Neutopia II

Did You Know?

• The game was one of many launch titles under the Turbo Technologies Inc relaunch for the TurboGrafx-16.
• A third entry, Neutopia III, was teased by Hudson Soft but never materialized.

Development and release

Neutopia II was developed by a largely fresh team at Hudson Soft, with Shigeki Fujiwara taking on both director and game designer duties. Only two people from the first game returned: Kōji Kaneta and Masato Tobisawa, who worked together as co-programmers. Fumie Takaoka designed the characters, while Yutaka Satō handled background graphics and Yoshikazu Yasuhiko created the sprites. Keita Hoshi composed the soundtrack and produced the sound effects; he later contributed to Soldier Blade and Super Bomberman 3. Hudson Soft first released the game in Japan on September 27, 1991 for the PC Engine, after showing it off at the 1991 Tokyo Toy Show. North America originally expected a July 1992 launch, but Turbo Technologies published it in August 1992 for the TurboGrafx-16 as part of a system relaunch alongside Air Zonk, Jackie Chan's Action Kung-Fu, and Dungeons and Dragons: Order of the Griffon. The game later returned on the Wii Virtual Console: Japan got it on June 12, 2007, followed by North America on September 10 and Europe on September 14. A PlayStation Network re-release arrived in Japan on July 21, 2010 as part of the PC Engine Archives line. Japanese cloud gaming services like Hikari TV and G-cluster added it in June 2013. The Wii U Virtual Console followed in Japan on July 30, 2014 and in North America on January 8, 2017. Finally, the PC Engine Mini console included it in both its Japanese and western editions in 2020.

Reception

Critics and players alike generally welcomed Neutopia II when it arrived on the TurboGrafx-16, with most reviewers encountering it as an import. The public showed strong interest as well: readers of PC Engine Fan awarded it a score of 22.24 out of 30, placing it 150th in a popularity poll. Martin Gaksch of Video Games praised the varied monster designs, fresh gameplay additions, and stylish music. Famitsu’s four reviewers liked the straightforward story and Zelda-like mechanics but pointed out a lack of originality. Kaneda Kun and Matt from Consoles Plus appreciated the presentation, graphics, character animations, music, and playability, though they found the puzzles too simple. Philippe Querleux of Génération 4 offered positive comments on the audiovisual presentation and gameplay. Joypad’s Alain Huyghues-Lacour highlighted the graphics, sprite animations, controls, and sound, while Jean-François Morisse of Joystick agreed on most points but gave a low overall rating. Michael Anton of Aktueller Software Markt called the visuals and soundtrack “great,” the enemy designs “cute,” and the controls solid, but noted the gameplay offered nothing new. TurboPlay observed that the graphics, presentation, items, and puzzles were nearly identical to the first Neutopia, differing only in enemies, plot, and world layout; it praised the sound and gameplay but criticized the labyrinths for repetitive puzzles and lack of strategic variety, stating that “your imagination won’t be stretched nearly as much as it is in Zelda III.” Electronic Gaming Monthly’s four reviewers agreed the sequel still played like Zelda but commended its fast-paced action and longer length, while criticizing poor character animations and a shortage of originality. Dave Halverson and Brody of GameFan noted the quest was longer but felt the graphics fell short. Play Time’s Ray found the graphics and sound suited the action, the plot dense and atmospheric, and gave positive remarks on the gameplay despite its clear borrowing from the Zelda series.