Antcruz 2

Antcruz 2 is an endless 2D platformer arcade game. It is a direct sequel to Antcruz (1986). The game, like it’s predecessor, was originally developed and published by AC Entertainment. It was released in North America, Europe and Australia on December 15, 1987 and was released on December 22 of the same year in all other countries. The game was ported to a wider variety of consoles than the first game due to the game’s success. The original arcade version was released in standard upright, mini upright and tabletop cabinet formats. The game has a one player and two player mode. The two-player mode in this game, rather than being a mode where players take turns, is a co-op mode where player 1 controls Antcruz and player 2 controls Sarah, who makes her debut in the game.

Story
Antcruz and his roommate and best friend, Sarah, are having a picnic together on the hill nearby their city. However, Sarah’s boyfriend, Dash, soon runs up to the both of them and alerts the two that the young inventor, Zane, has gone insane and is building attack robots that are planned to be used to cause havoc in the city. The two are alarmed by this and set off to find Zane’s laboratory before it’s too late.







Gameplay
Like the first game, the game is a 2D side-scrolling platform game. The gameplay once again centers on Antcruz’s ability to knock out enemies using electricity, a power that he is able to collect and refuel using A-Cola, an item that is usually hidden inside of Heart Boxes throughout the stages. The objective is to get to the exit of the stage before the time runs out, but Antcruz can only actually use the exit and clear the stage if every enemy in the stage has been defeated beforehand. There are also rubies that Antcruz can collect that are scattered across each stage, but compared to A-Cola, which is more mandatory for Antcruz’s lightning fuel, rubies are more important for increasing Antcruz’s score. The game also introduces Sarah, whose gameplay is identical to that of Antcruz’s, but she uses a gun which requires her to collect gun ammo rather than A-Cola; she can also twirl in mid-air rather than double jump. Dash also makes his debut in the game as a playable character if the player is able to complete all 50 stages; However, rather than being a projectile-based character like Antcruz and Sarah, his gameplay is primarily based on dashing and spinning straight into enemies. He’s also a much faster runner and higher jumper than Antcruz and Sarah. Additionally, there are new power-ups and stage mechanics that are new additions never seen in the first game.

As the game is a side-scrolling platformer, the player controls Antcruz left and right by using the joystick. Antcruz can jump if the player presses the jump button, and will also do a double-jump if the jump button is pressed again while he’s in mid-air. Antcruz will throw an electrical beam in the direction the joystick is being held in if the fire button is pressed. If the beam hits an enemy, it will result in the enemy being defeated. If 3 enemies are defeated in under 10 seconds, he can get an extra point bonus for the combo. Antcruz is unable to throw beams if he doesn’t his lightning fuel is empty. If Antcruz touches an enemy or projectile, he will be temporarily hurt for 10 seconds. If he does this again while already hurt, he’ll lose a life. He will also instantly die if he falls into a bottomless pit or doesn’t clear the stage before the time runs out. If Antcruz loses all 3 lives, it will result in a game over.

The game features double the amount of stages as its predecessor; 50, to be exact. If all 50 stages are beaten, the game will repeat itself, but the time will drain faster. As the stages go on, the enemy and power-up placements will become more difficult; Later stages will even contain sections that can only be accessed through the usage of power-ups, such as high platforms that can’t be accessed without Moon Sneakers or walls that can’t be destroyed without the Nuclear Signal. Another mechanic introduced in stages in this game is multiple paths that lead to the same area, which was introduced due to the new co-op mode. In addition to new stage mechanics, bosses also make their debut in the game. There are four Ava bosses that occur after completing stages 5, 15, 30, and 50, the last of which being a mini-boss occurring before the final boss, Zane.

Antcruz
The main playable character. He is a yellow boy who wears mostly grey, blue and yellow clothes. He has lightning abilities, but he can lose them if he uses them too much. By drinking A-Cola, he can regenerate these abilities. He’s faster than Sarah but can only throw beams in 4 directions. If Antcruz collects 20 A-Cola cans, he can transform into his “ultimate form,” which allows the player to run much faster, jump without gravity and use more powerful abilities.

Sarah
The second playable character. She is a lavender girl who is best friends with Antcruz. Unlike Antcruz, who has lightning abilities, Sarah has a gun. This means that instead of collecting A-Cola, Sarah collects gun ammo. Sarah isn’t as fast as Antcruz, but her gun can shoot in 8 directions, making it easier to defeat enemies such as Jump Ribats and Kyuties.

Dash
The third playable character. He is an orange boy who is Antcruz’s friend and Sarah’s boyfriend. His gameplay is significantly different from Antcruz and Sarah’s, as he doesn’t shoot any projectiles, instead being able to run much faster than the other two characters and being able to dash right into enemies. However, he is able to lose energy, which disables him to run as fast and dash. To regenerate abilities, he must collect energy drinks, similar to Antcruz’s A-Cola.

Ribat
One of the game's main enemies. Ribat is a rabbit-like white blob creature with spiky ears and red shoes. Ribats are usually seen walking from right to left, but will not chase the player if they walk or jump past them. Ribats can not jump, but they can be carried and dropped by Kyuties.

Jump Ribat
Jump Ribat is similar to a normal Rabai, but it can jump and has blue shoes. Jump Ribats can also walk to the right. They are faster than normal Rabais but slower than Kyuties. Unlike normal Ribats, Jump Ribats can not be dropped by Kyuties.

Kyutie
A pink blob creature with arms, wings and a red bow. Kyuties are usually seen flying fast above the ground. They can fly in any direction, but Kyuties that fly to the right are rarer than left Kyuties. Some can pick up and drop Ribats.

Bearni
A small bear-like blob creature with small arms, feet and ears. It will usually run and chase the player. They take 2 hits to kill, but 1 will make them scared and run away.

Yaffo
An indigo cat enemy. If a Yaffo notices the player, it will jump high into the air and then quickly fall towards the player and throw projectile lasers. If the lasers hit the player, they will lose a life.

Bengal Yaffo
Similar to a standard Yaffo, but there are 4 lasers thrown diagonally. They usually appear in areas where stairs or elevators are present. In terms of looks, they are purple instead of indigo and have a striped pattern all over their bodies, the reasoning behind their name.

Aircreeper
A UFO-like enemy. It will hover towards the player and will explode if it gets too close. Although Aircreepers can get defeated normally, it will still count as a kill if it explodes by getting close to the player.

Wilka
A green ghost enemy. Wilkas move similarly to Kyuties, except they will not immediately hurt you if you touch them. Instead, they’ll spiral around the player for 15 seconds, then automatically defeat the player afterwards. The only way to stop this is to hit it while it’s in the front of the player.

Robowheeler
A robotic car enemy. Robowheelers take 2 hits to kill; They will not do anything until the first hit. If the player hits the Robowheeler once, it will start to move and chase you. The second hit will destroy it.

Ava
A boss in stages 5, 15, 30 and 50. A robotic girl and assistant of Zane, she will attack the player using some techniques that were programmed into her “combat chip”, along with some projectiles. She takes 3 hits to kill.

Zane
The final boss of the game in stage 50, Zane is an evil inventor and scientist. He will use many projectile-based inventions during the fight, so the way to defeat him is to try to hit him from upward while avoiding bullets.

Items
The game retains the standard A-Cola, buts introduces 4 new power-ups; Two being character-exclusives and the other two being all-access.

A-Cola
Adds one A-Cola point and refuels Antcruz’s electricity meter. If he collects 20 of them, he will be able to transform into his “ultimate form.”

Ammo Packet
Sarah’s equivalent of A-Cola. Adds one gun point and refuels Sarah’s ammo. If she collects 20 of them, she will be able to rapidly fire by holding the fire button, similar to a machine gun.

Energy Ade
Dash’s equivalent of A-Cola. Adds one speed point and refuels Dash’s energy meter. If he collects 20 of them, he will be able to run even faster and be able to perform an “eternal dash.” Unlike A-Cola and Ammo Packets, Dash’s energy meter slowly drains as he moves due to his automatic running, so Energy Ades are considered the most mandatory out of the three refuelers.

Nuclear Signal
A power-up that all three characters are able to collect. If Antcruz uses this item, his skin will turn green and his electric beams will turn nuclear, causing an explosion when one hits an enemy, making it easier to defeat two enemies at once. The power-up has the same effect on Sarah’s bullets if she collects it, though parts of her gun will turn green instead. If Dash collects the item, he will be able to cause an explosion if he dashes or runs into an enemy with enough momentum. Though no part of him turns green, his shoes will emit green and yellow sparks.

Moon Sneakers
A power-up that all three characters are able to collect. Unlike the Nuclear Signal, the item has the exact same effect no matter what character is being played as; It will allow the player to jump with limited gravity. The player cannot jump until the jump button is released as it must be held first in order to gain momentum; Holding it longer will allow a higher jump.

Reception
Unlike the game’s predecessor, which initially received lukewarm reviews from critics, Antcruz 2 received much more acclaim from critics and was seen as a vast improvement from its predecessor. Praise went to the improved gameplay and graphics, new characters, level design, music, and enemies. The game was also even more of a success commercially, as sales for Antcruz (1986) dropped significantly after the release of Antcruz 2. About 28,000 hardware units were sold. The success of the game led to ports for a wide variety of consoles and the beginning of a series of many Antcruz games for consoles. The new characters introduced in this game also became recurring characters in the series, most notably Sarah and Dash.