VGR Chip 'n Dale 2

Time to explore the sequel to the Chip 'n Dale NES title!

Don't miss out my previous Disney/Capcom-related reviews!

Disney's DuckTales

Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers

VGR: Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers 2

From Capcom

Played on Nes

Also available on /

Type Sidescrolling platformer

Year 1994

And they're back! 
Who else, but the Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers of course!

This is one of the very late NES releases. Nintendo had already released the Super Nes by then and most developers were focused on that new system (or Sega's own 16-bit rival system).
But not Capcom, you see, they still continued to release several sequels for some older titles while focusing on the new consoles with new titles.

Capcom was long past their Golden Age of 8-bit games.
Famed action/platformer developer Keiji Inafune already moved on different ideas.
This game was made by an entirely different staff at Capcom studios. 

But was it any good?

This new game follows the first one.
Our heroes, the Rescue Rangers, had just beaten their old foe Fatcat and he was currently locked up in prison. (?)
(surely they meant the pound..right?)

One day Chip and Dale caught a news report about a "time bomb" threat in a restaurant nearby.
Gadget, Monterey Jack and Zipper decided to go ahead and investigate the situation.

After exploring some areas and confronting some of their enemies one of the baddies let out the actual situation.
Turns out it all was a diversion!
Fatcat used all that commotion to steal some kind of magical artifact, the Urn of the Pharaoh!
And he's just released a bunch of spirits!
What!?
Exactly.

So the story doesn't make much sense and jumps from one point to another.
It's mostly all a big excuse for the game.
The levels take our heroes from a kitchen to docks, to a warehouse, a giant refrigerator, then they arrive at an amusement park (?!) where Fatcat challenges our heroes to find three keys.
Which lead to a small level-select area mid-game.
Those levels seem so random by that point that they seem like rejects from past Capcom Nes games.
An old west stage, a clocktower and some futuristic world which really looks and sounds like something out of a Mega Man (which isn't a bad thing actually).
Then it's up against Fatcat after one last ultimate level...

The game pumps out levels one after the other quite quickly.
I mean, the levels aren't that much challenging nor that long. They're usually composed of 2-3 long screens. Then a boss. Desperately easy, with a slow easy-to-get pattern and so little hits to take down.
At least they're fun looking, original and taken from the cartoon usually.

The gameplay hasn't changed much.
It's still your usual 8-bit platformer.
You can still pick up various little objects - mostly boxes.
This time you can throw them in 5 directions (diagonals and all), but you'll mostly only end up throwing them in front of you or above your head.

Let's just say it right away, the best aspect of the game is actually the fantastic soundtrack.
Composed by a Capcom veteran, Harumi Fujita.
It's pretty fun, uses the Nes sound system quite well and it's pretty close to Mega Man 1-2-3's level.
Kickass!

You can choose to be either Chip or Dale - default Chip for the 1-player and Dale for the second.
Playing co-op is great fun but a bit more chaotic due to all the action on screen then.
You can pick up your friend and use him as a weapon, no kiddin'!

There's also a bonus stage and even mini-games that you can only access by two players.

I only really had some trouble with the last boss, but even that was quite easy the actual time I defeated him.

Overall, still a pretty fun, pretty tight, well made 8-bit game.
If you liked the first? Why not try it!
The gameplay is similar and there's some new little additions... but the game is so much easier compared to the first one.. 

The levels are a bit more... I'd say, boring. Really.
Why not the option to select the stages from the go? Also the story feels a bit more intrusive this time. (since it makes less sense but there are even more cutscenes all the time!)
The bosses are nice looking but way to dumb and easy too.

It's kinda sad that it ended up being one of Capcom's last contributions to the system, the NES was then discontinued shortly after it.

The music's great though!
 

I give it:

2 / 3 Bruces!