| Spark the Electric Jester 2 | |
|---|---|
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| Developer | Feperd Games |
| Publisher | Feperd Games |
| Designer | Felipe Daneluz |
| Composers |
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| Engine | Unity |
| Platforms | |
| Release |
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| Genre | Platform |
| Mode | Single-player |
Spark the Electric Jester 2 (or simplySpark 2) is a 2019platform game created by Brazilianindie developer Felipe Daneluz. It is a 3D sequel to Daneluz's previous 2D gameSpark the Electric Jester, released in 2017. The player controls Spark's robotic counterpart, Fark, on his quest to find Doctor Armstrong. Fark must be guided through variouslevels and may engage enemies in combat. While fast-paced platforming is emphasized, levels are approachable in multiple ways.
Development ofSpark 2 began after the first game's release. Daneluz utilized his own unofficial 3DSonic the Hedgehoggame engine in its creation. With the exception of music composition, the game was developed by him mostly alone.Spark 2 was released in May 2019 forWindows and in September 2020 for theXbox One. Critics believed the game would appeal to players who enjoyed theSonic Adventure titles and complimented its controls andlevel design. However, the combat elements and certain level sections were criticized.
A third entry,Spark the Electric Jester 3, was released in August 2022.
Departing from its2D predecessor,Spark the Electric Jester 2 is a 3Dplatform game.[1] The player controls Spark's robotic counterpart, Fark, through 14 differentlevels.[2] Fark is capable of running on walls, ceilings,[3] and throughvertical loops.[4] The levels, while emphasizing fast-paced platforming,[5] are approachable in multiple ways.[2] They are populated by enemies of varying strength, of which engagement is typically optional. Fark is able to attack and bounce off of smaller enemies by homing in on them, but must deal multiple attacks to defeat larger ones.[5] A shield can be activated for a few seconds toparry enemy attacks and protect Fark from level hazards.[5][6] The player can also pick uppower-ups,[1][2] altering Fark's design and giving him different combat abilities.[1][4]Boss fights take place in arenas and revolve around parrying and reacting to attack cues.[2][5]
For each level, two different medals can be earned measuring the player's score and time respectively.[2][5] The player can also collect pieces ofconcept art in the levels.[5]
After the defeat of Freom, Fark is in the care of Doctor Armstrong. Wanting to learn Fark's real name, Armstrong prepares to examine his code but is abruptly kidnapped by a grey look-alike of Fark. Fark encounters the look-alike, E.J, at the outskirts of F.M City. E.J reveals he has hidden Armstrong somewhere and has orders from Freom to kill Fark. After defeating amech under E.J's command, Fark runs into a robotic mage named Romalo. At his advice, Fark sets off for Technoria City in pursuit of E.J, with Romalo and a formie named Astra intending to observe him. Elsewhere, E.J reconvenes with a group of robot renegades, Flint, Double, and Float, who are also working with Freom to kill Fark.
Fark kills Float atop an abandoned castle and arrives at Technoria City. There, he is disrupted by a voice named Clarity. Introducing themselves as anartificial intelligence Armstrong created, Clarity pleads for Fark's help in stopping Freom. After defeating E.J, Fark encounters Flint, Double, and Freom. Freom reveals that Armstrong is dead and Fark's real name is Unit-2, being the creation of Freom (Unit-1). Fark subsequently defeats Double and later Flint, with the latter telling Fark not to trust Clarity.
E.J encounters Fark aboard a fleet of spaceships and denies killing Armstrong. E.J is then impaled by Astra, who engages Fark in battle as she suspects he plans to replace Freom. As Astra dies, she reveals herself to be a robot and an agent of Clarity to Romalo. Fark then encounters Freom inside a spacecraft, who tells him that Armstrong built Megaraph to create Clarity. Despite her intended purpose of protecting all life, Clarity plans to exterminate both people and robots. Freom intends to direct the spacecraft into the planet, causing amass extinction that destroys Clarity and all life. Afterwards, he plans to rebuild the world for robots alongside Fark. Fark rejects Freom's offer and fights a remote body of Freom's. After their battle, Fark is told he is a copy of Freom's fundamental data, as Freom was incapable of transferring his own consciousness to a different body. Freom provokes Fark into transforming into a more powerful body at will, an ability Freom lacks, and tests him in one final fight. Fark then obliterates Freom's host body while Flint and Armstrong watch from the surface below.
Like the firstSpark the Electric Jester game,Spark the Electric Jester 2 was created by Brazilianindie developer Felipe Daneluz.[7] Development began after the 2017 release of its predecessor using Hedge Physics,[8][9] an unofficial 3DSonic the Hedgehoggame engine made by Daneluz inUnity. He had begun to dabble in the creation of a 3DSonic engine as he familiarized himself with Unity in college, believing that there were no similar publicly released engines at the time.[10]: 24:59–25:53 Hedge Physics' release, assisted by programmer Héctor Barreiro-Cabrera,[11][12] gave Daneluz the motivation to produce an original title utilizing the technology.[10]: 24:59–25:53 Although a sequel toSpark the Electric Jester had not been planned, he chose to develop a game about Fark due to positive reception of the character.[13]: 16:25-16:49 Daneluz also felt that fast-paced 3D platformers were scarce, in demand, and a type of game he wanted to create.[13]: 27:42–28:12 Spark 2 was formally announced asFark the Electric Jester on September 12, 2017, through a trailer published on Daneluz'sYouTube channel.[14] He decided on the final name ofSpark the Electric Jester 2 because it was a direct sequel to the first game.[10]: 50:46–51:14
Daneluz felt that a problem withSpark the Electric Jester was that enemies could easily be bypassed. While believing this issue was worse inSpark 2, Daneluz tried to incentivize enemy engagement through various rewards and the scoring system, likening the latter to that of theSonic Adventure games.[10]: 43:53–45:24 BesidesSonic the Hedgehog,Spark 2 was influenced by theKirby andMega Man series, as well asMetal Gear Rising: Revengeance.[9] Daneluz developed the game mostly alone, being responsible for its 3D models, textures, levels, and, with some assistance, programming.[10]: 27:29–28:20 The soundtrack was composed by the same musicians asSpark the Electric Jester: James Landino, Falk Au Yeong, Paul Bethers, Andy Tunstall, Funk Fiction (Pejman Roozbeh), and Michael Staple.[15][16] Tunstall in particular also designed Astra and created artwork used in the game's menus.[17]
Spark 2 was released forWindows viaSteam on May 16, 2019,[2][5] and for theXbox One on September 7, 2020.[8] It was published under Daneluz’s developer name, Feperd Games.[9][18] Daneluz submitted the game toNintendo for aNintendo Switch release but was turned down, which he speculated was because of his geographical location, Brazil.[13]: 28:26-29:47
Destructoid's Dan Roemer andRock Paper Shotgun's Dave Irwin believed that players who enjoyed theSonic Adventure games would also find enjoyment inSpark 2.[2][4] However, in a differentRock Paper Shotgun article penned by Dominic Tarason, he feltSpark 2 would elicit mixed reactions due to the divisive nature of 3DSonic titles, and expressed hesitation in recommending it. Notwithstanding, he remarked that the controls were superior to those of theAdventure games,[5] with Roemer also referring to them as "super tight and responsive".[2] While Roemer believed the levels were open-ended and enabled experimentation, he found some of their layouts to be initially confusing, which he partially attributed to thecamera system.[2] Tarason thought of the levels as well-designed, making note of their large size and complex structures, but was occasionally confused.[5]
Regarding the boss fights, Tarason disliked their emphasis on parrying and Roemer described them as "a bit samey".[2][5] Roemer considered the combat to be the game's weakest aspect and argued that attacks lacked impact.[2] Critics also experienced difficulty navigating through certain high-speed and vertical loop sections.[2][4][5] Roemer and Irwin felt that comparable sections in 3DSonic titles were less frustrating due to their reliance onscripting.[2][4] In comparison toSpark the Electric Jester, Tarason thoughtSpark 2 suffered from an identity crisis but regarded it as enjoyable.[5] Roemer also summarized the game as "a solid experience overall" but felt it was less polished than its predecessor.[2]
Concurrent withSpark 2's Xbox One release was the announcement ofSpark the Electric Jester 3.[8][19] Similar toSpark 2,Spark 3 is a 3D platformer. The game was released on August 14, 2022, via Steam.[20] Later that November, all ofSpark 2's levels were made playable inSpark 3 through a freeupdate.[21] It was later released for theNintendo Switch on July 25, 2024, in North America, and in Europe and Australia on August 1.[22]
On-screen message: Parrying attacks with your shield is the best way to fight bosses! You can hold your shield for a couple seconds by holding the shield button.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)Base coding by: Héctor "Damizean" Barreiro-Cabrera
Main Menu Art and Astra's Design By: Andy Tunstall
