Space Channel 5: Part 2 - Review

The Dreamcast was, without any doubts, one of SEGA's most experimental phases. Maybe it was because even if everyone was trying their hardest to turn the situation around, deep down they already knew the dream was over, so letting developers do anything they wanted to make for the system was more of a farwell to every SEGA console than anything else. This phase did cause some of the greatest game of its generation to be made, though, with gems such as Skies of Arcadia, Shenmue, and the title that we're reviewing today: Space Channel 5: Part 2.

Rhythm games very rarely get the chance to involve any narrative elements due to the arcade nature of the genre. Often, there's just a video playing in the background with some fun, light-hearted story like in Os- ahem, Elite Beat Agents which does the job at making what can become a frustrating experience more entertaining. Neither Space Channel 5 or its sequel suffer from this, though, and that's precisely what makes them special; rather than a rhythm game, you could probably say that this game is the videogame equivalent of a musical. While there's not a lot of singing, there's a very clear narrative throughout the story that places our protagonist, Ulala, in many different scenarios that only get more and more bizarre as the game progresses.

This ties directly with the gameplay, as in a way very similar to the recent The Witness, where the puzzles are technically always the same but the way in which you have to figure out what to do to solve it is completely different. Here the core gameplay always remains the same (your opponent does some moves, you copy them and if you mess up you lose a bit of health), but the way in which these moves are presented is completely different in each level; sometimes it's a huge plant throwing shurikens at you, directions on a screen that you have to follow, a top-down shooter, etc. This is incredibly effective at making the somewhat-simple gameplay remain engaging throughout the whole story (and the many, many, many times you'll have to replay the game to unlock everything), and it makes the whole game more memorable as well.

Since it's a rhythm game, it shouldn't surprise you to know that Space Channel 5: Part 2 has a fantastic soundtrack as well. Such a stylish and weird game couldn't be without music that perfectly captures that feeling, and thankfully the music here perfectly accompanies the variety of the gameplay with multiple styles, genres, mixes... this is the kind of videogame music that pops in your head every now and then even years after having played the thing, it's that catchy.

4.0 out of 5

Space Channel 5: Part 2 stands as one of the weirdest games you'll ever play. Its strange universe and catchy soundtrack and fun gameplay all add up to an extremely memorable game, one that absolutely has earned the title of classic.