Sengoku Densho 2

Sengoku 2 is one of the few stand-out belt-action-brawlers on the Neo-Geo. By the time it came out, though, brawlers were already becoming passe as the focus had shifted to the 1 on 1 fighter popularized by Street Fighter 2 and Fatal Fury. Met with generally positive critical reviews upon release for its innovations and generous graphical update over the first game, Sengoku 2 has become a favorite of the Neo-Geo collector scene and is often lauded as the best brawler on the console. While that's not exactly a high bar to clear, it's a bar none the less. Unfortunately there is no hard sales data availalble. Although, one could assume that it didn't do as well as SNK had hoped as there were no ports to 16-bit consoles or PCs of the day. 

Due to the ongoing popularity of the 1v1 fighting game, Sengoku 2 would be the last beat-em-up on the hardware until 2001's Sengoku 3. Judging by the modern market this is one of the more uncommon titles both in Japan and the US. It commands an unreasonably high price in the second hand AES market regardless of region - which is a shame as there are relatively few ways to play this gem in 2023.

The set-up of the game is pretty standard - You select one of two characters (one has a cowboy hat) who were sent back in time to stop some evil overlord or something. The story is basically gibberish and is there just to give the player a sense of place and purpose. As you progress you have to slash your way through four stages from four different eras in human history as you press back toward the present age (1990's). The standout is stage 2, which is set in the 1940's World War 2 era. Along with all the normal demons and yokai you have to defeat, you also have to deal with Nazi troops and even kill an undead Nazi general as a mid-boss. It's great fun!

Thankfully, each stage is quite long - twice as long as most other belt-action games, actually. As you make your way through each stage there are usually two points where you'll be enveloped in a teleporter and be whisked away to an alternate lovel where you'll have to clear a unique challenge that includes groups of enemies, a thrilling horse-back riding brawl, or beat a wildly designed mini-boss. 

Where Sengoku 2 deviates from the typical brawler is in its moment to moment gameplay. Unlike the first game which focus on a series of button-mashy melee attack combos and only gives you a sword as a temporary buff, Sengoku 2 gives you a sword as your main weapon and the control scheme has been changed to give you different ways to kill your enemies. The A button performs a high slash, the B button performs a mid-slash that can trigger a special death animation when you kill a foe, and the C button jumps. Depending on where the enemies are placed around the screen, your character will face them rather than always looking forward like in most brawlers - which is a nice touch as you always know what enemy you are targeting when you attack.

The D button is not mapped to an action, but rather it brings up a character select wheel above your character's head to choose one of three alternate forms that are generally th same as the first game: 

• Ninja: Fast moving with low power. 

• Tengu Samurai Man Thing: Slow with lots of power.

• Armored Wolf: A wolf...with teeth and armor.

Each form has advantages and disadvantages based on the situation you're in and all forms have a time limit of 60 seconds before you return to your base form. You can also choose to return to your base form at any time, though. If you do that, the countdown timer on your alternate form will stop and will only continue once you have selected that form again. That said, once you lose all of your lives, using a continue will reset all time back to default. 

Sengoku 2 also adds three new abilities by being able to block attacks, dodge attacks, and use a magic projectile. Each character's magic attack, used by holding A+B+C for a charge then letting go when your stance changes, is unique: the main character will shoot a wave in front of him that passes through enemies and does a fair amount of damage to bosses. The cowboy hat guy has a split fireball that hits in front of and behind him, but does a bit less damage. These projectiles can be blocked, so late game use can be a bit tricky. Each alternate form also has a unique magic attack. Along the way you can pick up power-ups that increase your strength, items that grant you a screen clearing attack, and timed upgrades to your normal slashes.

Some of the tougher enemies in the game put up a decent fight and can also block your sword attacks. When this happens your blade bounces off of the enemy and leaves you at a frame disadvantage. You can also lock blades with larger foes and enter a power struggle with them and mash buttons to see who wins. Most enemies can be killed in one or two hits, and every slash is satisfying. 

When compared to the first Sengoku, the second game is a huge leap in fidelity besides not being much larger in memory size. Character sprites are larger and much more detailed with a greater array of animation. Despite an overall lack of enemy variety, each stage has a few unique enemies to deal with (like the aforementioned Nazi troops). Depending on how you dispatch your enemies, they crumple or fall over in often gruesomely detailed ways. The overall color pallet was given a massive increase, making the more intricate background graphics and overall sprite work really pop. Actually, it all looks a little Jack Kirby inspired - wild use pastels and intricate line work adorn the screen for some really great pixel art. It really is a beautiful game and is easily the best looking brawler on the Neo in this historians opinion. 

While not quite as strong as the visual design, the sound design is well done overall with moody music that fits the stage themes well. There are not as many voices in Sengoku 2 as other Neo games from this era, but that's not a negative. Early Neo games were super chatty which took up a lot of space on the cartridge that could have been used for smoother animation or bigger sprites. Thankfully, all that extra space really pays off here making this game a real looker despite being under 100 mega-bits. 

Sengoku 2 is a co-op game, and it is when playing co-op that this game really shines. There are no dual attacks or anything, but the game is the perfect length to play through with a friend in one 30 minute sitting. I've played through the game many times with friends who aren't very familiar with the Neo-Geo and they immediately fell in love with the quirkiness of the presentation and ease of control. It's an excellent game full stop, and while quite challenging, I would say it is a fair bit easier than other Neo brawlers. A 1cc isn't off the table, but you'll definitely still have to work for it!

Overall, Sengoku 2 is a wonderful addition to your library and if it were cheaper I'd recommend it as an immediate pick up. It's an excellent and unique beat-em-up with a fun premise, great control, good game feel (unlike the first), and is an excellent looking video game that still holds up today. 

Unfortunately, the game is one of the more expensive titles on AES with a complete Japanese copy commanding prices upward of $900 with the US version being well over $2000 at this point. The MVS and CD versions are of course much, much cheaper but still command prices over $100. There are a few ways to play this game in 2023 that won't break the bank, though. First up is the Arcade Archives version on modern platforms for around $8. It's also available on some of SNK's mini-console machines. There's also emulation and playing on the PC-centric Fightcade client for smooth co-op play online (which is completely free). 

If you have the money to burn, get an original copy of Sengoku 2 for your physical collection.  I HIGHLY recommend this game, but the price will deter many people from ever owning a physical copy of any sort. If not, settle for the Arcade Archives release or an alternative method because you must play this unique and fun beat-em-up any way you can.