MercurySteam did a pretty good job with this. It’s not ambidextrous by any means, but the addition of 360 degree aiming and the counterattack were brilliant, even if the latter was overused. They both make so much sense in terms of how Samus interacts with SR388. There are basic enemies and metroids attacking you from every angle possible, and being able to fight enemies in a completely new way is really refreshing. It’s also probably the most challenging 2D Metroid in the series too. It’s not like old school Metroid, where save rooms are few and far between. A big draw of old school Metroid is the building tension of making it to that next save point while your health and ammo is whittled away by small enemies. In Samus Returns, you’re never too far from a save point, but enemies hit HARD. even on the normal difficulty, there are little bitches that’ll take away a whole energy tank with one attack, and I found myself dying a lot.

For a 3DS game, it’s gorgeous. I love Samus’ angular, top heavy new look, and I love how detailed and inspired the areas are. It reminded me a lot of DKC Tropical Freeze, where it really felt like there was a whole world to explore just in the backdrops. I wasn’t able to see the 3D in action but I’ve heard it’s really good so I’ll just believe it.

I think the game’s biggest problem stems from the fact that it’s just Metroid 2. The fights against the metroids can all get very repetitive since you’ll be fighting them in different stages of their evolution the further you progress. But you’re still fighting each version of them what feels like ten times each. It’s tiring. They added a few new non-Metroid fights that I really enjoyed (yeah I kinda enjoyed the robot fight), but if I’m being completely honest I think AM2R goes the extra mile in this category. It also reuses a ton of music and sound effects from the series, mostly from Metroid Prime. It’s really cool at first glance, hearing the missle tank sound effect and the Magmoor Caverns theme, but the further I got into the game the more I felt like it was watering down it’s own identity by not having any memorable original tracks.

Overall I think this game is really solid for MercurySteam’s first go at this franchise. Obviously Nintendo trusts them enough to continue the mainline series, and after playing Samus Returns, I think I do too. Can’t wait for Dread.

I don’t really play fan games/ROM hacks at all. I’ve seen some in action and they didn’t appear to be something that appeals to me personally. Up to this point, the only thing close to that I’ve played is Majora’s Mask Randomizer because optimization and time management is the key to doing well and getting all the stuff in that game. MMR tested me in ways the original game never could, but that’s for another day.

In my mind there are 3 types of remakes: Those that replace the original, those that stand side-to-side with the original, and those that are inferior to the original. Zero Mission, in my eyes, is a remake that completely replaces the original, but given that the original Metroid was an NES game from the ‘80s vs a early-mid 2000s GBA game, it was destined to replace it if you ask me. It’s a similar story for Metroid II, except we got AM2R, the unofficial remake, and Metroid: Samus Returns, the official remake. I’ll get to Metroid: Samus Returns later…oh boy…I’ll get to that later. For now, AM2R.

Milton Guasti/DoctorM64…heard of him? Neither did I until I played this game. I know he’ll likely never read this ramble, but he gets all the respect in the world for seeing this project through to the end and giving us, in my opinion, the only other 2D Metroid game to match up with the likes of Super Metroid. He also did some work on the level design on Ori and the Will of the Wisps (which is another fantastic game you should play). Milton Guasti, thank you so much. You are out here doing god’s work and I hope you continue doing what you love. Mad love and respect to you!

AM2R (Another Metroid 2 Remake) takes the Metroid: Zero Mission engine and somehow makes it even better (also a jump to 60 fps). It’s not quite as snappy and sharp as Zero Mission if you ask me, but I think that’s for the better. Try wall jumping off of a single wall and you’ll see what I mean. You can enter Morph Ball with the push of a single button and THANK GOD THIS IS A THING! Toughest thing about playing the 2D games is that you need to press down twice to enter Morph Ball. It’s not instant unless you have the reflexes of a speedrunner (I try and succeed about half the time). We also have the most responsive iteration of the Space Jump which is basically spammable, but tapping in rhythm is still preferred. You can also turn on and off the upgrades you don’t want just like Super Metroid and I am surprised that this isn’t a thing in other games. For the sake of convenience, I understand the stacking of upgrades, but I like being able to choose which beams I want on or off and whether or not I want to equip the Hi-Jump Boots. Most of the changes going from the original Metroid to Zero Mission is roughly the same when going from Metroid II to AM2R; I’m not gonna beat a dead horse saying all that again.

With my recent playthrough of Metroid II, I was a bit surprised to see how faithful to the original AM2R’s map is. There are some new areas to be sure, yes…but the basic map layout of Metroid II is here and that…kinda shocked me. I thought it would be in a similar vein to Zero Mission, and it is to a certain extent. Unlike the original Metroid, which had the horrendous copy & paste hallways, Metroid II doesn’t have that many instances of clear copy & paste design. Even then, those parts are still in AM2R, but they’re slightly altered to not make it too dull and uninteresting to travel through.

The world of AM2R, as mentioned before, is pretty faithful to the original map. Things like the Geothermal Plant, the half-submerged research station (I’m blanking on the area name) and the Galactic Federation ship are new and great additions. Everything else is pretty close to the original with some new rooms and mini-areas here and there. The way you travel the world is pretty much the same as the original; you need to kill “X number of Metroids” so the lava levels will lower and you can travel to the next area.

This is a foundational part of Metroid II’s design and that has been translated here, meaning there’s no real feeling of “open”...but at the same time, there is that feeling of being “open” on a smaller scale. With the addition of power-ups from previous games appearing here, you still have to kill all the Metroid before moving on, but the order in which you collect power-ups does vary from playthrough to playthrough (before you properly optimize of course). While it’s not what I personally want for a Metroid experience, I can’t really fault the remake for this since changing this very foundation would result in a completely different game, not a remake.

Three things that hold back Zero Mission as a remake for me is its length, difficulty and the absence of atmosphere when compared to the original. When you’ve played the original and Zero Mission, you see the improvements, but many things weren’t scaled alongside those improvements such as length and difficulty. As a result, you can breeze through the game so fast; a bit too fast. This is not the case with AM2R in the slightest. The expanded areas and additions add more to the overall playtime and the new bosses (some of them) will give you a run for your money even for Metroid veterans.

The Metroids themselves got tweaked, especially Zeta Metroids. Alpha and Gamma Metroids are an actual threat and they can be disgustingly hard to hit thanks to their core being the only area you can cause damage instead of their whole body like the original. There will be times where you swear that you hit them, but it was just a few pixels too high. That along with their rather erratic movement makes every encounter tense if you ask me. The Omega Metroids are still a threat, but I don’t really find them as threatening as the Alphas and Gammas since you’ll be completely pimped out by the time you get to them.

Ok. I need to talk about Zeta Metroids for a bit. They were already aggressive in the original Metroid II, but god damn, they are the single most difficult enemy to fight in the entire game. Queen Metroid? Weak. Omega Metroids? Pathetic. The added bosses? Nonexistent. It’s awkward to evade them even with the help of the Space Jump because the room layouts they’re in does everything in their power to make it hard to jump past them. After you hit them enough, they will start deflecting Missiles and Super Missiles making the fight even longer. They hit like trucks and can easily wipe you out if you don’t have enough health. When you see a Zeta Metroid, prepare yourself. The fact that they can block Missiles and Super Missiles is the sole reason I find them to be the hardest encounters in the game. I find them a complete pain in the ass to fight, but at the same time, I like fighting them. Omega Metroids can also block Missiles and Super Missiles, but Zetas block them as more of a defensive mechanism while the Omegas use it as an attack.

Unlike Zero Mission, AM2R ambiance and atmosphere became fully realized and accentuated thanks to the wonderful visuals and music. In addition, there are also log entries similar to the Prime games, and you bet that I read every last one of them. It’s all really interesting and cool and it makes me wish it was like this in the official 2D Metroid games.

Usually when it comes to fan games/ROM hacks, I never looked their way and typically stuck with the games that were officially made, published and released. When I saw that Nintendo essentially took this down in about 24-48 hours, I was confused…really confused. During 2016, they were doing essentially nothing with the franchise, especially after the highly mixed reception of Other M. They have every right to protect their IP, but at the same time, why only this? Well I think we know the answer several weeks after this initial takedown…

Fan games/ROM hacks don’t typically get placed the same way as the officially released games, but AM2R is…special. This level of quality and attention to detail completely surpasses most of the games that I’ve played between then and now.

I could go on and on for another 4 pages of me wanking this game, but I won’t bore myself with what I already know.

Another Metroid 2 Remake, Cave Story, Undertale and Dust: An Elysian Tail represents what a individual/team can build and accomplish. The passion of an individual or a small team are able to steal the hearts of many without a large backing to their name. It’s very well possible that AM2R singlehandedly revitalized the energy and passion within the Metroid community and fans of Metroidvanias before Hollow Knight took over, though that’s largely a guess on my part.

Regardless of what you think of the game itself, AM2R is special to me and every Metroid fan that has been waiting patiently for many many years. If you ask me, this deserves to be in the pantheon of “One of the greatest games ever made.” If that’s too much, which is very understandable, then it should be a top contender for, “One of the greatest remakes ever made.”

I generally do not play hacks or fangames, but I made an exception for this. Really the only thing that holds this back from being as good as Zero Mission for me is a few aesthetic things like the higher-level Metroids being a bit too detailed compared to other assets. This is leagues better than the official Return of Samus on 3DS, which I have a pretty strong dislike for. I can't stand how much that game really wants to make Samus a flashy badass action game hero as opposed to the the traditional, more subdued style of previous Metroid games.

All told there are probably less than 6 Game Boy or Game Boy Color games I would consider playing today as someone who never owned one, and frankly Metroid 2 is not one of them. As such, I can't speak to the degree of credit respectively due to the original Nintendo team and the AM2R team. Regardless, this is an excellent Metroid game: well-paced in terms of difficulty and upgrades, balanced in its music and art to support varying tones and moods, and deeply satisfying in its conclusion. Creates a similar effect to Zero Mission of consistently conveying where to explore next without feeling as hand-holding through the Metroid counter and the receding lava bottlenecks being easily identifiable on the map (complete with markers, which helps a lot).

Where I feel it lacks most is the extent to which certain early upgrades are made borderline obsolete when a new one comes along, cumulatively making your ostensibly huge toolkit feel like one hammer. The spider ball felt revolutionary and I loved the relatively slow creep as I scaled caverns and plumbed tunnels, until the space jump swiped all its utility and added speed. More convenient to be sure, but less interesting. This is by no means a flaw unique to AM2R: both Zero Mission and Super's endgame movesets are (imo) so overpowered that it removes most of the friction from navigation (friction I sincerely love) and yields bosses that tend towards bullet-spongey tedium (I think Prime 1 and 3 avoid this by and large). Despite this I think this may be my favourite of the first three games, balancing the strengths of both Zero Mission and Super while minimizing their flaws. Will be moving on to Fusion to ensure I'm done before October, but if I have the time I may give Super another go now that I feel like I'd understand it better.

AM2R is clearly a product of love for the series. It understands a lot of what makes great Metroids tick, and does such a good job that it stands among its official series entries with ease.

If SM stands out for its atmosphere, Fusion for its narrative, and Dread for its boss fights, AM2R stands out for its surprises. Some of those are meant to hit for dedicated series fans; obscure callbacks and specific allusions really tickle the mind and work to create new connections (that it can then surprisingly subvert). Many of them are just jaw-dropping "oh shit!" moments that pull the rug out from under you to put you in mix of delight and panic. I'd first played this game around its release, and I still found myself remembering many of this game's coolest inclusions simply because of how memorable they are.

It's not without fault - mainly, some of the fights against the later Metroid forms can be an absolute slog. Narrative elements are also pretty sparse, and the atmosphere is serviceable without being especially engrossing or memorable. But those qualms are holding it up to the standards of mainline series entries - something that AM2R thoroughly earns.

Very few times do I replay a game almost immediately after first beating it, much less completing it. The sole other example I can think of is when I did a Dragonslayer run of Dark Souls where I tried to play as Ornstein.

I usually try to stay away from writing up lengthy diatribes on why I enjoy (or don't enjoy) a game, because I believe a lot can be said about a game in fewer words and allows more accessibility to more casual readers. However I cannot simply go into this review of my second playthrough without gushing about how much I love this game. But to give a TL;DR, the best part about AM2R is that it is a video game.

This replay was in New Game+ with Fusion Mode turned on. New Game+ in this case doesn't let you keep your upgrades from the previous adventure, but instead allows you to kill 85% of the Metroids in whatever order you choose. This allows for an immense amount of pure exploration as you can skip areas to grab upgrades that will make those areas a breeze, or in Fusion Mode's case, actually feasible. Fusion Mode is exactly what I wanted it to be, a vicegrip on my testicles and I have to fight tooth and claw to defeat the Metroid threat as well as the slew of other bosses the game has to offer.

All of the terror from my first playthrough was doubled with how powerless I was, even with the Varia Suit and other upgrades, I felt like I could be slaughtered at any moment, and that was an amazing feeling. So amazing that when I went out of my way to get things like the Screw Attack and Gravity Suit earlier than intended, it made overcoming that fear even more rewarding than it was before.

Collecting 100% of the items didn't just feel like something I wanted to do, but something I needed to do to survive and rewarded my knowledge of the level design from my previous playthrough, and the fact that items were cut in half (minus health tanks and suit upgrades) meant that I couldn't be over reliant on Super Missiles and Power Bombs and had to think on how to beat a boss.

This entire playthrough felt like not only I was improving, but the game itself improved with me.

There are still a few problems I have, some Metroids have ridiculously small hitboxes (looking at you Gamma Metroids) and the only way to beat them was simply to brute force my way with missiles while abusing what little invincibility frames I had. I still agree with my earlier review that I-Frames need to be increased because getting juggled outside of a fighting game is just a bit too much.

But god damn, this is a video game. One of the finest I have ever had the privilege to play, and one I plan on replaying again in the near future.

AM2R is a crowning testament to achieving one's dreams, 10 years of hardwork and dedication, to create a genuine, spectacular Metroid game, and my favorite in the series.

This is the Return of Samus we deserved.

Genocide has never been so fun. A bit repetitive, but fun. There were only a couple unique bosses with the vast majority just being metroids that for the most part are extremely easy to kill, but the unique ones that were there were really cool fights. The map was pretty well designed thought and I love that they added a sort of fast travel system even if it's only accessible towards the later parts of the game, and the movement feels nicer than the other metroid games I've played so far. The controls were also simple to change to make it however you want, including options to make it more like Super Metroid or more like Zero Mission.

Being someone who likes to 100% games, I've found some very cleverly hidden expansions. I prefer cleverly hidden to just overly difficult like some of the ones in Zero Mission. To me it feels more rewarding to get something that is well hidden and maybe just takes doing a trick of low-moderate difficulty, than it does to finally get something that takes long and super precise tricks and aren't easily reset. That is more relief that I don't have to keep trying and reloading save states than an actual feeling of accomplishment.

Overall, a great Metroid game. It's free and a whole lot of fun to play through. Definitely worth playing.

AM2R came out swinging, even if it was shot out the gate with a C&D. Through the magic of file sharing, we can still play this great game. A fangame that spent over a decade in development that actually delivered, that fact alone is worthy of recognition (looking at you, Mother 4).

Even compared to the original NES game, M2 always felt strange, for better and worse, but AM2R, despite its humble name and origins, helped breathe new life into the Game Boy adventure and showed us what it could be without its past limitations.The level design feels ripped straight from the best in the series, with clever shortcuts laced throughout the world to allow for sequence breaking and out-of-order item upgrades. It has that dread-inducing atmosphere and the thrill of hunting every last Metroid, but plays and looks as good as the series’ best.

There were some real winners in the nominees, but Samus’ return tore through them. Without getting into the endless Samus Returns-AMR2 shitflinging debate that's plagued /v/ threads for years, we can at least appreciate one of the best fan games of all time, and a fun love letter to Metroid in general, at a time when the series arguably needed it the most.

The sheer quality of AM2R is insane. Seriously, this is a fangame, yet they got so many things right! Samus feels amazing to control, the soundtrack fits the atmosphere and they overhauled so many things to modernise Metroid II while still staying true to it.

However, this latter part, staying true to Metroid II is what hindered my enjoyment with AM2R a bit. There aren't any huge places to get lost in, it's usually very clear where you need to go, because AM2R is split up into so many small areas, which makes exploration a lot less satisfying than Super Metroid or Metroid Dread.

Oh and the Metroid fights are also very awkward, which is kind of a bummer if you consider that you fight them over and over again.

Nevertheless, you can truly feel how much love was poured into AM2R and I deeply respect that.

Um remake do Metroid 2 de Game Boy, com uma visão criativa e apaixonada do mesmo. Deveria ser oficial em relação a tamanha quallidade desse fangame.

Primeiramente, a gameplay, uma delicia, é tipo Super Metroid só que mais fluido, e eles ainda colocam muitos poderes da franquia inteira no jogo, os que não tinham disponiveis no original.

Outra coisa foda é a trilha sonora, diferente do original que tinha ou silencio ou merda tocando, aqui eles colocaram as musicas reais do jogo só que remixadas, e musicas de vários jogos da franquia misturados em outras areas.

A separação de areas também é legal, cheio de caminhos e atalhos, o que é novo em metroid e é bem apreciado por mim nesse remake. Por fim, a criatividade nas MUITAS E MUITAS coisas novas do jogo é simplesmente surreal, muita coisa que tu nunca viu acontecendo na franquia vai rolar aqui e isso é uma surpresa do caralho. É um level design muito bom em relação a backtracking e upgrades, e ele une isso com uma criatividade muito grande, em inimigos, chefes, e principalmente em mecanicas chaves de algumas areas, que foram totais reimaginadas pra não ficar tão repetitivo quanto o original

É isso, um ótimo jogo, com alguns defeitos aqui e ali. Seria bem mais reconhecido se a filha da puta da Nintendo não tivesse tirado ele, porra Nintendo faz igual a Capcom e oficializa essa porra, com o mesmo nome, não teria problema algum.