Developer: Alfasystem Publisher: NEC Avenue Released: March 29, 1991 Genre: Shooter
In my early days of diving into the PC Engine library Download is a title that stood out immediately. The name was intriguing in itself but its premise and gameplay were also a cut above its competition. To this day I still maintain that it is one of the best games on the system, often seeming like a CD title that was somehow stuffed into a Hucard. For its sequel that it is exactly where it would go next. Download 2 improves on its predecessor in many ways but it also a regression in other ways. Which game is better comes down to personal taste. Regardless it is still an excellent game that is worth the money.
As far as premises go Download 2 has a great one. Cyber-diver Syd is enlisted by his partner Deva for an incredibly bizarre case. A group called the Ethnic Council has raided the data library of the Ministry of international Trade and Industry and stolen the digitized brain of Adolf Hitler. Their plans go awry when Hitler’s brain becomes self-aware and terrorizes cyberspace, leaving Syd to dive into his mind to stop him. Where the first game had brief cutscenes Download 2 goes all out to tell its story. The intermissions are long and fully voiced with plenty of veteran voice actors in its small cast. The story is lost on those who do not speak Japanese but is easy to follow regardless.
Mechanically Download 2 is a very different game from its predecessor. Rather than the weapon selection between levels the game arms you with all four weapons from the start. You can freely switch between the Vulcan cannon, homing shot, laser beam, and electric saber at any time. Each has their own case; the Vulcan at full power becomes a spread shot and can fire behind while the electric saber has short range but insane power. Achieving max power is quick as it takes three power-ups. Speed power-ups replace the manual system of the original and the game has a generic shield instead of the positional barrier of Download. The biggest change is the removal of the life bar in favor of the traditional life system.
These changes in a vacuum are not so bad. Every weapon will see some use by skilled players although the homing shot is a little too useful at times. But while the systems in Download 2 are functional they do make the game feel a bit generic in comparison to the original. The decisions you were forced to make before each level lent an ear of authenticity of Syd being a cyber-diver who has to make tough choices in preparation for each run. Admittedly it was not original; Trouble Shooter did something similar. But all of the design choices made in the first game made it feel unique. The game loses something in the transition no matter how sound its features are.
Luckily Download 2 makes up for it in other areas. The game makes excellent use of its premise to create some surreal environment atypical for the genre. Levels alternate between the real world and cyberspace. Outside of cyberspace the game impresses with multiple layers of parallax scrolling plus foreground objects. Once you dive into Adolf’s mind it gets weird. Stage 4 takes place in a Greco Roman colosseum filled with demons. Stage 7 pays homage to Gradius with its own Chinese take on Moai head statues. The final level and boss battles are a doozy I’ll say that much. Regardless of what you expect you won’t see it coming. How all of these disparate levels connect into one cohesive journey is lost on me. But the variety they add means it does not matter. Most shooters aren’t half as interesting as this.
Download 2 is far easier than the first game in a number of ways. The original Download gave you a life bar but a single life. You no longer have health but can collect extra lives which the game doles out frequently. Death respawns you in the same spot immediately and only downgrades your weapons by a single level. Considering how fast you can reach full power it is not much of a penalty. While switching weapons is optimal you could very easily rely solely on the Vulcan cannon or homing shot. You can no longer touch walls or enemies without dying but the incredibly sturdy shield makes up for it. I found very few areas of the game to be tricky, even boss battles. For those that like a high challenge this isn’t it. But in terms of accessibility few shooters nail it this well.
In Closing
Download 2 is a fantastic game despite its myriad changes. Endlessly creative in its art direction with solid gameplay to match Download 2 stands out among a crowded shooter library. For those looking to explore the PC Engine CD library this is a great choice.
