More like Super Gussun Oyoyo: Version 1.5...

Japanese Game Box Front

This Is One Of Many Outfits
That Emily Will Wear.

If you Like Emily In Armor,
This Should Make You Proud.

Emily Must Love Cosplaying...

Those Lucky Little Rascals!

Irem Is Very Proud Of Both
Gussun And Oyoyo.

Did you play Super Gussun Oyoyo and enjoy it? If so, then you will also want to try Super Gussun Oyoyo 2. Made in 1996, this sequel has a few differences from the first SNES Gussun Oyoyo game. Strangely enough, this game received a fan translation unlike the previous game and you can find it on the net. The story of the game is similar to SGO, so playing this game will generally give you an idea of what the original game was about...even if you have no knowledge of Japanese. You will once again take the role of two great treasure hunters: Gussun and Oyoyo. After their previous adventure through a mysterious dungeon, the duo decide that a vacation is in order so they go to the Nankoku Islands. Things seem to be perfect...until the volcano on the island they are on erupts! News travels fast so George informs Emily (The treasure hunting duo adore George and Emily) that the island that the duo was on has erupted. To make matters worse, the island is sinking into the sea! If you know Gussun and Oyoyo from the previous game, you'd know that they can't swim to save their lives and there are no power-ups to get them across the ocean. The only safe place is the highest point on the island and it's up to you to get the two kids up there safely!

While the story takes place somewhere different, the story is the same deal; After hearing George's message, Emily worries and prays that Gussun (and Oyoyo on 2 player mode) will make it back in one piece. After every four stages, you are still rewarded with a brief intermission that tells you how close you are to finishing the game. The story isn't the only thing that's similar to SGO...The visuals are also more of the same. This is not bad at all because if it ain't broken, don't fix it. The game is as colorful and cute as the previous game. Emily does look a little older and more mature, but otherwise, the game has the same smooth animation and stylish look of SGO. You can also find a great assortment of music in SGO2 with some "Wild West" sounding tunes as well as jazzy tunes too. The music is fast and the quality is good. SGO2 also offers more tunes than the previous game and more (in this case) is always good.

SGO2 generally plays the same as SGO, though there are some differences in the main game and versus game as well as a new mode that wasn't in SGO. In case you haven't played SGO, here's how the game plays. SGO2 combines elements from Lemmings, Tetris and S.O.S: Sink or Swim and Irem also added their own twist to make things interesting. The Lemmings aspect of the game is that you must guide Gussun (as well as Oyoyo in 2 player mode) to the exit placed on the level. You can't exactly control Gussun directly...you must create stairs that he can climb on top of to get higher until he reaches the exit (some stages have 2 exits) and Gussun will automatically move to the left and right of the screen at his own pace. This is where the Tetris aspect comes in; you must use falling blocks (that can be rotated) that come in various different patterns to make the stairs to help Gussun. Gussun can climb on top of a block that is placed in front of his path, so long as it is only one block high. If you drop a block on top of another block, Gussun won't be able to proceed and will walk off in the opposite direction. If you make a mistake while setting up the blocks, don't panic! You get bombs to get rid of some of your blocks every now and then. The S.O.S. aspects comes into play if you take too long...water will begin to rise from the bottom of the screen and Gussun will drown if he gets in too deep since he can't swim.

You can also use blocks to speed Gussun up if you drop a block down fast next to him, but don't crush him with a block or he'll die. You can speed up blocks by pressing and holding down on the directional pad and slow down a block by holding up. Gussun can even ride on top of your blocks (or bombs) before you set them down which can be used to move Gussun around quickly and make it easy to reach the exit on certain stages. Bombs don't kill Gussun when they explode (they scare him stiff for a second), but they can also crush Gussun if you let them. Bombs can be detonated with the push of a button, so you can set them off whenever you want. Gussun will also numerous silly foes that will get in the way. Each enemy moves and behaves differently...however, SGO2 introduces a new enemy too...a "Metal Gussun" that if you kill it, you will die as well! There are spikes set on certain levels that can thrust out and stab Gussun if he approaches them and if your blocks stack too high (to the point where you can't place down another one), you also lose a life.

Unlike SGO, Emily and George have different levels from each other. There are various items scattered across the 64 main stages (32 for Emily and 32 for George) that will aid you in your quest. You can grab a potion for temporary invincibility, air bubbles so Gussun can survive underwater for a short period of time, a stopwatch to stop everything on-screen except for Gussun, food items for points, and a water gem that will lower the water level back to the bottom of the screen. You will also find Mini-Gussuns that you can lead to the exit with you. If you collect 10 of them, you can gain an extra life. All of the aforementioned items can also be found in SGO, so there are no additional power-ups in the main game of SGO2. SGO2 does not have a training level like SGO, but you can now resume from where you left off. If you decide to quit on stage 32, you can come back later and start on stage 32. You can also start from stages 1, 9, or 17...though you won't see the intro if you start on any stage besides the first one. You have an options mode that presents you with typical options such as changing difficulty and listening to music.

SGO2's versus mode plays out differently than it did in SGO. Instead of trying to prevent your character from drowning, you have to prevent them from being burnt alive! You now have health bars and your life gets drained as you touch the fire. As you fight to avoid becoming a roasted ham, you can grab a couple of items to give your opponent a severe headache such as bombs and blocks to screw around with your opponent's setup. SGO2 now has a puzzle mode that isn't available in the previous game. In SGO's defense, SGO2 does not have the edit mode where you made your own stages...which I think is a shame, but oh well. The puzzle mode is generally designed for puzzle lunatics only. There are five areas in the puzzle mode, each with 8 challenging puzzles to conquer. If you combine the stages of puzzle mode and the main game, you will play over 100 different levels in SGO2.

Like SGO, SGO2 LOOKS like a kiddie game, but rest assured, this game is tough enough for even skilled gamers. I am not particularly pleased that the edit mode was removed, but you get over 100 levels. The versus mode has also been improved over the original to add for more multi-player mayhem. In the end, SGO2 is still a good sequel to a great game.

- Written by Vyse the determined -