GET 10% OFF by using DISCOUNT CODE "shmupjunkie" on the Pixelheart website on all purchases. Good until 4/30 ► BUY OR PRE-ORDER ANDRO DUNOS 2 - ALL VERSIONS - SWITCH, PS4, 3DS, DREAMCAST www.pixelheart.eu/en/shop/?q=andro+dunos *** this is not an affiliate link To Support my Work: ► Join my Patreon! - www.patreon.com/shmupjunkieslushfund ► Cool Shirts and Merch - my-store-b8bab2.creator-spring.com/ ► Twitter - twitter.com/ShmupJunkie ► Instagram - instagram.com/shmupjunkie/ ► Facebook - facebook.com/shmupjunkie/ ► Website - shmupjunkie.com/
@@gus6821 Not yet. It’s not my all time fav but it’s definitely awesome and my top Darius game like it is for many. I did a short feature on it just last week in my Taito Egret video if you caught that one.
Yes, and another reason I'm so stoked on it. It's not often something comes along that isn't just a modern take, but really feels like playing an older 90s game again. It really captured that well and not far off from the original Andro Dunos. Only better.
If you're looking for newish non-bullet-hell shmups, I highly recommend Terarin's games, especially the two most recent -- Raging Blasters & Moon Dancer. SJ has covered them on his channel. Sophstar is another really good game that's developed by Banana Bytes, which I've seen some people online describe as "bullet hell" but for me it's not bullet hell at all.
@@sonicmania9993 Missile Dancer is also amazing! (by terarin of course). And he’s about to release Terra Flame, his first horizontal. He is on fire recently!
Yo this game does look awesome, the graphics are extremely well done and that ship sprite is downright cute! I m really excited to give it a try and go for a 1cc
It'll be interesting to see how quickly you get the 1CC on this. My guess is second or third try. The original was much more unforgiving and Jaimers just found an old 2 Loop run he did way back and forgot to post! It doesn't mess around. This one is really fun though and would be a fun casual play for you.
Oh my god this game has the whole package. The gameplay is perfect... when you die you know why and what you should have done. You feel you can do better... and you eventually succeed. The music is pure awesomeness (it reminds me Alister Brimble's finest tunes in some way). It's always fun and smart. A pure gem, I love it.
This game looks like my perfect cup of tea: horizontal shmup, no bullet hell and designed with the casual gamer in mind. I'll definitely buy it once the bugs have been fixed. Thank you for the awesome review SJ. 👍
You're welcome! It's good to go now on Steam, but yeah, give it a little time on Switch and PS4. Even the physical copies sell out, the digital options will always be there when you're ready. It's definitely an old school, horizontal shooter only not as unforgiving as many. I'm quite sure you'll really enjoy it.
I've had the 3ds version on my coffee table for a week now and haven't had a chance to play it!!! Great to see the game getting such stellar reviews...I hope the 3ds version holds up. Might have to double-dip
Hate to say it, but early reviews of the 3DS port have shown a ton of glitches and poor port work. So they have their work cut out for them to patch that up IF they can even do it using something like a card slot.
@@ShmupJunkieThey said on twitter they wouldn't patch it and kinda underplayed the severity of the issues with the 3DS version. I can't believe they just stretched it to fit the the screen 😫
What a weekend its been! First the release of Esp Ra De on MiSTer and then this game came in the mail on friday! I've only gotten through the first 2 stages but man do I love it allready! I'm not the biggest horizontal shmup fan but this game really nails it. Seriously thinking of getting the 3DS version as well!
I saw that on Esp Ra De! So cool that'll be on MiSTer now and a great way for anyone who didn't get the great M2 port a while back. I always loved horizontal shooters in the 16bit era... possibly more than vertical because there were so many good ones, so I was really glad to get such a great playing game in 2022. You just can't tell from the trailers how fun this game is.
@@ShmupJunkie I just saw a review of the 3DS version as I was very intrested in that and it turns out to be a pretty bad port. Strechted images, long loading, fps are very low it turns out and more bad news. It looks like they really rushed the 3DS version. Such a shame as there is no other alternative for shmups on 3DS! I'm just glad I got the Switch version
@@Phille023 Guess I’m glad I don’t really play 3DS and didn’t get that one. That’s a shame as I don’t see a way they could update those copies or patch them like Switch. I can understand lower performance on a weaker system. But I’m sure there are other things not given care. If I had a copy I’d review it with this video and warn people but alas it’s not one I ever got.
Really cool game and review Junkie, I bought my version in steam before this review and I was waiting your thoughts and impresions about it. Now I'm going to enjoy it with my arcade stick. Keep up with your great work for all us who love the Shoot'em ups!
Hori's are not my preferred direction of spaceship shooty-shooty-bang-bang, but I might make an exception for this one. It really looks great. Another fun and informative video!
I always loved me some good horizontal shooters so I was all over this one. More than verts actually, but I guess that's more typical since they were so popular during that time. Especially on console. This one is really fun regardless and likely be enjoyed by most anyone.
Up Next: 3-Hour Visco Retrospective with Developer Interviews and Reviews of Every Game in the Catalogue (Glad to see you dabbling in shorter form content. Keep it up, I’d like to see you get in on the gold rush of pre- or directly post-release clicks again!)
Ha! It all depends on how soon I can get the product. With the Egret they were all delayed, so I couldn't get one until it was too late and was stuck releasing late after everyone else making a more in-depth review. But I do like getting early looks at games when the publishers manage it. But yeah, I tried to be more in-depth here too, comparing it to the original and showing a lot of the various glitches on the Switch port, but managed to keep it short and releasable in a decent window. Though tbh my preference is really the longer form content like history videos and such. I just enjoy them most and feel they have more long term value to the genre.
I'm sure you'll enjoy this one dude. It's about as classic a 16 bit horizontal shooter as you can get and would easily feel at home on the Mega Drive or similar too. We can only hope that IRENA that's in development even comes close in terms of gameplay of how well this one is put together. It's nice to have a seasoned shmup developer make such a good game.
I saw this being played on a twitch stream and fell in love with it. Definitely gonna support the devs on this one. Thanks SJ for letting us know about this gem.
Picorinne Soft has outdone themselves, when it came to this game. They already showed their prowess with their Infinos Series and Battle Crust, the fact they put so much love and effort, plus fixing some of the issues the original game had and improving those is just mindblowing. No online leaderboards and multiplayer is a general issue of the engine used, the STG Builder by SB. Multiplayer would require a complete rewrite of the engine to make it a thing and even then, it would still have a lot of issues, why is why pretty much every STG Builder game is 1P and has no online leaderboards.
Good to know on the STG builder thank you. I was never expecting a 2 player to be added later, but was hoping on the leaderboards. Sounds like not likely then. But as long as they can clean up the no brainers like giving us mappable weapon switching and fix the scoring bug, the Steam version is solid. I'm hoping the Dreamcast conversion happens OK as I was looking forward to that one.
Bought the steam version based on your review, and man it doesn’t disappoint. Such a cool game, and very polished and fun to play. It has all the little details that make a great shmup. Even the boss explosions are just perfect. Best shmup since Aleste 3 imo thanks for the review!
It’s definitely got the same kind of feel as GG Aleste 3 in how it captures the spirit of the original games and feels like a true sequel. Couldn’t agree more. I’m glad you enjoyed it as much as many of us did and the review helped. I hope it sells a lot of copies for the dev
I’m gonna be honest here. In the stage with the escape sequence, I thought the stage ended and it was a cutscene. It also doesn’t help that the “stage clear music” played during the escape sequence. Been playing this one allot and loving it
I previously made a comment that I bought Andro Dunos 2 on Steam due to this review. Well, I played it for the first time for a decent chunk (5 hours) of this past day, and I love it! Fantastic game, and perfect (on the easier mode and with 9 credits) for someone who is "new" to shmups. (Although I've been playing games for decades and I remember playing Life Force on the NES a bit as a young child, this could perhaps be the most I've played a shmup since back then). Excellent stages, bosses, and definitely weapons as well! The easier mode (where you can keep your weapons powered up) and the fact that the the extra powerful blast only temporarily weakens that weapon (and the rest stay powered up) makes this the best shmup weapon system I've come to learn about thus far!
I love hearing that and thank you for coming back to comment and letting me know. I don’t go out of my way to really hype a game unless I think it deserves it. And we were all thrilled with how good it came out. Like you said, it’s perfect for entry level players as well as a fun challenge on hard for the more experienced. Aside from adding a patch to allow for button mapping the weapon switching there’s not much else I could ask for. Just a really great game.
@@ShmupJunkie Thanks for your replies, too! Next up is RagingBlasters, and pretty soon, I'll buy Eschatos, and this will represent my deepest dive into playing shmups ever. (I'll of course play more Andro Dunos 2 as well!) I'm subscribed, so I'm sure I'll be introduced to even more cool stuff over the coming months and even years. Thanks again! 👍
I’ve really noticed it personally in the last few years more than anything. Where we are getting more new indie games and old rereleases than I’ve ever seen! More games than one person can play lol. Definitely stoked and taking advantage while it’s hot.
You're welcome. After playing it and enjoying as much as I did, I was definitely going to let people know how much I enjoyed it. We aren't going to get awesome sequels like this very often.
I heard rumors that they are going to do a remake of Andro Dunos if they do its a instant buy for me Andro Dunos 2 is really good still trying to 1cc it i brought it after watching this video Shmup Junkie has impeccable taste in shmups
I believe there is a 3DS version that is actually shipping so you should be good. Just check the version you order is shipping and not delayed through their site. I never played that version so I can't vouch for it, but it's rad it even exists!
I love Sophstar as well and really glad I see others mentioning it. That means it's getting noticed. Let's see what you think once you get a chance to play this. It's just very fun and controls great. It'll be interesting at end of year.
Thank you for the great review! Also a big thank you for the discount code, used it to buy the 3DS and switch physical editions. Keep up the great work! :)
I pre-ordered this the moment it first appeared about a year ago, despite having never heard of Andro Dumos before. Old school horizontal shooters have always been my first gaming love, so this clearly fits the bill in so many ways. Great to hear it turned out so well (glitches aside) and the lower difficulty suits me, who knows I might even 1cc it for once (a very rare event). I hope it does well in the sales department, as this along with the big success of R-Type 2 Final will hopefully convince Sega to make a Thunder Force VII, along with a compilation of the rest of them for good measure!
Based on what you just wrote, this will definitely be right up your alley. From the game itself to the difficulty level. All around it's just a good product and much more fun to play than the early trailers led many to believe. I hope you don't have to wait too long for yours and can enjoy it soon.
@@DELx999 Great game, in fact I have that, and Chronicles Savious with all its dlc, so I have more Darius Burst levels to get through than one can reasonably do in a lifetime. Oh, and Darius Burst on Android & PSP, along with G Darius HD, Darius Collection Arcade & Console, Super Darius on PC Engine Mini plus Super Darius 2, Sagaia GB, and Darius 1 MD via emulation, so I think I have got Darius coming out my ears. Only missing the 3 versions of Darius+ which I think I can live with ha ha.
Went with the 3DS version, it may not be the definitive version but I can always purchase for a different system later. Thanks! I suck at these games but watching your vids has inspired me to try more shmups!
Yeah I was watching a recent review of the 3DS port and it really looked like it had a lot of issues. Which is a bummer as I don't see how that could be patched? As a final release it deserved better. But yes, as you said. If you ever want to play the definitive version, it's literally $18 away on Steam (and likely less someday when it goes on sale). It's a real banger!
@@ShmupJunkie It still looks amazing and being one of the last physical games made for the system, I had to grab it. Plus as you've mentioned, support the team which buying a second version would do!
Been playing this a tonne since it arrived this week. I much prefer these style shooters to the bullet hells. Shmup of the year contender? At this stage, most definitely. Great video, cool that you mixed in some shots from the original game.
Glad you're digging it too. So many are. Yeah it's still early and it'll have some solid competition. But so far I had a blast with it. And can't wait for my DC version to mess with.
I got the physical 3DS version, and it's a great game. The framerate might not be the most stable, as it dips just a little when things get hectic. Nothing serious though, and the stereoscopic 3D i nice as well. Really fun game!
Yet another excellent review with all the depth detail we need as consumers and STG fans!! I love how you’ve done a deep dive in to the similarities to the original and how it pays homage and also the clear differences which makes this game the more accessible of the two. The detail given of the glitches in all versions is very welcome too as this gives the people a voice of what needs improving to make this as perfect as it can be, so thank you for including this. I do really like these short but extremely in depth reviews of new shmups so I hope you do more of these!!
Thanks man. I do wish I could've had other versions to test like the 3DS, which turned out to have a lot of issues and glitches. But can't try every version I guess. I usually opt for the Switch and Steam ports, and it was nice to at least see it have good performance on Switch. Now on to review Pocky and Rocky!
@@ShmupJunkie ooh nice, a game close to my heart from my Super Famicom days which I used to play loads with friends…I still have the Japanese version 😊 and that opening track from the first level still goes through my head! Looking forward to your review of this 💪
Everytime I saw footage of the game I thought about Infinos Gaiden, turned out it's the same developer! Enjoyed that one already, makes Andros Dunos 2 a must buy for me. Btw, Infinos Gaiden has a great feature in the high score list: it shows for every entry the number of attempt. I made my highest score the first time I played, motivates me to play again
I just realized yesterday that this game seems to do similar with score and appends a number fir each continue. So maybe this is by design and he never wanted the counter to reset 🤔
I never owned an Neo Geo nor played the original game but went ahead and picked this up on Steam. It really is a great game but definitely challenging. I really do like the power up system and if I'm not mistaken, you can power up each weapon as its own without waiting for a recharge. For the same weapon you definitely have to wait a bit. I hope more great shmups come out like this for such a great price.
This game is a steal for the Steam price IMO, really well done. It's just missing the modern convenience features and online stuff that would really make it feel complete. But the game itself is top notch. Let's hope we keep seeing new games of this quality.
I saw this on the Switch new releases, but I just thought it was the original! That 2 is very hard to spot. I’m gonna go add it to my Switch wishlist now!
Last year, when I learned that this have was from the same developer as Infinos Gaiden, I had to have it. Awaiting the 3DS version and will probably 3 tripple dip this more in Switch, PS4 and Steam. I hope this game sells so well that we get a console release of Infinos Gaiden too. We need it!
Not sure if you saw but there was a review of the 3DS port and it’s got quite a bit of issues compared to the other console ports. I’m hoping they are able to fix them for the US 3DS release. But I’m not sure since they can’t patch it like newer systems. Plus one on a console port of Infinos Gaiden though!
@@ShmupJunkie oh wow, I wan't aware of that yet. Just checked a review. I seems playable, but for sure the game has enough bugs that requires patching. That's a shame. The 3DS has an SD card slot, so maybe file patching via this way is possible? 🤔.
There's also throwback to the Bosses in Stage 6 such as Cross Warship, alongside with the Mid bosses with Upgrade alongside the Space Fortress before the final stage.
Great video as always, Elijah! The 3DS now has a grand total of 3 shmups! Andro Dunos II, Karous and Steel Empire. And via backward compatibility with the DS, you can bring the number to 5 by getting Nanostray and Nanostray II.
Next video, Every Shoot Em Up on the 3DS! haha. I've yet to play the Nanostray games so I do have something new to explore. Bonus points nobody has ever used the Elijah variant for my name before! lol
👀 It looks absolutely gorgeous! Great review. It looks like the developer knew exactly how to follow up, pay homage and improve on the original. A refreshing treat for newcomers and old shooter fans. Can't wait to play it!
Nice!! I grabbed it, but haven't had time to play it yet. The music sounds like a combination of Turrican and Gunlord. Very cool! Love the modernized backgrounds, but with the same aesthetic. Looks like the perfect upgrade!
Wow. This video was as great a surprise as the game. I didn't expect another video so soon after the Egret II epic work. Thanks! I'm definitely going to get this game.
Never heard of the original until recently, but this is what I like to see! A sequel paying great homage to what came before and elevating it's best elements. Can't believe there's a Dreamcast version as well haha! That just makes me smile. Great video as always and I'll certainly be picking this up in the near future.
@@ShmupJunkie Thousands of subs and you still make the effort to reply where you can, appreciate it man. And yeah, having a new shooter on the DC will be magical.
Cool review and I totally missed the first game. It wasn't until your Instagram post I heard of it for the first time or at least it sunk in. The cover art does look familiar though and it's possible I glazed over it back in the era. I definitely want to play the original, shame they couldn't include it in this version, would have been a nice bonus. I'll have to ROM hunt I guess. Love the look number 2 though but once again no Xbox... we really are missing out on the shmup front, but I'll pick up a PS4 edition, Xbox's loss. It's noice to have a more entry level shmup as I do struggle to keep up these days so it's nice, every once in a while, to be able to complete a game. Added to The Hunt List!
A hot tip I have for if u do givaways where we type the code. Recomend set those videos to MODERATED COMMENTS that way u can see who is actually typing in the code when u add al the entries, but then no one else on TH-cam can read the code in comments section from everyone else, bexcuase u holdf off on accdepting the comments with the code in it. If U care or are into it that is. Peple gotta watch all the way through that way!
Good idea! I only worry that people like reading other comments too, so they miss out on that while watching the video later. I do wish there was an easier way to keep track of entries for sure though. I'm still trying to catch up on the Egret giveaway! lol
@@ShmupJunkie There definitely is another way for most of the things. Did u ever see them contests on TH-cam with that auto entry form tracks everything? The user must click and be subed then it gives +1, optionally u can have a click to check your website, then they get another,, retweet on twitter gets another one. I forget the name of the service that handles these things but if u care to use it I am sure gogle search will come up quick
I’ve been playing this since it came out for Switch. I’m no shmup master; very far from it, but I’ve played my fair share of them over the years. The game grew on me quickly. It’s a great difficulty like he said. It can definitely be more accessible than a lot of new shmups. On the easy difficulty the game doesn’t penalize you by downgrading your power ups. I noticed the glitch with the stage 1 music. I also found it odd at the choice of music during the escape sequence. Figures that it’s actually a mistake. This is a great game and hopefully the developers have a patch in the works. Well done and accurate review. 👍
If I never showed the handful of Switch bugs maybe a bunch of folks wouldn't have even noticed or cared. Sometimes pointing it out is worse, but I had to for a complete review. I heard they were working on fixing the reported bugs and maybe that contributes to some of the delay. But even with them, it's a testament to the game that it's worth playing now even in it's current form. Because it gets much more right than the few issues it gets wrong.
@@ShmupJunkie Well, in my case I noticed something wasn't quite right on Switch since day one. The transition between stages and after the tutorial feel abrupt because the fade to white effect of the Steam version is not present. There is also some kind of problem with the priority of some layers. Whenever you destroy a ground turret, the blue orb released is hidden behind the smoke whereas on the Steam version it remains on top of it to be visible. Also, in one of the underwater sections of stage 4 there are some jellyfish creatures with tentacles. These tentacles are invisible on Switch although you get killed the same if you hit them. I've lost a few lives there without knowing what hit me. Add to all these the music issues and the inhability to change or turn off the wallpapers. None of these issues is game breaking per se, but I hope they release a patch addressing them because console users deserve the same level of care and polish in a product like this. Great review, by the way 👍
Picorinne Soft is quite proficient when it comes to retro style sprites and musical composition, but the most important thing they're known for is the challenging difficulty, something that's very apparent in their Infinos Gaiden work That being said, appearance wise Andro Dunos 2 looks like a reskinned version of Infinos Gaiden, owning to the similar graphic style. The gameplay however is fairly faithful to the original, they even enhanced it a bit by adding a cooldown based charge attack instead of using up a power level per use from the original While the levels are original, they contain many shout-outs and cameos to the original, it shows those Picorinne Soft guys have a keen eye for details and are staying true to the source material The only problem I have is that the final boss is a bit too easy, especially compared to Infinos Gaiden's counterpart, which is nothing short of epic both in presentation and difficulty, but overall it still possessed a fair bit of challenge In the end, not just any game developer would go out of their way to give a fairly generic game from over 30 years ago a modern facelift, points for keeping the retro spirit alive
Thanks for the great comment and some good points too. Infinos Gaiden was excellent and would be great to see a console release for it someday too. It deserves it. I'd be glad to see Picorinne do more faithful sequels or new games, whatever gets them excited. They clearly have a talent for it.
I have heard about the first original Andro Dunos which sadly I haven't played it but yeah I'm excited for the sequel, and I just recently pre-ordered the Nintendo Switch version and the game does look awesome.😎👍
Good job on this one. I am looking forward playing on steam. Just a small note on the scoring part. As I mentioned on Ed's review, I do not think it is an oversight that the record does not reset upon continuing. If you pay attention, you will notice the very last digit of the score will keep a count of the amount of continues used (like SFII used to do). With this in mind, you can easily distinguish which top scores are indeed 1ccs.
Great point and thank you for that. I did realize that later looking at my footage after the review. That the score changed at continue. Odd way of doing it and guess it's something the dev likes to do. Now I'll keep it in mind when I play any of Picorinne's other games.
Awesome review, this game is right up my alley so I can't wait to play it! I nearly bought a physical copy yesterday so l'm lucky I waited and can use your discount code now!😅
It's totally up your alley my friend, I know you'll dig it. It feels as much like our fav 16bit classics as it gets these days. And yeah, use that code!
Best review of Andro Dunos 2 so far! Love the detailed comparison. I highly doubt not resetting score after continue is a bug though... I'm playing the 3DS version. Might double dip when the steam version gets proper scanlines:-)
Bummer on the 3DS version, I've heard it wasn't a great port job. So I hope the DC version is much improved. But despite the minor Switch port issues I still found it to be great. I'm not holding my breath on any Steam artificial scanlines looking good though.
Yeah, there's a number of arcade shmups that don't reset the score when you continue, BUT they do add a digit to the ones counter which would indicate continues used. Looks like this is the case here since nothing else gives you a score that impacts that column otherwise.
This is easily my favourite Shooter Right now on the switch. Tight gameplay, easy to learn, Hard to Master, great soundtrack. It came out of nowhere but it’s super awesome
Have to agree it’s a welcome surprise and my favorite new Switch release since GG3. It makes me look forward to anything else from the dev down the road. It really is very accessible and easy to get into. Aside from being bare bones on options and features it’s a home run.
Just recently bought the game on Steam and the game feels like a continuation of what we've already seen from the developer, Picorrine Soft. For anyone who ends up enjoying this game, make sure to try the developer's other flagship hori game which landed them this gig, Infinos Gaiden. It's available in Steam and it is another great skull everyone should try. They also have 2 other Infinos games and another title called Battle Crust, but these ones are early games from them. Great review Junkie, had you not mentioned the little details and differences between versions I would not have noticed them, same thing I could say about the little callbacks to the original game as I never played it. Still need to try Sophstar as well, will do so soon.
It would be awesome to see Ifinos get some console releases outside of Steam one day. Definitely deserves it. And you'll definitely dig Sophstar I'm quite sure of it. That's another easy contender for best new shmup this year!
Wonder if it was any limitation of the game engine used. Same reason no leaderboards. But that would be odd. I agree it would've been nice, but we can only guess if it just wasn't in budget or some other reason.
Andro Dunos looked like a PC Engine game running on Neo Geo. Andro Dunos 2 looks like a Neo Geo game running on a Dreamcast. Definitely agree that it is a fantastic Shmup and well worth picking up!
This is awesome to see pop up. I actually just placed an order for Ganryu 2 which is published by Pixel Heart and also a sequel to a classic Neo Geo game. I'm more into Ninja action games and broke or I'd grab a copy of this as well. Cool to see what it's all about at least.
Supposedly that 10% code they gave me is good across their whole site so you could've taken advantage of it for Ganryu too. I'm a huge ninja gaiden and similar fan, so I've been meaning to check out Ganryu myself too!
The score staying with a continue is not overly uncommon with NEO-GEO games, but when you do continue there is 1 point allocated for each time you continue, so it'll be obvious you've continued on the high score screen.
That High Score glitch realy make a not good mood, but had fun playing it 2-3 days ago, and oh boy... I like that we can switch the weapons. I didn't play on all consoles, only on NES,PS1 and on PC, so didn't had opportunity to play this when I was kid, but Steam version is very good!!
New information after I made this video. The score thing is not a glitch, it's on purpose. When you continue, it adds a special number to the end of your score, which shows how many times you continued. So there is a way to tell by the last digits of the score if it's a true 1CC or how many continues used. Apparently it's something this developer likes to do.
Finished it already, it’s dope, needed more content & a wide screen or stretched option, hopefully they either do DLC or part 3, it’s a day one purchase
Yeah, not overly difficult at all but super fun. I like that it's 4X3 and not widescreen just like the original games. But I agree on the menus and content, very bare bones just like the old games too. Some extras would be nice. But at least for $18 on Steam it's a no brainer for me. Lovely game.
Finally got a chance to play it. It's very cool! It's not as hard as the first one, but then, being a slightly aged shooter player I'm not going to complain. It still has a bit of a challenge in later levels. Really enjoying it!
Yeah the original got really tricky toward the end and forced you to not use your charge or lose your power. It’s definitely a harder game. This sequel struck the perfect balance.
Sophstar is awesome! I was one of the first to give it a really good preview in my 2022 New Shmups video recently before it was out. And Mark from Electric Underground did a great review for it too. It’s definitely a contender for best new game so you’ll be seeing it come up again.
The original game always looked borderline amateurish to me, so when they announced this sequel I didn't even bother putting it on my radar. It's great to hear they delivered in a way that's satisfying to serious players. Hopefully they can find a way to do a run of AES carts, but a Dreamcast print is plenty already.
I did see they were doing a repro AES cart for the first game, but not the sequel that I saw. Those things are expensive! Would have to sell enough to justify the extra dev time. And for Neo Geo that could be quite a lot.
@@ShmupJunkie These were both picked up directly because of you. And on my wishlist, have Natsuki Chronicles and a couple others, but only have so much money to spend this month! I'm sure I'll get more shmups in the future due to your videos!
@@Rationalific Lol yeah I’ve been known to empty some wallets with some of the hype 🤣. But I promise I don’t talk up a game unless I really enjoy it. You’d think I like every game I show, but the reality is I choose to only highlight games that are great and don’t put time into making videos that aren’t at least worth a look. And believe me you’ll dig Natsuki just as much when you get to it. Just don’t forget about Eschatos which is now released digitally and probably in my top 10 favorites. So many games so little time.
@@ShmupJunkie I'll look into Eschatos as well. Thanks for your excellent videos, whether reviews, histories, hardest/easiest games lists (I'm an "easiest"-type, myself! 😅), how-to guides...or something else!
@@ShmupJunkie When you recommended Eschatos in your previous comment, I immediately put it on my Steam wishlist, but I just watched another of your videos, "A Brief History of QUTE 'Em Ups", and that's getting me really excited for it! I will play Eschatos! 🙂
Hi SJ, What a fantastic game Andro Dunos II is for sure. I have the 3DS and Dreamcast version and I just absolutely love it. I mean, it's perfect from the moment the title screen starts. I love the Neo-Geo version for sure, but this..this...this is just stunning to say the least. Thank you for sharing this awesome video with us bro. 8^) I posted this up on the Ne-Geo thread on AtariAge for others to enjoy. Always a pleasure to see you in action bro. 8^) Anthony...
Thank you Anthony. As always much appreciated. I knew before I even started the review that I wanted to replay and record the original again and do some side by side with homages to the game. I agree the sequel is really a great piece of work that the dev should be proud of. Any of us who grew up playing these instantly appreciates it when a new game gets the details right and feels like playing an old favorite.
Thought I'd mention that I got an update for this on the Switch the other day. So far I haven't noticed any problems with it, but wasn't paying too close attention. One thing that I did notice is that the small stutter and splits on the back layer of scrolling seems to be gone now, so that's good. I'll see if the music issues are still there next time I play, but I don't think they were last time.
Great review as always bro. The game is fantastic, Andro Dunos 2 is all about the ride and variety in it. Isn't as punishing as other shmups so can get the attention to newcomers for the genre. From what I've seen, lots of non shmup fans are enjoying the game a lot. I personally think this is the best shmup of the year YET, untill something more awesome comes and gets the throne, but the creativity that Picorinne Soft put into this makes Andro Dunos II the sequel we didn't knew we needed. No need for over complex scoring system, no need for hundreds of bullets on-screen, just tight controls, lots of creativity and great stage design, Andro Dunos II is proof that it works.
You pretty much said it right there. It's just a great new shmup for a pretty wide audience and not the kind that'll put off a lot of new or casual players. And it gets the homage and feel of the original game right. I remember you were one of the first to play it, before I did in fact. And seeing both yourself and a few others really enjoying it only made me get to it even sooner and see what I was missing!
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Do a review of original andro dunos and how is the NES episode going
@@MyRobotHand2000 I show the original in this video 👍🏻. It was never released on nes though it was neo geo only.
@@ShmupJunkie I meant a full review. Also asking about the nes episode
@@ShmupJunkie Have you done a video on why darius gaiden is your favorite game?
Also I really enjoyed the video.
@@gus6821 Not yet. It’s not my all time fav but it’s definitely awesome and my top Darius game like it is for many. I did a short feature on it just last week in my Taito Egret video if you caught that one.
We really need more shmups like this, honestly. Its refreshing seeing a new shmup that isn't just another generic bullet hell game.
Yes, and another reason I'm so stoked on it. It's not often something comes along that isn't just a modern take, but really feels like playing an older 90s game again. It really captured that well and not far off from the original Andro Dunos. Only better.
Would love a top 5 underrated shmups list
Including Sigma Star Saga
If you're looking for newish non-bullet-hell shmups, I highly recommend Terarin's games, especially the two most recent -- Raging Blasters & Moon Dancer. SJ has covered them on his channel. Sophstar is another really good game that's developed by Banana Bytes, which I've seen some people online describe as "bullet hell" but for me it's not bullet hell at all.
@@sonicmania9993 Missile Dancer is also amazing! (by terarin of course). And he’s about to release Terra Flame, his first horizontal. He is on fire recently!
How about the mainline Touhou Project series?
Yo this game does look awesome, the graphics are extremely well done and that ship sprite is downright cute! I m really excited to give it a try and go for a 1cc
It'll be interesting to see how quickly you get the 1CC on this. My guess is second or third try. The original was much more unforgiving and Jaimers just found an old 2 Loop run he did way back and forgot to post! It doesn't mess around. This one is really fun though and would be a fun casual play for you.
Oh my god this game has the whole package.
The gameplay is perfect... when you die you know why and what you should have done. You feel you can do better... and you eventually succeed.
The music is pure awesomeness (it reminds me Alister Brimble's finest tunes in some way).
It's always fun and smart. A pure gem, I love it.
1:12 -> 1:14 smoooooth transition. I’m so getting this game
Thanks! I had fun coming up with that and figuring out how to do it in my editing software. I try to learn something new with each video.
This game looks like my perfect cup of tea: horizontal shmup, no bullet hell and designed with the casual gamer in mind. I'll definitely buy it once the bugs have been fixed. Thank you for the awesome review SJ. 👍
You're welcome! It's good to go now on Steam, but yeah, give it a little time on Switch and PS4. Even the physical copies sell out, the digital options will always be there when you're ready. It's definitely an old school, horizontal shooter only not as unforgiving as many. I'm quite sure you'll really enjoy it.
I've had the 3ds version on my coffee table for a week now and haven't had a chance to play it!!! Great to see the game getting such stellar reviews...I hope the 3ds version holds up. Might have to double-dip
Do you have the North American version?
Hate to say it, but early reviews of the 3DS port have shown a ton of glitches and poor port work. So they have their work cut out for them to patch that up IF they can even do it using something like a card slot.
@@ShmupJunkieThey said on twitter they wouldn't patch it and kinda underplayed the severity of the issues with the 3DS version. I can't believe they just stretched it to fit the the screen 😫
@@IM863 That’s unfortunate. I wonder how the dev feels about that.
What a weekend its been! First the release of Esp Ra De on MiSTer and then this game came in the mail on friday! I've only gotten through the first 2 stages but man do I love it allready! I'm not the biggest horizontal shmup fan but this game really nails it. Seriously thinking of getting the 3DS version as well!
I saw that on Esp Ra De! So cool that'll be on MiSTer now and a great way for anyone who didn't get the great M2 port a while back. I always loved horizontal shooters in the 16bit era... possibly more than vertical because there were so many good ones, so I was really glad to get such a great playing game in 2022. You just can't tell from the trailers how fun this game is.
@@ShmupJunkie I just saw a review of the 3DS version as I was very intrested in that and it turns out to be a pretty bad port. Strechted images, long loading, fps are very low it turns out and more bad news. It looks like they really rushed the 3DS version. Such a shame as there is no other alternative for shmups on 3DS! I'm just glad I got the Switch version
@@Phille023 Guess I’m glad I don’t really play 3DS and didn’t get that one. That’s a shame as I don’t see a way they could update those copies or patch them like Switch. I can understand lower performance on a weaker system. But I’m sure there are other things not given care. If I had a copy I’d review it with this video and warn people but alas it’s not one I ever got.
Really cool game and review Junkie, I bought my version in steam before this review and I was waiting your thoughts and impresions about it. Now I'm going to enjoy it with my arcade stick. Keep up with your great work for all us who love the Shoot'em ups!
Hori's are not my preferred direction of spaceship shooty-shooty-bang-bang, but I might make an exception for this one. It really looks great. Another fun and informative video!
I always loved me some good horizontal shooters so I was all over this one. More than verts actually, but I guess that's more typical since they were so popular during that time. Especially on console. This one is really fun regardless and likely be enjoyed by most anyone.
So cool they made a 3DS version 🚀
Up Next: 3-Hour Visco Retrospective with Developer Interviews and Reviews of Every Game in the Catalogue
(Glad to see you dabbling in shorter form content. Keep it up, I’d like to see you get in on the gold rush of pre- or directly post-release clicks again!)
Ha! It all depends on how soon I can get the product. With the Egret they were all delayed, so I couldn't get one until it was too late and was stuck releasing late after everyone else making a more in-depth review. But I do like getting early looks at games when the publishers manage it. But yeah, I tried to be more in-depth here too, comparing it to the original and showing a lot of the various glitches on the Switch port, but managed to keep it short and releasable in a decent window. Though tbh my preference is really the longer form content like history videos and such. I just enjoy them most and feel they have more long term value to the genre.
This series is such a worthy successor of Thunder Force series.
I have my copy ordered for the switch and I cannot wait to get it! :D
I'm sure you'll enjoy this one dude. It's about as classic a 16 bit horizontal shooter as you can get and would easily feel at home on the Mega Drive or similar too. We can only hope that IRENA that's in development even comes close in terms of gameplay of how well this one is put together. It's nice to have a seasoned shmup developer make such a good game.
@@ShmupJunkie agreed! And yeah I can't wait for Irena! :D
Your reviews are absolutely first class. This game looks fantastic I'm picking it up on switch soon.
I saw this being played on a twitch stream and fell in love with it. Definitely gonna support the devs on this one. Thanks SJ for letting us know about this gem.
It's so much better than just seeing it in trailers yeah. It gets the little things right and is such a fun game. You won't be disappointed.
I pre-ordered my copy for the DC last Friday, thanks for the discount code!
You're welcome. Think it's now expired so glad you got to use it.
Awesome hand-drawn graphics never get old. Period.
Picorinne Soft has outdone themselves, when it came to this game. They already showed their prowess with their Infinos Series and Battle Crust, the fact they put so much love and effort, plus fixing some of the issues the original game had and improving those is just mindblowing.
No online leaderboards and multiplayer is a general issue of the engine used, the STG Builder by SB. Multiplayer would require a complete rewrite of the engine to make it a thing and even then, it would still have a lot of issues, why is why pretty much every STG Builder game is 1P and has no online leaderboards.
Good to know on the STG builder thank you. I was never expecting a 2 player to be added later, but was hoping on the leaderboards. Sounds like not likely then. But as long as they can clean up the no brainers like giving us mappable weapon switching and fix the scoring bug, the Steam version is solid. I'm hoping the Dreamcast conversion happens OK as I was looking forward to that one.
Bought the steam version based on your review, and man it doesn’t disappoint. Such a cool game, and very polished and fun to play. It has all the little details that make a great shmup. Even the boss explosions are just perfect. Best shmup since Aleste 3 imo thanks for the review!
It’s definitely got the same kind of feel as GG Aleste 3 in how it captures the spirit of the original games and feels like a true sequel. Couldn’t agree more. I’m glad you enjoyed it as much as many of us did and the review helped. I hope it sells a lot of copies for the dev
@@ShmupJunkie yeah it deserves big sales (well, by shmup standards I mean lol)
Saw a review of this on another video so picked it up for the PS4. Great fun, especially since I'd never even heard of the series.
I’m gonna be honest here. In the stage with the escape sequence, I thought the stage ended and it was a cutscene. It also doesn’t help that the “stage clear music” played during the escape sequence. Been playing this one allot and loving it
Yeah, the switch music is odd and out of place. Seems like it would be an easy enough fix too. It doesn't belong there.
I previously made a comment that I bought Andro Dunos 2 on Steam due to this review. Well, I played it for the first time for a decent chunk (5 hours) of this past day, and I love it! Fantastic game, and perfect (on the easier mode and with 9 credits) for someone who is "new" to shmups. (Although I've been playing games for decades and I remember playing Life Force on the NES a bit as a young child, this could perhaps be the most I've played a shmup since back then). Excellent stages, bosses, and definitely weapons as well! The easier mode (where you can keep your weapons powered up) and the fact that the the extra powerful blast only temporarily weakens that weapon (and the rest stay powered up) makes this the best shmup weapon system I've come to learn about thus far!
I love hearing that and thank you for coming back to comment and letting me know. I don’t go out of my way to really hype a game unless I think it deserves it. And we were all thrilled with how good it came out. Like you said, it’s perfect for entry level players as well as a fun challenge on hard for the more experienced. Aside from adding a patch to allow for button mapping the weapon switching there’s not much else I could ask for. Just a really great game.
@@ShmupJunkie Thanks for your replies, too! Next up is RagingBlasters, and pretty soon, I'll buy Eschatos, and this will represent my deepest dive into playing shmups ever. (I'll of course play more Andro Dunos 2 as well!) I'm subscribed, so I'm sure I'll be introduced to even more cool stuff over the coming months and even years. Thanks again! 👍
Thanks Shmupjunkie! Was on the fence for this and now I got the 3ds version and switch version coming eventually!
I ordered Dreamcast version. Can't wait. Great video and enjoy your content.
Bummer! I wonder if it’s sold out or some other reason. 🤔
It's my favorite shmup of 2022 so far!
Shmups still living and healthy in the 2020’s.😊
I think the genre might have been revitalized sometime in the 2010’s or something.
I’ve really noticed it personally in the last few years more than anything. Where we are getting more new indie games and old rereleases than I’ve ever seen! More games than one person can play lol. Definitely stoked and taking advantage while it’s hot.
Im definitely picking this up! The old school presentation looks AMAZING!!! Its whats BEST for shooters... No contest
I just Secured my Pre-order today..thanx FunkyJunkie your the BEST
Cool. Which version did you pre order.
@@ShmupJunkie Glad you Asked I have a HelloKitty Dreamcast so yeah for me Andro Dunos 2 - Space Songs Edition - Dreamcast [JAP] Cool huh!!?? XD
What a great game! Thank you for covering it on your channel.
You're welcome. After playing it and enjoying as much as I did, I was definitely going to let people know how much I enjoyed it. We aren't going to get awesome sequels like this very often.
I heard rumors that they are going to do a remake of Andro Dunos if they do its a instant buy for me Andro Dunos 2 is really good still trying to 1cc it i brought it after watching this video Shmup Junkie has impeccable taste in shmups
Will probably going to go with the 3DS version. Was on the fence before. I'll pick it up now after watching your video
I believe there is a 3DS version that is actually shipping so you should be good. Just check the version you order is shipping and not delayed through their site. I never played that version so I can't vouch for it, but it's rad it even exists!
Awesome review, The game looks cool to play , still waiting my ps4 version!
But for the Shmup of the year I think I will still prefer Sophstar so far!
I love Sophstar as well and really glad I see others mentioning it. That means it's getting noticed. Let's see what you think once you get a chance to play this. It's just very fun and controls great. It'll be interesting at end of year.
Thank you for the great review! Also a big thank you for the discount code, used it to buy the 3DS and switch physical editions. Keep up the great work! :)
Sweet! You're welcome and glad it could help the dev and publisher out some.
Great, I was waiting for your review in particular ^^
Fantastic video/review. I´m in love with the OST of this game.
I pre-ordered this the moment it first appeared about a year ago, despite having never heard of Andro Dumos before. Old school horizontal shooters have always been my first gaming love, so this clearly fits the bill in so many ways. Great to hear it turned out so well (glitches aside) and the lower difficulty suits me, who knows I might even 1cc it for once (a very rare event).
I hope it does well in the sales department, as this along with the big success of R-Type 2 Final will hopefully convince Sega to make a Thunder Force VII, along with a compilation of the rest of them for good measure!
Based on what you just wrote, this will definitely be right up your alley. From the game itself to the difficulty level. All around it's just a good product and much more fun to play than the early trailers led many to believe. I hope you don't have to wait too long for yours and can enjoy it soon.
Make sure you also get Dariusburst EX+. There's a year's worth of hori competition in that one too💥🐙💥.
@@DELx999 Great game, in fact I have that, and Chronicles Savious with all its dlc, so I have more Darius Burst levels to get through than one can reasonably do in a lifetime. Oh, and Darius Burst on Android & PSP, along with G Darius HD, Darius Collection Arcade & Console, Super Darius on PC Engine Mini plus Super Darius 2, Sagaia GB, and Darius 1 MD via emulation, so I think I have got Darius coming out my ears. Only missing the 3 versions of Darius+ which I think I can live with ha ha.
Went with the 3DS version, it may not be the definitive version but I can always purchase for a different system later. Thanks!
I suck at these games but watching your vids has inspired me to try more shmups!
Yeah I was watching a recent review of the 3DS port and it really looked like it had a lot of issues. Which is a bummer as I don't see how that could be patched? As a final release it deserved better. But yes, as you said. If you ever want to play the definitive version, it's literally $18 away on Steam (and likely less someday when it goes on sale). It's a real banger!
@@ShmupJunkie It still looks amazing and being one of the last physical games made for the system, I had to grab it.
Plus as you've mentioned, support the team which buying a second version would do!
This looks right up my alley. I'll be buying it next payday for sure :)
OMG! Not sure why I waited so long to pick this up- its amazing!
What console did you pick it up for? Or was it on steam?
PS4pro. So far so good as I saw the console versions had a few issues at launch : )@@ShmupJunkie
Been playing this a tonne since it arrived this week. I much prefer these style shooters to the bullet hells. Shmup of the year contender? At this stage, most definitely.
Great video, cool that you mixed in some shots from the original game.
Glad you're digging it too. So many are. Yeah it's still early and it'll have some solid competition. But so far I had a blast with it. And can't wait for my DC version to mess with.
I'm so jealous my usb port is fu**ed so I can't use my gamepad at the mo, talk about bad timing.
Thank you for letting us know about this gem.
I got the physical 3DS version, and it's a great game. The framerate might not be the most stable, as it dips just a little when things get hectic. Nothing serious though, and the stereoscopic 3D i nice as well. Really fun game!
Just received my Switch physical version, I am so happy. The game is soooo good.
Great video and thanks for the discount. Ordered a copy.
You’re welcome! I’m glad to see the discount coming in handy for so many. I’m glad they sent me a code.
Yet another excellent review with all the depth detail we need as consumers and STG fans!!
I love how you’ve done a deep dive in to the similarities to the original and how it pays homage and also the clear differences which makes this game the more accessible of the two.
The detail given of the glitches in all versions is very welcome too as this gives the people a voice of what needs improving to make this as perfect as it can be, so thank you for including this.
I do really like these short but extremely in depth reviews of new shmups so I hope you do more of these!!
Thanks man. I do wish I could've had other versions to test like the 3DS, which turned out to have a lot of issues and glitches. But can't try every version I guess. I usually opt for the Switch and Steam ports, and it was nice to at least see it have good performance on Switch. Now on to review Pocky and Rocky!
@@ShmupJunkie ooh nice, a game close to my heart from my Super Famicom days which I used to play loads with friends…I still have the Japanese version 😊 and that opening track from the first level still goes through my head!
Looking forward to your review of this 💪
Everytime I saw footage of the game I thought about Infinos Gaiden, turned out it's the same developer! Enjoyed that one already, makes Andros Dunos 2 a must buy for me.
Btw, Infinos Gaiden has a great feature in the high score list: it shows for every entry the number of attempt. I made my highest score the first time I played, motivates me to play again
I just realized yesterday that this game seems to do similar with score and appends a number fir each continue. So maybe this is by design and he never wanted the counter to reset 🤔
@@ShmupJunkie I like that a lot! :D
Ship on the thumbnail looks suspiciously like Commander Keen's "Bean with Bacon Megarocket" painted orange.
Haha... I didn't notice that. It's straight from the game so maybe they took some inspiration. I actually remember Commander Keen.
I never owned an Neo Geo nor played the original game but went ahead and picked this up on Steam. It really is a great game but definitely challenging. I really do like the power up system and if I'm not mistaken, you can power up each weapon as its own without waiting for a recharge. For the same weapon you definitely have to wait a bit. I hope more great shmups come out like this for such a great price.
This game is a steal for the Steam price IMO, really well done. It's just missing the modern convenience features and online stuff that would really make it feel complete. But the game itself is top notch. Let's hope we keep seeing new games of this quality.
I saw this on the Switch new releases, but I just thought it was the original! That 2 is very hard to spot. I’m gonna go add it to my Switch wishlist now!
I discovered your channel with guilty delay: the care and passion you put into your videos is amazing. Congratulations!!! I have just subscribed.
Welcome! Better late than never and I hope you find a lot more of my stuff to enjoy. We have a great community here and it's good to have you.
Last year, when I learned that this have was from the same developer as Infinos Gaiden, I had to have it. Awaiting the 3DS version and will probably 3 tripple dip this more in Switch, PS4 and Steam. I hope this game sells so well that we get a console release of Infinos Gaiden too. We need it!
Not sure if you saw but there was a review of the 3DS port and it’s got quite a bit of issues compared to the other console ports. I’m hoping they are able to fix them for the US 3DS release. But I’m not sure since they can’t patch it like newer systems. Plus one on a console port of Infinos Gaiden though!
@@ShmupJunkie oh wow, I wan't aware of that yet. Just checked a review. I seems playable, but for sure the game has enough bugs that requires patching. That's a shame. The 3DS has an SD card slot, so maybe file patching via this way is possible? 🤔.
There's also throwback to the Bosses in Stage 6 such as Cross Warship, alongside with the Mid bosses with Upgrade alongside the Space Fortress before the final stage.
Great video as always, Elijah!
The 3DS now has a grand total of 3 shmups! Andro Dunos II, Karous and Steel Empire. And via backward compatibility with the DS, you can bring the number to 5 by getting Nanostray and Nanostray II.
Next video, Every Shoot Em Up on the 3DS! haha. I've yet to play the Nanostray games so I do have something new to explore. Bonus points nobody has ever used the Elijah variant for my name before! lol
👀 It looks absolutely gorgeous! Great review. It looks like the developer knew exactly how to follow up, pay homage and improve on the original. A refreshing treat for newcomers and old shooter fans. Can't wait to play it!
I pre-ordered the physical for the Switch and 3DS. I can't wait to play them!
Would rock if this studio was able to make a Nexzr sequel.
Man, I dunno if anyone can live up to how good of games Kaneko was putting out. Nexzr is amazing.
Nice!! I grabbed it, but haven't had time to play it yet. The music sounds like a combination of Turrican and Gunlord. Very cool! Love the modernized backgrounds, but with the same aesthetic. Looks like the perfect upgrade!
This is actually my favorite shooter of all time
Wow. This video was as great a surprise as the game. I didn't expect another video so soon after the Egret II epic work. Thanks!
I'm definitely going to get this game.
I wasn't expecting another one so soon either! haha. I think this one is right up your alley and you'll definitely enjoy it.
Once again thankyou for your awesome attitude and another great review.
You're welcome! Thanks for watching and really appreciate the comment. I read every one even if it takes me a while sometimes to get to them.
Loved this video! Thanks for the code, used and grabbed it!
You’re welcome! I’m glad a good few are using it and saving some money while helping the dev and getting a great new game. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it.
Never heard of the original until recently, but this is what I like to see! A sequel paying great homage to what came before and elevating it's best elements. Can't believe there's a Dreamcast version as well haha! That just makes me smile. Great video as always and I'll certainly be picking this up in the near future.
I can't wait to get my DC copy and see how it looks on the CRT... it's the main reason I also ordered that version.
@@ShmupJunkie Thousands of subs and you still make the effort to reply where you can, appreciate it man. And yeah, having a new shooter on the DC will be magical.
Man nice video, because of this I was waiting your video, good work!
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed and hope it was helpful for you.
Cool review and I totally missed the first game. It wasn't until your Instagram post I heard of it for the first time or at least it sunk in. The cover art does look familiar though and it's possible I glazed over it back in the era. I definitely want to play the original, shame they couldn't include it in this version, would have been a nice bonus. I'll have to ROM hunt I guess. Love the look number 2 though but once again no Xbox... we really are missing out on the shmup front, but I'll pick up a PS4 edition, Xbox's loss. It's noice to have a more entry level shmup as I do struggle to keep up these days so it's nice, every once in a while, to be able to complete a game. Added to The Hunt List!
A hot tip I have for if u do givaways where we type the code. Recomend set those videos to MODERATED COMMENTS that way u can see who is actually typing in the code when u add al the entries, but then no one else on TH-cam can read the code in comments section from everyone else, bexcuase u holdf off on accdepting the comments with the code in it. If U care or are into it that is. Peple gotta watch all the way through that way!
Good idea! I only worry that people like reading other comments too, so they miss out on that while watching the video later. I do wish there was an easier way to keep track of entries for sure though. I'm still trying to catch up on the Egret giveaway! lol
@@ShmupJunkie There definitely is another way for most of the things. Did u ever see them contests on TH-cam with that auto entry form tracks everything? The user must click and be subed then it gives +1, optionally u can have a click to check your website, then they get another,, retweet on twitter gets another one. I forget the name of the service that handles these things but if u care to use it I am sure gogle search will come up quick
I’ve been playing this since it came out for Switch. I’m no shmup master; very far from it, but I’ve played my fair share of them over the years. The game grew on me quickly. It’s a great difficulty like he said. It can definitely be more accessible than a lot of new shmups. On the easy difficulty the game doesn’t penalize you by downgrading your power ups. I noticed the glitch with the stage 1 music. I also found it odd at the choice of music during the escape sequence. Figures that it’s actually a mistake. This is a great game and hopefully the developers have a patch in the works. Well done and accurate review. 👍
If I never showed the handful of Switch bugs maybe a bunch of folks wouldn't have even noticed or cared. Sometimes pointing it out is worse, but I had to for a complete review. I heard they were working on fixing the reported bugs and maybe that contributes to some of the delay. But even with them, it's a testament to the game that it's worth playing now even in it's current form. Because it gets much more right than the few issues it gets wrong.
@@ShmupJunkie Well, in my case I noticed something wasn't quite right on Switch since day one. The transition between stages and after the tutorial feel abrupt because the fade to white effect of the Steam version is not present. There is also some kind of problem with the priority of some layers. Whenever you destroy a ground turret, the blue orb released is hidden behind the smoke whereas on the Steam version it remains on top of it to be visible. Also, in one of the underwater sections of stage 4 there are some jellyfish creatures with tentacles. These tentacles are invisible on Switch although you get killed the same if you hit them. I've lost a few lives there without knowing what hit me. Add to all these the music issues and the inhability to change or turn off the wallpapers. None of these issues is game breaking per se, but I hope they release a patch addressing them because console users deserve the same level of care and polish in a product like this.
Great review, by the way 👍
Man, the animations and set pieces in this one are top notch!
Woah boy, now I'm even more excited to get both 1 and 2 on Dreamcast when they're ready!
I saw that they released the original on DC also, pretty cool. They even had a Neo Geo repro coming for the original.
Picorinne Soft is quite proficient when it comes to retro style sprites and musical composition, but the most important thing they're known for is the challenging difficulty, something that's very apparent in their Infinos Gaiden work
That being said, appearance wise Andro Dunos 2 looks like a reskinned version of Infinos Gaiden, owning to the similar graphic style. The gameplay however is fairly faithful to the original, they even enhanced it a bit by adding a cooldown based charge attack instead of using up a power level per use from the original
While the levels are original, they contain many shout-outs and cameos to the original, it shows those Picorinne Soft guys have a keen eye for details and are staying true to the source material
The only problem I have is that the final boss is a bit too easy, especially compared to Infinos Gaiden's counterpart, which is nothing short of epic both in presentation and difficulty, but overall it still possessed a fair bit of challenge
In the end, not just any game developer would go out of their way to give a fairly generic game from over 30 years ago a modern facelift, points for keeping the retro spirit alive
Thanks for the great comment and some good points too. Infinos Gaiden was excellent and would be great to see a console release for it someday too. It deserves it. I'd be glad to see Picorinne do more faithful sequels or new games, whatever gets them excited. They clearly have a talent for it.
I have heard about the first original Andro Dunos which sadly I haven't played it but yeah I'm excited for the sequel, and I just recently pre-ordered the Nintendo Switch version and the game does look awesome.😎👍
Hey great to hear 👍🏻. I’m pretty sure you’ll enjoy it and hope your copy doesn’t take too long to get.
I wish the explosion color was tweeked to actually look like fire as opposed to sand colored explosions.
Good job on this one. I am looking forward playing on steam. Just a small note on the scoring part. As I mentioned on Ed's review, I do not think it is an oversight that the record does not reset upon continuing. If you pay attention, you will notice the very last digit of the score will keep a count of the amount of continues used (like SFII used to do). With this in mind, you can easily distinguish which top scores are indeed 1ccs.
Great point and thank you for that. I did realize that later looking at my footage after the review. That the score changed at continue. Odd way of doing it and guess it's something the dev likes to do. Now I'll keep it in mind when I play any of Picorinne's other games.
Awesome review, this game is right up my alley so I can't wait to play it! I nearly bought a physical copy yesterday so l'm lucky I waited and can use your discount code now!😅
It's totally up your alley my friend, I know you'll dig it. It feels as much like our fav 16bit classics as it gets these days. And yeah, use that code!
Best review of Andro Dunos 2 so far! Love the detailed comparison. I highly doubt not resetting score after continue is a bug though...
I'm playing the 3DS version. Might double dip when the steam version gets proper scanlines:-)
Bummer on the 3DS version, I've heard it wasn't a great port job. So I hope the DC version is much improved. But despite the minor Switch port issues I still found it to be great. I'm not holding my breath on any Steam artificial scanlines looking good though.
Yeah, there's a number of arcade shmups that don't reset the score when you continue, BUT they do add a digit to the ones counter which would indicate continues used. Looks like this is the case here since nothing else gives you a score that impacts that column otherwise.
This is easily my favourite Shooter Right now on the switch. Tight gameplay, easy to learn, Hard to Master, great soundtrack. It came out of nowhere but it’s super awesome
Have to agree it’s a welcome surprise and my favorite new Switch release since GG3. It makes me look forward to anything else from the dev down the road. It really is very accessible and easy to get into. Aside from being bare bones on options and features it’s a home run.
Just recently bought the game on Steam and the game feels like a continuation of what we've already seen from the developer, Picorrine Soft. For anyone who ends up enjoying this game, make sure to try the developer's other flagship hori game which landed them this gig, Infinos Gaiden. It's available in Steam and it is another great skull everyone should try. They also have 2 other Infinos games and another title called Battle Crust, but these ones are early games from them. Great review Junkie, had you not mentioned the little details and differences between versions I would not have noticed them, same thing I could say about the little callbacks to the original game as I never played it. Still need to try Sophstar as well, will do so soon.
It would be awesome to see Ifinos get some console releases outside of Steam one day. Definitely deserves it. And you'll definitely dig Sophstar I'm quite sure of it. That's another easy contender for best new shmup this year!
I bought in on day one I had a blast!!!! (I am a big fan of the first one). I think we need more games like this.
Great video! Huge bummer that they didn't include local coop! Especially since the original featured it. Would be great to play with a friend.
Wonder if it was any limitation of the game engine used. Same reason no leaderboards. But that would be odd. I agree it would've been nice, but we can only guess if it just wasn't in budget or some other reason.
1:18 The NeoGeo IS a 16-bit machine. It also has an 8-bit coprocessor, but those two together don't make 24.
I gotta pick this up, looks sick! Definitely have to grab this after I get my 1cc of Gunvein. Gah, I need Drainus to!
Never enough time!
Andro Dunos looked like a PC Engine game running on Neo Geo. Andro Dunos 2 looks like a Neo Geo game running on a Dreamcast. Definitely agree that it is a fantastic Shmup and well worth picking up!
This is awesome to see pop up. I actually just placed an order for Ganryu 2 which is published by Pixel Heart and also a sequel to a classic Neo Geo game.
I'm more into Ninja action games and broke or I'd grab a copy of this as well. Cool to see what it's all about at least.
Supposedly that 10% code they gave me is good across their whole site so you could've taken advantage of it for Ganryu too. I'm a huge ninja gaiden and similar fan, so I've been meaning to check out Ganryu myself too!
The score staying with a continue is not overly uncommon with NEO-GEO games, but when you do continue there is 1 point allocated for each time you continue, so it'll be obvious you've continued on the high score screen.
Thanks for the awesome review!
You’re welcome! Fantastic game I had to.
Thank you for all your videos bro.
Arigato.
Dou itashimashite!
That High Score glitch realy make a not good mood, but had fun playing it 2-3 days ago, and oh boy... I like that we can switch the weapons. I didn't play on all consoles, only on NES,PS1 and on PC, so didn't had opportunity to play this when I was kid, but Steam version is very good!!
New information after I made this video. The score thing is not a glitch, it's on purpose. When you continue, it adds a special number to the end of your score, which shows how many times you continued. So there is a way to tell by the last digits of the score if it's a true 1CC or how many continues used. Apparently it's something this developer likes to do.
@@ShmupJunkie Ohhhhh thanks for clerifing it!!!!
Finished it already, it’s dope, needed more content & a wide screen or stretched option, hopefully they either do DLC or part 3, it’s a day one purchase
Yeah, not overly difficult at all but super fun. I like that it's 4X3 and not widescreen just like the original games. But I agree on the menus and content, very bare bones just like the old games too. Some extras would be nice. But at least for $18 on Steam it's a no brainer for me. Lovely game.
Finally got a chance to play it. It's very cool! It's not as hard as the first one, but then, being a slightly aged shooter player I'm not going to complain. It still has a bit of a challenge in later levels. Really enjoying it!
Yeah the original got really tricky toward the end and forced you to not use your charge or lose your power. It’s definitely a harder game. This sequel struck the perfect balance.
Thanks for the review, getting the Dreamcast version!
I ordered that one too. Likely may be a while before that one is ready, but I am looking forward to seeing it on a CRT.
@@ShmupJunkie They say "second quarter 2022", won't be too long (in terms of indie/homebrew games)!
Thanks for this nice review / video, great work. Love it. I buy the steam version. Love to play shmups on my PC.
And here is me begging for a Sophstar review. lol
Nice one though, I might as well pick Andro Dunos II next.
Sophstar is awesome! I was one of the first to give it a really good preview in my 2022 New Shmups video recently before it was out. And Mark from Electric Underground did a great review for it too. It’s definitely a contender for best new game so you’ll be seeing it come up again.
@@ShmupJunkie You made me consider it and after checking it I was 100% hooked.
The original game always looked borderline amateurish to me, so when they announced this sequel I didn't even bother putting it on my radar. It's great to hear they delivered in a way that's satisfying to serious players. Hopefully they can find a way to do a run of AES carts, but a Dreamcast print is plenty already.
I did see they were doing a repro AES cart for the first game, but not the sequel that I saw. Those things are expensive! Would have to sell enough to justify the extra dev time. And for Neo Geo that could be quite a lot.
You sold me on Andro Dunos 2. I just bought it on Steam, along with Raging Blasters.
I’m sure you’ll dig it. And RB too! That’s a heck of an easy pick up and play game. I’m glad I was able to point you to a couple worthwhile games.
@@ShmupJunkie These were both picked up directly because of you. And on my wishlist, have Natsuki Chronicles and a couple others, but only have so much money to spend this month! I'm sure I'll get more shmups in the future due to your videos!
@@Rationalific Lol yeah I’ve been known to empty some wallets with some of the hype 🤣. But I promise I don’t talk up a game unless I really enjoy it. You’d think I like every game I show, but the reality is I choose to only highlight games that are great and don’t put time into making videos that aren’t at least worth a look. And believe me you’ll dig Natsuki just as much when you get to it. Just don’t forget about Eschatos which is now released digitally and probably in my top 10 favorites. So many games so little time.
@@ShmupJunkie I'll look into Eschatos as well. Thanks for your excellent videos, whether reviews, histories, hardest/easiest games lists (I'm an "easiest"-type, myself! 😅), how-to guides...or something else!
@@ShmupJunkie When you recommended Eschatos in your previous comment, I immediately put it on my Steam wishlist, but I just watched another of your videos, "A Brief History of QUTE 'Em Ups", and that's getting me really excited for it! I will play Eschatos! 🙂
Bought this today having a blast
As good as advertised! Glad you’re enjoying it. I sure did.
Game looks great! I'll definitely be checking it out.
Hi SJ,
What a fantastic game Andro Dunos II is for sure. I have the 3DS and Dreamcast version and I just absolutely love it. I mean, it's perfect from the moment the title screen starts. I love the Neo-Geo version for sure, but this..this...this is just stunning to say the least. Thank you for sharing this awesome video with us bro. 8^)
I posted this up on the Ne-Geo thread on AtariAge for others to enjoy. Always a pleasure to see you in action bro. 8^)
Anthony...
Thank you Anthony. As always much appreciated. I knew before I even started the review that I wanted to replay and record the original again and do some side by side with homages to the game. I agree the sequel is really a great piece of work that the dev should be proud of. Any of us who grew up playing these instantly appreciates it when a new game gets the details right and feels like playing an old favorite.
Thought I'd mention that I got an update for this on the Switch the other day. So far I haven't noticed any problems with it, but wasn't paying too close attention. One thing that I did notice is that the small stutter and splits on the back layer of scrolling seems to be gone now, so that's good. I'll see if the music issues are still there next time I play, but I don't think they were last time.
Great review as always bro. The game is fantastic, Andro Dunos 2 is all about the ride and variety in it. Isn't as punishing as other shmups so can get the attention to newcomers for the genre. From what I've seen, lots of non shmup fans are enjoying the game a lot. I personally think this is the best shmup of the year YET, untill something more awesome comes and gets the throne, but the creativity that Picorinne Soft put into this makes Andro Dunos II the sequel we didn't knew we needed. No need for over complex scoring system, no need for hundreds of bullets on-screen, just tight controls, lots of creativity and great stage design, Andro Dunos II is proof that it works.
You pretty much said it right there. It's just a great new shmup for a pretty wide audience and not the kind that'll put off a lot of new or casual players. And it gets the homage and feel of the original game right. I remember you were one of the first to play it, before I did in fact. And seeing both yourself and a few others really enjoying it only made me get to it even sooner and see what I was missing!
definitely gonna have to pick this up when I can, it looks like a fun one! til then I can practice the original on my atgames legends gamer mini.
What a gorgeous game, need to pick this up on Dreamcast
Not sure if it’s already sold out or not but I did see they recently released the DC Pal version. I have an NA Dreamcast copy on order too.
@@ShmupJunkie pixelheart website shows the NA/JPN version I’m stock :)