Power Stone 2 Review

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After the hit that was Power Stone in 1999, Capcom got back to work with its sequel and in 2000 released Power Stone 2 for the Sega Dreamcast offering an array of new gameplay, characters, and modes. Would the new additions work in the arena fighter or would the original hold the power? We’re looking for more magical stones in this Power Stone 2 review!

Power Stone 2 Plot:

After the events of Power Stone, our cast of characters find themselves continuing to search for more stones to make their wishes come true. One day a mysterious castle arrives floating in the sky surrounded by dark clouds. Each of the characters are drawn to it by a source of power.

I won’t go into detail explaining during this Power Stone 2 review on who each of the old characters is but I’ll tell you how they get to the castle and why. With the new fighters, I’ll give some backstory to them as they are introduced to the series for the first time.

Edward Falcon – Our favorite airplane pilot was traveling in his plane when a storm overtakes control and sends it crashing into the floating island of the castle. Edward gets out and decides to explore the castle.

Ayame – After deceiving her master in the first Power Stone by giving him a fake stone, Ayame receives a letter from him summoning her. Worried that he has discovered her secret she sets out to find a real power stone to give to him. Ayame discovers the floating castle and heads toward it in hopes of uncovering a stone.

Gunrock – Having grown bored from all the drinking and gambling after acquiring a power stone, Gunrock wants to go on another treasure hunt. After hearing a rumor about a floating castle nearby, Gunrock launches himself from an air cannon and lands on the castle.

Ryoma – Discovering a legendary sword has Ryoma reflecting its edge in the moonlight. One night, the sword reflects a floating castle in the clouds. Believing the castle is evil, Ryoma floats up into the sky with the help of his legendary sword.

Wang-Tang – Training on the top of a mountain in martial arts, a giant shadow descends upon Wang-Tang. Looking up, he discovers the castle above his head. Believing this is the final trial of his training, Wang-Tang jumps to the castle and enters it.

Galuda – Enjoying his honeymoon with his bride, the two are flying around on a cruise airship. When the ship hits something, the pair are thrown from the ship. Galuda wakes up next to the castle. Believing his wife is in danger and inside the castle, he enters it in hopes of finding his wife.

Rouge – As a fortune teller, Rouge often uses her crystal ball to see the future. One day while using it the crystal cracks as dark clouds hover over Rogue. She decides to meditate to find the source of the dark clouds and when she opens them she is inside of a castle.

Jack – With the power stone granting all his wishes, Jack continues to wish for “shiny” things and objects to “slice”. A voice enters his head telling him a castle will appear during the next full moon that will be full of treasure and shiny things. When the full moon appears, Jack discovers the castle and is absorbed into it.

That’s it for the old characters, but Power Stone 2 introduces a few new ones for you to play as!

Pete – He’s a wooden puppet who just wants to be a real boy. One day he comes to life in the toy box of a child. Pete dreams of creating things to delight others and is whisked away through the window to a castle. Sounds a lot like another wooden puppet from Disney.

Julia – Hailing from an elegant rich family, Julia, is bipolar. Her family makes her act proper with grace but she has another side to her where she has dark desires with a radical personality. The family has a power stone that helps controls Julia’s split personality but one day she runs away and finds herself inside a mysterious castle.

Gourmand – As the head chef of a luxurious airship, Gourmand enjoys the ritzy life. He takes his cooking very seriously and will do anything to get his hands on rare ingredients. One day he sees a floating castle as the airship flies by. He believes there could be some new ingredients he’s never used before in the castle and takes a leap to land on it.

Accel – He’s a rouge outlaw and gunman who was ambushed by a gang. They tie him to a hot air balloon and he floats into the sky. Accel passes out and wakes up in a castle with a power stone in his hand. He feels a thirst for revenge against the ones who put him here.

Power Stone 2 Gameplay:

I was blown away by the leap in gameplay and upgrades during my Power Stone 2 review. In the original Power Stone (a great game) you’re put into an arena with breakable objects, weapons, and other items to use as you fight another character. You’ll fight numerous characters until you fight the final boss. That gameplay is typical of almost every fighting game out there, but Power Stone 2 adds another layer.

Aside from more characters to play as you start with a level selection screen choosing where you want to start your adventure. After defeating your first opponent you’ll continue to have two different paths to choose from. I loved this during my Power Stone 2 review and it made me really feel like I was in control of the game. Each level was fun and unique and after playing them a few times I knew which ones I liked and which ones I wanted to avoid.

Another inclusion in Power Stone 2 is bosses. I know Power Stone had final fights that were extremely tough against Valgas and Kraken but in Power Stone 2 you will fight a Pharaoh Walker halfway through your adventure and the end boss named Dr. Erode. The Pharaoh Walker is a giant walking artifact found in the desert. It will spin around knocking you down, jump on you and try to gobble you up. Taking out two of its legs will make it fall where you can attack its head.

The final boss is a giant looking zombie. To get to him you’ll have to defeat a few wooden soldiers and climb the stairs to face him. He’ll try and eat you with a fork. You’ll have to avoid his sweeping hands, stabbing fork and sharp teeth as you attack his head to open up his heart compartment. He’s much easier to defeat than Valgas but still gave me a challenge.

If you’ve played PlayStation All-Stars for the PS3 you’ll be aware of the levels shifting environments. Power Stone 2 did this and I loved it. Each level has unique timed events where you will have to run to escape danger or manage shifting cliffs or spikes. This made each level essentially split in two and offered even more gameplay. for my Power Stone 2 review.

Memories:
I never played Power Stone 2 growing up and I never knew Power Stone had a sequel. I’m bummed that the series is dead as the first two games are great.