AM2R: Return of Samus
AM2R, short for Another Metroid 2 Remake, is an action-adventure video game developed by Milton Guasti under the pseudonym DoctorM64 and released for Microsoft Windows in August 2016 to celebrate 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), which echoes the art style and overall gameplay 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 the official website, but Guasti said he still planned to continue working on the game privately. In September 2016, Guasti ended development of AM2R after receiving a DMCA request from Nintendo. The game follows Samus Aran, whose goal is to eradicate the parasitic Metroids from her home planet of SR388. It includes several new features, including revamped graphics and music, a map system, and new areas and minibosses. The controls have been changed to be less "floaty" and more in line with the gameplay of the later titles in the series. Video game journalists appreciated the game, often calling it impressive and commenting on the improved graphics compared to the original Metroid II, although one felt that the conditions you had to fulfill to win the battles against the Metroids were too specific, considering how often they occur. The game was nominated for The Game Awards 2016, but was later removed from the nomination page without any announcement.
Story
The game's plot is largely unchanged from Metroid II. There is now a Super Metroid-style introduction narrated by Samus Aran (see above) about the nature of her mission on SR388. As the game progresses, Samus' scanners automatically download log entries, similar to those in the Metroid Prime series, which reveal additional information about areas and bosses. She can reveal optional areas, including the landing sites of the G.F.S. Thoth and an Anhur-class patrol ship that housed the two ill-fated Galactic Federation teams previously sent to rescue the Galactic Federation Special Squadron. In Metroid II, the final resting places of these Federation teams were not shown, although they were mentioned in the manual. Samus also encounters surviving Federation Marines fighting a Zeta Metroid that transforms into an Omega Metroid before effortlessly killing them. It is not possible to save the marines. The mysterious earthquakes associated with the death of the Metroids are supposedly caused by the Metroid Queen herself, as her screams can be heard during the final quakes in the game. The logbook reveals that the cave system is located between two tectonic plates on SR388. The game ends with Samus killing the remaining Metroids and the Queen, and discovering a small Metroid, which she later names Baby. After the credits, Samus speaks the famous opening line from Super Metroid: "The last Metroid is in captivity. The galaxy is at peace." In the best ending, Samus is seen in her Gunship calling the Space Science Academy about the baby, which leads to Super Metroid.