Spartan X 2

The Good
Spartan X 2 (スパルタンX 2) is a horizontally-scrolling action game released exclusively for the Family Computer in Japan, and it is also the sequel to Spartan X (Kung-Fu Master in the West). Johnny Thomas rescued his girlfriend Sylvia held captive in a five-story pagoda. Now he is going after a drug syndicate responsible for the death of his mother and sister after the syndicate used his father as an experiment.

The game comprises six stages, and has Johnny fighting through outdoor scenes such as train, warehouse, and airplane. The mechanics are the same as in the first game. As you make your way right, enemies approach you both in front and from behind. When they are at arm’s length, they will grab you in a headlock and will remain there until you shake them off. The longer you stay in the headlock, the more your energy drains. Before they can get you, though, you can use the same two moves from the first game. In addition, two new ones are also available: an uppercut and an over-the-shoulder throw.

Missing from the first game is the ability to restore health. In Spartan X 2, this comes in the form of a “Stamina X” bottle left behind by certain enemies. When you get to the end of each stage, you need to defeat a boss in order to continue, and you must learn their attack patterns to make it easy on yourself. At the end-of-stage statistics that follow the boss battles, the amount of health you are awarded depends on how much time you have remaining. In between the stages are cut-scenes telling you what areas you’re going to next and the boss at the end of each.

The graphics are very good, and almost every soundtrack in the game features the same beats I talked about in my review of Metal Storm. Unlike that game, however, the background music is the same for each boss. I was relieved that there is no “Extra mode” or “Super game mode”, in which you have to go through the game again. I enjoyed watching the cut-scenes; I think they add some depth to the game.

The Bad
I question why there is only Japanese text in the game, given that in Holy Diver, another Irem game only released in Japan, was written entirely in English.

The Bottom Line
I think Spartan X 2 is a great game. It has good graphics and sound, and it has the same mechanics as its predecessor. This is an overlooked game because the sequel only saw a release on the Family Computer in Japan, and there were no plans to release the game in the West. This all changed in 2016 when Retro-Bit released it in North America as a pack-in title for their console. If you are curious about this game but don’t want to buy the console, then sites such as romhacking.net may help.

The Good
Iren decided to upgrade the second game, starting with the main character: Thomas looks like more like Jackie Chan instead of Bruce Lee. The game itself also was influenced by the films of Jackie Chan. Thomas now faces its enemies in boats, on top of trains and even on planes!

Now Thomas is a kind of Secret Agent, who must stop a criminal organization. He even has a modern radio communicator with the initials MI (Mission Impossible?).

The enemies were also more modern now, they have several tricks and weapons to stop Thomas, like jets, floating platforms and others. The bosses also gained more style: you will face different bosses, like an animal trainer, a wizard and even a woman!

The Bad
The game itself is not difficult, the stages are simple, the enemies offer attack pattern that repeats itself, as well as the bosses. In less than half an hour you finish it.

The Bottom Line
A timeless and ageless classic!