Pocky & Rocky 2 (SNES) Playthrough - NintendoComplete
646A playthrough of Natsume's 1994 run-and-gun shooter for the Super Nintendo, Pocky & Rocky 2.
Played through on the normal difficulty level.
Pocky & Rocky 2 is the third game in Taito's Kiki KaiKai series, and the second game in the series to be officially released in English on the SNES.
You can find my playthrough of Pocky & Rocky here: https://youtu.be/ZXjinI0gyr0
Despite the cutesy Japanese vibes that the graphics and sound give off, Pocky & Rocky 2 is a top-down arcade-style shooter with gameplay similar to games like Heavy Barrel, Ikari Warriors, and Commando. It's a fairly difficult one, too, just like its predecessor was.
You can play the game with two players simultaneously, and in the single player game you play as Pocky, a girl that works at a shrine. Think Sailor Mars sans schoolgirl uniform and you've got the idea. Our maybe Chiaki from Zenki, but without an eyeball munching sidekick.
Pocky can upgrade her weapons and her armor, she can possess her buddies to give her the edge in battle, or she can violently launch them at the enemy if she's feeling especially uncharitable.
Most of the stages are bright and colorful, and though the game lacks the diversity found in the first Pocky & Rocky's level design, the areas now feature split paths that add a welcome bit of replay value. The soundtrack is great, as well, but I wouldn't have expected otherwise from Hiroyuki Iwatsuki and Kinuyo Yamashita composing as a tag team.
(If you don't know them, Iwatsuki is known for his music in several Natsume games like Power Rangers, Wild Guns, and The Ninja Warriors, while Yamashita is best known as the Castlevania composer.)
Pocky & Rocky 2 is a highly underrated SNES action cart. It'll likely be too difficult for the sightseeing casual crowd, but if the idea of a well made shooter that'll test your skills sounds good to you, give it a go!
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No cheats were used during the recording of this video.
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