Rick Dangerous 2

Rick Dangerous 2 is a platform game developed by Core Design and was released in 1990 and published by Micro Style. As the game starts, UFOs land in London and Rick Dangerous takes it upon himself to go to Hyde Park to settle the score.

Gameplay

There are a number of changes to the gameplay to its predecessor. For a start, Rick is now armed with a laser gun and bombs that can not only be placed but slid, making way for strategic bomb-placement. The pogo stick is replaced by a punch attack. Rick can also employ a special flying vehicle in a few parts of the game, which allows for fast movement but this may also become a danger factor.

While there is a linear story to the game, the first four levels may be played in any order. Completing these four levels (Hyde Park, ice caverns on the planet Freezia, the deep forest of Vegetablia and the "atomic mud mines") unlocks the fifth and final level: the Fat Guy's Headquarters, which ends in a boss fight.

Unclosed ending

The very end of Rick Dangerous 2 did not complete the story. The game finished with a cliffhanger: the Fat Guy escaping at the final moment through a teleporter device, and Rick following him with the familiar captions "What will Rick do next?". Although this may have hinted at another sequel to the story, Rick Dangerous 3 was never made.

Critical response

The game was highly received in most magazines: Amstrad Action gave the game a 97% rating - the highest mark given in AA history at the time - and a Mastergame accolade. In the review Adam Waring stated that the game is "a very polished product indeed. A tremendous amount of work has gone into the game design, graphics and sound. In essence, it’s a simple platform game, but the way it’s been presented makes it far, far more than that."

Videos

Longplay: {{#ev:youtube|Qk3OI3um2jA|300}}

{{#ev:youtube|pFuSmTNlxKY|300}}

{{#ev:youtube|zs2bsXjQ2x4|300}}

Notes

• Waring, Adam. Amstrad Action, issue 62, November 1990.