Pandemonium 2

"A lifeless sequel to one of the better platformers on the Playstation"

Pandemonium was one of my favorite PS1 titles. I never did get around to playing the sequel until some time last week but I had owned it for a good 6 months or so. Does it hold up when compared to the original or has something gone really wrong?

The plot is rather basic. Our heroes are racing this demon like chick to this item so that they can get their wishes granted and not demon chicks. Actually, the plot isn't very good at all and is rather lame. Throw in the fact that the ending is so random and lame that it made it all feel pointless.

Graphic wise this game is not a good piece of eye candy. It's old and I know that. The thing is, it's all very grainy. Even the sprites are a bit rough at times. The game is much darker in look as well as is the color pallet.

The sound in the game isn't too bad. The sound effects are fun but not really worth mentioning. The music is actually good though. It fit the levels very well. I don't remember much voice work, if any at all.

The control in the game is very simple. You can move left and right, you can jump and you can shoot an item. Very simple. Control is responsive but jumping feels a bit too floaty for my liking.

The game plays like any other 2D side scroller but this one also plays out like a puzzle game. The early stages are fairly straight forward. Light on the enemies which can be killed by jumping on them or hitting them with an attack, if you have the power up. Coins and healing items and power ups are spread out in the levels. You go from one side to the other.

Besides those first few simple levels, it gets way more complex. Add in multiple paths, switches, keys and other things to really make it confusing. Oh and timed switches cause many problems in the final levels. Actually, the final levels are maybe a little too complex.

I don't know what else I can say about how the game plays. It's very simple and while it gets more complex in the end it's only because of more enemies and trickier puzzles.

The game is actually kind of long and should last at least 5 hours, maybe more. You have two playable characters. Nikki is faster and the jester guy can use his wand. So the differences aren't too great and the ending is the same.

Pandemonium isn't a bad game. It isn't that good either if you've played the original. This one is much darker and loses the charm that the original had. It does provide a good challenge and it is long so if you find it for cheap, check it out but I recommend the original over this one.

Story - 4/10
Graphics - 6/10
Sound - 7/10
Control - 8/10
Game Play - 7/10
Replay value - 5/10

Final Score - 6/10

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 04/12/07