# AM2RLauncher installs the community remake of Metroid II, and its Linux release is broken > AM2RLauncher is a C# front end for the AM2R community updates, handling installation, automatic updates, mod installation and building Android APKs, with packages for Flatpak, AUR and NixOS. It suits a player who wants the community release of Metroid II on desktop or phone, and the README opens by saying the Linux release is broken. **AM2R-Community-Developers/AM2RLauncher** — Host respository for the AM2RLauncher. - Repository: https://github.com/AM2R-Community-Developers/AM2RLauncher - Stars: 534 · Forks: 23 - Language: C# - License: GPL-3.0 - Published: 2026-10-22 · Updated: 2026-10-22 · Language: en - Canonical page: https://hysenlabs.com/projects/am2r-community-developers-am2rlauncher ## What this is, and the notice at the top AM2RLauncher is a front-end application that simplifies installing the latest AM2R-Community-Updates, creating APKs for Android use, as well as Mods for AM2R. It supports Windows on x86 and x64 as well as Linux on x64. The first line of the README is a notice that deserves to be read before anything else: the AM2RLauncher Linux release is broken, with a pointer to the downloads section. That is a plain statement of a broken artefact from the project that normally ships one, and it is worth respecting rather than glossing over. The consequence for a Linux user is that the recommended route is the Flatpak, which the README says bundles all the above dependencies, and which is the recommended method for Steam Deck users. The command is `flatpak install io.github.am2r_community_developers.AM2RLauncher` run in a terminal. The other package routes are an AUR package for Arch Linux, installed with `makepkg -si` or an AUR helper, and a NixOS package run with `nix run nixpkgs#am2rlauncher`. Downloads generally come from the release page. The repository is C#, licensed GPL-3.0, and the last push was on 2026-10-14. The listed releases are 2.3.0 from 2022-11-01, 2.2.0 from 2022-01-07 and 2.1.2 from 2021-08-20, so the tagged versions are older than the recent commits. ## Why a launcher exists for a fan remake The background explains the shape of the project better than the feature list does. AM2R, Another Metroid 2 Remake, is a fan-made remake of Metroid II: Return of Samus in the style of Metroid: Zero Mission. It was released in 2016 by DoctorM64 and his team, and very soon after received a DMCA letter from Nintendo. A few years after that, multiple members of the community managed to reverse engineer the game and published unofficial updates, dubbed the AM2R-Community-Updates. Those fixed bugs and added new features like widescreen, added content planned by the original developers before they were struck down, and ported it to other platforms. So the launcher sits in front of a distribution that has no official channel. There is no official channel to download from, because the thing being updated is a community-maintained reverse-engineered patch of a game the original publisher asked to be taken down. A launcher is the answer to that, and it is why the project also has to handle automatic updates, mod installation and APK creation for phones rather than assuming a manual desktop patch workflow. Two constraints come with that. No copyrighted files are shipped, so you need to provide your own copy of AM2R_11. And the community distributes through Discord, Matrix and GitHub issues rather than a support portal. ## What the launcher does for you The README summarises the value proposition in one sentence: it lets you conveniently play those Community-Updates, automatically receive updates, install AM2R mods and create APKs to play on your phone. The automatic update piece is the part that a manual patch workflow would make painful, because the community updates are released as deltas against the original game files. The Linux dependency list includes `xdelta3`, which is the delta patch tool, so the launcher applies those patches for you rather than asking you to find and apply them by hand. Mod installation is the second feature, and it is the one that distinguishes a launcher from a patcher. Mods are applied on top of the community build, so a mod has to be compatible with a particular version of the update. A launcher that knows which version you have and can install the matching mod removes a class of user error that would otherwise be entirely manual. APK creation is the third, and it is the least obvious. Building an Android package for the game means you can play it on a phone, which is a different use case from a desktop launcher and explains why the launcher needs a Java runtime optionally, and why the project has an APK creation feature at all rather than telling users to look for a prebuilt package. Taken together these are the three jobs that follow from shipping an unofficial distribution: keep the base game updated, extend it with community work, and put it on the platform you want to play on. ## Dependencies, which is where the Linux pain lives Windows needs the .NET Framework 4.8 runtime installed, and Linux needs a longer list. The Linux requirements are .NET Core 6.0 runtime or later, with .NET Core 6.0 preferred, plus `xdelta3`, `gtk3`, `libappindicator3`, `webkitgtk`, `openssl` and `fuse2`. The AM2R game itself needs additional libraries at runtime: the 32-bit version of `libpulse`, the 32-bit version of `openal`, and the 32-bit version of your graphics drivers. That list explains a lot about why the Linux experience has been fragile. The launcher is a 64-bit .NET application but the game it launches needs 32-bit audio and graphics libraries, so on a modern 64-bit distribution you are installing a set of 32-bit packages alongside a 64-bit application. FUSE is needed as well, and FUSE on Linux has had its own packaging churn over the years. This is also why the Flatpak route is the recommended one. A Flatpak bundles the launcher and its dependencies into one sandboxed package, so the GTK, WebKit and appindicator stack does not have to be reconciled with the host distribution, and the FUSE and 32-bit game libraries travel with it. For APK creation, any Java runtime is needed, and the README marks that requirement as optional. More detailed instructions are in the installation process wiki page. ## Where the launcher keeps its files The configuration and data locations differ by operating system, and the README is emphatic about one consequence. On Windows the config file is stored in the `AM2RLauncher.exe.config` next to the binary, with its data files in the same folder as the binary. On Linux the config file goes to `$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/AM2RLauncher` and the data files to `$XDG_DATA_HOME/AM2RLauncher`, which default back to `~/.config` and `~/.local/share` respectively. The data files can get quite big, so the launcher supports the `AM2RLAUNCHERDATA` environment variable to relocate them, with examples given for Windows as `$env:AM2RLAUNCHERDATA="D:\MyLauncherData"` and for Linux as `AM2RLAUNCHERDATA="/mnt/bigDrive/launcherData"`. The important warning is that data files are different for each OS and you cannot mix and match them. That is a reasonable constraint for a launcher that stores downloaded game assets and patches in a layout tied to how the platform stores paths, but it does mean a launcher configuration cannot be moved between a Windows machine and a Linux one. The relocation variable is the one to set if you are short on space on the system drive, since the game data plus any installed mods is the part that grows. ## Building it, and redistributing it The compiling instructions cover three platforms, and the SDK requirements differ. For compiling for Windows, the .NET Framework 4.8 SDK is needed, and for Linux and Mac the .NET Core 5.0 SDK or later. On Windows you open the solution with Visual Studio 2019, or build via `dotnet build` or the `buildAll` batch file. On Linux the command is a dotnet publish against the AM2RLauncher.Gtk project: `dotnet publish AM2RLauncher.Gtk -p:PublishSingleFile=true -p:DebugType=embedded -c release -r linux-x64 --no-self-contained`. The README notes in passing that MonoDevelop sadly does not work, which is the kind of statement that saves someone an afternoon. On Mac you can open the solution with Visual Studio for Mac, but it likely will crash after compilation, so the instruction is to use `dotnet publish AM2RLauncher.Mac -c release` instead. Mac is currently unsupported, and the project says it will try to answer questions but cannot guarantee to fix issues with Mac. There is also an `am2rlauncher-git` AUR package for tracking the development branch, alongside the stable `am2rlauncher` package. One distribution detail is worth knowing if you want to package the launcher for a Linux distribution yourself. The NoAutoUpdate configuration builds the launcher with the auto-updating features disabled, and the additional assets such as the .desktop file, the icon and the appdata are in `./AM2RLauncher/distribution/linux`. The NoAutoUpdate option exists precisely for that case, since an auto-updater in a distribution package fights with the package manager. ## Where AM2RLauncher is the wrong choice Four cases argue against it. The first is if you are on Linux and take the release build. The README says the Linux release is broken. The Flatpak is the route the project recommends, and using the broken artefact would be a poor first impression of a tool that is otherwise genuinely useful. The second is if you do not own AM2R_11. No copyrighted files are shipped, and you need to provide your own copy. That is both a legal requirement and a practical one, since the launcher applies community deltas to that base. The third is macOS. Mac is explicitly unsupported, the Visual Studio for Mac path is described as likely to crash, and the project says it cannot guarantee to fix issues there. The TODO list mentioned in the contributing section refers to experimental features such as macOS, which frames the platform status accurately. The fourth is if you want the original game rather than the community version. This is a launcher for a reverse-engineered community patch with widescreen, restored content and ports to other platforms. If you are after a Metroid II remake that is officially sanctioned, this is not that. The alternative in the same direction is to apply the community updates manually with xdelta3 and install mods by hand. The difference in approach is that the launcher handles version matching between the community update and the mod, and keeps that combination current as new updates land, which is exactly the bookkeeping that is tedious and error prone to do by hand. If you only install updates and never touch mods, the manual route is one patch application and saves you the dependency stack of a .NET application and 32-bit game libraries. ## Conclusion AM2RLauncher fits a player of the AM2R community release who wants updates and mods handled automatically rather than by hand, and who can install a Flatpak on Linux where the standalone release is broken. It does not fit anyone without their own copy of AM2R_11, because the project ships no copyrighted files, and Mac is explicitly unsupported. Use `flatpak install io.github.am2r_community_developers.AM2RLauncher` on Linux rather than the broken release build, and read the launcher wiki for the installation process and the AM2R FAQ for the game itself. ## FAQ ### What is AM2RLauncher? It is a C# front-end application that simplifies installing the latest AM2R-Community-Updates, creating APKs for Android use and installing Mods for AM2R. It supports Windows on x86 and x64 as well as Linux on x64. ### How do I install AM2RLauncher on Linux? Use the Flatpak, which the README says bundles all dependencies and is the recommended method for Steam Deck users: run `flatpak install io.github.am2r_community_developers.AM2RLauncher`. The notice at the top of the README states that the Linux release build is broken. Arch users can use the AUR package with `makepkg -si`, and NixOS users can run `nix run nixpkgs#am2rlauncher`. ### Do I need my own copy of the original AM2R game? Yes. The README states that no copyrighted files are shipped and that you need to provide your own copy of AM2R_11. AM2R is a fan-made remake of Metroid II that received a DMCA letter from Nintendo in 2016, and the community updates are applied on top of your own copy. ### What dependencies does AM2RLauncher need on Linux? The .NET Core 6.0 runtime or later, with .NET Core 6.0 preferred, plus xdelta3, gtk3, libappindicator3, webkitgtk, openssl and fuse2. Running the game itself also needs 32-bit versions of libpulse, openal and your graphics drivers, and any Java runtime is needed optionally for APK creation. ### Can I move AM2RLauncher data to another drive? Yes, with the AM2RLAUNCHERDATA environment variable, for example `$env:AM2RLAUNCHERDATA="D:\MyLauncherData"` on Windows or `AM2RLAUNCHERDATA="/mnt/bigDrive/launcherData"` on Linux. On Linux the default locations are $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/AM2RLauncher for the config and $XDG_DATA_HOME/AM2RLauncher for the data, and data files are not interchangeable between operating systems. ## Sources - [AM2R-Community-Developers/AM2RLauncher on GitHub](https://github.com/AM2R-Community-Developers/AM2RLauncher) - [Issues](https://github.com/AM2R-Community-Developers/AM2RLauncher/issues) - [License: GPL-3.0](https://github.com/AM2R-Community-Developers/AM2RLauncher/blob/main/LICENSE) - [README](https://github.com/AM2R-Community-Developers/AM2RLauncher/blob/main/README.md) - [Releases](https://github.com/AM2R-Community-Developers/AM2RLauncher/releases) --- Hysen Labs editorial analysis, written from the project's own repository and release notes. Cite the canonical page: https://hysenlabs.com/projects/am2r-community-developers-am2rlauncher