Söldner-X 2: Final Prototype Definitive Edition from eastasiasoft and Sidequest Studios brings a classic shoot ‘em up to a new generation. Check out our Söldner-X 2: Final Prototype Definitive Edition review!
Söldner-X 2: Final Prototype Definitive Edition from eastasiasoft and Sidequest Studios brings a classic shoot ‘em up to a new generation. After the end of the Virus Wars and peace was restored to the galaxy, the Söldner-X Prototype ship returned to Earth. Unfortunately, this peace couldn’t last forever. There were some splinter factions that were not in favor of planetary union, and the D’aarg were the most dangerous of them. The D’aarg aimed to take advantage of their technological superiority to conquer defenseless systems. Scientists used the analysis of the lifeform found on the original Söldner-X to develop new weapon systems to take on the evil D’aarg, and you’ve now been called into action as part of the newly formed Söldner-X Defense Force.
This is not the first time we’ve had a chance to take Söldner-X 2: Final Prototype for a spin. The game was originally released in 2010 for Sony’s PlayStation 3 home console. This was followed by a PlayStation Vita port in 2015, with seven stages to play and three extra levels made available as DLC. The 10+ year jump to this Nintendo Switch release means that Söldner-X 2: Final Prototype Definitive Edition includes all previously available content in a single package, a full HD presentation running at 60 frames per second, and close to no loading.
Once you’re ready to go, you’ll get to pick between the two available ships: the Mexxus II and the Thor. The Mexxus II will allow you to use the bullet gun and the magma cannon as its main weapons, as well as any other weapons you grab along the way. As for the Thor, it will have the bounce laser and scatter gun as its main weapons.
After booting up the game and starting your mission, you’ll be piloting your spaceship by using the left analog stick or the D-Pad as you try to avoid incoming attacks or colliding with enemies. Your currently equipped main weapon can be fired by pressing the B button, and you can switch between weapons by pressing the L and R buttons. You can use a powerful shockwave by pressing the Y button, and you can unleash your mighty limit attack by pressing the A button once it’s charged up.
As you defeat enemies, you should collect as many of the power-ups they drop. These include different extra weapons, power-ups, charges for your shockwave attack, boosts to your ship’s overall speed, score multipliers, core bonuses, chain bonuses, chain freezes – more on these in a bit – as well as secret keys that will allow you to 100% the game. These are bright yellow, making them hard to miss once they pop up on the screen.
You should also keep an eye out for the green power-ups that recover some of your lost health, as well as the one that grants you an extra life! Oh, and you definitely want to grab a chaser power-up as soon as you spot it, since this will add an extra chaser ship that will follow you for a limited time, shooting as you shoot at enemies.
Your spaceship can have up to three weapons at once. The first and second weapons are the ones that are default to the ship you choose. The third one depends on which weapon power-up you grab along the way. Each weapon is connected to a weapon power energy bar, and you can increase each weapon’s power by collecting more of the power icons. Collecting weapon extra pickups will allow you to fill up the limit bar at the bottom of the screen. Once you’ve grabbed three weapon extra pickups, the limit attack will be activated.
As you destroy enemies, the rank system will review your performance and automatically adjust the dynamic difficulty on the fly. The play rank system window will show you the current score multiplier, current play rank (starting at G and going all the way up to S), overall progress bar at the bottom of the window (shown in blue), and the tendency for said play rank (if it’s to go up or down). The higher your play rank, the stronger your enemies will be.
The chain counter will go up as you collect chain rings within the time limit. If you stop shooting for a bit, this will slightly extend the chain counter time window before your combo ends. Boosting the chain energy bar by collecting rings will make extra power-ups pop up on the screen, thus increasing your odds of survival as you make your way through each level.
Söldner-X 2: Final Prototype Definitive Edition brings a classic shoot ‘em up to a new generation. After the end of the Virus Wars and peace was restored to the galaxy, the Söldner-X Prototype ship returned to Earth. Unfortunately, this peace couldn’t last forever. There were some splinter factions that were not in favor of planetary union, and the D’aarg were the most dangerous of them. The D’aarg aimed to take advantage of their technological superiority to conquer defenseless systems.
Scientists used the analysis of the lifeform found on the original Söldner-X to develop new weapon systems to take on the evil D’aarg, and you’ve now been called into action as part of the newly formed Söldner-X Defense Force. Do you have what it takes to save the galaxy before it’s too late? Söldner-X 2: Final Prototype Definitive Edition is out today on Nintendo Switch with a $14.99 price tag.
Disclaimer
This Söldner-X 2: Final Prototype Definitive Edition review is based on a Nintendo Switch copy provided by eastasiasoft.
