Parasol Stars:
The Story of Rainbow Islands 2
| Developer: N/A | Graphics: |
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| Publisher: Ocean | Sound: |
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| Year: 1992 | Difficulty: |
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| Genre: Platformer | Lastability: |
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| Number of players: 2 simultaneous | Rating: |
7/10 | |
Once upon a time, a chubby little boy was skipping through the forest. In his hand, a multicoloured umbrella bobbed up and down. The weather was nice, the birds were singing, the bees were buzzing, and ponies were flying in the sky.
“Hello, little one!” called a nasal voice.
The boy turned his head and saw the most amazing and cute creature ever: a pink elephant wearing a diaper.
“Do you like movies about gladiators?” asked the elephant, before noticing the object the child was holding menacingly. “What are you doing?”
“Population control”, retorted the boy, delivering a violent umbrella smack to its face.
The animal collapsed heavily and curled up, groaning. Eric, that’s the name of the little boy, threw himself on top of it and continued to beat it mercilessly, shouting:
“Respect my authoritah!”
After a while, all he was doing was pounding wet chunks of bone, so he stopped. And in a puff of smoke, the dead elephant transformed into a chocolate ice lolly!
The adorable cherub picked up the ice cream, laughing; that’s when he spotted, not far away, a walrus in a blue tuxedo. He cheerfully made his way towards it, twirling his multicoloured umbrella…
This sequel to Rainbow Islands feels more like Bubble Bobble, due to its small enclosed levels and recognisable bonuses (the famous bubbles that release torrents of water, lightning, or flames). You also encounter some familiar faces in the creature roster.
Giving an umbrella as a weapon, what a brilliant idea, especially since its use turns out to be quite technical. You can use it as a parachute, Mary Poppins-style, to shield yourself from projectiles, or even to launch all sorts of objects, enemies, and even your hapless partner in two-player mode! This cooperative element must add a bit of spice. I played it alone, and it was mind-numbingly boring…
Additionally, the irritating music (the boss theme makes me think of The Lambada) combined with the memory of Mary Poppins now fills me with an irresistible urge to torment small animals.
“Oh, the cute little turtle!”
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