We as retro gamers all long back to the days when the arcades were the place to be. Gamers together with a pocket full of pocket money to spend on your favourite game to get a high score. When the money runs out you watch other people, who were way better than you. Relive those classic arcade games with the sequel to NEOGEO’s cult classic arcade game Windjammers. Let’s see if throwing flying discs is still popular 25 years later.
Windjammers is back baby & retro as ever!
Fast-paced, strategic, easy to learn but hard to master: Windjammers 2 follows the steps of the first episode and brings back what makes the Windjammers series an amazing fun and competitive game! Windjammers 2 really gives off major ’90 (arcade) vibes in every aspect. The art style with its neon-bright colours and hand-drawn style is really eye-catching. Heck, even the title screen is similar to what you would see in the arcades, with a short animated scene followed by a splash screen showing the title. Vibe to the kickass soundtrack coming straight out of the ’90s. You can choose from 10 characters in total. Each with their own personality, special moves and speed and power stats.
Duke it out Arcade style
Like a true arcade game, you can get right into the action. No need to watch a tutorial on how to play, watch a long cutscene or have to go to endlessly long dialogue. But don’t fear, there still is a how-to-play present in the game that will teach you the basic and more advanced mechanics
Windjammers 2 has a couple of different game modes. Since the game is mainly a competitive game there is not a large single player to play. Rather it has an Arcade mode where you duke it out against CPU and in some additional bonus stages. Each character also has its own cutscene when completing the Arcade mode which gives them more character. Outside of Arcade mode, there is the versus mode where you can play against a CPU or player locally. Lastly, there is Online where you can do the same but, you wouldn’t guess, online.
The future of Frisbee & air hockey
The goal of the game is to score by throwing your disc at the opponent’s goal. The opponent of course tries to stop this and send the disc back at you. The game is a bit like a mix between Frisbee and air hockey but way more over the top.
The scoring system on the game is based on sets, a set is won when 15 points are reached. A set lasts a maximum of 90 seconds, when this time expires, the player with the highest score takes the set. You have to win 2/3 sets in order to win the game. The playtime, sets and points needed can all be altered to create more short hype matches or more intense longer matches. The point-earning system goes as followed. You will earn the most points when scoring in red zones, netting you 5 points while the yellow zones grant you 3 points. If the disc is not caught by the opponent, it will drop to the ground, earning you points as well.
Each court has a different configuration of these zones. This can lead to counter picking your opponent to a certain court because it is better soothed for your character. Some courts have additional features like bouncy obstacles that redirect the disc in a different direction when hit, different points for when a disc is dropped or even totally random if you so desire.
It’s like an iceberg, deeper than you think
There are 5 different buttons in total. Throw/slide/toss, lob/drop shot, slap shot, jump and your power move. All the buttons can be remapped to your desired location to soothe your playstyle. All these controls are pretty self-explanatory in terms of their function but the system gets way more complex than you would think. Windjammers 2 is a true case of easy to learn but hard to master. Discs can be thrown in a curve by turning the stick, you can smash the disc down while in the air, etc. Some moves can only be performed depending on timing. Time your shot just right for instance gives you a drop or slap shot. Staying under the disc on the crosshair will let you charge which unlocks different super shots.
Then there is also the power move. Like most fighting games or other competitive games, there is always a super move or power move our whatever you want to name it. This move is a souped-up version of a normal move, and in the case of Windjammers 2, an immensely hard throw of the disc. This meter is charged over time and charges faster each time you get scored against. Each character has its unique throw, learning each pattern is key to your victory.
Conclusion
Windjammers 2 is what dreams are made of in terms of retro arcade revivals. The art, soundtrack. gameplay and mechanics are masterfully crafted and really deep. The pure speed and adrenaline keep you on edge and make every win feel more exhilarating. Since they went for a more arcade feel, there is a lack of a lot of content and left me wanting more. This is acceptable however since the game mainly is focused on the competitive side which will keep you entertained for many hours to come.
