I think this has got to be a world record!  I had only reviewed the first Thunder Kid game about four months ago.  And we’re already getting a sequel.  Granted, I know these may have been PC games first and the releases spread out a little more.  But still, I’m reviewing these games on console, so it still feels a little quick!  Anyway, Thunder Kid 2 is a 3-D low poly run and gun action game that kind of reminds me of PSOne games like Mega Man Legends.  The defeated robots from the first game have banned together again to rebel, and it’s up to Thunder Kid to stop them once again.  The game is available on all current consoles and PC, but reviewed on PS4 here.

In the game, you can move in any direction, jump, and hold down a button to fire.  And that’s it.  You’ll run down corridors shooting robots and avoiding their projectiles.  If you get hit three times you’ll have to start at the last checkpoint, but you have unlimited tries.  Sometimes defeated robots will leave behind an energy icon that’ll refill your health one notch.  And there are also branching pathways and you may find a hidden gold coin if you pick the right one.  Not sure what those coins do other than give you something extra to find, though.  At the end of each area is a diamond.  Snatch it to complete the level, and after a few levels you’ll defeat a boss.

The game kind of gave me some Mega Man vibes.  The primitive 3-D graphics made me think of Mega Man Legends.  And the way stages are laid out and the fact that you instantly die when you touch spikes made me think of what would happen if a more straightforward Mega Man game was in 3-D.  Luckily the play control is very good, and you have lots of control over your jumps, which is nice.  I kind of wish the game copied more of Mega Man’s tropes, like a stage select feature or bosses that give you weapons when you defeat them, just to give it a bit more variety.

I didn’t really notice any improvements from the original.  Maybe the graphics are slightly better.  Like in the city stage, you actually see cars instead of just blocks.  And the music is a bit catchier at times.  Otherwise it’s just more of the same.  The difficulty seems to ramp up faster and it’s still as repetitive as ever.  But my main problem with this one is it seems more buggy than the first.  In the city stage, I could fall off a ledge and still be able to live and shoot, but not move.  So I would have to manually restart the level at the last checkpoint.  A similar thing happened in the swamp level, so after that I lost interest.

Kid Factor:

Thunder Kid 2: Null Mission is rated E-10 with an ESRB descriptor of Fantasy Violence.  You just shoot robots with lasers, and when you lose a life, you just get knocked back and explode in a flurry of light.  Reading skill is helpful for some of the text, and younger gamers may find it too difficult.

Tags: Game Reviews