Demon Star: Secret Missions 2
PC
By Steve Fulton
“A frantic, kinetic 2D shooter unequaled on the PC platform”
Scott Host of Mountain King Software has been making
shooters for the PC since 1993 with Galactix. He followed that game up with the amazing
(for it’s time) Raptor: Call Of Shadows and a few years ago
with Demon Star. All
of these games featured sumptuous 2D graphics mixed with some of the best
scrolling shooter action since Xenon 2: Megablast on the Atari ST and
Amiga. Obviously, the commercial market
for a 2D scrolling shooter is not what it used to be, so Host went independent
a few years ago, and never looked back.
Demon Star: Secret Missions 2 and both of it’s prequels are pretty much
unequaled on the PC when it comes to scrolling shooters. These games have everything you would want if
you are hankering for classic 2D game play, and don’t know how to satisfy the
hunger: dozens of enemies, tons of bolt-on weapons, boss-battles, multiple
scrolling environments, and most notably, Multiplayer action. You can play with a friend on the same
computer, or even over a network.
The games themselves are a marvel to behold, especially if
you are fan of classic scrolling shooters.
The mix of air and ground-based targets are amazing, as is the scope of
some of the enemy ships. While most PC
scrolling shooters feature just a few different sizes of enemy craft, the Demon Star games feature an astounding variety of craft in a
multitude of shapes and sizes. The
backgrounds are very detailed and scroll as smooth as silk. The best part of the game are the
explosions. Mountain King has always
made sure their explosions were top-notch, and here they certainly don’t
disappoint.
There was a point I reached while playing Demon
Star that I can only describe as transcendental. With bolts of light and missiles streaming
from my ship and dodging what seemed like hundreds of hostile bolts of energy,
I found myself grinning uncontrollably.
The game play was so smooth, the action so intense, and the joy so
abounding, that I felt like I had finally gone “home” again. It was just a fleeting moment, and even
though I could not even place where that “home” feeling came from, I was immensely pleased that such a well-made
game as Demon Star could take me there.
Kid Factor: Kids will love to try this game, but they might
not stick with it. Mine were immensely
interested at first, but since they were not used to playing this type of game,
they got frustrated easily. However,
the two-player option can alleviate this pretty quickly, allowing you to play
together. The original Demon
Star is much easier than the two sequels, so if you think this game
might challenge your kids, start with the original. The later games have improved graphics and
game play, so once they are ready, you can move up and still be satisfied with
the experience.
Platforms: PC
Reviewed Platform: PC
Rating: ****
Developer: Mountain King
Producer: Mountain
King
ESRB Rating: N/A
Genre: Scrolling Shooter
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