PlayStation Vita, much like the PSP before it, seems like the perfect fit for a good old-fashioned shoot ‘em up and there are a hatful of both modern and retro variants available on the handheld already. Soldner-X 2 is one of the throwbacks to arcade side-scrolling shoot ‘em ups that saw the young and sugar-fuelled folk of the early ‘90s dump waves of coins into arcade cabinets around the world. Games such as R-Type, Parodius and Gradius filled screens with vibrant laser fire and huge boss characters as you relied on reflexes to carry you through the seemingly neverending gamut of extremely hazardous obstacles. Soldner pays such a heavy homage to these games it almost gets the point of being mimicry. This is both a compliment and a criticism.
Soldner-X2: Final Prototype, where you pilot a ship in the war against an alien race intent on destroying th…you know the plot by now- first appeared as a PSN title five years ago and was fairly warmly received, but the complaint then was that it lacked an identity of its own, preferring to stick to the tried-and-trusted format of the classics like a particularly sticky bun sticks to the wall of a glue factory where the glue has exploded. For me, this isn’t generally an issue if a game plays well enough to counteract it and Soldner-X 2 was and still is a fine example of the genre in that regard. It runs buttery-smooth on Vita, with the right stick’s feedback being just right for dipping, dodging and diving through the maelstrom of enemy fire at the often frantic pace that ensues. That addictive score-chasing that permeates the genre is present here and as compelling as it should be as you desperately try to stack up your combo whilst scraping narrowly past lasers and pesky battleships.
Completing levels is a fairly straightforward pattern of shooting everything the correct way and finding the boss character’s weakness at the end so you can move on. The replay value and challenge comes from trying to do so as flawlessly as possible on the highest possible difficulty. Some levels won’t even unlock unless you find a complete set of keys for them in earlier ones, which is rather poor attempt at collectables to be honest, but quite necessary in prolonging the game’s lifespan. There are also challenges to complete outside the campaign, giving you a handful of scenarios to complete that usually involve hindering you in some way. These are fun additions that provide a more positive way of adding longevity to the otherwise brief core. Also worth noting is that the DLC entitled ‘The Last Chapter’ is included, adding three more levels to the original seven, and thirteen additional challenge modes, rounding out the game’s replay value and run time significantly. It’s to eastasiasoft’s and SideQuest Studios’ credit that each new part seamlessly flows with the base game’s content.
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The issue I did have with the lack of identity on show was that it lead to some underwhelming boss encounters. Each felt very much like ones I’d played twenty plus years ago and going back to games like R-Type only made the comparison worse because the older games bosses are still superior today, as is much of the gameplay. Soldner-X 2 has more variety and looks better, but still comes across as a bit of a tribute act at times. Happily, it still remains a visual feast.
3D backgrounds add a tiny injection of modernity to proceedings. Graphically it makes the most of the arcade style with well drawn enemies and colourful showers of gunfire lighting up the small screen beautifully. 2D visuals continue to work so well to this day because they age so much better thanks to their relative simplicity. There are graphical flourishes in Soldner that put the likes of Super Stardust and Resogun to shame, such is the eye-popping nature of them. Like I said earlier, Vita seems tailor-made for experiences such as this.The soundtrack is pretty good too. Exactly what you expect from a shoot ‘em up; all pulse-pounding techno/electronica type music with a slightly rocky edge is the overall message and naturally it fits Soldner’s futuristic grungey makeup like a moist leather glove.
So we’ve established Soldner-X 2 is a fun, beautiful throwback to the arcade side-scrollers of yore, but lacks an identity of its very own because it does the job of replicating the classics so well. There is another gripe I had about Soldner-X 2 though, one that ought not be a problem all things considered. That gripe is with how quickly it gets repetitive. Of course that’s a given to some degree in a genre that involves endless blasting, but there simply isn’t quite enough fresh meat on these pixelated bones to offer much for the gameplay variety stew. As such, many may find they get bored of Soldner after a couple of playthroughs. If you have a drive to compete for high scores and prove your hardcore skills to the universe then it will easily give you great value for your money, otherwise, it will barely scrape past the ‘’is it worth it?’’ test and be forgotten swiftly. It all depends what you want out of your games, but in my opinion, there are far worse ways to spend time blasting giant cybernetic heads and alien armadas than this and fewer still that do it looking so nice.