Fun and familiar
I do love a good platformer, and when a game takes inspiration from one of the 2D classics, it makes it even better. When I reviewed the last iteration of Marsupilami back in 2021, I was pleasantly surprised. This genre has fallen out of grace in recent years, so even when we get one, it is not always high in quality. That is not true of Marsupilami, the previous game was a nice surprise, and the sequel seems to continue that trend.
Much like the first game, the sequel has a title that will challenge your grasp of the English language. Once again, we have a narrative here, but it mostly serves to give you a reason to move from one level to the next. The team is tasked with saving the world of Palombia from the Mummy Queen who has cast a spell over the world with a melody. Like I said, it is a plot. Thankfully it takes a backseat and only crops up from time to time. It is easy to bypass.
MSRP: $24.99
Platforms: Xbox (reviewed), PlayStation, Switch, PC
Price I’d Pay: $24.99
This new entry lets players take control of three different characters, and can even be played with a friend in co-op. Each character has their own abilities, and swapping between them in single player will open up different ways to collect items and solve puzzles. This is a pretty straightforward platformer, it is broken down into worlds and levels. Each one is surprisingly long and full of checkpoints and stuff to collect. At times they can feel a bit too long, which deterred me from revisiting them to 100% the level.
This is truly a collectathon from top to bottom. There are musical notes which are required to unlock the boss levels. Thankfully not all are required for them to unlock. There are also fruits, which are in abundance and even more appear when you revisit levels. There are hidden dojos in each level that contain even more challenges throughout the game. There is a lot of content here, but sadly it just doesn’t drive me to keep coming back for more. It feels excessive at times, which is a shame as the platforming itself is very well done.
I loved exploring levels with each character and using their abilities. Early on though I stopped trying to get 100% in each level as it was simply too much. The game offers up multiple difficulty levels. On normal it feels like a standard platformer, there is also an easy mode with unlimited lives and of course the harder one for people who really want to test their skills. The game is never overly difficult so normal is right for most people. The bosses can definitely test your skills though, and I did die from time to time during these battles, but their patterns are fun to learn, and if it gets too hard, just swap to easy for the boss fights.
Playing Marsupilami 2 feels fantastic. The momentum-based game play just works and reminds me a lot of the 2D Donkey Kong Country games. I love rolling into a jump and then swinging on a vine. The control is spot-on most of the time and it truly is a blast to play. Swapping between characters is fast and you can even combine the momentum between characters. It has a real fun and fluid motion to the platforming.
Visually the game looks outstanding. It is chock full of color and the standard biomes you would find in most platformers. The cartoon aesthetic reminds me of classic Saturday morning cartoons and the animations are fantastic. The music just kind of resides in the background and serves its purpose, but I won’t be buying the soundtrack. I had no issues with performance on Xbox Series X, and everything felt buttery smooth.
I love a good platformer, and we rarely get them anymore. This is yet another hit for me, and I had a great time plowing through the campaign. While the levels are a bit long and the collectibles a bit too much, I still had a great time. Definitely check this out if you have that platforming itch to scratch. It is more than worth your time.
Review copy of game provided by publisher.
