I was a big fan of the first AVGN game, even if I wasn’t that into AVGN at the time. It was an awesome retro platformer that intentionally cranked the difficulty up to the max at all times. It was hard but fun and I really enjoyed it. The sequel promised to be bigger and better, but did Screwattack and FreakZone Games deliver?
Well, the game is definitely bigger. To begin, there is now a world-map based of the satanic game that is Super Mario Bros 3, with worlds broken into smaller levels. This is a big step up from the first game as there are a lot more levels to be played. The levels are a bit smaller than the first game but in this instance, the levels were made with multiple playthroughs in mind for full completion. The worlds are based on different games and themes from the AVGN series, including a level based on TMNT for the NES. There is also, my personal favourite, an entire world based off the Board James series.
The game is not as difficult as the first game, yet it is more difficult at the same time. I saw that because a lot of the cheapness has been removed but the game is still one of the hardest games you will ever play. I played on the easier settings just to have enough of the game experienced for this review, and it was still incredibly hard. But to be fair, that is a major selling point of the game. Its part of what made the first game so good.
The music has also taken a step up. The music in the first game was amazing, but this game tops it completely. The sounds are amazing and it even finds a way to incorporate the infamous music loop from Hong Kong 97 into an awesome level theme song. I am beyond impressed at the way the audio was handled.
I do have one major complaint before I go any further. When you die this time, the game does not generate any funny death quotes like in the first game. Apparently they were not a hit, but I genuinely miss them.
Numerous characters appear in this game and, the game also sees the Nerd’s rival, the Nostalgia Critic make appearances as a recurring foe. This was nice as he was not in the first one at all.
The game has several powerups and getting them will also lead you to want to replay levels as mentioned above, Its a good way to extend the game and I feel the length of the game was handled very well. The boss fights are also great and all in all, its a satisfying game but makes you work hard to get that satisfaction.
I have to fully recommend you get this game. In fact I give it my official seal of approval!