AM2R: Return of Samus

released on Aug 06, 2016

AM2R, short for Another Metroid 2 Remake, is an action-adventure video game developed by Milton Guasti under the pseudonym DoctorM64, and released in August 2016 for Microsoft Windows, coinciding with the 30th anniversary of the Metroid series. It is an unofficial, enhanced remake of Nintendo's Game Boy game Metroid II: Return of Samus (1991), borrowing the art style and overall feeling of the Game Boy Advance game Metroid: Zero Mission (2004). Shortly after the game's release, Nintendo sent DMCA notices to websites hosting AM2R; download links to the game were removed from its official website, but Guasti said that he still planned to continue working on the game privately. In September 2016, Guasti ended the development of AM2R after he received a DMCA takedown request from Nintendo. The game follows Samus Aran, who aims to eradicate the parasitic Metroids from their home planet SR388. It includes several new features, including redone graphics and music, a map system, and new areas and minibosses. The controls were changed to be less "floaty", in line with the gameplay of later titles in the series. Video game journalists appreciated the game, frequently calling it impressive and commenting on the improved visuals compared to those of the original Metroid II, although one thought the conditions required to win battles against Metroids were too specific considering how often they occur. The game was nominated for The Game Awards 2016, but was later removed from the nominations page without notice.


Reviews View More

This game perfectly polished up Metroid 2 to the standards of modern gaming

A neat little fan game that holds out with Nintendo’s own 16 bit outings. Revamps Metroid 2 with Zero Mission mechanics, reinvigorating the personality Metroid 2 lacked.

Side note to the site: the PS Vita version is unable to be finished I think, unless the speed boost crash was fixed. I may be wrong though.

Digno trabajo de revisitar la idea original con ideas aún más originales.

La ambientación del juego es muy buena, con salas completamente a oscuras con metroides acechando en las esquinas que puedes hacerte dar un pequeño salto del susto.

El pixel art es muy bueno y el movimiento de Samus y los enemigos se siente muy bien, algunos metroides me recuerdan a marionetas de cartón por sus movimientos, pero eso le da un toque curioso.
Eso sí, algunos jefes son un tanto largos o se hacen molestos de pelear, obligándote a moverte mucho, por suerte con los repetidos combates contra los metroides se las ingeniaron para que esto no fuese así, en la mayoría al menos, haciendo que las áreas donde los peleemos sean diferentes para ingeniartelas de maneras diferentes a la hora de combatirlos.


Agrega más sobre los chozo y lo que hacía la federación en el planeta además de cazar metroides.

Playing this soured me on the original forever.

for such an oddball game as Metroid 2, this remake absolutely succeeds at preserving the original’s charm while making it generally more fun and polished. what’s really admirable, though, is how AM2R still has an identity all its own. the graphical shaders, sprites, music, and all-around vibe find themselves rooted in the GBA Metroid titles but ultimately leaning towards something more like Terraria, an angle that you’d likely never get from an official Nintendo product. Metroid Prime-style logs are added, slotting the game into the existing lore of the series even better, there are tons of options from difficulty to aesthetic, endings have several unique pieces of art depending on your performance like the GBA games before them… in terms of flaws, yes, it does introduce some slightly irritating darkness sections and Metroid fights can become repetitive as in the Game Boy game, but it really is such a meticulously crafted fan work, and one that deserves to be celebrated.