…………………………………………………

Sparkster: Rocket Knight Adventures 2 Game Review

Sparkster: Rocket Knight Adventures 2 is a 1994 platform video game developed by Konami for Sega Genesis. It is a solid, but mostly highly inferior sequel to a great original.

The first game is an absolute classic, but its immediate sequels did not fare as well unfortunately. The Genesis version was released in 1994 and it was and still is considered to be a solid game, but it ended up being quite a disappointment for me personally due to many questionable gameplay changes.

………………………………………………….

The plot is more simplistic than in its predecessor, though the change from pigs to lizards as enemies was quite welcome and it made this sequel more distinguishable. This is still a side-scrolling platformer with some auto-scrolling present. You can still jump, use the sword and of course use the rocket to fly.

But now we come to the most massive change to the original and that is the whole rocket usage and its elements. I really did not like any of these unnecessary changes myself. You don’t need to power-up the rocket in order to use it at its biggest capacity. It just powers itself up automatically. Couple that with the worsened and more complicated control scheme and you’ve got one big mess.

For some reason, the creators thought that the game would be cooler were it brisker, but that simply wasn’t the case here. The first game engaged the player through its slower gameplay to use the rocket properly. This one, yes, opens up some levels and seems vaster and more explorable, but still the rocket felt too powerful here. As for the Gold Sparkster power-up, it’s a solid addition, but not all that easy to get unfortunately as it requires six hidden swords.

There are six stages in this game, of which only a couple really stood out. The second stage is easily the greatest as it utilized its Ancient Egyptian setting beautifully. I adore this location always in my games, and this was no exception. The pyramids looked great and the action inside was stellar. The fifth stage also had a couple of standout levels in terms of design.

………………………………………………….

However, others did not personally strike me as memorable nor as particularly inspired. The final stage basically consists of two bosses in its entirety while the third one is solid, though somewhat forgettable. The pipe action could get frustrating here. The first stage I hated as those closed towers with mechanics annoyed me to no end. Thankfully, the game became better quickly afterward. The fourth stage solely consists of mecha fights, which are solid and fun, but nowhere near the quality of the first game’s fights.

As for the bosses, they are also a mixed bag. The Train Robot was rather easy to get through, but I did like the train setting. The Snake Lord was memorably imposing in his presence, though also too easy to beat. Paeli is the third stage boss and he was ridiculous. Easy and dumb, I never got the point of him and his miniature versions in particular. Axel Gear and His Robot are solid and fun, but inferior to the original.

Robot X-VI is one of the better bosses as he is very well designed and fighting him is fun, but not too hard. Axel Gear is surprisingly easy in the final stage, but King Gedol is awesome and by far the best and most demanding boss in the entire game. It was a fitting conclusion to have this terrific fight at the end. His moves are solid and all of the sections of this fight worked with the exception of that confusing switching bodies part.

………………………………………………….

Graphically speaking, Sparkster is also a downgrade. Gone is the cartoony charm of the original. Instead, the game traded the cutesy factor for “coolness”. Nowhere is that more the case than with the titular protagonist himself, who now looks more in line with ‘Sonic’ with an overly serious look to him. He just wasn’t as cute. The levels were well imagined, but they needed more color diversity. I did like the score quite a bit, though, and the sound is very polished.