Assault Suit Leynos 2 Saturn Tribute

Our world needs more side-scrolling mecha action. For years, that essential was fulfilled by Tokyo-based Nippon Computer System (or NCS), the developer behind the Assault Suit series. If that franchise doesn’t sound familiar, it’s because early entries were retitled outside of Japan, with the first two games known as Target Earth and Cybernator in the States.  While the former was sold at a discounted twenty-dollar price, tough-as-nails difficulty likely constrained the game’s popularity.

For a direct follow-up, NCS released Assault Suit Leynos 2 for the SEGA Saturn, which revisited many of the qualities of the inaugural game. Here, you aren’t a plodding lone wolf, infiltrating protected bases and traversing asteroid fields. Instead, you’re just one soldier among a squad of bickering pilots. Allies probably won’t take down many enemies, but at least you won’t feel like you’re the only one fighting in Assault Suit Leynos 2 Saturn Tribute. And astonishingly, the title managed to top the level of challenge found in the first Leynos.

The Proper Projectile for Each Job

As a Switch port, Assault Suit Leynos 2 can’t quite match the convenience found in the Saturn’s six face-button controller. Expectedly, some of your suit’s six different slots are shifted to the shoulders and analog triggers. As such, it might take an hour or so before you’re dashing around and dropping foes like Asuka, Noriko, or Lelouch (bonus points for getting those references). And even then, between the auto-targeting that overlooks swarming subordinates and tight camera framing, Leynos 2 sure feels like a product of the 90s.

And while the era occasionally staggered with 2D action, the golden decade of gaming also dispensed greatness. 28 years after the game’s release Leynos 2 still conveys the feeling of stepping into the cockpit of a formidable but complicated mecha. All of your assault suit’s capacities are constrained. Not only do you have to worry about ammo counts for each gun, but you also have defensive energy shielding that’s only recharged between each of the game’s seven stages. As such, success means matching the proper firearm against each enemy and boss. And since there are nearly 50 different weapons (and eight different mechanized suits), much of the fun involves discovering each advantage.

May Your Ammunitions Never Run Dry

When Assault Suit Leynos 2 first arrived on the Saturn, it humbled players with some extremely challenging boss encounters. Years on, convey protection duty on the fourth mission remains nerve-wracking thanks to landmine-dropping foes. Mercifully, the Switch port provides a few ways to lessen the intensity of the challenge. Beyond the ability to rewind time, you can also reduce your suit’s energy consumption, as well as boost the durability of your shielding and armor. Even with these ‘cheats’ activated, Assault Suit Leynos 2 remains tough, and I wouldn’t want it any other way.

Assault Suit Leynos 2 Saturn Tribute was played on
Switch with review code provided by the publisher.