131. Rastan Saga II (Taito, Arcade (PS2), 1989)

Somewhat obviously the sequel to game #130 Rastan Saga, Rastan Saga II came out 2 years later, and follows much of the same formula as the first. You are still the shirtless, musclebound warrior Rastan, though here you are fighting some kind of group of nefarious thugs instead of a dragon (the plot gets even less attention this time). The game proceeds through 6 stages, and while they are shorter and more linear than the first Rastan, I actually found this kept the game moving at a better pace.

The game also benefits from much nicer looking sprites than the first game, with lush backgrounds as well. Another improvement is the combat. It's much of the same unwieldy sword swinging as the previous game, but this time Rastan always has a shield, so if you are not actively attacking, you can press any direction to block. This mechanic also makes boss encounters feel much more like duels where you are blocking, focusing on spacing, and waiting for an opening.

Not that any of the combat actually feels good, your sword swings are limp thuds and the jumping is extra floaty. There are also more difficult platforming sections with lots of bottomless pits, and a lot of the stages are set up in ways that makes it very difficult to avoid damage. I guess I'm hopeful that Rastan III is a big step forward for this series, but so far I am not impressed.

2/5, a little better than the first Rastan, but they are both middling, noodly games