Developer: Sunsoft Publisher: Sunsoft Release: 10/90 Genre: Action
After a string of bad games such as Superman, Back to the Future, and my personal biggest regret, Marvel’s X-Men I learned to avoid any game based on a popular license. When money is tight you have to be extremely picky, lest you end up with Deadly Towers for six months. While that stance served me well over the years it also meant I missed out on some true hidden gems. Gremlins 2: the New Batch is a game that I am sure most had no expectations of. First of all how would you even make a game based on the movie? Luckily Sunsoft were more creative than I am and produced one of the best licensed titles for the NES. Do not pass this up!
The game follows the plot of the movie, albeit a short version of it. After the events of the original movie Gizmo becomes a guinea pig for Clamp Enterprises. Unfortunately events occur that cause a new batch of gremlins to spawn within the Clam skyscraper. Now together with his friend Billy it is up to Gizmo to destroy the Gremlins before they escape into the city.
Out of all of Sunsoft’s many NES classics Gremlins 2 is probably the most underappreciated. Although the movie was popular the game slipped under the radar despite its quality. After a certain Addam’s Family title the year before I do not blame anyone for avoiding another title in the same style. However in this case Sunsoft got it right, creating one of the best top down action games for the system in my opinion.
As odd as it may sound the best way to describe Gremlins 2 is a proper version of Fester’s Quest. Eight-way movement makes navigating the environments a snap but more importantly your weapons are not useless. In that game as your weapon powers up it becomes less effective as it would get caught in the scenery. Gizmo starts with a tomato that is replaced with a new weapon after every overall level. These are a matchstick, paperclip, a bow and eventually the fire bow. The progression works in response to the new threats introduced and in conjunction with the shop items makes the action portion solid.
While primarily an action game Gremlins 2 is equal parts platformer. This is usually a disaster in a top down game but a few factors make it work. You retain full control of Gizmo when airborne to correct mistakes. You also have a shadow to predict your landing point. It is not without its flaws; attacking in midair will cause an immediate drop. This goes hand in hand with the at times dodgy enemy placement. The game loves to place unseen enemies in your path resulting in cheap hits and falls. It is not game breaking but is very annoying. Aside from that the level design is spectacular. There is a clear sense of progression as you advance in the clamp building with simple pits giving way to electrified floors, conveyor belts, spike traps, and fire. You can forgive their artistic liberties in order to make the game varied.
Gremlins 2 manages to straddle the line between being kid friendly and posing a decent challenge. The initial levels feature few enemies in line with your weaker attack power. With each new stage more powerful gremlins are introduced and the shop becomes well-hidden. Platforming becomes more intense and the stages become longer. Despite the increasing challenge it never veers into unfair territory although it has its moments in the late game. Passwords and infinite continues help avoid frustration although I think they are unnecessary. The difficulty curve is near perfect in my opinion, something that most games completely fail at.
Despite taking place in one central location Gremlins 2 looks fantastic. All of the sprites are detailed and expressive, especially Gizmo. The bosses in particular look incredible and are a visual highlight. The boring office desks and corridors avoid repetition by using a varied color palette and making each area of the building its own stage. There are some oddities such as the graveyard but whatever. The brief cutscenes do a better job of following the movie than Batman which is hilarious. And tying it altogether is another amazing score by composer Naoki Kodaka.
In Closing
Gremlins 2: the New Batch is a fantastic game, highly underappreciated but well worth your time. I owe it to Nintendo Power for bringing it to my attention and their praise was right. This is a game that for all intents and purposes should not be this good. One of the most underrated games in the NES library and a true hidden gem.
