BYTE-SIZE REVIEW
Zillion II: The Tri Formation
By Shaun Hatton - November 25th, 2008
When I was younger, a game that let me jump and shoot while riding a bike that transformed into a flying exo-suit could be nothing but completely awesome to me.
In fact, I’m pretty sure I’d be inclined to like any such game even today. Zillion II: The Tri Formation was based on the anime Zillion, which I have never actually seen nor was I aware of as a kid. Turns out the Sega Master System’s Light Phaser was designed to look like the guns used in the anime, which is pretty damn cool.
As JJ, the commander of the White Knights, players are tasked with navigating through eight levels to both rescue comrades Apple and Champ while defeating the goons of the evil Norsa Empire. Stages alternated between auto-scrolling cycle/exo-suit stages and on-foot levels. The Tri Formation is the name of the three-wheeled (and tri-mode) cycle. The on-foot levels each had a boss at the end of them. The boss at the end of the eighth stage, Baron Ricks, was (and still is) a dick. I just played the game today, made it to the end, and he killed me quickly.
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So do you mean to say this is another one of those games with a cool transforming character where you in fact play levels as one form or the other and get screwed out of transforming when you want?
The only time the game allows you to freely transform are the bike stages, and only if you have the correct power-up item to do so. Even still, it’s just better playing in the exo-suit mode. So yes, you’re correct.