Checkpoints OFF
2 Difficulty levels
14 Stages (loopable)
Ship speed fixed
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Developed by Rising Moon Games
Published by QUByte Game Studio / Red Art Games in 2023
Space Elite Force II is the second half of the Space Elite Force 2 in 1 bundle, and direct sequel to a sympathetic little title called ~ duh ~ Space Elite Force. And by following the same style of its predecessor, the second game is just as easygoing and fun to be enjoyed by anyone, diehard gamer/shmupper or not. Okay, those who seek steeper challenges might want to look away, but everyone else might still get something out of it at least for a little while.
On the surface Space Elite Force II looks a lot like the first game, which is natural because they were developed from the very same mold. Given the similarities, one could even say it's an arrange version of sorts. The distinctions are related to a slightly improved HUD, an increased number of levels and the way special weapons are implemented. Everything else feels pretty much the same, down to the mechanics involving score multipliers and dot collection for upgrade purchases. The second chapter is also a loopable game, unlike the first. Unfortunately that's not really a bonus, given the fact that there's no difficulty increase whatsoever when a new round starts.
Where do I go from here?
Button × shoots the main weapon, button □ fires the secondary weapon and button ∆ triggers an extra weapon, provided you have the ability to use it. Buttons R1 and ○ reduce the flying speed so that you can micro-dodge when necessary. Both main weapons come with autofire, but note that you can't use them at the same time. The secondary weapon takes precedence, so under normal conditions a balance needs to be achieved between shooting the main weapon and tapping the secondary weapon when needed, after all it's more powerful but has a much lower firing rate.
As you destroy the enemy armada tiny green dots are left behind and get automatically sucked into the ship when you get close enough to them. This is the money that you'll be able to spend in between levels to purchase upgrades to both weapons and the ship itself. Expected upgrades exist for the starting pea shooter and the auxiliary missile, such as double, triple and spread shots or more powerful, versatile heat-seeking missiles as well as mines and piercing shots. Note that you can only choose one of each prior to starting the next stage. Ship enhancements include reduction of enemy bullet speed, increased resistance to damage, more health and higher ratio of item drops. Since you'll only die if the energy bar is depleted within the level, all upgrades are permanent. This energy bar gets refilled every time a new stage starts.
When you begin the game you get 10 health cells on Normal (Recruit), whereas on Hardcore (Elite) you get 5. Lost health can be recovered within the level if you happen to come by the + item that appears from destroyed power-up carriers. These carriers might also release temporary power-ups in the form of a rotating shield, firepower boosters, temporary auxiliary drones, money magnets (attracts money dots from all over the screen) or extra multipliers of ×2 for score and ×2 for money dots. The regular multiplier is shown below the score counter and increases as you kill enemies in succession, decreasing slowly whenever nothing is being destroyed and faster when you get hit.
Trailer for the Space Elite Force 2 in 1 combo for the Playstation 4
(courtesy of YouTube user and publisher RED ART GAMES)
(courtesy of YouTube user and publisher RED ART GAMES)
While still very simple graphically and with no build-up to any epic ending, Space Elite Force II at least has a few stages where you must enter an enemy fortress, which deviates a little from the single background screen of all other levels. It's just a bit disappointing that these areas lack enemies enough so that you can sustain your multiplier at a high level up until the boss fight.
The music is mostly fitting and energetic, and even though the gameplay is simple and easy to grasp, a few aspects rubbed me the wrong way. After a while I stopped taking the icons for auxiliary drones because they're more of a hindrance than an actual aid. Since they're always shooting autonomously all over the place, I was always confusing their shots as enemy attacks. And some boss lasers caught me by surprise because of their 1-hit kill nature, so whenever possible it's a good idea to purchase more health and enemy/laser resilience.
A good hint to drain boss health quickly, and even kill some of them in a single blow, is to purchase and maximize the power of the laser special weapon. It's a devastating attack, but note that it takes a long time to recharge. Don't expect to have it available for the boss fight if you use it prior to getting there. Recharge times of other attacks vary, so it's good to try them all if you'd like to see their effects. I didn't tinker with them, especially once I noticed that there was no increase in difficulty when the game looped. I abandoned the credit in the first stage of the third loop with the score below, playing in the Elite difficulty of Campaign (main) mode. There's also a Boss Rush and an Arcade mode that's actually an endless random campaign, as far as I could tell.
