Game Info
GAME NAME: Jett Rocket II: The Wrath of Taikai
DEVELOPER(S): Shin’en Multimedia
PUBLISHER(S): Shin’en Multimedia
PLATFORM(S): Nintendo 3DS
GENRE(S): Action/Platforming
RELEASE DATE(S): November 13th, 2013
When Shin’en Multimedia first announced Jett Rocket II: The Wrath of Taikai I was super excited. The first Jett Rocket game for the WiiWare was one of my favorite titles to grace the Wii’s downloadable title library. The excitement was hurt a little by the title being on the 3DS and not the Wii U, but nonetheless I was expecting greatness from Jett Rocket’s second outing.
You play as a Planetary Inspector named Jett who is out to save a group of robots that have been kidnapped by Jett’s archenemy Taikai. It’s a fairly simple idea, but when it comes to platforming it isn’t about the story, it’s all about the gameplay and level design.
Whereas the original Jett Rocket was 3D, Jett Rocket II is more of a 2D platformer with 3D sprinkled in. The 2D gameplay is limited in variety by tight on the controls. It’s your basic jump and spin attacks. You will get a JetPack and the ability to create platforms later on, but these are limited in uses. The 3D gameplay feels too easy and like it was tacked on to take advantage of the systems 3D capabilities. The game is segregated in different levels on space stations where the doors and elevators lead to new levels. In between worlds there are mini games that break up the platforming such as Jet-skiing and Skydiving.
Jett Rocket II has really good pacing. The enemies and traps in each level aren’t particularly hard but the boss battles make up for that. The battles remind me of Donkey Kong Country Returns or Rayman Legends in that as the battle progresses the pattern is switched up and becomes progressively harder.
The graphics and sound are both excellent. The game runs at a smooth 60FPS and had no noticeable dips while I was playing it. If there is anyone thing that Shin’en does, it is pulling the absolute best and smoothest graphics from the hardware they develop on. The sound track isn’t as memorable as a Mario or Rayman game, but it fits the environments and never feels over repetitive.
While Jett Rocket II never lived up to my hype that I had for it, it is still a great game and one of the best games available on the 3DS eShop. With smooth 60 FPS graphics and fun boss battles, I would highly recommend this game to any fans of old school gaming.
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