Metroid: Samus Returns had a fair amount of publicity during E3, but ever since we've heard little by way of the game since then -- that is, until now. Alongside San Diego Comic Con, Nintendo gave IGN a hands-on preview with the 2.5D Metroid game, including a boss fight and some background commentary going into the game's basic functions.

Playing from two different environments (by loading two different save files), the footage begins a bit after the game's intro (which DualShockers' Features Editor, Ryan Meitzler got an opportunity to play and write about). Starting from that point, the stream shows off the Spider Ball feature for Samus' infamous Morph Ball -- a skill that lets the bounty hunter ascend walls.

With a death following, we see the gameplay shift to some mini-boss and boss fights. Interestingly, one of the more dynamic features we see showcased is the melee counters which adds some bad-ass animations (to see that part specifically, fast-forward to 10:55 and also right at the end).

Metroid: Samus Returns first debuted at E3, as a stealth announcement by Nintendo Treehouse after Nintendo's official press release. It comes exclusively to Nintendo 3DS on September 15, 2017 -- alongside an amiibo and special collector's edition that is slightly underwhelming when compared to the European collector's edition. Check out the 15 minutes of gameplay, below: