Now available on Nintendo Switch and other consoles, Sega Saturn classic Assault Suit Leynos 2 finally makes it to the west. Should it have stayed in Japan?
It’s fair to say that I had never heard of Assault Suit Leynos 2 before it was highlighted for an upcoming release. So I went into it with absolutely no expectations whatsoever.
A run and gun shooter in which the main character wears some sort of combat exo suit, you get a choice of weapons, and the suit is equipped with a jet pack for use over short distances. It’s all pretty standard shoot-em up fair — but is actually any good and does this new addition do the original game justice?
Assault Suit Leynos 2 is the Sega Saturn sequel to Assault Suit Leynos, originally released on the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive, and now out on current gen systems. Because it was a Sega Saturn game, it didn’t get much distribution beyond Japan, which makes this release all the more enticing. While I’m reviewing on the Nintendo Switch, it has also been released on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox, and PC.
Assault Suit Leynos 2 has a wanton soundtrack
Okay, first and foremost, the theme tune on the pre-game screen seems to be based on a Led Zeppelin track, specifically “The Wanton Song.” As a big Zep fan, this is both pleasing and audacious, but makes hitting the menu screen less painful.
Unfortunately, this game takes some time to get going. This is nothing to do with the amount of graphics or gameplay or limitations of the hardware. It’s simply the exhaustive amount of exposition that slows things down, which means even with clicking through all the scene-setting, it takes a while to get into the game.
To be honest, Assault Suit Leynos 2 is all a bit Gung-ho, 1980s/1990’s action movie level dialogue, and while that’s fun, in terms of dialogue, it leaves a lot to be desired. Fortunately, there are no Z-list voice actors — it’s all conveyed via captions. So, once the characters of the 12th Special Force Formed of Assault Suits have completed their exchange, the game finally kicks off.
Skip the exposition
As the game gets growing, you’re dropped down from drop ships, and the inclination is to skip yet more exposition.
Basic controls are left/right, jump or long press to activate the jet pack, and there’s also a shield. Weapons — you get a scatter weapon, a single shot gun, and a shoulder-mounted rocket — need to be carefully managed as ammo is finite, and the your jet pack and health also need careful management. Clashing colour schemes make it initially difficult to spot which characters are the enemies, as they are very similar to the main character and comrades.
I quickly found the jump and hover mode is useful for dealing with the aircraft, which tend to drop bombs. It is possible that rushing through the level can actually get you to the end quicker, which is where you will find one beast of a boss to deal with.
Assault Suit Leynos 2’s visual inertia
Depemnding on which weapon handheld weapon you choose, the screen zooms in or out. But what it doesn’t do, and which I felt was a crucial omission, was to let me aim at a specific target. There is something about the game that lends itself to twin joysticks, but targeting seems to happen automatically.
The end of level giant turtle style armoured machine is an absolute b******. Aside from the first attempt when I got killed after just reaching the creature, turning up every subsequent attempt has seen me just fail completely. I suspect there is a technique for winning that involves the shield and jetpack, but without better target selection and the zoom in/out inertia, I was closer to throwing up than level 2.
Oh well.
Assault Suit Leynos 2: Around the time this game originally came out, I had a girlfriend that looked amazing, was lots of fun, but was really difficult to please. Assault Suit Leynos 2 reminds me of her.She had a great voice, too, and I love the rocking soundtrack to this game. But overcoming the first boss has proved too difficult, despite working hard to retain my arsenal.And, yes, I can carry this metaphor on all day. The basic takeaway: it's difficult, and the gameplay I've seen so far becomes a little boring and frustrating with repeated attempts. Memorable, but not for the right reasons. – Christian Cawley
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Christian Cawley is a writer and editor who covers consumer electronics, IT, and entertainment media. He has written for publications such as Computer Weekly, Linux Format, MakeUseOf.com, and Tech Radar.
He also produces podcasts, has a cigar box guitar, and of course, loves retro gaming.
