Game Data:
- Review Date: June 10, 2021
- Release Date: December 29, 1993
- Platform: Super Famicom
- Publisher: Bandai
- Developer: Angel
- Genre: Beat ‘Em Up
Anecdotes: OK, I went back through the first game and beat stage 1 with each girl to find out their names. Yes, I could have easily just looked them up, but I wanted to practice translating names from Japanese katakana. It helped that there was an easy theme to identify; all of the girls except Sailor Moon are named after planets.
Description: The game picks up where the first one left off. The basics of gameplay are exactly the same. Players pick a Sailor at the start and must use her through the entire game. Once she is chosen, she can’t be switched out unless players start over. The game is short, as it’s only 4 stages. The five ladies to choose from, in alphabetical order, are Sailor Jupiter, Sailor Mars, Sailor Mercury, Sailor Moon, and Sailor Venus. Keep in mind that my opinions are based on only the games because I have never seen the anime/manga.
Positives:
- Let me start the Positives section by comparing the game to Double Dragon. Here is why this is the better game.
- Sailor Moon R allows players to choose from five characters. DD only has one.
- SMR has a defined jump button. DD used two buttons together.
- SMR gives players access to all moves right away.
- ALL HAIL SAILOR JUPITER. This girl’s awesomeness is off the charts. She’s got her hair back in a way that looks like she’s ready to beat people up. She’s dressed in green, making her look like an Irish dancer. However, the best part about her is that she can do PILEDRIVERS!! That’s right; she can pick up enemies and drive them down.
- If anyone complains about games not having enough girls and women in them, some them this game. There is a heavily female presence throughout the game, and nearly everything in is female, including all five heroines, the first boss, every minion in stage 1, and even mud blobs. The only exceptions I saw were the boss of stage 2 and a bunch of guys that roll around on the ground.
- The developers added a nice feature: Falling in water is not instant death. Whenever a Sailor falls into the water, she loses some health, but she restarts from where she fell. It’s a much fairer system, and taking out the instant deaths makes the game more fun to play.
Negatives:
- Sailor Venus had her whip taken away. I would guess this was done to balance the girls so that they’re all equally difficult, but it removed the only thing that made her stand out. She pretty much looks like Sailor Moon on top of that.
Screenshots:
Final Opinion: It’s really a shame this game never made it to North America. The girls in my family would have loved it and I think the boys would have, too. If the gaming industry were serious about the female market in North America at the time, this game may have blown up. This game was much more fun than it had any right to be.
Grade: A