I’ve been stuck on the fifth level of Vectorman 2 for a year
now, and I occasionally play it when the Sega Megadrive Ultimate Collection is
in my Xbox 360 to try to get to the eleventh stage, which was what I needed to get
the available achievement points. Imagine my surprise when, not only did I
manage to win the achievement, but I beat the game as well…
Vectorman 2 is a 16bit platforming game that was released on
the Sega Megadrive/Genesis back in 1996. You control Vectorman, an “Orbot” – a robot
made entirely out of orbs – as you run and gun your way through a nasty collection
of insect-like enemies over twenty-two levels, aiming to find out who shot your
ship out of the sky.
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| This is only the second level, and it's brutally hard. Mainly because you can't see. |
In the 90s, platforming games were one of the main styles of
game available on consoles, and the better ones had their own gimmicks and
mechanics that set them apart. Vectorman’s most obvious shtick was to morph
into different things like tanks, space-ships, and some shapes based on his
tougher enemies like scorpions and stag beetles. But the quality of the game
comes from doing a lot with a very solid base of game mechanics. The controls
were great and responsive, for most of the game there were two buttons (jump
and fire,) the power-ups were meaningful, the graphics were of the highest
quality the Megadrive could manage, and it was a lot of fun.
It was also very hard. Where I was going wrong was that I
wasn’t exploring the levels enough. The game’s power-ups come in Power Sacs,
bulbous green eggs hanging from various points that you have to shoot several
times to break open and grab what’s inside. They’re dotted in various locations
around the levels. Their contents range from health, to photons (the game’s
equivalent of coins, which contribute to your score,) to temporary weapon
upgrades, to access to the bonus levels and multipliers. It is on the latter
power-up that the genius of the game’s design comes through. In most games,
most multipliers multiply your score; decent, but it doesn’t really help you
progress. In Vectorman 2, it also multiplies your power-ups. For example, a
health orb would normally restore one hit point. If you have a 3* multiplier
and you grab one, it restores three hit points. The same applies to extra
lives, and while the game is competently-enough designed that it doesn’t put
extra lives in easy reach of a 10* multiplier, it’s possible to create a good
amount of extra lives beyond your starting three.
I did a bit better this time because I explored the levels
and bonus stages enough to find the power-ups that increased your hit points
beyond your starting four. This was crucial, as I could take enough damage in
the later levels to not lose sight of what I was supposed to be doing. When I
reached the eleventh level, and found I was half way through with nine hit
points and thirteen lives, I found myself thinking ‘Wow, I could actually beat
this today!’ and saw the game through to the end.
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| A lot of the levels had little puns like this. I like it! |
The four boss battles work well. Vectorman can morph into
different things and upgrade his weapons – but not on the boss battles. Apart
from increasing your hit points, you can’t stack the odds in your favour and
rely on upgrades to beat the bosses. You have to do the same thing you always
have to do in older games: Analyse their attack patterns, learn their weaknesses
and exploit them to your advantage. I admit I had to check a Youtube video to
find out how to beat the last boss; after having come so far I didn’t want to
lose due to ignorance, but I still had to beat it!
Vectorman 2 is not perfect; the difficulty curve is harsh,
and the tank section has fiddly controls. And it’s not a game I grew up with, nor
has it engaged me on such a level that I could see myself returning to it. But
it is a competently-designed and very fun platformer. If you have it on a
collection, or own a Sega Megadrive/Genesis, it’s worth playing.
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