Thunder Kid II: Null Mission Reviews

This is a tough game but it is a lot of fun. I think it is relatively fair as well.

Short, sweet and really fun. It also offered some challenge near the end! This feels more like a "lost levels" expansion to the first one, but that's not a bad thing. If you're interested, check out the first game first.

Great art but the game is quite difficult!

What happens when you take 2d Megaman and DIRECTLY TRANSLATE about 75% of it's mechanics, then splice it a bit with shmups, all into a 3D game? This game happens. Pros: -Excellent enemy variety -it's entirely possible to platform past enemies, however certain segments do force you to kill certain enemies -Decent level design variety -Enemy designs and color palettes quickly allow the player to learn, and later recognize enemy attack patterns, you won't find yourself squinting trying to recognize obstacles, pitfalls, projectiles, or enemies against the environment, every danger you need to understand is presented quite explicitly -Minibosses aren't just bullet sponges spamming bullets past the first couple of stages, they're actually placed in certain portions of the map that either test your "grazing" shmup skills, pattern recognition skills or platforming skills -HUD is simple to understand and non intrusive -projectile patterns are consistent and the hitbox while a bit on the chunky side, is still tolerable enough to make no hit runs possible, due to the projectile patterns being so consistent you'll rarely feel you were cheated by RNG, NEARLY ALL DEATHS FEEL FAIR -Unlike older attempts at this "genre" of 3d platforming shooter, the player's range versus that of his enemies is roughly equal save a noteable exceptions, in addition to this all attacks including the player's is projectile based, meaning the shooting is based around manuevering, precision and platforming, not just cheesing past enemies by sniping them from afar -There's slight replayability via alternative routes and attempting to do no hit runs Cons: -The soundtrack is very hit or miss -There's this weird collision detection bug that sends the player skyrocketing to the sky after being hit, or clipping into world geometry. -Maybe it's an intended feature or not, but there's a mechanic/quirk that makes the player slip off of platforms if he edges them too hard when landing on said platforms -Lasers should have shadows on them so the player can tell how high or low, or far away they are -Aside from replaying the game via different routes in levels you're revisiting or replaying, there's no reason to collect the coins or attempt routes you're not familiar/comfortable with, infinite lives takes away the challenge from this game, if a lives system were implemented there could be so much more done in terms of exploration, the game wouldn't feel as short either -The camera angles are sometimes crap, and it happens when platforms above you obstruct your field of view. -Sometimes softlocks can occur during death pits deaths and thus the game over doesn't trigger, forcing you to reload a checkpoint. -The game doesn't remember your control settings after you modify them, every time you boot up the game you have to rebind everything, or just get used to the standard control scheme -During the last boss fight it's hard to judge when the tentacles are retracted enough to not hit you, or are fully extended, granted the whole purpose of this boss fight is to avoid being in the center as much as possible. However that's defeated once you discover the cheese strategy of walking up as close as possible to the boss' center of mass and then spamming the attack button until he shoots projectiles at you, don't know if that was intended or not however Nitpicking: -The main charactter's anatomy is bizarre, he has really wide hips and thighs, narrow torso and really small shoulders -The game is too short Room for improvement on sequel/spin-off/successor: -Yet again some sort of lives system to encourage exploration -Maybe a sliding move like in Megaman 7(or was it 6?) and platforming segments that force the player to use that move -Platforms that send the player flying towards the air -platforms that disappear under a player's feet, or depress against the wall -falling platforming segments where the player has to dodge obstacles on his way down -"ladder" segments where the player has to fight enemies and avoid obstacles on his way up a steep incline -Option to skip cutscenes all together -Scoring system -Leaderboards -maybe a time attack mode -Bosses have weak spots to them and hitting them makes boss fights go faster, however it requires precision to hit those points, basically reward players for mastering the precision 3d aspects of this game even more -enemy bosses and minibosses show wear and tear to their bodies as they take damage, that way the player is not forced to rely JUST on the boss health bar to gauge progress Overall score: 7/10, there's some niggles here and there, the game is also short, however the price of admission and pros outweigh any of the shortcomings. I'll be looking forward to more from this "series" or games with this "formula" the devs produce.

A really awesome sequel. Seeing the slight changes (level clear conditions and sinking sands) and overall polish over the first one (not to it's discredit; it's a great game) makes me all the more excited for a third.

An amazing soft arcade game, truly a gem. The commands feels really nice, and as the game goes it becomes quite challenging. You will only need one directional pad to move the character, so it's a really fun game to play with an arcade stick controller.

A real retro blast! The bosses are a real highlight of the action, but some of the environments really stood out to me as well for fun level design, especially the city and the aerial armada. Thunder Kid II has a lot of small polish and usability improvements over the first game, which I appreciated. Less hitbox confusion, more blasting robots!

A window into what 3D platformers might've looked like if the the trailblazing giants of the genre had, instead of being Super Mario 64, been something taking more inspiration from the likes of Mega Man and Contra. A blend of bullet dodging and platforming that 3D platformers just haven't been able to pull off to the same degree that 2D ones have until now, with some great bosses rounding out the gameplay. Carries with it the same kind of simple charm that a lot of the classics of the eras it takes inspiration from had, packaged in tightly designed bite sized levels.

Overall a great sequel to the first game. I wish there were different weapons to choose from / unlock. But if you like arcade styled games, this one is a blast! There are checkpoints in every level along with a hidden coin. Multiple themed stages and at the end of that area/theme is a boss. There are improvements like the level select screen showing what stages you collected coins in. A really fun game, id highly recommend if you like medium-hard arcade style games.

I REALLY loved the first Thunder Kid, and I was very happy to see this sequel! It has wonderful art direction and great controls just like the 1st game. Was very fun to go through the cool looking levels and arrive at the bosses; each boss was unique and very exciting to go up against. Like the first game, it just had just the right amount of difficulty, in my opinion. I just have to get all the coins! Missing just one at the moment! (the level select is just lovely; can see what coins you have and what ones you need). If Renegade Sector Games ever wanted to make even more Thunder Kid games (or a successor series); I would buy them all up! Thanks for making this sequel! *thumbs up!* <3