PixelJunk Shooter 2
Review
Are You PixekJunky Enough?
by Kiran Sury
reviewed on PS3
Ouch.
PixelJunk Shooter 2: The Belly of the Beast is more of an expansion pack than a true sequel, and picks up where the first game left off – as the title says- in the belly of the giant beast that swallowed you whole at the end of the first game. All the mechanics are largely the same, so I suggest you read the PixelJunk Shooter review before reading this. This review is meant for the same people the game is meant for – those who have played and liked PixelJunk Shooter.
I say ‘liked PixelJunk Shooter’ because if you didn’t like the first one, you’re not going to fall in love with this. I say ‘played PixelJunk Shooter’ because if you haven’t, you’re in for a world of hurt.
The main difference between Shooter 1 and 2 is that 2 is a lot harder. There are more enemies out to get you at the same time, and since it’s one death and you restart the level, expect to restart a lot. There’s no penalty for restarting, but the levels are longer, and it can be frustrating to get to the end of a level only to have to start from the beginning. The game expects you to begin already adept at the controls, and is a lot less forgiving than the first.
One new addition to your ship is a spin-move upgrade. Click the stick while spinning and you’ll perform a homing dash that deflects projectiles and often kills enemies in one hit. It’s a worthwhile addition that speeds up the game and makes the combat manageable.
Into the Belly and Out of the …
The game is once more split up into three episodes of five stages each, with each episode very distinct from the others. The first one places you within the digestive system of the beast. You have to maneuver through the various digestive juices as you make your way to…the end of the beast that is not the mouth end. The five stages introduce a bunch of new ideas, including stomach acid that tries to melt your ship, an ever-expanding jelly that threatens to overwhelm the entire stage unless you shoot it down, and a Hungry suit that transforms the game into Dig-Dug. They are some great new additions that interact with water in entirely new ways, and it’s a pity that they only exist in the first episode.
8.5
fun score
No Pros and Cons at this time
