Project AM2R - Another Metroid 2 Remake

Here´s a premix of the main tunnel song, keep in mind that this version will change until the game is released, specially the drums section. There will be more atmospheric tracks, don´t worry. I just wanted to keep alive the original rithm, even if it´s for the first section of the game. About the Metroid fight music: There will be a variation of the fight song for every evolution, Omegas will feature a new song and the Queen battle song will be a remake of the original one. I´m finishing the Alpha Metroid fight song for the upcoming trailer. Started working on the third ruins, I´m still sketching the rooms while finishing some original tiles for the outside part of the temple. Anyway, let me know what you think about the music style, all your comments are really appreciated (Yes, I read them all).

People asked me by mail last week: "Why did you wait so much to start making the game music?". Well, back when the project started I had a very different idea of what the game was going to be like when finished. Now I can see and actually feel how this game is evolving, and these are some ideas I have about the soundtrack: It won't be orchestrated. Not because I can't make nice arrangements, I just want to differentiate AM2R from VonRichter's Metroid:SR388 in terms of style, and this includes music. And besides, VonRichter clearly kicks my ass at composing epic soundtracks. So, I chose a more electronic approach. I'm using some elements from Metroid Prime 1 (filtered drums with background choirs and pads), and the Metroid fights will be like boss battles in Fusion (upbeat techno, just to raise the tension). This kind of sound will fit the game style. For example, the main tunnel theme is catchy and invites to the adventure of exploring SR388. The ruins areas a...

The second area is done, at least the map and tiles. There are some scripting events to be done and tweaked. Right now I'm preparing the tilesets for the third area. Just as many of you suggested, the ruins will be some kind of industrial/mining facilities. Here is a snapshot of the caves before the third area, this shows the new tile color palette. The background will be properly replaced soon. Alpha Metroids are being tweaked and improved all the time. Currently they have the normal introductions done (normal and coming out of the cocoon), I'll be adding more these days. Sound production is becoming really funny. In order to do some cool screeching sounds for the different Metroid evolutions, me and a friend are recording some really weird screams here at the studio, and then applying a lot of effects. I'm ripping sounds from plenty of games too, sound test in emulators are really useful. These will be used to create new sounds for the game. Music production has also beg...

I won´t be showing you screens yet, the sprites are being tweaked. I´ll share with you some info about the current state of the Alpha Metroids: Their behavior is very different from the original, since Samus can aim diagonally and you can see a larger portion of the level on the screen. Alphas charge at you at great speed. They can´t be damaged by frontal hits, you have to hit their core, this means you´ll have to avoid them and hit them from their back, or bottom. They are going to be more agressive as you progress. Later Alphas will take more damage to defeat, they´ll use a charge attack, and some will dodge incoming missiles. Alpha Metroids can´t be hit while stunned. You´ll make sure you aim every missile, instead of firing a barrage and depleting your supply in seconds. Super Missiles deal 2x damage to Metroids, instead of the normal 5x. Stun time is slightly longer, so if you want to keep attacking, you´ll have to time your shots differently. PowerBombs, ScrewAttack and SuperJump...

The second ruins are almost done, I still have to add some scripted events, but the map is there. So, I´ve coded 11 enemies so far, a few of those have some interesting and complex behavior. I made a version of Ridley for the demo, and it came out quite well, even if it was an experiment. I feel I´m ready to start working on Alpha Metroids. I know I´m capable of making interesting enemies to fight, and I have some cool ideas for all the Metroid evolutions that I´m sure I´ll be able to pull off succesfully. Metroids are a key part in this game, and I wanted to be sure they are well coded. Most of the actions of the Alphas are planned. Not all of them will behave the same way, and some will appear in unexpected ways (Sorry, I don´t wanna spoil the surprise). I´m taking into account that Samus can now aim in 8 directions, and an Alpha would last 5 seconds if it behaves like in the original game. They will be faster, more agile, and smarter. I´m still trying to figure out a way to make the...

Progress has been slow but steady these days. I decided to redo the second ruins from scratch, since they were too close to the original map. I also planned some cool puzzles and scripted events to add some variety. First, I´ll list some ideas I have about the design of the chozo ruins in the game. All the ruins have these in common: There´s what it appears to be a Metroid breeding enviroment in every ruin, most of them under the main building. The ruins are inside a hughe cave, and you can explore the outside part of the building. There´s one beam upgrade and at least 1 item to find in these areas (the third ruins actually has 2 beam upgrades, but I´ll exchange it for another item). Only one ruin has a boss battle, the second one (Arachnus) The first ruins. They are almost at the same level of the planet surface, so I made it look like a temple. It has the golden tiles of MZM, and some statues on the roof. Outside, at the upper side of the cave, you can see some of the sky of SR388 (t...

First of all, thanks to all the people who sent their work. The criteria I used to choose among all the very talented people is how good they captured the style, and made sprites that would fit perfectly into the game. So, the official spriter of the AM2R project is: Hyrule_SwordsMan You´ll find some of his previous work in his Blog Here are some new versions of enemies you´ve already seen: The new yumbo The first Tsumuris you find Moheeks in the first tunnel Gunzoo in a test room HSM is now focusing on the enemy sprites, while I code the AI. I also took some time to balance out the stacked beam system, it was too overpowered. After all the enemies are done, the Metroids come next... and that´s where the fun begins.