I have to imagine the creators of this game well remember the irritation of waiting for a level to reload after slightly mistiming a jump, when all you want is to try it again right now. This might seem like a minor point, but when you die 50 times on a level, it makes a tremendous difference having the transition be as quick and painless as possible.
This sequel also offers something the original Prinny did not, an additional concession to those who just want to get on with it: an easier difficulty mode, with health containers strewn throughout the level and less difficult jumps (there's no health containers in normal or hard mode). Of course, they have to stick it to you a little if you use this mode. Your character will be wearing a diaper. (Another refreshing change from other titles is the ability to change the difficulty level at any time throughout the game, when between levels. So if you're really stuck on a level, you can always lower the difficulty.)
The game mechanics are a lot of fun, your prinny (a penguine-type character who says "dood" a lot) has a number of moves at his disposal. A ground stomp move doesn't normally do damage but can stun an enemy, increasing the damage they take and opening them up to other attacks. Filling your combo meter can put your prinny into an overdrive mode, increasing damage and opening up some special moves. Both of these strategies prove indispensable in boss fights.
In addition to the addictive gameplay, the story is hilarious. An evil overlord, Etna, has had her panties stolen. She sends her not-so-evil minions, the prinnies, to retrieve it. She doesn't care how many of them have to die in order to get the job done. In fact, given how casually she disposes of them, it almost seems like more might be better.
For their part, the prinnies have a certain fatal resignation to their task. After all, they walk around with bombs strapped to their chests; they're used to being entirely expendable. So as the game begins, the only goal is to retrieve Etna's delicates before all 1000 of the prinnies are killed.
All dialogue is voiced, and voiced well, and though the story is typically Japanese, the humour is right on target for English audiences. Chalk it up to good localization. (The constant use of "dood", for example, is pretty American.)
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