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Janosik 2 Review

Janosik 2 Review

 Janosik 2 is a retro-style action-platformer metroidvania developed by Onix Games and published by Retrovibe. A sequel to a free game released back in 2020, Janosik was well-liked for being a fun, if short, time. Now as 2024 draws to a close, we have the next entry. It definitely needs to be a serious improvement to be worth putting a price tag on its successor, so let’s check it out.

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The story is that Janosik's girlfriend, Janka, has been kidnapped by the nefarious Baron de Blonde. After being tricked by some guy in a wig and thrown into a dungeon, Janosik must make new allies, rescue Janka, and stop the Baron’s plot. I think the writing is pretty good. The dialogue is well-written and there are plenty of jokes that made me chortle. As for the graphics, the maps are incredibly detailed and the animations, both in cutscenes and in gameplay, are smooth.

Speaking of gameplay, let’s talk about that next. You’ll be running around large levels, fighting off enemies, performing perilous jumps, and freeing prisoners along the way. There are four characters you will be switching between on the fly: Janosik the Highlander, Bogdan the Werewolf, Hugo the Vampire, and Janka the Bride. They all have a whole host of different abilities and equipment that will help both in a fight and in solving a puzzle. You will need to combine their abilities to make it through to the end, as the levels are masterfully designed to take advantage of what they can do, with plenty of money to grab and secrets to discover.

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I feel like I can speedrun through the levels just because of how fast you go through them, and you’re encouraged to come back to previous areas once you unlock a new ability. It will surprise you at every turn as it constantly introduces new mechanics that don’t overstay their welcome and keep everything feeling fresh.

That’s not to say Janosik 2 will be a cakewalk. It will kick your ass at times, but it never feels unfair. The controls feel tight and enemies all have tells before they attack. Whatever mistakes you make will be because of your own (lack of) ability, rather than the game screwing you over. Even when you do die, checkpoints are frequent and load instantly so you’ll only need to redo a couple of seconds. The only drawback is respawning won’t refill all your hearts, only up to three hits. You need health pickups and potions for full heals. Despite not being the best at platformers, I was having a ton of fun and wanted to push further and further, trying to go for 100% completion because of how good it feels to play the game. There are three endings to go for depending on your actions so there’s some encouragement for repeat playthroughs.

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I seriously recommend Janosik 2. If you’re a fan of the original (which you should’ve played since it’s free and only two hours long), you’ll be delighted to see how much that’s been improved. The only problem I ran into was when I was checking Character Skills in the pause menu, I accidentally used a potion. It’s a really good time and it’s more than worth its asking price. Its simple yet fun, fast-paced, and challenging gameplay makes it one of the best platformers I’ve played this year… and that’s saying something when I’m writing this about 11 days before 2025.

9½

Janosik 2 (Reviewed on Windows)

Excellent. Look out for this one.

Janosik 2 is a great sequel that is more than worth its asking price. Its simple yet fun, fast-paced, and challenging gameplay makes it one of the best platformers I’ve played this year.

This game was supplied by the publisher or relevant PR company for the purposes of review
Dylan Pamintuan

Dylan Pamintuan

Staff Writer

An Australian-born guy whose trying to show everyone why games are awesome.

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