (they give great energy bonuses). The only difference
between this Metroid's chamber and the other is that on the other side lies a
Missile Battery. Refill after facing off with the Gamma Metroid and brace
yourself for another earthquake. You can now progress toward the bottom of
SR388 as normal. Return to the main hub area and go down.

                                     ***

                                  Chapter 7
                   In Which Samus Obtains the Screw Attack
                              METROIDS LEFT: 13

You will soon come to what appears to be the bottom of the planet but is in
fact not, as you will see when you go a few screens to the left. Proceed
slowly across the room with the lava, as the Skreeks will pop up at
unexpected moments and shoot you. Their energy payoff, however, is great. One
orb from them restores you for 20. Be sure also to shoot the flying Drivels
so that they don't drool acid on your helmet.

In the next room, use missiles to shoot the rocks out of their tight space.
Jump across the lava and head up through the next two areas. When you come to
the seemingly empty corridor, EQUIP YOUR MISSILES. You do NOT want to get
caught off guard here. With the missile cannon in place, run left and prepare
to fight the Gamma Metroid in here. Keep it away from you at all costs and
you should be just fine.

                              METROIDS LEFT: 12

Fall through the Metroid egg to the left into the water and locate the
Missile Pod in the lower left corner. When you have it, back up and use the
Spring Ball to hop up and attach yourself to the wall behind the Metroid egg
nearest the hallway where you just fought the Gamma Metroid. Spider Ball up
it as far as you can go, then use Space Jump the rest of the way, avoiding
the Yumbos for now (you don't have Screw Attack just yet). When you come to
an opening to a cavern on the right, go in.

Use the Space Jump to skillfully navigate Samus around the needle
arrangements in here and get to the safe cliff all the way to the right. When
you go in the room, it will be mostly filled with sand, and a flashing Gamma
Metroid will be in the middle. (Not good...) Shoot away as much of the sand
below you and to your right as possible, then equip your missiles and prepare
to fight the most aggressive Metroid species in existence.

Zeta Metroids, as these little stumpy things that resemble an alien Joe Pesci
are called, cannot be shot from below - only hits to the abdomen will
register. Therefore, you'll have to jump and likely risk taking a hit each
time you fire at it. That said, don't waste opportunities to fire off two or
three salvos at once. They breathe fast fireballs from their mouths and have
a tendency to swoop down at you when you're far away. When you have the Screw
Attack, they'll be easier to handle, but for now, pump about twenty missiles
into his system and do away with him. After defeating him, go back to the
edge of the cliff outside.

                              METROIDS LEFT: 11

Continue Space Jumping upward until you get to the top of the screen. Spider
Ball along the wall to the right and head up to the next screen. An Alpha
Metroid there will instantly evolve into a Gamma. Use the evolving time to
switch to missiles, then get in the small alcove above you as fast as you
can. Stay in that general area while you kill it with ten missiles. When it's
dead, you'll probably have a decent chunk of energy taken out of you.
Fortunately, there's an Energy Ball to the left. Heal yourself with it and
use the Spider Ball to move craftily around the ceiling.

                              METROIDS LEFT: 10

Around on the other side are two things: a Metroid egg casting and a Missile
Battery. Max out your missiles and then go up along the left wall. Bomb the
small boulder, then roll inside and go into the room. There is a Zeta Metroid
in the large open area. Stay away from it as much as you can, only getting in
at close range to sock him one in the gut. After he's dead, feel around the
wall with the Spider Ball. You should find a narrow passage allowing you to
go up.

                              METROIDS LEFT: 09

You'll have to go the long way around in order to get the Screw Attack. Bomb
the ceiling to your left, then the boulder in the middle of the room, and
finally, the ceiling on the right. Shoot the sphere open and grab the Screw
Attack, a special accessory that can slice enemies and kill them with only
your jump. This proves very handy for a number of things, not just killing
monsters and such.

Use this new item in conjunction with the Space Jump to get out of and on top
of this brick wall. Go to the left and fall in the room within the hole,
which happens to be totally dark. Turn into a ball and use bombs in the</pre><pre id="faqspan-2">
fashion that Hansel and Gretel used bread crumbs to find your way through.
Spider Ball will help go along walls easier. There is a Missile Pod in this
dark room, and on the other light end, an Energy Tank - the last one you need
to have maximum life. Leave out through the other hole when you have the
Energy Tank, again using bombs to "feel" your way through. Novices, this
might take a while - I can do it in about 20 seconds on a good day.

Go back to the right where the Moto was and Space Jump up to another entrance
to a spiky cavern. Space Jump to the right. This will at first appear to look
like the sandy room where you fought your first Zeta Metroid, but it is an
entirely different room in actuality. Just go farther back until you see an
Alpha Metroid. When it's in your sights, clear out the joint and switch to
missiles, then kill it in ten hits and return to the top of the brick wall
where you got your fifth Energy Tank.

                              METROIDS LEFT: 08

On the left side of that wall, fall all the way to the very bottom (it's a
long drop). You will land in an empty pool. Jump out and go in the nearest
room to the left. Two screens to the left is a Zeta Metroid in a moderately
sand-filled room. Kill it and return to the previous area.

                              METROIDS LEFT: 07

Head up to the nearest room to the right and save, then leave out to the left
and keep going up. There is a room in this area where you can choose to equip
any gun you want. The only reason to go in there would be if you wanted the
Wave Beam again, but the Plasma Beam is more powerful, and the entire place
is an exercise in pointlessness anyway, so just head out looking for that
last Metroid, if you will.

It's not far from that save point, in actuality - just head up the left wall
until you find another cavern. Go across the suspended spikes and fight a
Gamma Metroid, then get ready for the earthquake. Leave through the save
point room and go right until you hear that familiar theme music again.

                                     ***

                                  Chapter 8
                                 Omega-mania
                              METROIDS LEFT: 06

Most of the enemies you will face on the way to the final sector will be
Skorps. This is a good opportunity to load up on missiles while you're on
your way down. At some point, going to the left, lava will block your
progress deeper into the planet, so start going up. You will soon have to go
the right into a large open room where you will find two Metroid eggs. One is
hatched; one is not. An Alpha Metroid will pop out of the unhatched one, so
this will be your last blowoff of the game. Pump five missiles into it, then
leave out to the right.

                              METROIDS LEFT: 05

An earthquake will occur at this moment, but the lava will not drain. There
were two Metroid eggs in that room for a reason.

Go right after killing the Alpha. You will have to make a full circle in
order to face the first of the four Omega Metroids. If you do it right, there
will be a Zeta Metroid lying in wait for you at the place where you fought
the last of the Alpha Metroids. It will evolve into an Omega, which you might
think is the most difficult to beat. It is not. Thirty missiles will kill it,
and it rarely attacks. You can easily score about five hits on one of them
before it even shoots a fireball or swoops in to attack. When you score the
kill and the count lowers to four, yet another tremor will shake the ground.
Leave to the left and start making your way down.

                              METROIDS LEFT: 04

When you get to the room full of Glow Flies, you'll know that you're at the
room before the final area. Go up and shoot some for small bits of energy if
you're running a little low. Save at the tall pole provided when you enter
the final desolate area. It will be the last time you can for a while.

Go all the way to the top of the first room and go to the right. Head up to
the left until you get to an entrance. You should have to hop across a bunch
of tall bubble-like columns across to another entryway. In the next room is
an Omega Metroid. Kill it and backtrack to the long vertical room. Remember
that only hits to the chest will count, so none of that ambush-from-below
stuff will fly.

                              METROIDS LEFT: 03

Head over to the room to the right, but do not fall down the hole to the
middle yet; lava keeps you from exploring down there. You have two more Omega
Metroids to handle. Go all the way to the right. This room is another
vertically-oriented skyscraper-type place, and at the very top is an out-of-
the-way save point. Don't go for it unless you feel you have the time,
otherwise, go in the room to the right and fall all the way to the bottom.
There is an open corridor to the left. Fight the Omega Metroid two screens
over.

By the way, don't sweat over your speedily dwindling missile supply at this
moment. You'll be able to refill later.

                              METROIDS LEFT: 02

From the tall vertical room with the Moto and the Ramulken at the bottom, go
two screens right to the final Omega Metroid. Again, don't worry about having
low energy - VERY low energy, as a matter of fact - and low missile count.
It'll all be better in a second, right after this earthquake ... ahh, there
we go. Now then, remember that gaping hole in the middle of the room with the
bubble columns? Go back there and fall in it.

                              METROIDS LEFT: 01

Go down where the lava was all the way to a room with puddles of water in
small holes. This first part should be safe, but when you get up to the
second floor and start finding long, thin puddles of water, jump over them.
There is invisible ground below them that you can fall through - not a good
thing. Space Jump over all narrow puddles until you find yourself at a save
point. This is the final save point in the game, so come back as needed if
you find you need to. Go through the upper invisible ground.

The water in here will most certainly bog you down, but keep Space Jumping
and you'll be out of the pond. Use Space Jump and the aid of the Septoggs
hanging in the air to get to the rooms above. The first one you need to go in
is the one on the far right, where an Energy Ball and a Missile Battery lie.
Fill up and head to the next room to the left. Go up through the first room
to a room with a badly broken-up Chozo Statue. The Item Sphere behind it
contains an Ice Beam.

FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, TRUST ME: YOU NEED THIS.

Leave and go in the next room to the left. Different high-pitched fast music
will start playing. While the place appears barren, just keep on going until
you have to get through using the Spring and/or Spider Ball. You will be in a
very narrow passageway with an egg full of veins above you. As soon as you
creep past it, something very strange begins to happen...

                                     ***

                                  Chapter 9
                               Sudden Increase
                              METROIDS LEFT: 09

There are now nine Metroids remaining, all of them the type from the original
game (the ones most gamers recognize with the round heads and the heart in
the middle). Go down to the first room - this is what your Ice Beam is for.
Proceed along the floor with caution. When it comes at you, freeze it, then
quickly switch to missiles and pump it full of five of them. It will
disintegrate. You must do this with seven other Metroids.

When fighting them, there are a few things to remember:

1. When you come up to a new one, make sure you've switched back to Ice Beam.
   Straight missiles won't do the trick.
2. If one latches onto you, it will rapidly deplete your energy. The only way
   to get rid of one is to go to the next screen and make it disappear. You
   can keep it from sucking up your energy though - use the Screw Attack
   indefinitely to keep the energy you have. You may know this already if
   you used to deflect other Metroids while fighting them.
3. Make quick work of them or the ice will wear off and you'll get eaten.

The path to the Queen is one way - you should know when you're there.
However, you're probably by now ill-equipped for this battle. Roll through
the tiny gap to the left to go back to the chamber where you received the Ice
Beam. Refill your missiles and energy one more time, then return to the room
with the Queen. This is the final battle of the game, and you CANNOT PAUSE
DURING THIS TIME, so make sure you lock your room up tightly and are without
interruption for this last battle. If you need help and are totally ready,
proceed to the final chapter.

                                     ***

                                 Chapter  10
                                Vs. the Queen
                              METROIDS LEFT: 01

The Queen is a mighty beast to be sure, but there are a few things you can do
to keep yourself from getting too badly beaten. (However, if you find
yourself out of missiles or dangerously low on energy, you can go through the
bottom hole to get a refill on whatever you need.) There is a pattern you can
use to beat her with ease. The Queen Metroid attacks predictably, first
shooting three fireballs at you. These can be nullified with the Screw
Attack, as can the two times she stretches out her neck and bites you. After
she snaps at you, turn around quickly and fire a missile at her face. Repeat
149 more times. Seriously. And you can't pause the game either. Ouch.

Yes, 150 hits will do in the big giant Queen Metroid. After you defeat her in
what usually averages out to a 10 to 15-minute battle...........

=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=

UPDATE: Actually, there's a much faster way to do this, and I've never tried
        it myself, but since the gaming public at large seems to be in a
        state of agreement on this matter, I'm going to take their word for
        it. There are two methods they have suggested for beating the Queen
        Metroid. I'll paraphrase to save time and space.

METHOD #1 - FREEZE AND FIRE
The Queen Metroid often lunges her neck at you with her mouth open. At this
time, if you can stand to take a little bit of damage, pump a plethora of
missiles into her gaping maw. She will freeze momentarily upon taking the first
hit, and according to varying sources, you can get in around 15-30 hits at a
time, cutting the length of the battle substantially. If you don't mind losing
anywhere from one to two energy tanks, this will make things go a lot faster.

METHOD #2 - BOMB HER STOMACH
To paraphrase, if you roll up in a ball, when the Queen extends her neck
outward and opens her mouth, she will "eat" you, in a manner of speaking.
You'll be trapped in the Queen's stomach in ball form, but you can make the
best of a gross situation. Whenever she does this, lay as many bombs as you can
inside her stomach. This will result in a mass explosion that does a lot of
damage; repeat until the Queen's carcass fades into oblivion.

=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=

Any of these methods should work in terms of defeating the Queen Metroid once
and for all. Once she's gone, proceed to the Epilogue portion of the
walkthrough if you're having trouble determining where to go from here.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

                        EPILOGUE **WARNING - SPOILERS**
                        ===============================

While technically there is nothing really relevant to do here except get back
to your ship, this is still just a part of the walkthrough that you don't
need to be reading unless you've gotten this far or you care to reminisce a
little. What happens here at the end of the game is a lead-in (of sorts) to
the events of Super Metroid.

After the Queen Metroid disintegrates under the power of the 150th missile
you fired at her, go one screen left. The egg that you saw when the Metroid
count suddenly skyrocketed back up to nine hatches, and a baby Metroid pops.
Seeing Samus first, it tends to think of her as its mother. It now hovers
around your head, following you wherever you go. Head left yet more.

Some diamond-like walls are blocking your path. Let the baby Metroid go over
them. It eats them without so much as a touch of indigestion. Hop and run the
one-way path until you get to a dead-end wall to your right. Space Jump or
Spider Ball your way over it, then head to the right and drop straight off
the edge. Run to the right to your ship and hop in. Touch the dot in the
middle to end the game and onset the credits sequence.

Now, depending on how quickly you beat the game, you can get one of a number
of different endings. These all encompass Samus doing a little something fun,
some sort of little animation to keep you interested through the credits.
Here's a rundown of what you'll see if you beat the game within the times
given.

Less than 3 hours
-----------------
By far the best ending. Samus starts off running and then, at the end of the
credits, she somersaults into the air and comes down letting loose her
flowing blond hair and wearing nothing but a modest bikini. There were people
back in the eighties who were shocked stupid when they found out Samus was a
girl. Really.

3-6 hours
---------
Samus starts off running and then, and the end of the credits, removes only
her helmet. Not a bad ending, but still, there's better.

6-9 hours
---------
Samus runs in place for eternity. No bikini, no helmet removal, nothing.

More than 9 hours
-----------------
Not even so much as running in place. Samus stands still and does absolutely
jack squat. It's not even worth it to watch this - just A/B/Start/Select back
to the title screen if you get such pitiful time as this. It took me this
long to beat the game when I was 13. Now, at nearly 18 years old, I feel like
I'm doing bad if it takes me more than 2 1/2 hours.

That's all for Metroid II: Return of Samus! I hope anyone who reads this
finds it useful and comprehensive.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

                          CREDITS & LEGAL DISCLAIMERS
                          ===========================

Finally, after a busy last six weeks or so, I've finally found the time to
crank out another FAQ. This is my 27th published FAQ on the Internet, and I
still have many more to do. As long as there are games that go without
coverage, I will still have a nicely diverting hobby.

First, let's start with me thanking those that have had a significant impact
on my walkthrough journey:

** GameFAQs, the site that publishes all my work first. That's a great site
   they got goin' there, an enormous help to everybody who plays video games.

** Any other site that uses my work. Want to know how to get permission to
   use it? Look a little further down.

** Nintendo, not only for making this game, but for making it ten million
   times easier than the first one.

** Mad Catz, whose awesome Game Boy Advance battery pack eliminates the need
   for Energizers, gives the GBA a more comfortable grip, and is totally
   rechargeable on top of all that.

** Pelican Accessories, whose GBA light makes it possible to stay up playing
   into the wee hours of the morn.

** Everyone who sent in strategies for dealing with the Queen Metroid in a
   much more timely, if messier, manner. Their names can be found in the
   Updates section.

** My cousin Chris, who got me this game for my thirteenth birthday.

** Anyone that has encouraged and helped develop my knack for writing -
   teachers, parents, everybody.

Now, about that permission thing...

If you want to use this on your website or refer to it in any fashion, you
have to go through me first. E-mail me at <eubanks1084@hotmail.com>, making
triple-sure to follow the three criteria I have about sending a decent
message (see the Intro and Notes section for more on that). If you make your
request to use it short and sweet, I will more than likely cheerily say yes.
If you steal it and claim it as your own or break any of the rules,
repercussions will follow.

Once I have given you permission to use this .txt document, you can only
upload it to your site as is - NO CHANGES. Any changes to the body of the
document will be duly noted and I'll have to ask you to take it down. While
changes to the text itself are not allowed, the addition of pictures as a
visual aid is perfectly all right by me. If you are going to link to it
rather than use it, link to the page that contains the link to the FAQ, not
the FAQ itself. Since I publish stuff at GameFAQs, it's just easier for me to
go by this rule.

Do not sell this document for money; only distribute freely to those without
Internet access.

DO NOT PLAGIARIZE. IT IS AGAINST THE LAW, AND I WILL FIND YOU OUT.

If any of the above rules are broken, you may not use this FAQ one second
longer. If I'm happy, you're happy.

This version of this document (1.1) is (C) September 28, 2003 by Snow Dragon,
all rights reserved. The latest version of this FAQ will always be found
first at GameFAQs, and you can bank on that.

Have a good day, and have fun playing Metroid II: Return of Samus!