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This sequel takes place as a 2d horizontally-scrolling shooting game this time instead of going all vertical like in the original, but one of the major parts of what makes it so rather damn great is the sheer number of unlockables and secrets that are jam-packed into this game. You begin with only three ships to choose from, each with different sets of firepower (normal and concentrated), as well as different types of speed dashes which can help you zoom past the opposition fast. Next, select your difficulty level, and you are set off into space to do some major white-knuckle combo-building. You can unlock even more different ships, characters, their amazingly more powerful built-in weaponry, and even some extra stages by either performing a special hidden feat within a certain stage (i.e. letting the very first cute white-colored creature get away scot-free without even destroying it period in Stage 1, Route A) or by simply collecting specially-marked bubbles with a question mark inside of each one. And loads of other extras including fun little minigames can be unlocked as well. It includes a special "Boss Mode" as just a built-in regular feature in which you can get some GOOD practice and skill at defeating any of the bosses that you have already met. You begin only with a certain amount of life bars, except for the "Boss Mode" which always starts you at just three of them. One of your main aims in this game is to build up as very very high a combo count as you can by continuously and rapidly shooting and destroying at the many enemies and obstacles that come, thereby netting you higher and higher scores - DoDonPachi fans, feel right at home here. You can even build up Combo Bonuses by destroying certain mid-sized enemies, and it's recommend that you destroy them as fast as possible help you max out your combo meter indeed. And more importantly, watch the timer on the upper-right corner of the game screen. When it runs out, a brief flash would come signifying that you have advanced to the next segment within the stage that you are on... with the main exception here being that when a certain boss enemy approaches, the only way to advance is to just simply defeat it (with which then you can snag yourself a shield which lets you take just a single hit safely, without suffering any damage during that time), regardless of the timer at all. Also, there are even numerous boss-rushes to be found on certain stages of the game. It has some excellent key references that remind you of the Gradius / Salamander / Life Force / Parodius series. The pixel-based 8-bittish graphics, music, and sounds are some seriously top-notch stuff (especially in the Lava stage where tides of lava slowly rise up to almost the whole entire screen before it comes back down - really impressive), and so especially is the play control, where you can actually move your characters with great and more efficient ease and careful timing to avoid getting hit, as with a manic shmup where you have a very small hitbox, which this game truly provides. And, if you make it through the entire game on ONE single credit without continuing, just wait until you see the real and ultimate final boss which will definitely knock you out of the game really quick if you are not on your toes in dodging every single massive attack he throws at you. |
