Another Metroid II Remake was released roughly a year prior to the release of Nintendo’s Metroid II remake, Samus Returns. A fan game based, obviously, on Metroid II it in some ways sticks closer to the original but still does plenty to differentiate itself.
While Samus Returns adds in 3D graphics and significantly new mechanics (the counter attack and Aeion abilities), AM2R doesn’t have any abilities that can’t be found in other Metroid games. What it does do is it adds in a log book with notes/lore about areas and enemies, new boss battles, new areas of the map, new mechanics in the level design, and updated boss bottles.
The update is largely great, it’s an improvement over the original every way I can think. However, the problem it falls into that I think is part of the reason why Nintendo took 13 years between the release of Zero Mission and Samus Returns and then only did so with an external developer, is that this game is basically like any other Metroid, and Nintendo doesn’t like to make a new game unless it’s doing something different from other games in that series.
AM2R is interested in updating Metroid II to being as nice as the other games in the series, but in doing so has made it basically the same as the other games in the series. Samus Returns, with the Aeion abilities and the counter attack in particular, is asking how can they do something new with a 2D Metroid game.
Which isn’t to say that I think Samus Returns is the better game. I like nearly every aspect of AM2R better, except for the boss battles. The standard enemy combat is more fun, the environments are more interesting to look at, the graphics are more colorful, the sound is more pleasant (Samus Returns had an obnoxious beeping w/ the radar Aeion ability), and the environmental mechnanics kept it fresh and fun. Samus Returns was basically built for the boss battles, and it really succeeded at that. In AM2R the fights against metroids and other boses often felt like there was no way to avoid damage, and getting in the right angle to hit their weak spot was often frustrating.
What Samus Returns represents is a path forward for the series. Its flaws are all things that can be fixed and look like they are going to be fixed. But AM2R isn’t aspiring to be that. It just wants to update a classic, somewhat forgotten entry into the series to a competent and modern entry, and they did an incredibly good job at that. I’m really glad we got both of these games and frankly I think they complement each other well.
