General Overview

Action, platforming, shooting, and much more go on in Noitu Love 2 and in a way that you’re tempted to compare it to the likes of Cave Story, Contra, Metal Slug, or even Megaman, yet you can’t because it’s so crazy, over the top, and original in its execution and style. Especially with such a low price tag, it’d be a crime to pass this one up.

Available For: Steam
Developer(s): Joakim Sandberg
Publisher(s): Joakim Sandberg
Release Date: 2012
Rating: NR
Archetype(s): Action, Adventure, Arcade, Platformer, Shooter

Full Article

Sometimes when a company attempts to do something oldschool but with a newschool twist, you get either a mixed bag or…crap. I always say it’s worth trying because usually you’ll come off with something fun, though obviously baiting us oldschool gamers. All the same, often you’ll get something that’s not just fun, but absolutely amazing…which brings us to this game.

As I said in the overview, it’s almost hard to describe or even compare this game to other titles. It looks and feels a lot like a combination of different, over the top action titles, but still remains its own. One moment you’re running through the streets, slapping around random robots and tossing them about, and the next you’re fighting some giant ass tank all the while dodging cannon fire, using a wide variety of special attacks, and so on.

It’s not quite a bullet hell shooter and yet it gets very close at times. There are levels that are heavily shooter themed and rely on ricochet attacks and well timed dodges to make it through, there are levels that feel like they’ve been ripped out of a Konami arcade title complete with crazy elevators and insane platforming, and there are minibosses and normal bosses that feel like they’ve come straight from Megaman X.

Reviewing a straightforward action game isn’t easy for me, primarily because if that’s all it is, then usually it’s something fun to play, but it may not be worth writing about. What’s entranced me so much about this one is just how fun, fast, and crazy it all is. It seriously feels like a brand new pixelated 16-bit action/platform/shooter from Treasure.

In fact, that’s pretty spot on. Imagine if they made a Mischief Makers 2. Yeah, THAT kind of fun, frenzied, and crazy. You can punch enemies in rapid succession, toss them around the battlefield, do screw attack jumps, zip around with dash slides, wall jump, use grappling hooks, use all kinds of special attacks…and that’s just when you’re on a normal stage.

There are also special horizonal scrolling shooter stages where you fire rapidly at enemies and can ricochet around attacks to get those hard to reach spots when enemies get clever and start using shields and shit. All the miniboss and normal boss characters are interesting, unique, and have some special way to fight them. Oh, they start off normally enough with easily exploitable weakpoints, but over time you have to keep your wits about you and not only find the weakpoints, but then discover just how the fuck you’re going to get over there.

Listen, with a game like this, especially being priced at a mere $5 ($4 if you purchase before the end of April), how can you possibly pass it up? This game could easily have sold for $15 and I would’ve picked it up. I’ve bookmarked the creator’s page because honestly, this project has stunned me and if he has any future projects, they will be an instant must have for me.

Buy it here for only $5! You get a dollar off if you purchase before the end of April!