Ikari Warriors II is Better than the first game

Victory Road was renamed Ikari Warriors II: Victory Road in the US. It was released in Japanese arcades in 1986 and in North America in 1987. The NES port of the game was released in 1988.

It takes the series in a completely different direction and cuts some features that I wish had stayed in the game. It has a similar control scheme to the previous arcade game, which didn’t translate well to an NES controller. It’s been a while since I’ve played it, so I’m looking forward to this one.

This was another game that I played after I started collecting retro games. My friend Drew really sold me on a version of this game that didn’t exist. He did this a lot back in the late 1990s and early 2000s. I didn’t know how to fact-check what he was telling me, aside from spending five dollars on a game so I could play it. Let’s get into the game and see if it is better than the first game in the series.

TLDR: A game that can be fun, but is outshone by other run-and-gun shooters.

Narrative

So, the story takes quite a left turn from the previous game. It is a direct sequel to the first game, which is refreshing to see. Sometimes an arcade game will ignore what happened, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Our heroes from the first game are flying home when they’re suddenly transported into the future. Sure, why not? Once they’re in the future, they learn that aliens have taken over “the land.” I do find it funny that the only thing the future people could think of was to bring two guys from the past and send them off against an alien army.

Just like the story from the first game, I don’t have a problem with the story. It gives you a reason for everything happening and who your characters are. It isn’t a deep story, but you don’t need one for a run-and-gun shooter.

Gameplay

The gameplay is a little better than the previous game. A lot of this has to do with the controls. It’s problems are mainly connected with the graphics.

Unlike the first game in the series, this game has multiple levels. The backgrounds change as you go through it, and there are a few bonus stages you can get to. The layouts look different as well.

Your character moves slowly as you wander through wherever this is supposed to be taking place. There are fewer enemies, and they look bigger. The second game adds a life bar, so you can survive being hit more than once.

There are no vehicles in this game. This is a huge change from the first, and I’m not sure how I feel about it. Instead, you have armor, and you can buy power-ups. I suppose this is a decent trade-off, but I would still rather have a tank or a helicopter.

So, the continue code is the same. This is one of the few things that I like about the game. Unfortunately, when you continue, you’re still playing Ikari Warriors II.

The battlefield is smaller. This is something that I like, as tt is easier to move through the stages. You’ll also have to blow up walls to get to the next level or through some barriers.

It is still possible to respawn in a place where you’ll get stuck. This is so very annoying. There are also fewer ways for you to get killed, so you have to restart the game.

While the gameplay is a little better than the last game, I still don’t like it. Your character moves too slowly, and enemy projectiles are way too fast. They also blend into some of the backgrounds.

Visuals

The graphics are a step up from the previous game. Some of this has to do with a change in setting and zooming in on the battlefield. Some of the problems from the first game persist, but they have been toned down.

Character sprites are larger and more detailed than in the first game. This is a little odd, as the new sprites are a little hit-and-miss. They’re bigger, but this doesn’t mean better, as some of them are just confusing. I know I’m fighting aliens, but I have no idea what they are supposed to be.

The battlefields are somehow better and worse. It is almost a wash as the screens look boring in Ikari Warriors II, but are more detailed. There is more separation in the sections, but that is about it.

Because the sprites are bigger and you face fewer enemies, there is less sprite flickering. It is still there, especially when you’re fighting a boss. There are other instances, but I found it the most annoying during those fights. There is also some slowdown, which isn’t as bad as the first game.

The graphics aren’t the biggest problem with Ikari Warriors II. While it has problems with several things that you’ll see in other games, they aren’t as bad as those in the previous game in the series. Ikari Warriors II: Victory Road looks better than some NES games released in 1988.

Reviews at the Time

There aren’t too many reviews from 1988. What I can see on MobyGames suggests that this game was received a little better than the first game. The user reviews are a little lower, but there are also fewer of them.

Computer Entertainer listed the game in its Top 15 Video Games in their June issue, and by December, it had dropped off the list. There isn’t too much else on the game. I used the Video Game History Foundations digital archive for this. I only found 8 references to the game, and none of them had a review of it.

Nintendo Power had just been put into circulation, as it was replacing the Fun Club Newsletter. I can only guess that the other publications were focused on other games. This is a weird period for game reviewers because they haven’t been archived as well as the 1990s and 2000s.

6.5/10. I like this game a little more than the first game in the series. It made some improvements, but it is still a frustrating experience. Other games did this formula better, and those are the ones I would rather play.

Pros

• Decent Graphics
• Fun story
• Decent Gameplay

Cons

• Repetitive gameplay
• Dull stages
• Annoying sprite flickering

Conclusion

This game is a little better than the previous one, but it isn’t as good as other games in this genre. Other games, like Commando and Heavy Barrel, are better. Ikari Warriors II is an improvement, but not enough of one to make it a great game.

The change of setting and the changes made to this series are cool to see. I like that SNK tried something to help this game stand out from the other arcade games. Going in a more science fiction direction was a pretty good idea. It makes the game a little more like Time Soldiers.

I’m looking forward to seeing what changes will be made in the third game. The third game is one that I haven’t played. I bought it, tested it, and put it on a shelf a long time ago. Going back to play games like this is part of the reason I started writing about retro games.

If you liked this post, please check out the other NES games I’ve written about. Such as Ikari Warriors and Stinger.