Rocketbirds 2: Evolution (2016)

Rocketbirds 2 is a surprisingly good, bloody, well-stylized time.

Rocketbirds 2 suffers from hit-or-miss presentation, with nice rock music in the background occasionally, but an awkward intro. The humour is insipid, focusing on 'funny voices' and tropes. The combat, while getting the basics of weapon types right, never amounts to more than 'shoot and dodge,' and dodging doesn't involve skill or focus. A dearth of enemies and banal platforming focusing solely on enemy manipulation to open doors and such doesn't help. This mediocre game won't entertain the pros, but serves as an okay intro to twin-stick shooters.

Although Rocketbirds 2: Evolution feels different than the previous game, I enjoyed the majority of the changes to the game. With Hardboiled Chicken being a throwback to classic platforming adventure games, Evolution feels like a modern take on the series. While I thought the cel shading in the previous games was visually better, Rocketbirds 2 still has a very clean visual aesthetic. The puzzles can feel repetitive at times, but I thought the run-and-gun style of gameplay works for this room based still of platforming.

The game is a good experience for those looking to get a new platformer since they seem to be so few and far between. Just don't expect anything substantial besides the great humor surrounding this interesting world.

In the end, Rocketbirds 2: Evolution is just not much fun. It's a relatively lengthy but disappointing experience with little replay value. The controls are blunt and clumsy, the humour is often witless, and the puzzles are at times so basic that there's not a lot of satisfaction in solving them. While there is a lot of potential on the surface, Ratloop may have wanted to sit on this egg a bit longer before it hatched.