StarTropics 2: Zoda's Revenge

Stats
System: NES
Release Year: 1994
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Nintendo
Players: 1
ESRB: K-A

Plot

(This story comes from the instruction manual)

The mystery of the cipher

Not long ago, high school student and part-time adventurer Mike Jones jour- neyed to the South Seas and single-handedly put an end to the schemes of an evil alien named Zoda. He also managed to save his uncle, the famous archae- ologist Dr. Steve Jones, and seven space children from Zoda's clutches.

Mike has now returned to his home is Seattle where Dr. Jones is attempting to decipher a strange inscription that he found on the side of the space children's escape pod. The cipher was written by Hirocon, the leader of the planet Argonia. When Zoda's forces attacked Argonia, Hirocon sent the children away so that they could escape from the wrath of this powerful villain. If Dr. Jones can decipher the inscription, it may clue Mike in on how he can destroy the evil aliens once and for all.

Dr. Jones believes that the answer to the puzzle lies somewhere in The Oxford Wonder World, a book that he received some time ago from a very wise old man. It includes stories of cavemen, Cleopatra, Leonardo da Vinci and many other people of the past. If Dr. Jones can uncover the mystery of the inscription, he might be able to find a connection between the stories in the book and the plight of the Argonians.

Overview

One of the very last NES games, and a pretty good one too. It's unfortunate that StarTropics didn't get more publicity, it could have had great sequels along with Nintendo's other series. The graphics in this game are great, top of the line for the NES. The character close-ups are detailed, the map screens are colorful, and the dungeons are more pleasing to look at than those in the first StarTropics game. The game has a decent musical score, just like the first one. There aren't many sound effects, but those that are there work well. My only major gripe is with the control. Unlike the first StarTropics game, or Legend of Zelda, the game that this series mirrors, Mike has freedom of motion. This is difficult in a 3/4 view game, and often times Mike ends up out of line with enemy characters (who can only move in straight lines), so they are hard to hit, but easy to get hit by. However, it also makes it easier to evade attacks or jump over holes. Those who are familiar with the first StarTropics will have a hard time getting used to the control in this one.