Parasol Stars: Rainbow Islands 2
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January 16, 2007 Hits: 4615
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Game Notes and Information
Artwork - (Boxart, Diskscans, Adverts.. etc)
Manuals and Support Material
Cheats
Type CYNIX during the game. Then press one of the following keys:
M - get all three stars
G - kill all the baddies on the screen
C - extra credit
D - die
X - skip to extra level
T - end the stage
1-7 - skip stages
F1-F10 - skip levels
B - skip to bonus screen
Tips
No hints, tips or helpful information currently available - Please submit any you know.
Editor review
Parasol Stars
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Parasol Stars
Introduction
Parasol Stars was released in 1992 by Ocean and Taito, as a sequel to the previously distributed Rainbow Islands. Both games are very similar to Bubble Bobble, which was a big hit on both the Commodore 64 and the Amiga, and they belong to the same series of games as well.
Genre
This game can be categorized as a platform game. You are in control of one or two characters, jumping around the screen with obstacles in your path. In Parasol Stars you are in control of either Bub or Bob. Both are equipped with magic umbrellas, which you can use to attack enemies, defend yourself and to throw objects.
Many platform games have huge levels that you have to get through. In Parasol Stars the plot is different. Each level is small, and it does not take ages to get through them. This could be a positive aspect if you like variation. Even if the levels are small in size, they are filled with scary monsters who will do whatever they can to kill you. The aim of the game is of course to wipe those bad guys out of the way as fast as possible, collecting as much bonus-objects as you can in the process.
The Scenario
The plot of the game is very simple; You must save ten planets from an evil wizard. To accomplish that, you will have to eliminate his dangerous army of monsters.
The storyline is nothing but plain and simple, but that should not frighten you away. There are many games belonging to the platform category that doesn't have an intriguing plot. An example of this is the Mario series of games, where the aim of the game is mostly the same as in Parasol Stars - get through the obstacles and survive, and in the end save the Princess. In Parasol Stars, you are playing to save several worlds.
The Gameplay
Parasol Stars was easy to get into. It didn't take long before you got familiar with controlling the character on screen and learning the most basic moves. The producers of the game have included a wide variety of various bonus-objects which makes playing the game more fun and entertaining.
You can either play in one-player mode or two-player mode. The last mentioned is most fun, because you can invite a friend over and blast your way through the levels together. Both characters will then be on the screen simultaneously. This is a huge plus for Parasol Stars. In Rainbow Islands you could only play one at the time, which takes away much of the fun. In Parasol Stars, real two-player mode is possible, and it lifts the quality of the game remarkably.
It is not possible to save your games. That is a drawback, since you most probably will have to do several of the levels over and over again.
Graphics
The graphics are nice. The artists have done a good job using the small amount of colors available to get the characters and backgrounds as interesting as possible.
Backgrounds change from level to level and there are tons of different enemies. The look of the game is overall very nice.
Sound and Music
The music is alright in the beginning, but after a while it gets repetitive. The developers of Parasol Stars should have thought of including more tunes in the game, so that the music wouldn't become boring. On the other hand, the sound effects are nice and fits the action on the screen.
System Requirements
Parasol Stars was made for the Amiga 500, and works perfect on this machine. If you would like it to run without pain on an Amiga 1200, you can try using a HD-installer for it from WHDLoad. Turning off the CPU caches and switching to original mode in the bootmenu should also do the trick. For people using emulators, a normal Amiga 500 config with Kickstart 1.3 should do the work.
Overall
Parasol Stars is a good platform game. The story is not much to talk about, but the action is incredible. The variety of enemies, levels and bonuses makes it a fun and enjoyable experience. Even if the music gets repetitive, you don't bother much about it in the middle of the action. The ability that two people can play simultaneously makes the gameplay amazing.
In short, I would really recommend giving this game a try. It does not take a long time to get into, and once you have completed a couple of levels, the fun gets better.
The Verdict
Graphics 7/10
Variety and nicely drawn backgrounds and objects.
Sound 5/10
Music too repetitive, but the sound effects are ok.
Gameplay 9/10
The gameplay is what makes this game so fun. The two-player mode is great.
Lifespan 7/10
Even if you complete the game, you can not resist playing it again next year, and next year after that.
Overall
Parasol Stars is a game which should be in everyone's collection. It is one of the classic platformers on the Amiga. If you like nice old-school gameplay, Parasol Stars is for you.
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7.0 |
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9.0 |
| Lifespan: |
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7.0 |
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