Caltrops - Article Submissions - Noitu Love 2 Review

Forum Overview :: Article Submissions

by Mischief Maker 05/04/2008, 12:38pm PDT

This is probably the best image to use for a boxshot

I love over-the-top brawler action games. My 3 favorite PS2 games are Devil May Cry 3, God Hand, and Zone of the Enders 2. Finally with Noitu Love 2 we have one for the PC.

The biggest thing with this game is the unique control scheme. You move and jump normally using WASD, but you also have a mouse-controlled cursor. Click on a distant enemy and your character zips across the screen to the target and begins pummeling them instantly. The combo system in this game increases for every enemy you destroy without getting hit or touching the ground. So especially on higher difficulty levels the screen is a mad mess of your kung-fu chick ziping and flying everywhere, as hundreds of enemies explode all around her.

The pace of the game is a lot like Gunstar Heroes on the Genesis. Action packed traveling segments against an unlimited number of cannon-fodder enemies punctuated by frequent mini-boss encounters. There's also a scrolling shmup-eque level that harkens back to the author's earlier game, Chalk. Every level is timed to take about 5 minutes without any continues. Based on your speed, highest combo, and how many hits you take, each level gives you a letter grade, Devil May Cry-style.

The 2d cartoon artwork for this game is fantastic throughout. Your enemies, the army of grinning darns, have way more personality than anything Dr. Wiley ever built. They're clearly having fun wreaking havok and even dress up for the part, from cowboy outfits to Geisha makeup. The bosses are cool and insane, from a fishing trawler/tank to a transforming steam engine/mech. The author apparently has experience making graphics for GBA games and it shows.

Minor spoilers ahead. The game has 2 unlockable characters and they are not simple costume changes. Character #2 trades Xoda Rap's mobility for ranged attacks. The 4th-wall-breaking character #3 is downright brilliant. He's incapable of attacking, can barely jump, and his only ability is an inexhaustible shield that activates when he ducks. However, with the cursor the player controls an off-screen bodyguard who shoots at enemies lightgun-style (complete with dipping the mouse below the screen to reload,) and with the right mouse button can pick up character #3 and fling him to safety. It's the sequel to Gumshoe we always wanted! It's 3 games in one!

The original freeware game, Noitu Love 1, was a fun and clever mega man-alike that unfortunately suffered from too much repetitiveness. The author has repeatedly acknowledged this problem and carefully timed the sequel's levels to be 5 minutes apiece. Unfortunatley, in many of the levels he tries to cram so much in that really cool parts are over before you get a chance to get into them while dull parts stick out that much more. There are many interesting enemy types in this game that are criminally underused. This is most egregious in level 6, which introduces cool new "warrior" darns with dashing abilities and deadly jetpacks, but you'll maybe see 2 of them before the level quickly switches to a platformer segment followed by a midboss who epitomizes the term "puzzle boss" in all the bad ways. Even worse, despite having these cool new enemies, the 2 "clear this room to proceed" parts of the level feature nothing but fat robots whose only move is trying to jump on you. I wish the game had a level featuring every single enemy type in a gigantic clusterfuck.

With gorgeous, clever graphics, fast and furious action, and tons of replayability, it's hard to believe that this game is the product of a single author. This is one of the best indie action games of all time and comes highly recommended.