Microids and Ocellus Studio return to Palombia with Marsupilami 2 – Salsa Palombia, a sequel that doesn’t radically rethink the colorful 2D platforming formula established by Hoobadventure, but does make some welcome changes where they matter most. The story itself is little more than an excuse to get the three Marsupilamis moving again, as a mysterious musical curse sends Palombia’s animals into a chaotic dance and puts the Mummy Queen and her minions at the centre of the trouble. There isn’t much narrative development beyond that initial setup, and anyone hoping for a deeper adventure built around the characters will probably find it disappointingly thin. Fortunately, this is very much a game where the platforming is expected to do the heavy lifting, and for the most part it succeeds.
The biggest improvement comes from the three playable Marsupilamis finally feeling like genuinely different characters. Twister can propel himself through the air and glide, Hope can use her spinning jump to reach greater heights, and Punch can curl into a bouncing ball that allows him to deal with hazards and move through certain environments differently. Levels generally assign two of the three characters and allow them to be swapped during play, which introduces some light puzzle solving as players work out which ability is needed to reach collectibles or hidden areas. The core controls are responsive and easy to understand, with running, jumping, wall jumping, tail attacks and ground slams quickly becoming second nature, and the ability to switch characters adds more variety without making the game difficult to pick up.
That said, the character system doesn’t always fulfil its potential. The special abilities are useful, but the level design isn’t consistently built around them strongly enough to make switching feel essential. There are moments where the different moves open up clever routes or optional challenges, but there are also plenty of stretches where one character can handle most of what is required. Punch in particular is something of a mixed success. His bouncing ball form can be entertaining and gives him a distinct role, but it can also feel comparatively cumbersome and slow, disrupting the momentum that makes the best platforming sections so enjoyable. Twister and Hope generally provide the smoother and more immediately satisfying movement options, which makes Punch feel like the least successful part of the trio despite having the most unusual ability.
Fortunately, the level design itself improves as the adventure progresses. The opening jungle is colorful and competently constructed, but also fairly familiar territory for the genre. Later environments have considerably more personality, with the city introducing more interesting obstacles and the snowy mountain areas providing some of the game’s strongest visual and platforming moments. There is a good sense of pace when the game is firing on all cylinders, especially when hazards, movement and collectibles come together to encourage players to keep moving rather than cautiously stopping every few seconds. Some of the bonus content is particularly successful as well, helping the game show more imagination than its relatively straightforward opening might initially suggest.
Collectibles provide most of the incentive to revisit levels, with musical notes needed to unlock boss encounters and additional fruit used to access further content. Salsa mode is one of the more interesting additions, challenging players to maintain a chain of collected fruit while moving quickly through familiar stages. This gives levels a more speed-focused rhythm and should appeal to players who enjoy learning layouts and improving their performance. The Dojo challenges and Cups also help extend what is otherwise a fairly brief main adventure, although the overall campaign can still feel as though it ends just when the level design is beginning to find its strongest ideas. Completionists will get considerably more out of the package than players who simply head for the credits, but the game nevertheless feels a little short for its asking price.
Local co-op is welcome feature, allowing two players to tackle the adventure together, although the experience can become more chaotic and the levels don’t always appear specifically designed around two players making use of their respective abilities. Bosses can also lose some of their challenge when two players are attacking at once. The versus activities fare better, offering a collection of quick competitive minigames that provide a welcome break from the traditional platforming and make the game a particularly appealing couch co-op option. It’s a shame there is no online co-op, however, as the light-hearted nature of the game and its multiplayer modes would have made that a valuable addition.
Visually, Marsupilami 2 remains a bright and attractive platformer with colorful environments and expressive cartoon characters. The later worlds in particular have more visual identity than the generic opening jungle, and the snowy areas and more stylised locations give the game some genuinely appealing scenery. At the same time, it doesn’t always feel like a major visual leap forward, and the enemy roster can become repetitive, with too many familiar opponents appearing across different areas. The soundtrack is much more consistently impressive, supporting the game’s energetic tone with lively and well-matched music that gives several levels an extra sense of momentum. The soundscape isn’t always as distinctive as the music, but the soundtrack is one of the clearest strengths of the overall presentation.
Performance also creates the biggest difference between the two versions we looked at. The PlayStation 5 version benefits from the smooth, responsive feel that suits a fast-moving platformer, while the Nintendo Switch version is more of a compromise. The Switch release runs at a stable 30 frames per second, but that is still noticeably less fluid than what fans of the previous game may have expected, and it affects the sensation of speed and responsiveness. The colorful presentation remains attractive on Nintendo’s hardware, but this is clearly the version where the technical limitations are easiest to notice – though those on a Switch 2 will have a smoother experience.
Marsupilami 2 – Salsa Palombia is ultimately a good example of a sequel improving on its predecessor without quite transforming the series. The distinct character abilities, stronger later levels, enjoyable Salsa challenges and generous selection of additional activities all make this a more varied platformer than the first game, while the controls and audiovisual presentation ensure that it remains consistently pleasant to play. We just wish Ocellus Studio had pushed some of its ideas further, as the character abilities aren’t always used to their full potential, the story is almost entirely forgettable, enemy variety is limited and the main campaign ends relatively quickly. However, Marsupilami 2 is a colorful, accessible and entertaining follow-up that should appeal to families and genre fans looking for a few hours of polished platforming with plenty of optional challenges left to uncover.
Score: 7.6/10