Treasure Hunter Man 2

Genre: Metroidvania

Players: 1

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Review:

(Note: This game is included in the Origamihero Games 2D Platformer Collection, along with Smash Star and Unstrong Legacy.)

Treasure Hunter Man 2 is a Metroidvania released on PC in 2018 and ported to Nintendo Switch in 2022. Despite what the dreadfully generic title implies, this game’s protagonist is not a treasure hunter, and not even a man. Instead, this game follows the adventure of Dorothy, the mother of the titular Treasure Hunter Man who finds her son has gone missing, and as such she heads off to a allegedly deserted island to find him.

While this game’s use of the English language is inconsistent, the graphics are surprisingly decent, featuring some pretty nice pixel art visuals. This is backed by a synthesized soundtrack that, while not terrible, isn’t exactly memorable either.

When it comes to gameplay, this is actually a decent Metroidvania, albeit one with its fair share of flaws. It’s upgrades are spread a bit thin, the combat is lacking, it’s stingy about handing out the game’s currency (green coins, for some reason), and at least a few times I found myself unsure of where to go next. However, for the most part, this is a pretty solid entry into the genre, with some decent level design and good mechanics.

Oh, one warning though – early on, you will get the choice between Easy and Normal mode. Unless you’re a masochist or a challenge-seeker, stick to Easy mode, as Normal mode will see you dying in just a few hits, with the game annoyingly booting you back to the title screen rather than the last save point.

Ordinarily, even being a solid Metroidvania, Treasure Hunter Man 2 would hardly stand out on Nintendo Switch, among an absolute wealth of great Metroidvania games. However, with its teenie-tiny $2 price tag, this makes for a surprisingly enticing buy for players looking to add a Metroidvania to their collection. And while I absolutely wouldn’t recommend it as anyone’s first Metroidvania, it’s still a pretty good entry within the genre.

tl;dr – Treasure Hunter Man 2 is a $2 budget-priced Metroidvania that’s actually pretty decent despite the small price and generic name. It doesn’t do anything particularly unique or spectacular, but what’s here is good, and definitely worth adding to your collection if you’re a fan of the genre.

Grade: B

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