Almost 30 years after its publication, the most imaginative, frenetic and colorful sport released on cabin cruisers in 1994 is back in the limelight and has come here to make us sweat a lot.
dotemu, a software house based in Paris specializing in the remake of old video games for current generations, since 2007 has been pursuing a path of re-proposing through old modernized and modernized products, in everything necessary to get back into the hearts of gamers.
Some of the milestones of the gaming world such as TMNT (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) or a few chapters in between Metal Slug e Final Fantasy, have seen the light again thanks to the efforts of this software house. Dotemu, thanks to the passion and strength of collaborations such as the one with Square Enix, carries on a discourse of re-proposing the past on modern systems, also having the foresight to give continuity to these legacies with titles created from scratch such as Streets Of Rage 4.
It is thanks to them that Windjammers (an arcade sports video game based on the launch of the Frisbee) manages to return to the fore in a new form: Windjammers 2.
Throwing Frisbees thirty years later: here is Windjammers 2
In a world where Frisbee throwing has become a real sport, Windjammers throws us into a revisited version of the classic pong / table tennis. Here, joystick in hand, we will deal with the basics of this genre of sport: move, parry and shoot.
Although many years have passed since its first version, the game has managed to keep intact a certain stylistic coherence between visual and playful proposal.
Those bright fluorescent colors, the strange haircuts, the mustache or the tight-fitting acetate / lycra rompers are all elements that bring you back directly to the 80s and that make you once again imagine the difficulty that such an imaginative sport can have in a competitive guise.
Veterans of the game will be surprised to find that, in the new version of the game, it has gone from 2 to 4 usable keys. These keys are connected to new functions that enrich the gameplay: in this case we are talking about a slap to be used in response to the rapid launch of the opponent, a jump in the air and a new energy bar that will make us launch a fearsome super. move.
The gameplay of Windjammers develops not only in the classics maps but also within other novelties between obstacles and oddities. The casino map (the one in the image), for example, features a mechanic in which the goal value changes by simulating the operation of a slot machine with the same colors and sounds; The other maps instead have variable length and width and some of them have central obstacles to deflect our shots.
To the classics characters already seen, new ones are added, including opponents and allies, all to be faced with their peculiarities and unique statistics; A striking example is that of the Brazilian character who, according to us, is not particularly balanced on a statistical level.
Just like in the great titles of the era of the first Windjammers, randomness is left aside with respect to schemes and strategies. These are of utmost importance in order to offer the best possible performance.
Fortunately, the gameplay is well balanced so that, for each shot, there is a precise and effective response. Nothing is definitive and any situation can be overturned in our favor thanks to the possibility of being able to interrupt the opponent's super move or to make our own mistake. This makes every game and every launch interesting, including explosive shots, heart-pounding action and never predictable effects.
Faithful for the nostalgic, innovative for the current gen.
Windjammers with its second chapter 2 receives an upgrade to the technical sector without going to alter its beating heart. Thanks to new textures (very high quality) the maps and characters are adorned with new details; the graphic enhancement here is to the advantage of the characterization compared to the original title.
All this makes the new chapter fluid, dynamic and frenetic in every battle. Windjammers 2 succeeds in the difficult task of being fun but nostalgic, without this second feeling prevailing over the first.
It is useless, however, to postpone the defects that the title presents: small imperfections that will plausibly make new players and veterans turn up their noses.
For example, from the main menu it will be easy to notice the lack of innovation regarding the ways in which the gameplay unfolds; it is not only a question of modalities but also of opportunities left to the player. The tutorial wanting to take an example is reduced to the bone, poor and all too essential. It is completely theoretical, leaving no tools for the player to practice.
Below we will find the classic mode Arcade (AKA Player VS CPU) which will allow us to face computer-controlled opponents. In this mode you will also have a draft of the narrative with stories that unfold between the various characters present without ever going into detail. The end result is some chatter during map selection, nothing more.
Obviously, the prince mode could not be missing, the one that made us spend whole days in the arcades with our friends. The Local (AKA Player VS Player) in a way not too dissimilar from the past will make us play with friends sitting next to it: people who, elbow to elbow, take frisbee shots for whole days.
To conclude the list of available modes we find the last one: the plausibly most important one.
Windajammers 2 finally introduces the online mode divided into two types of challenges: Quick Matches and Ranked Matches. While the former represent the perfect example of a saucy game played for pure fun, the latter challenges feature a score that will help you climb a world ranking.
By playing ranked it will also be possible to see the scores of others, see the number of players online and in general excel to become the best Frisbee thrower of the modern era.
Conclusions
Windjammers 2 really surprised us a lot by making us take a plunge into the completely unexpected past, immediately showing the muscles through a nice mix of frenzy, original game settings and new features. These features make the title fun, current and able to compete with any export competition by giving hours of play, fun and maybe even sociability. Because you know, nothing is better than going back to call a dear and old friend for a gaming session on the sofa, where shoulder to shoulder, you decide who is the best with a blow of Frisbee.
