Spark the Electric Jester 2
- May 16, 2019
- Feperd Games
- 2h median play time
Solid and definitely has an audience. There could be some hard-to-ignore faults, but the experience is fun.
Get on Steam"Spark the Electric Jester 2" is a fast-paced 2D platformer game featuring a robot named Spark. Equipped with electric abilities, Spark must save the world from an evil force. The game offers challenging levels, various upgrades, and intense boss battles that test your skills and reflexes. With its vibrant graphics and electrifying gameplay, Spark the Electric Jester 2 promises an exciting experience for fans of the platformer genre.
PC
Steam Deck
Windows
Xbox One
Xbox
Reviews
- The game captures the speed and platforming essence of classic Sonic games, providing a thrilling experience for fans.
- The level design is expansive and encourages exploration, with multiple paths and hidden collectibles.
- The soundtrack is engaging and complements the fast-paced gameplay, enhancing the overall experience.
- The combat system feels shallow and repetitive, often reducing boss fights to simple button mashing.
- The story lacks depth and character development, making it hard to connect with the narrative.
- The game is relatively short, with a playtime of around 2-3 hours, which may not justify the full price for some players.
- story192 mentions
- 15 % positive mentions
- 76 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The story of "Spark the Electric Jester 2" is generally viewed as mediocre and lacking depth, with many reviewers noting its cheesy dialogue, rushed character development, and a plot that often feels nonsensical or undercooked. While some appreciate its attempts at humor and the nostalgic nods to earlier games, the overall consensus is that the narrative fails to engage players, making it less memorable compared to the gameplay experience. Many suggest that the story serves primarily as a backdrop to the action, with little incentive for replayability or emotional investment in the characters.
“This is the evolution of 3D Sonic, level design that trusts and never restricts, a cheesy story that hypes itself up while going full swing; you can't help but find it endearing.”
“The creative world design, frenetic gameplay, and interesting story make Spark the Electric Jester 2 a worthwhile experience.”
“The story ends up being equal parts quest of self-discovery, retreading of the first game’s plot, and setup for the conclusion of the trilogy.”
“The story is thrown at you in sudden bursts and many times it feels like you've missed large chunks of it and the characters feel both flat and incomplete.”
“The story is pretty short, its shorter than the last games, but i think they did a great job.”
“The story in spark 2 is one of the biggest amalgamations of bad dialogue, nonsensical lore and mismanaged characters I ever saw.”
- gameplay180 mentions
- 34 % positive mentions
- 62 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Spark the Electric Jester 2" is generally praised for its fast-paced, fluid mechanics that successfully translate the essence of classic 3D Sonic games into a modern context. While the parry and combat systems are seen as somewhat simplistic and can detract from the overall experience, the level design and movement capabilities are highlighted as standout features that encourage exploration and speedrunning. Despite some control issues and a lack of depth in boss battles, the game is regarded as a solid and enjoyable platformer, especially for fans of the genre.
“The different power-ups and the parry mechanic make this game so fast and fun to play with quite a bit of variety.”
“The gameplay is really easy to learn, even for someone like me who has not picked up a platformer in like 6 years.”
“The gameplay itself is good, though the level design kind of makes you ignore every single enemy and just push through as there is no real reward in fighting the enemies.”
“Weird combat mechanics that just detract from the platforming.”
“The gameplay overall feels similar to the Sonic Adventure games mixed with some simple combat mechanics which aren't great to use, as most of the levels I just avoided combat altogether until the bosses.”
“The parry system combines the parry attributes of Fark's and Spark's dodge parry into one and it is a double-edged sword; it feels more like a beginner crutch and makes the combat less engaging.”
- music160 mentions
- 58 % positive mentions
- 39 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received widespread acclaim, with many reviewers praising its energetic and catchy soundtrack that evokes nostalgia for classic titles like Sonic Adventure. While some tracks are noted for being reused from the previous game, the overall composition is considered strong, featuring a mix of rock and electronic influences that enhance the gameplay experience. However, a few critics mentioned that the soundtrack lacks the variety of its predecessor, leading to some repetitiveness in later stages.
“The soundtrack is just as great as in the first game.”
“There's a great soundtrack that harkens back to Sonic's Dreamcast era with catchy melodies and punchy instrumentation, and the game looks great in motion.”
“The music is fantastic, as to be expected; visuals were pretty nice for the most part, with the exception of some cutscene animations looking a little jank which I was willing to forgive, and the final boss was pretty cool.”
“Unfortunate, then, that there isn't enough music for all of the stages and bosses to have unique tracks, and several stages re-use tracks from the first game completely unchanged.”
“The soundtrack features less variety than the first game, instead doubling down on high energy rock and techno.”
“The final few levels feature a number of re-used music tracks from the first game.”
- graphics47 mentions
- 49 % positive mentions
- 45 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally praised for their vibrant colors and appealing art style, reminiscent of classic titles like Sonic Adventure 2, with varied aesthetics across levels. While some users noted minor graphical bugs and performance issues, the overall visual presentation is considered charming and well-executed for a solo developer project. However, a few critiques mention that certain elements, like animations and details, could be improved, indicating a mix of strong aesthetics with some rough edges.
“The graphics look amazing aesthetically speaking with all the lush backgrounds that take clear inspiration from the 3D Sonic games (mainly Adventure 1 & 2 with a little bit of Heroes).”
“Graphically the game has charm and identity; I like the translation to 3D here, and some places look very cool, even if the urban setting kind of overstays its welcome where Spark 1 had a good balance between nature and technology.”
“The graphics help a bit, with the bold colors and simple shapes making it remarkably easy to see where you can and should go.”
“As for the graphics, these are passable.”
“This results in Spark 2 being a game with baffling low production values: subpar graphics, basic animation, some recycled songs from the first game, underdeveloped game mechanics, spotty art style, short length, and abysmal sound design.”
“Needs some performance patches as a game of this graphical fidelity should not be having performance problems.”
- replayability18 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The game's replayability is a mixed bag; while some players find it lacking in story motivation and feel the short playtime (around 2-3 hours) limits its appeal, others appreciate the built-in replay features like time and score attacks, unlockable challenge modes, and speedrunning opportunities. Overall, it offers a decent amount of replay value, especially for those who enjoy collectibles and competing for better scores, but may not entice everyone to replay the story itself.
“Super fluid, very replayable, and overall a great experience.”
“This game has a surprising amount of replay value considering the amount of content in it.”
“Beating the game unlocks some unreasonable challenge modes, so in terms of replayability you’ll want to focus on collectibles and scoring medal times on stages.”
“Once you finish it, I really did not feel like replaying the story. I didn't seem encouraged to play it again; it's fun, but it lacks the replayability that some Sonic games like Frontiers or Generations do for me.”
“The game is also very short, with a complete playthrough taking less than 3 hours, though there's built-in replayability in the form of standard time and score attacks.”
“It should also be noted that all of this game's stages are playable in Spark 3, meaning the only merits this game alone has are the story and the bosses.”
- humor12 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is a mixed bag, with some players finding the story and character interactions genuinely funny, particularly the protagonist's antics and the absurdity of certain boss fights. While the game features amusing moments and clever references, some reviewers feel that it occasionally takes itself too seriously, suggesting that a greater emphasis on humor could enhance the overall experience. Overall, the humor is appreciated but not the central focus of the game.
“Nothing will ever be as hilarious to me as how Sonic fans question the integrity of a robot jester shooting lightning as a video game character when that character is paying homage to a bipedal blue hedgehog running fast to collect golden rings in order to survive, whose game was in turn inspired by someone playing a game about an Italian guy with a mustache and a red overall eating mushrooms to grow bigger and stomp on turtle shells to rescue a princess from a kingdom where everyone was mushroom people.”
“The final boss fight actually had me laughing out loud at how ridiculous it was.”
“It was funny to see that Spark's goal was just to get his job back, and having the result be that he saved the world.”
- character development12 mentions
- 58 % positive mentions
- 17 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
Character development in the game receives mixed reviews, with some praising the aesthetics and character designs as cool and interesting, while others criticize the inconsistency and quality of the designs, particularly in 3D. Players appreciate the fluidity and speed of the main character, but feel that combat mechanics detract from the overall experience. Overall, while the game features engaging environments and enjoyable character animations, the character designs are seen as a significant point of contention.
“The characters are also fun and interesting, and the character design is incredible.”
“Great speed, music, fun levels, cool bosses and mini bosses, cool art style and character design, and good control is what makes this game fun.”
“Expect wonderful environments and good character designs, with most of the soundtrack being on par with the first game.”
“The character design is all over the place.”
“The larger focus of combat really slows the game down and the level design is made specifically for this, while the weapon switching mechanic worked in 2D it doesn't translate to 3D as well due to the obvious combat issues, lack of voice acting is jarring and a ton of the character designs are hideous.”
“Also kind of related to the story, the character designs are... not very good.”
- optimization10 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 30 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization is generally well-received, with many players noting smooth performance and improved stability compared to its predecessor. However, some users experienced freezing issues during boss fights and had to adjust settings for older hardware to maintain consistent frame rates. While the game runs well for most, it could benefit from further performance patches to address specific graphical fidelity concerns.
“Speed gives you incentive to go fast and break the stages, and while Spark 1 was rewarding to do it, Spark 2 felt optimized for that. Score running is the reason why Spark 2 even became one of my favorites; it really does fix Spark 1's issues when it came to engaging with enemies on occasions outside of them being an obstacle to dispose.”
“The game runs smoothly so far, with a fixed 60 fps and vsync on.”
“The performance issues that plagued the first game are not here too.”
“Great game, but with kind of bad optimization.”
“Needs some performance patches, as a game of this graphical fidelity should not be having performance problems.”
“As for performance, I have an old Radeon HD6670 and had to turn the resolution down to 1024x576 and some settings down to get a mostly consistent 50-60fps (aside from some parts near the end).”
- emotional3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Reviewers express disappointment in the emotional impact of the sequel compared to the first game, citing a lack of clarity in character motivations and missed opportunities for intense moments. Many felt that key scenes failed to evoke the heartwarming feelings experienced in the original, leading to a diminished sense of epicness and connection.
“But it didn't give that same special emotional, heartwarming, amazing feeling that Spark 1 gave me.”
“Maybe because it's been so long or because I never finished the first game, but I didn't really understand why anything was happening or what the characters' motivations were supposed to be. Moments that I think should have been emotional or intense did nothing for me.”
“And with this speech he had earlier, I really expected Fark to fight something bigger than Freom, like, I don't know, some sort of physical embodiment of that clarify thing, something that would have made me feel the same epicness as Spark 1.”
- stability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability is notably improved compared to its predecessor, with players reporting very few bugs and glitches during gameplay, thanks to the developer's use of a more reliable engine.
“Spark 1 was quite buggy due to the engine and game maker he was using.”
“Having created this game in Unity (with his own 3D Sonic fan game engine base), it's proven to work for him, seeing as I had encountered very few bugs and glitches during my playthrough.”
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find grinding in recent Sonic titles, particularly in "Frontiers," to be tedious and time-consuming, leading to a preference for minimizing combat encounters to enhance gameplay flow.
“Stopping to fight is a tedious waste of time, which is why I can see that Sonic Team minimized this in their past decade of titles (aside from Frontiers).”
