Takeover 2 Review Summary

Visually sharper with fun new combat and a clear step up from its predecessor, but the lack of checkpoints and unforgiving, sometimes unfair enemies make it brutally frustrating.

Improved graphics and animations: Graphics are a significant leap over the first installment, with gorgeous art, amazing animations and strong visual presentation. It looks especially great in 4K at high frame rates.

Fun fresh combat mechanics: Combat introduces original mechanics that feel modern while retaining the classic arcade essence. New dodges, parries and combos are rewarding when timed correctly.

Major improvement over predecessor: Players consistently say the sequel is far better than the first game, with everything refined and many of the original's mistakes fixed. It surpasses its predecessor by a wide margin.

Excellent and fun gameplay: The core gameplay is praised as very fun, solid, impactful and punchy. Reviewers describe it as awesome and constantly enjoyable to play.

Highly satisfying combat feel: Hits feel powerful and combat is described as 'belt to ass' fun with great punch-to-the-flesh feedback. Combat flows beautifully and is generally very satisfying.

No continues or checkpoints: Players repeatedly complain that dying forces a restart from the very beginning, as there are no continues, checkpoints, or stage selection. This makes the game highly punishing, especially in Arcade Mode.

Enemy mechanics feel unfair: Enemies often use annoying tactics like off-screen attacks, follow-ups after knockdowns, and countering wall bounces. These mechanics make combat feel cheap and frustrating.

Overly difficult and unforgiving: Many players find the game too hard, with brutal difficulty, limited lives, and unfair enemy mechanics. Even casual difficulty is considered too challenging for casual players.

Input lag affects combat: Significant input lag makes dashing and rolling during combat almost useless. This lag was not present in the demo version, disappointing players.

Missing story scenes: The game lacks the story mode and story scenes present in the first game, offering only Arcade Mode. This reduces the overall experience for players expecting a narrative.

Combat mechanics depth: Combat features combos, juggles, dodges, parries, specials, and ults, with a high skill ceiling and responsive controls. Players highlight mechanics like wall bounces and grab systems that add technical depth.

Arcade beat 'em up genre: Many reviewers identify the game as a side-scrolling beat 'em up with classic arcade design, including levels, lives, and bonus missions.

Impactful and punchy combat: Reviewers consistently praise the weighty, impactful feel of hits and the fast-paced, violent action. Attacks feel powerful and responsive.

Enemy variety and tactics: Enemies have distinct gimmicks, recognizable designs, and crafty attack patterns that must be learned. They can block and swarm off-screen, adding challenge.

Weapons and environmental interactions: Players can use and throw weapons like axes and baseball bats, kick floor objects at enemies, and find items hidden in barrels and hostages. A dodge move shifts the character into the background.

Key mapping bug: A glitch prevents assigning weapon and pickup commands to buttons other than d-pad up.

Smooth Steam Deck performance: One player reports that the game runs well on Steam Deck without issues.

Recommended for beat 'em up fans: Multiple reviewers strongly recommend the game to fans of the beat 'em up genre, citing enjoyment for those familiar with the style. It is described as a great fit for genre enthusiasts.

Only for old-school challenge seekers: Reviewers suggest picking it up only if you love old-school arcade challenge, noting it's great for arcade fans but rough for solo casual players. It is recommended if you played in arcades.

Not recommended in current state: Some reviewers do not recommend the game right now due to its current state, suggesting waiting for patches. This indicates unresolved issues affecting the experience.

Start on Casual difficulty: New players are advised to begin on Casual difficulty and respect the game's challenge to clear it on the first attempt, rather than starting on Classic.

Appeals to hardcore veterans: The game is recommended for players who found SOR4 Mania+ too easy and for hardcore veterans seeking a tough challenge. It caters well to experienced players.

Game completion: 2.0h.

Session length: 0.4h.

Players describe the game as fluid and highly satisfying from the outset, earning a 10/10. The main caveats are its demand for skillful tool use and the absence of online co-op, not a delayed fun threshold.

Friction: Demands full use of every tool; button-mashing is punished; No online co-op.

Old-School Hardcore Beat-'Em-Up Veteran: Plays on challenging difficulties, studies combat mechanics and skill ceiling, and compares difficulty to modern genre benchmarks. Motivation: Mastering a demanding old-school arcade beat 'em up and reliving classic genre combat. Stance: buy.

Online Co-op Seeker: Prefers online or 3-4 player co-op and finds extended solo beat-'em-up play uninteresting. Motivation: Playing shared online co-op sessions with friends or a larger group. Stance: buy.

Solo Casual Beat-'Em-Up Player: Plays solo on Casual or low difficulty and expects forgiving restarts and manageable challenge. Motivation: Enjoying accessible solo beat 'em up action without punishing difficulty. Stance: no buy.

Compared to classic beat 'em ups: Frequent comparisons to Streets of Rage, Final Fight, and other genre classics describe it as a bloody combination or modernization that keeps an old-school essence. Some see it as what Streets of Rage 4 should have been.

Sequel improves on original: Reviewers consistently find the game equal to or better than the first entry, calling it a proper sequel with doubled level count. Some praise it as a good example of how to make a sequel.

Overtake bonus game praised: Several reviewers mention getting the game mainly for Overtake, a long-awaited release of 90's Super GP, and hope it becomes its own game. Overtake unlocks on Stage 9 as a bonus.

High difficulty and punitive challenge: Multiple reviewers note the game inherits punitive difficulty from the previous title and compare its challenge to Streets of Rage 4 Mania+ or Sifu. Some call it very hard but quality.

Single developer effort: The game was developed by a single developer, pelikan13, made the old school way before the AI era. This is noted as a notable achievement.