Creator Commented on a Podcast About Project AM2R
Another Metroid 2 Remake, also known as AM2R, was one of the big fan-made games based on the Metroid series. While there is much love for Metroid Dread, which came out on Switch, fans needed something to sate their thirst, and AM2R helped with that.
DoctorM64, who is now a programmer who has worked on games such as Ori & the Will of the Wisps, spoke of making AM2R. There was a lot of praise and love for AM2R, Metroid Zero Mission’s influence on the game creation, and gushes over Samus’ agility in the game proper. He is someone who is clearly happy and excited about the game he created, and it shows during the interview.
However, he also spoke of E.M.M.I. encounters, how difficult they can be, and why they were built that way. And there is some criticism on E.M.M.I for sure.
“I’m not entirely sure if the E.M.M.I.s were something that would make sense in Metroid. The concept is amazing, right? But if you mix something like survival horror with a huge monster that can one hit kill you, you need to feel vulnerable. Think of the first couple of Resident Evils with tank controls and very limited ammo and you stun a couple of zombies, you shot them, but your health is very limited, you’re feeling that tension, that dread.
But suddenly if you’re a space hunter that can leap around and jump and have very manoeuvrable moves and you happen to be able to wall jump and run super fast, that changes the dynamic a lot. Suddenly the monster has to move at the same pace as you and suddenly the fail state is faster to achieve. So in a run of Resident Evil or any other survival horror you take a couple of minutes to explore and you see the monster and you try with your very limited resources and mobility to escape and hide and be tactical about your choices. You have time to think and act right.
But since Samus is so snappy and the actual E.M.M.I.s have to be snappier than her to compensate, you don’t have those Metal Gear moments of you know stealth and taking action. You’re pretty much reacting to things, so it’s a very cat-and-mouse thing that happens so quickly that for once it’s distinct and unique but it’s also kind of annoying in my humble opinion.”
DoctorM64 spoke more of the game and in other topics during the interview. This can be found on interview here.