AM2R feels like the classic Metroid formula perfected. From the controls to the physics, the level design, and the powerups. It all feels so sharp to control and so good to play. The Hydro Station area might be my favorite area in any Metroid game. From the music to its non-linearity, the many upgrades you can collect, and the fun updated fight against Arachnus. It feels like peak Metroid. The lore entrees make SR388 feel just like Tallon IV, with its own story to tell and secrets to unfold. AM2R really makes SR388 make sense. The moment-to-moment gameplay is excellent, and there is rarely a dull moment.
The visuals of AM2R are a treat for the eyes. The detailed backgrounds, the impressive spritework, and the subtle details like the green trail of the morph ball and its turning animation, all contribute to the game's visual appeal. However, the sprite rotation and the stock explosion effects can be a bit jarring, giving the game a 'game maker' feel.
The game has issues that mainly deal with Metroid 2 as its base. The Metroid fights are repetitious while also being annoying. The hitboxes feel too small and are good at hiding their weak spots. But they don't deal that much damage, so it amounts to these fights feeling like they should be over halfway through. The weird backtracking with finding the researchers feels clunky, and I wish it was just the next cave down. By the end, the level design sometimes gets too complex for its own good, but that doesn't diminish how cool the concepts this game introduces are.
AM2R is also one of the more accessible Metroid games. While ZM is easier, I only died 4 times in AM2R, and 2 of those were me accidentally entering a boss with half health. In ZM, I died more, primarily due to not collecting the Varia suit until near the end of the game. Despite being easy on normal, the bosses all feel very fun to fight and sufficiently challenging. The weapon tester robot feels too much like a Tohou game, but all of the non-Metroid fights in this game are welcome inclusions. Plus, most of the expansions can be found without backtracking later. I got 89% of the items, which is much higher than any other Metroid game I have played. The 11% I didn't get mainly were shinespark puzzles; my lord, this game loves its shinespark puzzles. After you get it, almost every expansion requires it, and I wish some of the other upgrades were used more. It would have been nice if this game had introduced some new powerups so that it felt different gameplay-wise to Zero Mission. However, that is most of the appeal of AM2R; it plays just like Zero Mission except even better. And at that, it succeeded.
Overall, AM2R is a fantastic remake of Metroid 2, and I highly recommend playing it if you haven't already. It is so polished and a blast to play.
The visuals of AM2R are a treat for the eyes. The detailed backgrounds, the impressive spritework, and the subtle details like the green trail of the morph ball and its turning animation, all contribute to the game's visual appeal. However, the sprite rotation and the stock explosion effects can be a bit jarring, giving the game a 'game maker' feel.
The game has issues that mainly deal with Metroid 2 as its base. The Metroid fights are repetitious while also being annoying. The hitboxes feel too small and are good at hiding their weak spots. But they don't deal that much damage, so it amounts to these fights feeling like they should be over halfway through. The weird backtracking with finding the researchers feels clunky, and I wish it was just the next cave down. By the end, the level design sometimes gets too complex for its own good, but that doesn't diminish how cool the concepts this game introduces are.
AM2R is also one of the more accessible Metroid games. While ZM is easier, I only died 4 times in AM2R, and 2 of those were me accidentally entering a boss with half health. In ZM, I died more, primarily due to not collecting the Varia suit until near the end of the game. Despite being easy on normal, the bosses all feel very fun to fight and sufficiently challenging. The weapon tester robot feels too much like a Tohou game, but all of the non-Metroid fights in this game are welcome inclusions. Plus, most of the expansions can be found without backtracking later. I got 89% of the items, which is much higher than any other Metroid game I have played. The 11% I didn't get mainly were shinespark puzzles; my lord, this game loves its shinespark puzzles. After you get it, almost every expansion requires it, and I wish some of the other upgrades were used more. It would have been nice if this game had introduced some new powerups so that it felt different gameplay-wise to Zero Mission. However, that is most of the appeal of AM2R; it plays just like Zero Mission except even better. And at that, it succeeded.
Overall, AM2R is a fantastic remake of Metroid 2, and I highly recommend playing it if you haven't already. It is so polished and a blast to play.