10 Years of AM2R

Today is a very special day. A day where several events that changed the course of my life happened. Not all of them at the same time, or in the same year, but around August 8.

Let 's see…

40 Years Ago - Metroid was released

Happy Birthday Samus!!!

When Metroid was released, I was a 6 year old kid that loved to play Wonder Boy, Bubble Bobble, and occasionally Out Run. Visiting the Arcade was pure magic, and the birthplace of my dream of some day in the future becoming a game designer.

30 Years Ago - The Famicom Days

I’m just reminiscing about this part of my life, not necessarily a specific date.

Now, during the 90’s, the most popular console here in Argentina was the Famicom. Well, whatever clones would make their way here. I rented and enjoyed a lot of games, all of them unlicensed carts. The Famicom Disk System didn’t make it here, so I missed out on Zelda and Metroid. 

It would take many more years to eventually discover those franchises, and I’m so glad I did.

20 Years Ago - Metroid 2

Again, I don’t remember the exact date, but I vividly remember what happened on a rainy night.

I decided I wasn’t in the mood for going out with my friends. Instead, I gathered the latest batch of Roms I had downloaded from some FTP server, and loaded them into my EZ-Flash cart. I pointed my desk lamp directly into the unlit screen of my newly acquired GBA, and among the games I played that night was Metroid Zero Mission.

I completed the game in one sitting, and it was amazing.

I had to check out the rest of the Metroid franchise. Over the course of the following weeks I did just that. Fusion was awesome and cinematic, I emulated Super and actually gave it the time it deserved. I skipped NESTroid because I had already played the remake.

And then I played Metroid 2. I got a GameBoy cart as part of a bundle, back in the old days where you could buy loose GameBoy carts for pennies.

It felt dated. But I figured if Nintendo made an awesome remake of the first Metroid, they surely would do the same with the second game… right?

By this time, a couple years after the release of Zero Mission, I decided to try and remake the game myself. I’d just make a color version of Metroid 2, using existing assets.
I had the sprite ripping skills from my days of creating characters for the MUGEN engine, and I could handle producing the soundtrack in my shiny new recording studio.

How hard could it be?

10 Years Ago - AM2R

“Why now… Why???” - I said to myself.

On the screen, the detailed report of a bug that messed up save files. It was serious.

Another tab showed this very blog, the latest post was showing a countdown. 30 minutes left.

AM2R was so close to release, and there I was, fixing it at the very last minute. Game Maker Studio’s eternal export times felt even more eternal.

Got the green light from DruidVorse (his journey as a QA God was just starting by now), double checked all the upload mirrors, and I finally hit Post.

And then… Silence.

I should have stepped out, to clear my head, touch grass.

But no, there I was, hitting F5 every other minute to read the blog comments. People were finally enjoying the game. I spent half of that day celebrating the positive reception of the game, the other half writing down all the bugs and balance issues people mentioned.

Seeing people stream the game and enjoy it was surreal.

At last, I was relieved. After all this time, the game was out.

Those last 10 years led me to meet awesome people. Some of them helped out with the project, others were just cool to hang out with. I made good friends along the way, and even got to work together with some of them, eventually.

What happened afterwards was told way too many times. 

In the end, people loved the game and what it brought to the fandom at that very specific time in Metroid history. 

This Last Decade

If I was going to move on, whether I liked it or not, I was going to make my own game. 

The one thing I wasn’t expecting was the new pricing model for Game Maker 2. It just didn’t seem appealing, so I shifted my attention towards Unity.

I started prototyping a Metroidvania, using some graphics that Sabre230 had made as a starting base. I got to experiment with different asset packs from the Unity Store, and slowly started customizing a very stable raycast based collision engine, since Unity physics were too chaotic and unreliable for my vision.

All of the sudden, I got an offer from Moon Studios to work as a level designer. And just like that, I found myself working alongside insanely talented artists, programmers and writers. 

Working on Ori and the Will of the Wisps was amazing. I learned a lot during those years, and I’m proud of what I was able to contribute to the game. 

I was also lucky to participate as a Level Designer for Bo: Path of the Teal Lotus. 

The amount of Japanese folklore I had to study to prepare for the project was a bit overwhelming. This was one of those rare occasions where the world building affected every aspect of the game. From the dialog and the character designs, to the levels and world design.

It was a refreshing challenge, I’m really proud of the world we were able to craft.

A Family Tradition

There is something else I’ve been working on these last couple of years.

I started joining Game Jams. 

The one I participate most frequently is the yearly GB Jam. The overall theme is Game Boy aesthetics, using the colors and resolution of the classic handheld.

For people using Game Maker or Godot, this is a very straightforward theme. But getting that style working in Unity takes a bit more effort.

So, each year I participate, mostly to learn something new about the engine while I slowly build my own framework.

That’s where Skippy was born. The small project fit the style, and even if it was just a small side project, it is to this day the most popular of my mini-games.

In the last 3 years, my daughter started helping me out with artwork and character design. I think her work has given my games a lot more charm that translates nicely to the old school pixel art style.

This yearly jam has become our small family tradition of sorts.

The Future

As of today, I’m still working at Moon Studios. We’re focusing on No Rest for the Wicked, we’re at the final stretch to deliver a massive content update. I can’t wait to see you playing it, and who knows, maybe we can play together now that Multiplayer is out.

I’m also going to be working as a designer on another indie Metroidvania, but I guess I can post more details about that project once the ball gets rolling.

Where will the future lead? What else will I be able to craft for your enjoyment?

Only time will tell. In the meantime, I want to express my gratitude to you. For reading this post, for following AM2R all this time. For being there in the good times and the hard times.

For being awesome.

Thank you.

My Itch Page - @AM2RGame - @DoctorM64