Gremlin’s 1994 arcade hit Zool 2 is the second instalment in the series of platform games that were meant to rival Sega’s wildly popular Sonic the Hedgehog. While the game fell well-short of that mark, it still found its way into the hearts of many and was well-received enough to spawn the sequel, Zool 2.
Many of the original Zool’s features were carried over into the second instalment, such as the short learning curve, easy controls, and fast-paced play. Added, however, more colourful and detailed graphics and a more defined plot line to hold the gamer’s interest.
Zool is a ninja warrior from the Nth dimension of outer space. In the first Zool, Krool and his sidekick Mental Block were featured as Zool’s interplanetary rivals who held the ability to transform everyday objects into obstacles and deadly assassins. In the Zool 2, Zool is back with his new female sidekick Zoolie (aka Zooz) to help him take on Krool and Mental Block. Mental Block is the primary rival in Zool 2, and he seeks to destroy the world’s imagination and rule the world with boredom.
Zool and Zoolie scroll through colourful gameplay, collecting objects and bouncing assassins in each new game level. The main objects are candies, which actually brought some criticism to the game, citing it as a thinly veiled advertisement
for a popular sweet at the time. There are numerous extras, such as health packs, bombs and shields. Players can choose to play as either Zool or Zoolie, with game play being very similar for either ninja warrior. The only basic difference is that one can sometimes negotiate terrain that the other cannot, and vice versa. The fact that these options create different paths to the completion of the game makes it worth playing at least once.
Zool 2 also features a few miniature games within the game that provide nice and much-needed added distractions, since the repetitiveness of the levels and the game play tend to become routine and monotonous. Fortunately, difficulty levels can be altered to improve the challenge of play, but it really doesn’t help the assassins and game levels from looking pretty much the same.
Overall, Zool 2 is an average platformer that does feature some good colour and interesting graphics. The action is also fast-paced and fun the first time around. However, like its predecessor, it becomes redundant quickly and is only worth playing a few times before it will be time to move on to something else.
