So I've come to the conclusion, that as much as I LOVE 2D Metroid, I do not like the Metroid: Samus Returns remake. It was confirmed when I popped Metroid II into my GBA as a comparison, and ended up playing that for a few hours, instead.
It's the controls, more than anything. I HATE using the circle-pad for it. It needs a D-pad so badly. Those of you that haven't played it are probably thinking to just go into the options menu and change it...you can't, the controls are locked in. And I also am not liking the forced upper-cut move. You pretty much can't play without it, and it just doesn't feel right to me for Metroid.
The common complaint about the original Metroid II still stands, though, it's hard to figure where you're at in the massive world without a map. Luckily there's the internet and smartphones for that in 2017.