< Metroid
The ending that you receive is based on two things: How long it took you to beat the game, and whether you continued as armorless Samus after previously beating the game in under 3 hours. After seeing the ending screen presented to the right, Samus will begin to flash and undergo some kind of change. Below is a table of what kinds of endings you will receive and under what conditions.
| Completion time | Armored Samus | Armorless Samus |
|---|---|---|
| more than 5 hours | Samus flashes and then, with the armor still on, she raises her fist in the air. | After flashing, Samus' armor returns, and she stands with her back facing you, covering her face in disgrace. |
| between 3 and 5 hours | Samus flashes, and then she appears in her armor, but without her helmet, showing her face and brown hair. | The same ending. |
| less than 3 hours | Samus flashes and then reappears without her armor in a purple leotard with brown hair. If you continue playing, you will start over as armorless Samus. | Samus flashes and her purple leotard becomes a two-piece bathing suit. (If you continue playing, Samus will appear exactly as she did before). |
After you watch the ending and the credits, you can press 
to continue. The game will start over again, and you will return to the starting point of the game in Brinstar. You get to keep every power-up that you previously collected, with the exception of any Energy Tanks or Missile Packs, which must be collected over again.