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ACTRAISER 2 Company: Enix Released: November 1993 Genre: Side-Scroller Graphics: 9.0 Control: 4.0 Sound/Music: 6.0 Storyline: 6.0 Review by: Corbie Dillard ©2008 SUPER-NES.COM

Once there was this really original and enjoyable title for the Super NES called Actraiser. It took elements of a side-scroller and combined them with elements of a simulation game. Although the side-scroller portions of the first Actraiser weren't anything groundbreaking, when they were combined with these unique simulation elements, it all seemed to work together perfectly. Okay imagine what would happen if Enix took away those unique simulation elements. What you would be left with is a very mediocre side scroller that sports some very tweaky controls and an absolutely insane level of difficulty to go along with it. I'm not sure what Enix was going for with this game, but it becomes obviously clear from the moment you begin playing this game that: (1) this isn't an Actraiser game despite, what the title says, and (2) this game is not very much fun to play at all. Visually, Actraiser 2 is an absolutely gorgeous game. There's a level of depth and detail not found in many side-scrollers from this time period. As good as the graphics were in Actraiser, Enix has managed to step the visuals up a few notches in this sequel. There are also plenty of Mode-7 special effects like scaling, rotation, and some very slick-looking transparency effects that add even more visual flash to what is an already graphically impressive title. It's just a shame that you'll be too busy getting pummeled by the game to notice all of these amazing graphical feats. The first Actraiser game had a nice uptempo and uplifting soundtrack that really carried the mood of the game well. Just as the original gameplay was ditched, so too was the quality soundtrack. The music in Actraiser 2 never really hits stride and often sounds very repetitive and unemotional. In places, the music tries to be creepy or scary and doesn't really accomplish either, and manages to come off sounding fairly bland. There's just no fire in any of the tunes and it only makes a game that's already a lesson in futility, even more annoying than it already is. The one shining moment comes in the way of the sound effects. Luckily many of the sound effects were plucked from the first game so at least you get a little quality thrown into the mix. My advice is to turn the sound off with this game, and that's if you can actually stick with it long enough to hear any of the tunes past the first level anyway. Nobody likes a game that's no fun to play. But something that's even more painful than playing a terrible game is playing a terrible game that has the potential to be great. The idea behind the control style is a good one. It's the execution that's horrendous. Not only does your character walk like a snail stuck in molasses, he also has a very short reach with his sword, which makes you have to get in really close if you expect to land any of your blows. This time around you also have a nice set of wings that allow you to glide. You can either use the glide move to reach far away platforms or you can also use it to dive down and attack enemies. It may sound like a lot of fun, but it's often too streaky and you can't always pull this move off in a pinch. The control just feels unresponsive and coupled with the super high degree of difficulty, it makes this game very frustrating to play. Instead of the sim style creation scenes from the first Actraiser, now you are limited to only the side-scrolling levels. If you manage to get through a stage in which you're moving at a crawl speed and being barraged by tons of enemies, you're then treated to a boss fight that will make the insanely difficult level you just played through seem like a game of Candyland. To say that the bosses are difficult would be like saying that getting your skull crushed "kinda hurts a little bit." I tried to like this game, I really did, but other than the great looking visuals, this game has very little to offer and the gameplay turns out to be a near-disaster. The bottom line is that Actraiser was fun because it offered something new and original. When you take away that originality you're left with a very uninspiring game that's way too difficult to get any type of enjoyment out of. Even if you're one of the people that always wanted Actraiser to be 100% side-scrolling levels, you're still going to be very dissapointed with the half-hearted effort Enix put into this game. If you're looking for a challenge, you wont find a much harder platformer, as this game will throw everything including the kitchen sink at you. Actraiser 2 has a lot of potential that pretty much goes down the toilet once you press the "start" button.