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Around the launch of the PSP came a quirky little platformer called Death Jr. While it had a few original points of mention such as level design, interesting characters, and obvious imaginative idea, no one really thought of this little guy as a franchise player. Well one year later and Death Jr. is back with a sequel. The real questions are; does anyone care, should you care, and is there enough appeal in this franchise to continue creating sequels? The answer is simple…only if the PSP refuses to continue the lack of platformer support. Since this is one of the few decent platform titles on the system, it almost defaults Death Jr. 2 a must buy for fans of the genre. Visually the game is a step above its predecessor with a higher polygon count, a better color palette, and more inventive levels, characters, and minions. Starting with the presentation, you can tell this title is a bit more story driven than the first. I assume the developers are banking on a success and want to provide more “Backbone” to their little mascot. Even with the deeper storyline, you can’t help being confused by the world’s alternate universe of strange and confusing details and characters. Each level is a bit more expansive than from the first game with more items, enemies, and weapons found throughout. The camera is even a bit friendlier and makes it easier to concentrate on the action at hand than fumbling to turn the camera in your favor. While simplistic in design, the game will win gamers over with its unique since of style and ghoulish flare.
The audio is passable, but nothing that sticks out about any of the dialog or music to mention. Not that any of it is bad, just really mediocre. On the plus side, I’m happy to see voice acting accompanying the dialog for the story line, even if it is a bit hokey at times. Game play is tight and far more polished than in the first thanks to the new camera system. The game is less linear allowing you to find multiple ways to complete each level. You have new weapons and melee attacks to help break the monotony of playing just another platform title. There is a bit of uneasy satisfaction from using flamethrowers or even C4 Hamster bombs on unsuspecting zombies and robot enemies. The developers have added co-op support for wireless play for 2 gamers. Now all you have to do is find a friend who has a PSP and DJ2 and invite them over to go through the story together. Even being a major horror fan and enjoying the fact that someone has created a horror themed platformer, I have a hard time believing this is going to find a core audience that shares my views about the game and its content. On the other hand, if you like platform titles, you really do not have much of a choice than to dig up these bones and give it a go ‘round. In the end, it is a really well developed title with a unique style and sense of humor that gamers young and old will appreciate. If you have a PSP, then I suggest you pay death a little visit, you may be pleasantly surprised with the results.
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