Fuck greedy fangame makers who think they can just steal Nintendo’s property like that
The best feeling Metroid I've played so far, with also featuring some great bosses (the unique fights). Calling this fangame "impressive" leaves it short, but I'm not rating it as high as Super just by the fact that this is still a Metroid 2 remake. Inherently the story, repeat bosses (even more here actually), and level progression are still untouched from the original, so that brings it down a little. But if you enjoyed Zero Mission, you'll probably like AM2R even more, at least the gameplay side of it.
this is like top 3 nintendo and its not even by nintendo! OMG! the movement is so freeing, the dash and the screw attack make me (samus) feel in complete mastery of my domain. The dash is easier to use and better implemented here than it was in zero mission, and much better than in prime (it wasnt in prime) backtracking here isn't a problem because you could be across the map in 20 seconds. But there really is not much backtracking here at all. You COULD backtrack, but every area feels very separate and distinct. Once you're done with one, you go onto the next. All the times i was lost and decided to backtrack, every single locked door that i now had access to just led to missile upgrades or something, not much progression or whatever. Progression in this game goes like this: u go into an area, this area has a set amount of metroids. You kill them all, then an earthquake happens and it drains some lava so you can go there and go to the next area to kill the next area's metroids. On the one hand, the metroid killing objective always gives u some kind of direction, it feels cooler than just being there “to kill the space pirates” cus your goal being destroying an invasive species before it inevitably consumes every ecosystem in the galaxy is cold as fuck. On the other, it makes everything feel segmented and further disincentivizes backtracking. Which could be a plus? I mean, I really enjoyed this setup. It felt a little linear, I guess, but I liked it. I understand both sides but i'm leaning more towards cool. If you read my zero mission review you know how much I loved fighting the metroids in that game. Each one needing the specific method to be defeated and how relentless they were in both movement and numbers made them such fun enemies. In this, there's "evolved" metroids which.. yeah, took another approach which I didn't appreciate nearly as much. But hey, at least zero mission metroids are still in this game. Doesn't excuse the boring and monotonous bullet sponge evolved metroid fights in this. Oh well. In other news, the rest of the bosses in this game are beautiful. Gone are the giant stationary dudes with one weakness!!! these bosses take full advantage of your mobility, they don't just test your ability to measure how short of a jump you need to shoot your missile at their weak point, you gotta do other cool stuff too that I don't wanna spoil. The final boss? boom? u guys know what im talking about. this guy gets it. Now, I was really close to giving this a 5/5. And the hesitation is what took it down to a 4 and a half. I just thought you guys should know I considered it. I'm really excited to play super metroid next, because apparently that's the videogame to end all videogames. So far i've been very impressed with the metroid series. And to all my vampire the masquerade bloodline awaiters, I will finish that game too. Give me time! Im doing malkavian so it takes me 20 minutes to respond to each dialogue choice.
Metroid 2, But Buffed to the Max.
That's where things starting to get Interesting.
I haven't played the original one nor the 3ds one, so It's hard for me to judge fairly of this game on it's own. But if I passed that and look at it with my own feelings I would say you will find a valuable journey here that still worth experiencing.
If I summarize shortly of this game's background story of it is... It's a fan remake of metroid 2 and just like Metroid Zero Mission, aims to remake the game with super and fusion's powers included inside.
And it does this better than Zero Mission ten fold.... Mostly.
Before getting into why of that, I want to explain why I choose to play this one rather than og or the 3ds one. That's because it looked the most captivating to me compared to the others. I have a thing for beatiful pixel art and this game just gives you more and more setpieces.
I can't give my general thoughts at other remake or the og but I can say this, sometimes doing a big game on the underpowered and black and white console with ending up looking incomprehensible(at least to me) or having the same game on a more powered but a bland cliche 3d art direction(for me) was enough to getting put off playing it and choose to go on the 3rd party different fan solution. Tbh I had a nice experience so I don't have any sadness choosing this route. But I wouldn't be against to anyone prefering other routes.
Back to the topic on hand, why I said I had more fun time than Zero Mission? That's because this game uses it's power ups and tools to the Max. You have to:
Be careful, Be agile, Be observant.
Because your journey is even more dangerous even more complicated than ever before, be it strong bosses (that can kill you in 5 seconds), be it traps, be it special moments deep in the metroid areas/zones.
While making the adventure more dangerous was enough to make it enjoyable, this game also have one thing more. Setpiece moments that intertwined with the zones itself to pull you into it's atmosphere more.
Without getting into details, imagine that there is a zone that you need to use power cells to start ancient powered special robots, imagine that there is a zone with a nuke ready to explode in it or even a place that your powers does not work or even more and more.
While this setpieces itself isn't something super unique, what makes them great is making the metroid zones like earth, ice, fire feel even more unique and manages to give you their atmosphere to you ten fold with it and greatly pull you into it's atmosphere.
So, because of that I had lots of fun with the journey, It was enough to make awesome. It really felt like a "Adventure". But unfortunately I had some gripes with the game, I assume most of the faults I will say here comes with the premise of original but I find them a little bit dissappointing nonetheless.
This game's premise is, obliterating Metroids. ALL OF THEM. While it's premise does not look bad, there is one caveat to this. You are required to kill all of Metroids in an area to be able to move forward because killing Metroids somehow destroy the lava that stops you from going to the next area. Because of this, everytime you find the necessary power up to move forward feels a bit less satisfactory when you know in the end of the day, you have to find Metroids to kill and "then" you can move on. Also killing all those Metroids however different variations there are, still becomes kinda monotonous and boring at the end.
Also this gatekeeping kinda results with game to end up a bit linear and less Metroidvania. It's not as bad as the situation of the Fusion but it still kinda is. You can choose to tackle which order of Metroid to get of course, but still... Every area/zone isn't, with getting seperated with the main cave road with lava seperating it from your area. So only way to go forward is, you descend to next area kill metroids, go to the main cave and descend again to the next area...
Also when I say descend, you really "descend". So, going back to previous zone requires you to use same way to "ascend". There is no shorcuts to go between areas like Super or even the original one. It's not required for main game and you can negate this a little bit with a teleport room you find in the end of the game but I got full completion in this game so I can say this, it's really not fun when you want to "complete" with going all the way to back.
But while I didn't find it a great metroidvania, I find it a great Adventure so I still left with lots of enjoyment. Also it's good balance of power and difficulty made it more rememberable as a result. Maybe it's not that great when it comes to exploration as much as Super. But when it comes to Surprise, That's what you will find tons of here with lots of engaging moments.
That's where things starting to get Interesting.
I haven't played the original one nor the 3ds one, so It's hard for me to judge fairly of this game on it's own. But if I passed that and look at it with my own feelings I would say you will find a valuable journey here that still worth experiencing.
If I summarize shortly of this game's background story of it is... It's a fan remake of metroid 2 and just like Metroid Zero Mission, aims to remake the game with super and fusion's powers included inside.
And it does this better than Zero Mission ten fold.... Mostly.
Before getting into why of that, I want to explain why I choose to play this one rather than og or the 3ds one. That's because it looked the most captivating to me compared to the others. I have a thing for beatiful pixel art and this game just gives you more and more setpieces.
I can't give my general thoughts at other remake or the og but I can say this, sometimes doing a big game on the underpowered and black and white console with ending up looking incomprehensible(at least to me) or having the same game on a more powered but a bland cliche 3d art direction(for me) was enough to getting put off playing it and choose to go on the 3rd party different fan solution. Tbh I had a nice experience so I don't have any sadness choosing this route. But I wouldn't be against to anyone prefering other routes.
Back to the topic on hand, why I said I had more fun time than Zero Mission? That's because this game uses it's power ups and tools to the Max. You have to:
Be careful, Be agile, Be observant.
Because your journey is even more dangerous even more complicated than ever before, be it strong bosses (that can kill you in 5 seconds), be it traps, be it special moments deep in the metroid areas/zones.
While making the adventure more dangerous was enough to make it enjoyable, this game also have one thing more. Setpiece moments that intertwined with the zones itself to pull you into it's atmosphere more.
Without getting into details, imagine that there is a zone that you need to use power cells to start ancient powered special robots, imagine that there is a zone with a nuke ready to explode in it or even a place that your powers does not work or even more and more.
While this setpieces itself isn't something super unique, what makes them great is making the metroid zones like earth, ice, fire feel even more unique and manages to give you their atmosphere to you ten fold with it and greatly pull you into it's atmosphere.
So, because of that I had lots of fun with the journey, It was enough to make awesome. It really felt like a "Adventure". But unfortunately I had some gripes with the game, I assume most of the faults I will say here comes with the premise of original but I find them a little bit dissappointing nonetheless.
This game's premise is, obliterating Metroids. ALL OF THEM. While it's premise does not look bad, there is one caveat to this. You are required to kill all of Metroids in an area to be able to move forward because killing Metroids somehow destroy the lava that stops you from going to the next area. Because of this, everytime you find the necessary power up to move forward feels a bit less satisfactory when you know in the end of the day, you have to find Metroids to kill and "then" you can move on. Also killing all those Metroids however different variations there are, still becomes kinda monotonous and boring at the end.
Also this gatekeeping kinda results with game to end up a bit linear and less Metroidvania. It's not as bad as the situation of the Fusion but it still kinda is. You can choose to tackle which order of Metroid to get of course, but still... Every area/zone isn't, with getting seperated with the main cave road with lava seperating it from your area. So only way to go forward is, you descend to next area kill metroids, go to the main cave and descend again to the next area...
Also when I say descend, you really "descend". So, going back to previous zone requires you to use same way to "ascend". There is no shorcuts to go between areas like Super or even the original one. It's not required for main game and you can negate this a little bit with a teleport room you find in the end of the game but I got full completion in this game so I can say this, it's really not fun when you want to "complete" with going all the way to back.
But while I didn't find it a great metroidvania, I find it a great Adventure so I still left with lots of enjoyment. Also it's good balance of power and difficulty made it more rememberable as a result. Maybe it's not that great when it comes to exploration as much as Super. But when it comes to Surprise, That's what you will find tons of here with lots of engaging moments.
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.
I still feel that the hurtboxes for the Alpha and Gamma metroids should be slightly tweaked to be more forgiving. They still feel slightly more punishing than in the original 1991 version. Currently blasting the metroids with missiles can feel like trying to snipe an arbitrary game object with a bullet rather than impacting a metroid nucleus with splash damage.
The omega metroid nest is also teeming with enemies, which is weird to me. Especially since the final stretch towards the queen is barren similar to the original. The original Metroid II lurches in pace after area 3, and AM2R thankfully remedies this by heavily reworking the game past said point.
Overall a truly excellent remake that mostly does justice to the tone of the original, marred only slightly by metroid encounters that feel slightly finicky-er than their original incarnations. Ice Beam is rather hidden too tbh. Still found it on the second sweep though. Oh yeah AM2R also employs pixel-rotations. Absolutely disgusting.
Great game. I recommend.
The omega metroid nest is also teeming with enemies, which is weird to me. Especially since the final stretch towards the queen is barren similar to the original. The original Metroid II lurches in pace after area 3, and AM2R thankfully remedies this by heavily reworking the game past said point.
Overall a truly excellent remake that mostly does justice to the tone of the original, marred only slightly by metroid encounters that feel slightly finicky-er than their original incarnations. Ice Beam is rather hidden too tbh. Still found it on the second sweep though. Oh yeah AM2R also employs pixel-rotations. Absolutely disgusting.
Great game. I recommend.
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.
a fangame so good that it should be criminal
Honestly, the best Metroid game so far. Gorgeous artstyle combined with a smooth gameplay and has a decent lineup of Main Bosses even though the Metroid Mini Bosses can be quite repetitive and tedious. Overall an incredible game.
Also Fuck Nintendo.
Also Fuck Nintendo.
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
One of the Metroid 2 remakes of all time
One of the best fangames ever made
Finally finished the game in fusion mode but only with 95% of the map cleared. I should really do Random Game Plus sometime considering the amount of times I've played this.
Even though this is a fan game, this game easily stands toe to toe with the best games in the series and I'd recommend it to every Metroid fa..
KNOCKKNOCKKNOCK NBI OPEN UP
OH FU...
Even though this is a fan game, this game easily stands toe to toe with the best games in the series and I'd recommend it to every Metroid fa..
KNOCKKNOCKKNOCK NBI OPEN UP
OH FU...
This is the real best Metroid 2 remake
Best way to play Samus Returns. Also one of the best fan games I've played in general
The original Metroid 2 is a garish and claustrophobic nightmare, and AM2R certainly loses some of that hostile nature (and it's screeching) by bringing the experience more in-line with Super Metroid, but holy hell, at least it's actually playable.
An impressive game all around. Little sad it's been eclipsed by Samus Returns but I'll always respect it more for having the idea you should be able to see where the hell you're going in Metroid 2 before Nintendo.
An impressive game all around. Little sad it's been eclipsed by Samus Returns but I'll always respect it more for having the idea you should be able to see where the hell you're going in Metroid 2 before Nintendo.
why the hell is it called "another metroid 2 remake" bro you were the first one to actually get finished
The most striking thing about AM2R is certainly the story behind it. There’s something uniquely compelling about a passion project 10 years in the making, tragically cut down before it’s prime that’s clearly resonated with a lot of people, including myself. The most striking thing about actually playing AM2R is just how damn polished it all feels. The pixel art is stunning, it runs like a dream, and the smoothness of the controls rivals even Zero Mission. The quality of the world design in particular really grabbed me, each area has such a distinct and well-conceived theme with some of the more creatives puzzles I’ve seen from this series. It’s borrowing the gated funnel structure of Metroid II, but the addition of a map (and notably, no map stations) makes exploration feel incredibly fulfilling and the most player-driven it’s been since… I dunno, Super? It’s clear the team working on this were incredibly devoted to making the best possible version of this game they could and I think they succeeded. I don’t play a ton of fan games myself, but the ones I have played have never been even close to this level. This is on par with any official Metroid release, and in some areas even surpasses them.
Where I’m less sold on Another Metroid 2 Remake is, funny enough, as a remake of Metroid II. Which is to be expected, honestly. I don’t think you actually can remake Metroid II without fundamentally ruining most of the things that make it interesting. The obscure graphics, the awkward music, the monotonous structure, the claustrophobic screen crunch, all that Gameboy jank was such an integral part of Metroid II’s deliberately uncomfortable atmosphere. Any additional layer of polish you add on top of it only serves to strip it of its identity. This isn’t to say AM2R doesn’t have an identity if it’s own—it has loads!—but it’s not the same identity, it’s not even in the same ballpark. Most of the time, I forgot I was even playing a remake of Metroid II at all.
Which sounds really negative but honestly I… don’t really care. Much like Zero Mission, what we have here is such a thrilling, enjoyable experience on its own that I’m more than willing to put asides any shortcomings it has as a recreation of a game that I’ve already played and still have full access to. Judged on its own merits, what we have here is a Metroid that feels great to control, offers a brilliantly thought-out and realized world, and adds in a wealth of new ideas I haven’t seen before. I can’t really ask for more than that. AM2R is a blast, and absolutely deserves a spot on the shelf with all the other Metroids—and not too far from the top of the pile either. This is the real deal.
Oh yeah and fuck Nintendo lmao
Where I’m less sold on Another Metroid 2 Remake is, funny enough, as a remake of Metroid II. Which is to be expected, honestly. I don’t think you actually can remake Metroid II without fundamentally ruining most of the things that make it interesting. The obscure graphics, the awkward music, the monotonous structure, the claustrophobic screen crunch, all that Gameboy jank was such an integral part of Metroid II’s deliberately uncomfortable atmosphere. Any additional layer of polish you add on top of it only serves to strip it of its identity. This isn’t to say AM2R doesn’t have an identity if it’s own—it has loads!—but it’s not the same identity, it’s not even in the same ballpark. Most of the time, I forgot I was even playing a remake of Metroid II at all.
Which sounds really negative but honestly I… don’t really care. Much like Zero Mission, what we have here is such a thrilling, enjoyable experience on its own that I’m more than willing to put asides any shortcomings it has as a recreation of a game that I’ve already played and still have full access to. Judged on its own merits, what we have here is a Metroid that feels great to control, offers a brilliantly thought-out and realized world, and adds in a wealth of new ideas I haven’t seen before. I can’t really ask for more than that. AM2R is a blast, and absolutely deserves a spot on the shelf with all the other Metroids—and not too far from the top of the pile either. This is the real deal.
Oh yeah and fuck Nintendo lmao
This is probably the best Metroid game out there, hands down. My only gripe with this game is the map design, which makes backtracking very sparse, but that's not really a fault with this game and moreso the one it's remaking. This game is absolutely amazing and I enjoyed it thoroughly.
Fantastic work made in Argentina, long live fangames and fuck you Nintendo.
Great remake of a bad game
se eu terminei esse posso contar que já joguei todos os 2D antes do Dread?
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.
Really makes you wonder about of evil Nintendo can get, this is one of the best fangames that has ever existed.
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
Fenomenal. O melhor jogo de metroid ser feito por fãs mostra o carinho e esmero inclusos nessa obra de arte.
better than the actual metroid 2 remake
Seu final é lindo e tocante
Really good, enjoyable atmosphere great gameplay a very enjoyable remake and experience overall
Best Metroid game (haven't played Dread lmao).