Andro Dunos 2 review

Journeying through Andro Dunos 2 feels like finding an alternate reality, where Visco built on the foundations of it’s 1992 shooter and crafted a sequel that thoroughly improves on its predecessor while still adhering to the same, engaging weapon-cycling system. 

SNK’s Neo Geo is fondly remembered for its fighters, with games like Samurai Shodown, The King of Fighters, Fatal Fury, and Art of Fighting still entertaining players decades after their original release. But one-on-one combat wasn’t SNK’s only forte. Beyond the beloved, run-and-gun Metal Slug series, the hardware also hosted several skilled shoot-‘em-ups, from Aero Fighters 2, Viewpoint, Pulstar, Strikers 1945+, and Andro Dunos. Recently, a few compilations and standalone ports have demonstrated the proficiencies of these shooters, renewing interest in SNK’s libraries.

As such, we’re starting to see sequels released long after the original development teams have moved on to other pursuits. Recently, PlatinumGame’s revived Nichibutsu’s Cresta, M2 bought the rights to, and sequelized Alesta, while BEEP rebooted Success’ Cotton. With Andro Dunos 2, Picorinne Soft (formed by two brothers, nicknamed Ryo and Satto) have provided Visco’s 1992 scrolling shooter with a follow-up thirty years after the release of the original title.

Respecting the Source Material

Regardless of genre, I approach these kinds of projects with a hearty amount of skepticism. Substitute teams who tackle follow-ups either offer either uninspired iterations or haphazardly tamper with the fundamentals. Masterfully, Andro Dunos 2 evades both of these misfortunes, offering a sequel that truly improves on its predecessor while still malleably adhering to formula. The siblings didn’t just rehash the source material, they fastidiously studied every tiny nuance and added a number of elegant improvements. This is a textbook approach that’s bound to delight shmup devotees.

Like the original, much of Andro Dunos 2’s distinction is rooted in the variable weapon system, possibly inspired by Toaplan’s Hellfire. At any given time, your ship can cycle through four different ordnances.  From a tight cluster of lasers, a flurry of chunky waves, a “V” formation, or the ability to fire in two directions, there’s a firing pattern fit for taking out flying and ground-based enemies.

Each of these weapons can be powered up seven times by collecting a “S” power-up. Alternatively, you can trade ten of the blue orbs sporadically dropped by defeated foes to level up a gun. The ingenious downside is that when your ship is destroyed, your current weapon will drop one rank. As such, you’re habitually tempted to switch weapons in tense situations, so you don’t impair your favorite firearm. But even if you are stuck down, you won’t face a Gradius-style loss of power, in addition to shielding power-ups, a second icon augments your output of lock-on missiles. Even the behavior of these secondaries chance when you cycle through your arsenal.

Go Hyper (in Controlled Amounts)

Dunos 2’s other hook is a ‘hyper’ shot mode that dramatically augments your current weapon for a few seconds. It’s a powerful secondary than can do things like send out a barrage of ballistics or spin deadly lightning bolts than can cancel some enemy bullets. The catch is that use is addictive. The ability takes several seconds to recharge and during that duration, your standard gun becomes slightly less effective and you forgo the ability to change munitions. Subsequent replay through Dunos 2 tend to reveal when different weapons and activating Hyper mode are most effective, providing a bit of longevity.

Apprehension mainly comes from the boss battles that end each of the game’s seven stages. Sure, the run-ups to the showdown can occasionally catch you off-guard or cause you to crash your craft into the environment. But largely, they serve as score fodder and a warmup to the concluding confrontations. These fights are gratifyingly intense, serving as an aptitude test for your weapon-cycling skills. And sure, bosses occasionally cheat, firing from destroyed parts. Oddly, I was frustrating by this quirk. Instead, it heightened my yearning to see each mechanical foe reduced to a flaming pile of wreckage.

Ageless Looks, Timeless Tunes

Smartly, Andro Dunos 2 retains the visual style of its predecessor, showcasing 90’s era-effects like parallax scrolling as well as sprite rotation and zooming. The latter was an attribute of the original game, where smaller, washed-out versions of foes would fly in serpentine formations in the background, warning of an imminent attack. While your ships hitbox is a bit large, Picorinne Soft balances this with a slower movement speed, so you can nimbly dodge barrages of enemy bullets. This time out, Allister Brimble is response for the soundtrack, offering a pleasant selection of synth-driven anthems that drive the action.

As for deficiencies, Dunos 2 has few. There’s no two-player game, so if you appreciate cooperative shooters, look somewhere else. If you use an arcade stick, the lack of button rapping can possibly make weapon cycling a bit awkward if the peripheral’s L and R replacements are out of reach. The game’s leaderboards lack online functionality, which is a disappointing oversight for score chasers. Finally, there’s still some kana in the game’s menu that was overlooked by the localization team. Luckily, these are mostly forgivable.

Conclusion

Sequels created without the assistance of the original team are always a risky undertaking. But Picorinne Soft undoubtedly endeavored to ensure that Andro Dunos 2 feels like a product of Visco. Neither a copycat nor an opportunity to exploit a dormant property, this feels like the original team spent their evenings at an arcade and got inspired by shooters like Toaplan’s Batsugun.

Andro Dunos 2 was played on Switch with review code provided by the publisher.