I spent countless hours playing the Samurai Shodown series in my teens. This isn't the best of them--that, in my opinion, is the third--but it's still very good. Tight controls, an expanded cast of characters over the first game, and an intelligent enemy AI are all reccomending features.
Like its predecessor, ths is a 2.5 D sidescrolling platformer. In this it succeeds well; controls are tight, and enemies, hazards, and power-ups are well placed. There's a serious spike in difficulty starting at Level 6, and it consistently climbs from there, so don't be fooled by the game's gentle introduction. Later levels, and boss fights, incorporate a lot of level-specific gimmicks, not unlike the first Pandemonium. The atmosphere and worldbuilding are exemplary of certain parts of the zeitgeist of the late 90s. The first few levels have a lot of the first game's fairy-tale whimsy, but once you get to the Comet of Infinite Possibilities, it's hard not to see similarities to Half-Life's Xen or to certain X-Files visuals. The main characters have undergone abrupt and unexplained changes--Nikki now resembles late-90s Lara Croft in her personality, and Fargus has gone straight-up axe crazy. However, in a platformer with little exposition, this does't come up much. Just be aware that there has been a definite tone shift from the first title towards the dark and intense that some might find offputting if they were expecting more of the same, and the characters are a good example of this. Overall, Pandemonium 2 does exactly what it sets out to do and does it perfectly. Kudos, and no complaints. If you like games of this type, and especially if you like the period, I recommend picking it up.
