some guy did what nintendo couldn't
BUAH
This game has mediocre level design and awful boss design but otherwise it's alright.
This review contains spoilers
AM2R Review
By: Mayor of Smashville
Introduction: As a fan of Metroidvanias, but never got into Metroid itself, it took a recommendation from a friend to get me to try this game. I had played Super Metroid before this, but the more floaty controls and confusing level design comparatively to the Castlevania Igavania’s had left me with a sort of middling adventure I was not really a fan of. However, AM2R shocked me with not only being a fangame, but being a Metroid game that I absolutely fell in love with.
Story: While AM2R excels in many aspects, its narrative falls short of leaving a lasting impression. The central theme of the Metroids' genocide, integral to the series lore, is presented in a manner that lacks the nuanced storytelling found in other Metroid games, and certainly in comparison to something like Super Metroid/Fusion. The events appear somewhat detached, and the absence of significant narrative moments, such as a confrontation with Ridley or emotional build-up akin to encounters with Adam or the poignant loss of the Baby Metroid, contributes to the story feeling somewhat unremarkable. The logs, while providing entertaining reads, do little to address the perceived emptiness in the storytelling of Metroid II. Recognizing the challenge of introducing new elements without deviating from canon, it's evident that AM2R navigates this delicate balance. The standout narrative moment lies in the poignant stroll back to the ship towards the game's conclusion, accompanied by calming music and the Baby Metroid facilitating the journey—a touching yet insufficient compensation for the overall narrative shortcomings.
Gameplay: The core gameplay loop of AM2R is the exploration of areas on SR-388 in the hunt to exterminate the Metroids once and for all. Everytime Metroids of an area is destroyed, the lava blocking the next area vanishes, leading to Samus climbing deeper into the planet. In the pursuit of that goal, Samus gains new weapons/armor/items/mobility until the end of the game, where she is then ready to destroy the Metroid Queen and end the potential threat that their existence poses.
- Controls -
AM2R's controls like a complete dream, so incredible that it makes them hands down the best take on the Metroidvania control scheme that I have seen in the series thus far. Wall jumps feel like a breeze, way more intuitive than in Super Metroid. You can easily chain 8-10 Wall Jumps in places like Area 2, and it's so satisfying.
Mastering Shine Spark puzzles is a joy. The learning curve isn't as tough as it looks, and pulling off crazy skips or tackling the big Shine Spark puzzle at the end of A1 might seem awkward at first. But after a playthrough, it feels as natural as slipping on a glove.
The Morphing Ball is a game-changer – a press of a button, and you're rolling fast. It adds a flashy touch to movement, even in simple hallways.
One cool thing is the customization in AM2R's settings. No matter how you like your Metroid controls, the game lets you set it up just the way you want. It's all about making the player comfortable with their preferred controller scheme.
Not to mention the flow of Samus’s movement with how the environments are designed around her just make SR-388 a perfect stomping ground for one of my favorite controlling characters in all of gaming.
- Level Design -
The level design in AM2R is a bit different from other Metroidvania’s I have played, by being mostly linear, with the game not really allowing that much in the way of sequence breaks. Yes, there’s a couple, such as the Power Bomb skip that exists in the area from A4 to A5, but they don’t feel as game changing as those that exist in other games in the series like Super Metroid, or even in it’s genre comparables like in Dawn of Sorrow or Symphony of the Night.
The game isn’t really set up in that fashion since you always have to kill all of the Metroids no matter what. Making it so that you basically have to comb each area in the first place.
That’s not too bad however since the areas in AM2R are usually fun playgrounds to test Samus’s movement, but it still would have been fun to be able to get Super Missiles early in order to get past that unfun mini game in Area 3, or to be able to flush Metroids to go towards an area in order to not have to go through many empty sections that just have a Metroid in it.
- Level Design -
The Level design present in AM2R
Graphics: The graphical presentation in AM2R is a testament to detailed craftsmanship. Although its art style falls short of replicating the atmospheric immersion found in Super Metroid, it leverages a vibrant palette to enhance visibility, allowing enemies and Samus to distinctly stand out against the backdrop. The implementation of widescreen and a more pulled-back view contributes to an improved moment-to-moment gameplay experience, though it deviates from the claustrophobic ambiance typical of the series. Delving into Fusion-inspired environmental elements, AM2R meticulously constructs a visually captivating rendition of SR-388, remaining faithful to Fusion's art style. While not achieving the same atmospheric impact as Super Metroid, AM2R's graphics captivate with highly detailed sprites, maintaining fidelity to the canonical representation from Fusion.
Sound: The sound in this game is truly breathtaking. From the fanfare sound effects, to the tracks, to even the enemies sounds and cries, the OST and sound design in this game is sublime.
Some of my Favorite Tracks:
Initial Descent - https://youtu.be/B5V-DAbIdAY?si=BD5cYm3PCVy49exL
Genetics Labratory- https://youtu.be/PuwHJribGsY?si=uy5qkAHhYTdZkb_n
The Tower (Relaunch) - https://youtu.be/YM5AYLsChxY?si=hp9fOtakgGaslKhd
Ancient Power - https://youtu.be/QbrNtJZ7IFc?si=p7ilDx34aYoPjYvT
Sound effects are also pretty crunchy and sound very satisfying hitting weak points on enemies, especially metallic enemies. The game also thankfully does not have the long jingles everytime you pick up a power up, which was something that I had absolutely hated during my playthrough of Super Metroid.
Overall, I would say I thoroughly enjoyed the sound design and OST in AM2R.
Replayability: Even though I am not usually a fan of the Metroid series (at this point in time), one of the things I absolutely love is it’s sense of replayability. Having the time constraint there for Best Ending, the multiple paths for shine sparks once you learn them, and the different difficulty modes each provide something new to do on each playthrough until you invoke mastery of the games mechanics.
When I had played through Normal mode, I had thought the game was a bit too easy, and a lot of bosses just became Missile dumps. That is however, until I played Fusion mode where the game’s difficulty took off. Bosses that used to be simple Missile spam had actually required me to learn the patterns, and I realized how absolutely fun a lot of the bosses in this game actually was. From Tester, to the Torizo, to the Statue boss in Area 1, it made me master this game before I could beat it on all modes and scenarios.
At the time of this review, I have played AM2R around 8 different times, trying to get 100% under 2 hours consistently. After my third playthrough, I was able to get it down under 2 hours, but getting it down consistently was my true test of challenge. Now that I am able to get under 1:50:00 with 100% in Normal Mode consistently, my next goal is to get 100% with Hard and Fusion in under 2 hours.
This game truly has great replayability and I know for a fact that this game has still around 20 more playthroughs waiting for me. I cannot even imagine the joys of speedrunning that some people would get from this game.
Conclusion:
Score: 8.5/10
By: Mayor of Smashville
Introduction: As a fan of Metroidvanias, but never got into Metroid itself, it took a recommendation from a friend to get me to try this game. I had played Super Metroid before this, but the more floaty controls and confusing level design comparatively to the Castlevania Igavania’s had left me with a sort of middling adventure I was not really a fan of. However, AM2R shocked me with not only being a fangame, but being a Metroid game that I absolutely fell in love with.
Story: While AM2R excels in many aspects, its narrative falls short of leaving a lasting impression. The central theme of the Metroids' genocide, integral to the series lore, is presented in a manner that lacks the nuanced storytelling found in other Metroid games, and certainly in comparison to something like Super Metroid/Fusion. The events appear somewhat detached, and the absence of significant narrative moments, such as a confrontation with Ridley or emotional build-up akin to encounters with Adam or the poignant loss of the Baby Metroid, contributes to the story feeling somewhat unremarkable. The logs, while providing entertaining reads, do little to address the perceived emptiness in the storytelling of Metroid II. Recognizing the challenge of introducing new elements without deviating from canon, it's evident that AM2R navigates this delicate balance. The standout narrative moment lies in the poignant stroll back to the ship towards the game's conclusion, accompanied by calming music and the Baby Metroid facilitating the journey—a touching yet insufficient compensation for the overall narrative shortcomings.
Gameplay: The core gameplay loop of AM2R is the exploration of areas on SR-388 in the hunt to exterminate the Metroids once and for all. Everytime Metroids of an area is destroyed, the lava blocking the next area vanishes, leading to Samus climbing deeper into the planet. In the pursuit of that goal, Samus gains new weapons/armor/items/mobility until the end of the game, where she is then ready to destroy the Metroid Queen and end the potential threat that their existence poses.
- Controls -
AM2R's controls like a complete dream, so incredible that it makes them hands down the best take on the Metroidvania control scheme that I have seen in the series thus far. Wall jumps feel like a breeze, way more intuitive than in Super Metroid. You can easily chain 8-10 Wall Jumps in places like Area 2, and it's so satisfying.
Mastering Shine Spark puzzles is a joy. The learning curve isn't as tough as it looks, and pulling off crazy skips or tackling the big Shine Spark puzzle at the end of A1 might seem awkward at first. But after a playthrough, it feels as natural as slipping on a glove.
The Morphing Ball is a game-changer – a press of a button, and you're rolling fast. It adds a flashy touch to movement, even in simple hallways.
One cool thing is the customization in AM2R's settings. No matter how you like your Metroid controls, the game lets you set it up just the way you want. It's all about making the player comfortable with their preferred controller scheme.
Not to mention the flow of Samus’s movement with how the environments are designed around her just make SR-388 a perfect stomping ground for one of my favorite controlling characters in all of gaming.
- Level Design -
The level design in AM2R is a bit different from other Metroidvania’s I have played, by being mostly linear, with the game not really allowing that much in the way of sequence breaks. Yes, there’s a couple, such as the Power Bomb skip that exists in the area from A4 to A5, but they don’t feel as game changing as those that exist in other games in the series like Super Metroid, or even in it’s genre comparables like in Dawn of Sorrow or Symphony of the Night.
The game isn’t really set up in that fashion since you always have to kill all of the Metroids no matter what. Making it so that you basically have to comb each area in the first place.
That’s not too bad however since the areas in AM2R are usually fun playgrounds to test Samus’s movement, but it still would have been fun to be able to get Super Missiles early in order to get past that unfun mini game in Area 3, or to be able to flush Metroids to go towards an area in order to not have to go through many empty sections that just have a Metroid in it.
- Level Design -
The Level design present in AM2R
Graphics: The graphical presentation in AM2R is a testament to detailed craftsmanship. Although its art style falls short of replicating the atmospheric immersion found in Super Metroid, it leverages a vibrant palette to enhance visibility, allowing enemies and Samus to distinctly stand out against the backdrop. The implementation of widescreen and a more pulled-back view contributes to an improved moment-to-moment gameplay experience, though it deviates from the claustrophobic ambiance typical of the series. Delving into Fusion-inspired environmental elements, AM2R meticulously constructs a visually captivating rendition of SR-388, remaining faithful to Fusion's art style. While not achieving the same atmospheric impact as Super Metroid, AM2R's graphics captivate with highly detailed sprites, maintaining fidelity to the canonical representation from Fusion.
Sound: The sound in this game is truly breathtaking. From the fanfare sound effects, to the tracks, to even the enemies sounds and cries, the OST and sound design in this game is sublime.
Some of my Favorite Tracks:
Initial Descent - https://youtu.be/B5V-DAbIdAY?si=BD5cYm3PCVy49exL
Genetics Labratory- https://youtu.be/PuwHJribGsY?si=uy5qkAHhYTdZkb_n
The Tower (Relaunch) - https://youtu.be/YM5AYLsChxY?si=hp9fOtakgGaslKhd
Ancient Power - https://youtu.be/QbrNtJZ7IFc?si=p7ilDx34aYoPjYvT
Sound effects are also pretty crunchy and sound very satisfying hitting weak points on enemies, especially metallic enemies. The game also thankfully does not have the long jingles everytime you pick up a power up, which was something that I had absolutely hated during my playthrough of Super Metroid.
Overall, I would say I thoroughly enjoyed the sound design and OST in AM2R.
Replayability: Even though I am not usually a fan of the Metroid series (at this point in time), one of the things I absolutely love is it’s sense of replayability. Having the time constraint there for Best Ending, the multiple paths for shine sparks once you learn them, and the different difficulty modes each provide something new to do on each playthrough until you invoke mastery of the games mechanics.
When I had played through Normal mode, I had thought the game was a bit too easy, and a lot of bosses just became Missile dumps. That is however, until I played Fusion mode where the game’s difficulty took off. Bosses that used to be simple Missile spam had actually required me to learn the patterns, and I realized how absolutely fun a lot of the bosses in this game actually was. From Tester, to the Torizo, to the Statue boss in Area 1, it made me master this game before I could beat it on all modes and scenarios.
At the time of this review, I have played AM2R around 8 different times, trying to get 100% under 2 hours consistently. After my third playthrough, I was able to get it down under 2 hours, but getting it down consistently was my true test of challenge. Now that I am able to get under 1:50:00 with 100% in Normal Mode consistently, my next goal is to get 100% with Hard and Fusion in under 2 hours.
This game truly has great replayability and I know for a fact that this game has still around 20 more playthroughs waiting for me. I cannot even imagine the joys of speedrunning that some people would get from this game.
Conclusion:
Score: 8.5/10
best fan game oat
É um fangame tão bom que ao meu ver é melhor que sua versão original de gameboy e também é melhor que o remake de 3ds
This review contains spoilers
I adore this game.
The progression AM2R has is virtually immaculate. As I went deeper into SR-388's underground, I found myself feeling what it might actually be like for Samus. Claustrophobic. Isolating. Far away from anything considered safe or normal.Two of my favorite regions in the game are actually the second to last and last areas because of how well they sell their atmosphere.
Music is fantastic. I enjoyed the remixes of Super tracks, though it could be fairly argued that it's a bit overused, but they serve their purposes well, and the original Metroid II didn't have much in the way of level themes (though I would also argue that Samus Returns did that very well).
The ending is what pushed this game to a 5-star for me. After defeating the Metroid Queen, you find the baby metroid, foreshadowed a little bit previously, and it hatches. And then this serene, pensive, ethereal music plays as you climb the rest of the way out of the tunnels, out onto the surface, where night has fallen, and return to your ship. It struck me so hard. It was the perfect ending for this game.
This game is peak Metroid and is an incredibly viable option to experience Metroid II, which I hope to play myself at some point.
The progression AM2R has is virtually immaculate. As I went deeper into SR-388's underground, I found myself feeling what it might actually be like for Samus. Claustrophobic. Isolating. Far away from anything considered safe or normal.Two of my favorite regions in the game are actually the second to last and last areas because of how well they sell their atmosphere.
Music is fantastic. I enjoyed the remixes of Super tracks, though it could be fairly argued that it's a bit overused, but they serve their purposes well, and the original Metroid II didn't have much in the way of level themes (though I would also argue that Samus Returns did that very well).
The ending is what pushed this game to a 5-star for me. After defeating the Metroid Queen, you find the baby metroid, foreshadowed a little bit previously, and it hatches. And then this serene, pensive, ethereal music plays as you climb the rest of the way out of the tunnels, out onto the surface, where night has fallen, and return to your ship. It struck me so hard. It was the perfect ending for this game.
This game is peak Metroid and is an incredibly viable option to experience Metroid II, which I hope to play myself at some point.
An honest to goodness masterpiece in my opinion. Takes the Zero Mission approach of a remake, and goes sprinting off into the distance with it. One of the few games I've 100%'d without even trying to. The constant stream of both little and big upgrades kept the dopamine train going.
RP2S
RP2S
Fenomenal. O melhor jogo de metroid ser feito por fãs mostra o carinho e esmero inclusos nessa obra de arte.
I just recently played the original game for the first time and I gotta say I think this is a wonderful remake, keeps the same atmosphere, stays faithful to the story and design for the most part, while adding really sick new content, music is also great and visually it looks stunning. Mechanically it's the best feeling Metroid game ever made, Samus has never felt this smooth to control, it's fast paced, flashy, and fun.
However, I have a big gripe, that permeates through the whole game, and that is the actual Metroids, I think overall, they're an improvement on the original, I like the fact that they have new moves and attacks, new designs, and there's some cool new encounters I enjoyed, but my problem lies in the fact that they also changed their hitbox, you can now only damage them by hitting them in a weak spot that is very small, and hidden behind their legs, this doesn't sound bad and overall, it isn't, but the problem is that you encounter these enemies a lot, 40 times to be exact, and they move around a lot, so you'll find yourself just kinda waiting around for them to be in the right position so you can hit them, it slows down the gameplay a lot, and I honestly think if their hitboxes worked just like in the original it would've been much better. This game's original bosses however, are incredible, so at least it balances itself out a bit.
Outside of that though, this is an incredible game and the fact that it's a fan project makes it all the more impressive, it has nothing to envy from any other Metroid games made by Nintendo which is saying a lot because I think most developers nowadays have a lot to envy from Nintendo, really incredible job.
However, I have a big gripe, that permeates through the whole game, and that is the actual Metroids, I think overall, they're an improvement on the original, I like the fact that they have new moves and attacks, new designs, and there's some cool new encounters I enjoyed, but my problem lies in the fact that they also changed their hitbox, you can now only damage them by hitting them in a weak spot that is very small, and hidden behind their legs, this doesn't sound bad and overall, it isn't, but the problem is that you encounter these enemies a lot, 40 times to be exact, and they move around a lot, so you'll find yourself just kinda waiting around for them to be in the right position so you can hit them, it slows down the gameplay a lot, and I honestly think if their hitboxes worked just like in the original it would've been much better. This game's original bosses however, are incredible, so at least it balances itself out a bit.
Outside of that though, this is an incredible game and the fact that it's a fan project makes it all the more impressive, it has nothing to envy from any other Metroid games made by Nintendo which is saying a lot because I think most developers nowadays have a lot to envy from Nintendo, really incredible job.
Beautiful and faithful remake of Metroid 2 and I appreciate it's in a GBA style, Samus Returns gave me quite the whiplash going from ZM and it just feels empty....I prefer this one over that any day. Much like Metroid 1 NES, I can't really get into Metroid 2 GB so this is the way for me. That being said, this game is beautiful, atmosphere, the creatures, the addition of an enemy viewer and lore collection is very nice too. As far as fan games go, this is one of the legendary ones
Great remake of a bad game
Un fan-game tellement bon qu'on aurait dit un jeu officiel. 100% meilleur que le jeu de base.
La mejor experiencia para jugar a Metroid 2, lástima que el tema de matar metroid me aburra muchísimo
When it comes to Metroid games, I always go in with innate fear of getting lost because I am absolutely terrible with direction, so you can imagine my shock when I realized that AM2R was so on point with at least leading me in the right general direction. Very rarely did I actually get lost, and that's only the beginning of the compliments this game receives from me. The music and atmosphere are well done, visually its such a lovely game to look at, Samus feels weighty yet still perfect to control, and so on. My only real complaints come from the enemy design, but even then they were still pretty fun to fight. I'm very glad I picked AM2R as my way to experience Metroid II.
Pretty much close to perfect. Nintendo's lawyers will be boiled
A very excellent and impressive fan-remake that almost feels like Nintendo made it themselves. There's definitely some questionable design decisions here and there, mainly with enemy design, but most of the game's flaws really are just things that carry over from it being a remake of Metroid 2.
better than the actual metroid 2 remake
the best pixelart we could have gotten. Good music and stellar gameplay. Speedbooster makes the game extra fun
Really good, enjoyable atmosphere great gameplay a very enjoyable remake and experience overall
One of the best fangames ever made
Great remake of the original game. Found a lot to like in this one even though I also found new things to dislike like the corrected hurtboxes on the Metroids making them far more annoying to fight. Wouldn't go back to this one, but definitely the best version of Metroid 2 out there.
Holy shit.
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.
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.
One of the Metroid 2 remakes of all time
Best way to play Samus Returns. Also one of the best fan games I've played in general
Really makes you wonder about of evil Nintendo can get, this is one of the best fangames that has ever existed.
I had a really great time with this. It was really well-crafted and I could see all the love put into the game. It really felt like a full product and that's amazing. The music was a highlight for me but everything else was really good too.
This remake by a fan blew me away.
It was just so good and fun.
The sprite work was nice. Not like the crappy 3D models of the 3DS remake. Not to bash on that version, it’s the DS systems themselves. There is just something off about their polygon figures. They don’t like quite right.
This, however, is crisp looking. In fact, writing this has made me want to play it again.
It was just so good and fun.
The sprite work was nice. Not like the crappy 3D models of the 3DS remake. Not to bash on that version, it’s the DS systems themselves. There is just something off about their polygon figures. They don’t like quite right.
This, however, is crisp looking. In fact, writing this has made me want to play it again.
8