- Emulator: JPC-RR r11.8 rc2
- Takes damage to save time
- Genre: Platform
Image information can be found in the movie file, as I feel it's too long to post here. It uses an unmodified installation of registered version 2.0, which contains the files from all 3 episodes.
The story starts right where Episode 1 left off. This time, Duke must make his way to Dr. Proton's moonbase and destroy it as quickly as possible (wouldn't want to miss Oprah, after all).
Mechanics
There is nothing complicated about the physics of this game. There is no acceleration in the x-direction and very little to speak of in the y-direction. The only movement gimmick is conveyer belts that appear in some levels, which double your movement speed when running along them and completely stopping you when running against them. Duke has a fixed jump height (3 tiles normally, 4 tiles with jump boots) with two ways to shorten it: bump your head on a ceiling or get hurt. The jump height is often a bottleneck while platforming so these jump shortening techniques are used as frequently as possible.
Duke can only take 8 hits and his health doesn't get reset when starting a level. There are health pickups scattered throughout the levels, with soda cans healing 1 unit, chicken healing 1 unit (2 if shot), and atomic health completely healing Duke. Planning which health to pick up and which damage to take is the most difficult part of this run.
By default, only one bullet can appear on the screen at a time, but more can be added by picking up extra guns for a maximum of 4 bullets. Again, the value of picking one of these up has to be weighed along with the amount of time it costs to pick up.
Level 1
Nothing much going on yet, this level is as simple as it gets.
Level 2
An extra gun is picked up here which allows 2 shots to appear on screen at once. It's a small time investment (about 1.5 seconds) but will help throughout the run. It allows us to be more aggressive when handling enemies and will make the final boss fight significantly shorter.
Level 3
After getting the robohand, it's exactly one frame faster to jump over the building than to fall down through it. The robohand is used to extend a bridge which you normally would have to go back near the beginning to cross, but with a well-timed jump you can get on top of it while it's extending.
Level 4
Another really simple level. The fire guys are invincible, which is why they're not shot at. Health is starting to look like a problem here, but things will work out in the next level.
Level 5
Despite the level looking maze-like, there really aren't too many routing options for this one. The Dr Proton text trigger can actually be skipped on the way to the boots, but once you have the boots it will trigger on the way back no matter what you do. The jump boots let you jump up 4 tiles instead of 3, but more importantly allow you to do sick flips.
Level 6
This level has some fairly annoying backtracking that isn't avoidable. One of the most difficult parts of the run to optimize is the barrier at the end, which requires 10 shots to take down. A fan and some blocks also have to be busted to effectively destroy the barrier, which can be done from a distance. This is one place where picking up the extra bullet in level 2 really pays off.
Level 7
Picking up the grappling hook here, which allows you to hang onto and flip up over certain ceilings. There's actually another one in level 9 for some reason, even though you can't beat this level without it.
Level 8
This is where health really starts to become a concern. While this level is short, there's tons of hazards in the way and not a lot of convenient health pickups. There's an atomic health refill that's not too far out of the way, but we'll pass on that and try to squeak by on low health for now. Sacrificing time to take less damage still won't be necessary.
Level 9
We reach the brink of death before finally getting some fried chicken. Despite Dr Proton calling this a "maze", there really aren't that many ways to go. Another short level.
Level 10
This level features an unusual shortcut. The section in the bottom right part of the level with the rockets looks like a dead end, but inexplicably one of the gray tiles directly above one of the rockets is passable, while the rest are solid. This puts you right under the access card, saving over 3 seconds and also serving as a less hazardous way than the conventional route. The boss is incredibly easy, just stand in front of him and spam bullets.
Thanks
- Foone: Did the Episode 1 run and a testrun for Episode 2 back in 2010 that unfortunately he never got around to polishing up and releasing. The testrun was a fantastic reference. I did make sure to compare each level and confirm that I at least matched or improved upon each one. This run beats the testrun by a little over 16 seconds (up to the final hit on the final boss, this run is a bit longer because the testrun doesn't go up through the ending).
- Shortmandesigner: Did a walkthrough of Episode 2, which is how I found out about the level 10 shortcut.
Nach: Nice run, although a tad on the repetitive/mindless wandering side due to less than stellar level design. Meager but mostly positive feedback. Weakly accepting to moons.
