The Rescue Rangers' second outing is an instant classic !!!
Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers 2 is the sequel to the previously released Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers and sees Chip and Dale go after Fatcat who places a fake bomb in a restaurant as a diversion to escape prison (where he presumably landed up after the events of the first game). Fatcat is after the Urn of the Pharoah which he plans to use to unleash ghosts all over the place. This game has a better and thicker plot as compared to its predecessor and the plot evolves through all levels which gives the levels a sense of continuity instead of merely acting as fillers. The levels themselves are smartly designed and instead of using the same structure through all levels, the designers have added various modifications and tweaks to offer as much variety as was feasible with the aging NES. Thus there are the standard platformer levels, there is a timed level without any boss, there are three levels where you're free to choose the order in which you wish to play them and there are instances wherein you'll be required to make choices in the game's "cutscenes". The levels themselves are set in varied locations and involve amusement park clock towers to western settings to futuristic areas.
One of the issues with the first game was how easy the boss fights were. That has been clearly addressed in this game and boss battles, while still simple, are relatively tougher compared to the first game. Items to hit the boss with are not always available; they are supplied by the bosses themselves. Thus a lot of waiting is to be done before the boss drops a box or a ball with which the boss can be hit. Also, bosses require significantly more hits than the standard 5 hits per boss in the first game. All this significantly lengthens the duration of boss battles giving the feeling of the bosses at least providing a decent challenge.
As in the first game, the player can choose to play either as Chip or Dale in single player. Two player Co-op is also present wherein the first and second player assume the roles of Chip and Dale respectively. The player starts with three hearts and one hit reduces one heart; three hits and a life is lost; three lives and a chance is lost; three chances lost gets the player back to the first level. Unlike the previous game though, it is possible to earn Rescue Ranger badges to increase one's health to five hearts. At the end of every stage, a mini-game allows you to take a hit at a 1Up and a 2Up. Depending on which one(s) you hit, you end up increasing none, one, two or three lives (if you manage to hit both simultaneously).
The visuals feel slightly tweaked from the first game. Animations are mostly the same but again, they feel a bit more polished. The sound is again a welcome relief and all the tunes heard in the levels, cutscenes or boss fights are a joy to listen to. The music played in the final boss battle has a particularly eerie feel to it without being too slow in tempo. During the cutscenes, words are typed out with different intensity sounds depending on which character speaks them. That's a pretty neat way to distinguish between character vocals without the use of voice.
All in all, Chip 'n Dale's second outing is every bit as fun as a platformer should be. It is one of the more polished games to have hit the NES at the end of its cycle and clearly shows why the NES was the reigning console of its time. This game comes highly recommended !!!