Originally released on PS3 many years ago, Soldner-X-2: Final Prototype was later re-released on PS4 and now on Switch as the Definitive Edition. Being honest, I am not sure what has been added to make this the “Definitive Edition” but the there is still a lot of quality shooter gameplay here at a smooth framerate.
What I appreciate most about this horizontal shooter is its approachability. Meaning, there are moments of higher challenge, but the game is beatable. This isn’t a chaotic bullet hekk but instead one of those slower paced, time your shots, and be aware of your positioning kind of shooter. There are also multiple vehicles with their own loadouts so it is worth experimenting. Personally, I found the standard “hold B to shoot rapid fire” default weapon works the best but still appreciated the weirder and more situational subweapons.
The presentation is also a highlight. Everything looks clear, vibrant, and is easily identifiable, key factors for any shmup. There is one confusing blemish in the presentation though. Sometimes the game restricts your movements with invisible walls on the perimeter of the screen. So it looks like you can maneuver further but then, whoops, you bump into an invisible barrier and might even suffer damage because of it. However, bosses are big and require tenacity to defeat. In fact, the boss battles might even last too long at times but slowly chipping away at a large enemy can have moments of satisfaction. Also, the story is pretty ridiculous, doesn’t make sense, and honestly just gets in the way. The still frame plot points don’t really do the overall shooter gameplay justice and would probably be a better experience if they were removed altogether or at least reduced.
What I like most about this sequel is it rewards you with more game the more you play (and without needing to buy DLC). For example, I got an ending after clearing a half dozen stages, thinking I beat it for the first time. However, when I went back into the menu, I saw that I only initially unlocked half the stages. Plus, the player is free to play any stage at will instead of needing to start from the beginning each time. This is such a simple design choice that players will greatly appreciate, and I wish more games did this. Having the ability to select any stage at will makes it easy to replay stages to collect missing keys – by collecting all the keys in each stage, more content becomes unlocked. Also, by playing well, the player even unlocks tutorial hints as they go, which is a little weird since you don’t really need them if you already did the thing it was going to teach you, but it is just more for the player to optionally acquire if so inclined.
Soldner-X-2: Final Prototype Definitive Edition isn’t the best shooter but is much more enjoyable than the original and has a lot of appreciated features that fans of the genre will enjoy. Even though this game is about a decade old at this point, it still plays well today and worth wishlisting.
SCORE: 8/10
By: Zachary Gasiorowski, Editor in Chief myGamer.com
X/Twitter: @ZackGaz
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