Zero 2 review:


This reivew will be based on a recently finished replay:

I’m not really sure why, but Zero 2 really hit me hard this time in the feels. My original sentiment of it being a considerable improvement to 1 still stays true for me, and I feel I come to appreciate its story and characters even more now:

Introduction stage:
Ok, first off, I have to mention the introduction stage, Sand Wilderness. It's probably one of the best starting levels I’ve ever seen in a megaman game, and I even want to say any platformer I’ve played really. Continuing from the ending of 1, we see a now weak Zero with his weapons at the point of breaking and his skills all but gone, amazingly represented through the now worn-out sunscreen from Zero 1; he needs to find the Resistance to have any chance to survive and to find a new purpose. The stage is good at allowing the player to become familiar with the platforming basics and to become accustomed to the Z-saber and Buster quick, with two mini-bosses and one final boss. After the stage, you’re now at the new resistance base, fixed up and with a new subscreen, allowing for a good transition from “old” to “new”.

The major appeal of this stage for me probably has to be the music: the stage theme, Departure, is absolutely beautiful, giving a sense of hope and letting you know that even in his current condition, Zero is still a badass. And I absolutely love the Crash remix they used for the scorpion boss of this stage; it's a bit funny, with how it sounds like it has a banjo incorporated into it now, but it's still a bop to listen to.

Honestly, I’m not sure what else to say about this level: it’s just one of the most incredible opening stages I’ve seen, especially for a sequel.

Gameplay:
Gameplay is solid as usual, similar to Zero 1. Fast paced with the mission requirements for A or S rank providing further incentive to improve. Some new features and changes were however introduced to further enhance the gameplay:

Firstly, the upgrade system of weapons was reworked a bit, with most of the upgrades being related to providing a charge attack and increasing the speed of it.. These aren’t too difficult to obtain depending on how frequently you use these weapons.

Forms were now introduced, each one improving aspects of Zero or providing new skills at the expense of something else being decreased. I find this feature to be great, as it can easily work into a playstyle you’re attempting to achieve or enhance the kind of weapons you typically use with Zero. The X-form for example improves the buster’s damage output while the Active Form increases Zero’s speed and gives him two Z-Saber skills. You do have to work to obtain these forms, usually some form of requirement that needs to be completed by the end of the stage to obtain it. With multiple forms you’re also able to switch between to better fit the situation you’re in during a level.

EX-skills were now also introduced. These are skills you obtain from bosses when you beat them at A or S rank, and can be activated from the sub screen. Another great addition, as it further provides motivation to improve your rank and adds more variety to the gameplay.

Cyber-Elves are the same as they were in Zero 1, with some new cyber elves and others being replaced. The biggest change is that the Energy Crystal requirement was significantly lowered for evolving cyber-elves, making it easier to utilize their help.

There’s better level design generally as well as better level gimmicks compared to Z1, making it really fun to go through them and get to the boss. Difficulty I feel also has increased but aside from a few specific cases the game provides a satisfactory challenge.

Mission structure and World:
Unlike Zero 1, Zero 2 opts for a mission structure more similar to the X and classic games. You’re provided a set of 4 missions to complete each time, with the boss icon, boss name, and area name being shown.

Further significant changes relate to the game world in general: in Zero 1, most areas were connected and so you could traverse them outside missions (with Trans Servers acting as fast travel). Here, you’re only able to explore the resistance base outside missions, with the Command Room allowing you to go through levels you’ve already done before by speaking to the operator to use the Trans Server. I prefer this new change, as I usually didn’t have much incentive to explore outside the resistance base in zero 1 anyways aside from crystal hunting. As such, the resistance base is the main area you can explore outside missions, allowing you to talk to old and new faces since the first game.

This removal of an interconnected world also means that each level acts as its own area with its own unique stage theme, which I personally prefer more. Some stages technically share the same area as a previous level, but you usually explore a completely separate part of that same area that the level still remains unique. The main exception are two forest levels that share the same stage theme, for whatever reason.

Overall, the new mission structure does give off more of a professional or organized feel now, relating to the new and improved resistance base.

Music and Visuals:
My complaint with Zero 1’s music was that in general most of its tracks were good but rather unmemorable. Zero 2 rectifies that issue, with most of its soundtrack being quite memorable and with the change in mission structure providing more focused pieces for specific areas. It hits hard and each track fits the situation they’re used in.
Visuals are mostly the same from Zero 1, sprites and backgrounds are all appealing to look at. A significant change they did do however was change the text box and decrease portrait size, which was for the better and allowed for easier reading.

Story and Characters:
The zero series continues to provide more of a focus on its story and characters, with Zero 2 providing an enjoyable, decent plot with compelling characters and villains. Zero’s a badass, Ciel’s sweet, the remaining Guardians are still interesting, the bosses are cool, the resistance members are all likeable; I especially love Elpizo, the initial resistance leader turned main antagonist. Suiting an awesome design, Elpizo is just a really fun character for me, a person who desires power and eventually becomes corrupted by his desire, realizing how truly pathetic he was. I love him aaaaa

The story also furthers the overall plot, and leaves at a cliffhanger that left me with the urgent desire to immediately start replaying Zero 3. It’s good stuff.

Complaints:
Again, I think the upgrade system could have been removed entirely, but it's less of a hassle in this game I find. The Chain Rod I unfortunately don’t think was a good enough replacement for the Triple Rod. It feels underutilized, and I can only really call using it for really specific situations. I really think they should have implemented it in a better way that allowed for more usage of it.

The forms system, as cool as it is, does feel unbalanced. Some of the requirements for them feel like you can only accomplish through only certain stages or to really commit to it at the possible expense of affecting your rank. Furthermore their usefulness compared to each other feels unbalanced, and made me feel less incentivized to try certain ones out e.g. Active Form felt better to use than say Erase or Power form; admittedly though this I think this also depends on your own playstyle and what weapons you typically use.

NPC dialogue doesn’t seem to advance as much as it did in Zero 1, so for several missions they’re usually stuck with the same dialogue. This is more of a nitpick though I suppose.

While I like the difficulty, there does seem to be some inconsistency with it between levels and bosses. Seriously why is Phoenix Magnion so ruthless lmao. Regardless, I feel it’s more of a nitpick on my part yet again.

Other Notes:
I absolutely love love LOVE Elpizo

Awakening Will as the credits theme was SUCH a good choice.

Conclusion:
Overall, Zero 2 is a considerable improvement over 1 and I think is where the series really started to get its fame of being absolutely great. It's a blast, and if you liked 1 then you’ll definitely love Zero 2.

Reviewed on May 16, 2022


5 Comments


1 year ago

Elpizo is kinda like Nagito

1 year ago

@reddish I will restart ff7 just to rename Aerith Tenko
ccan we get these comments delete d

1 year ago

@FleeFleet aerith isn't a misandrist tho

1 year ago

The intro stage and Departure do be the GOAT fr fr