Review: Senko no Ronde 2 (Steam)

Rating: 6.8
Author: Jim Smale

by Jim Smale · Published September 7, 2017 · Updated October 4, 2017

Senko no Ronde 2 is a fast-paced one-on-one action game offering an eclectic mix of the shooting and fighting genres in a mech-filled bullet ballet played out in space! And with Zuntata alumnus Yasuhisa Watanabe on board.

Pros:

Decent graphics.
4591MB Download size.
Controller support.
Opening optional tutorial.
Graphic options-Resolution, Fullscreen, Width/Height setup.
Rebindable keys.
Six main modes- Arcade, Online battle, Offline battle, Score attack, Duo story mode and practice.
Stats- Split across each individual character.
Online leaderboards.
Duo is the 2010 version of the game.
Japanese voice.
Autosaves regularly.
Anime art and animation used for cutscenes/story.
Four difficulties- Easy, Normal, Hard and Maniac.
14 characters each with unique stats and you can set the colour and cartridge.
Gameplay is an arena fighter with a heavy bullet hell approach. Kind of like a 2D Virtual on in a way.
Mechs!
Once mastered the combat is very deep and rewarding.

Cons:

Cannot skip cutscenes.
Story is hard work.
A lot to take in.
Constant difficulty spikes.
Combat is a high entry point of entry, It is not fluid or easy to learn.
Online connections are bit sketchy with frequent drop outs.
Online is not noob friendly with it being dominated by pro players.
Combat again is slow and very confusing to work out a lot of the time.

The Numbers:

7/10

Graphics - 7/10
7/10

Sound - 7/10
6/10

Accessability - 6/10
7/10

Length - 7/10
7/10

Fun Factor - 7/10

6.8/10

Summary

Not a bad game really but very much a niche title made for the die hard fans, For them this has everything they could want with the Dup story mode and new features. For us non fans though it is a tall order to first overcome the alien controls and weird combo fighting. If you are willing to put the time in then you can get a lot from it but to be honest I found it too high a ask to invest the much needed time.