<s>
The	O
fourth	O
installment	O
in	O
the	O
Cotton	B-Application
franchise	O
,	O
it	O
is	O
the	O
arcade	O
sequel	O
to	O
Cotton	B-Application
:	I-Application
Fantastic	I-Application
Night	I-Application
Dreams	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Headed	O
by	O
Takato	O
Yoshinari	O
,	O
Cotton	B-Application
2	O
was	O
developed	O
by	O
members	O
at	O
Success	O
who	O
previously	O
worked	O
on	O
the	O
original	O
Cotton	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
later	O
ported	O
to	O
Sega	B-Device
Saturn	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1998	O
,	O
a	O
remixed	O
arcade	O
edition	O
titled	O
Cotton	B-Application
Boomerang	O
:	O
Magical	O
Night	O
Dreams	O
was	O
released	O
by	O
Tecmo	O
with	O
additional	O
characters	O
,	O
new	O
gameplay	O
and	O
scoring	O
systems	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
altered	O
stages	O
and	O
visuals	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Both	O
Cotton	B-Application
2	O
and	O
Cotton	B-Application
Boomerang	O
were	O
met	O
with	O
positive	O
reception	O
from	O
critics	O
since	O
their	O
release	O
on	O
Saturn	B-Device
,	O
most	O
of	O
which	O
reviewed	O
them	O
as	O
import	O
titles	O
,	O
for	O
being	O
faithful	O
conversions	O
of	O
the	O
arcade	O
originals	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Cotton	B-Application
2	I-Application
:	I-Application
Magical	I-Application
Night	I-Application
Dreams	I-Application
is	O
a	O
scrolling	O
shooter	O
game	O
similar	O
to	O
Cotton	B-Application
:	I-Application
Fantastic	I-Application
Night	I-Application
Dreams	I-Application
where	O
players	O
assume	O
the	O
role	O
of	O
young	O
witch	O
Cotton	B-Application
or	O
her	O
rival	O
Appil	O
who	O
alongside	O
their	O
companions	O
,	O
the	O
fairy	O
Silk	O
and	O
the	O
hat	O
Needle	O
,	O
travel	O
across	O
seven	O
increasingly	O
difficult	O
stages	O
through	O
a	O
magical	O
dream-like	O
world	O
on	O
a	O
quest	O
to	O
defeat	O
several	O
monsters	O
and	O
retrieve	O
the	O
missing	O
"	O
Bluewater	O
Willow	O
"	O
candy	O
to	O
Pumpkin	O
Kingdom	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Like	O
its	O
predecessor	O
,	O
the	O
players	O
must	O
blast	O
various	O
monsters	O
and	O
avoid	O
being	O
shot	O
while	O
collecting	O
elemental	O
crystal	O
power-ups	O
to	O
enhance	O
Cotton	B-Application
and	O
Appli	O
's	O
firepower	O
respectively	O
in	O
a	O
similar	O
manner	O
as	O
Soldier	B-Device
Blade	I-Device
to	O
unleash	O
powerful	O
magic	O
spells	O
on	O
enemies	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
color	O
of	O
these	O
crystals	O
can	O
be	O
changed	O
by	O
shooting	O
at	O
them	O
and	O
they	O
also	O
determines	O
the	O
element	O
of	O
Cotton	B-Application
and	O
Appli	O
's	O
primary	O
shot	O
but	O
deploying	O
these	O
crystals	O
for	O
a	O
magic	O
spell	O
decreases	O
the	O
firepower	O
of	O
each	O
character	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
incorporates	O
some	O
role-playing	O
game	O
elements	O
as	O
with	O
the	O
original	O
Cotton	B-Application
,	O
as	O
players	O
are	O
able	O
to	O
level	O
up	O
their	O
attack	O
up	O
to	O
5	O
levels	O
,	O
but	O
excluded	O
gameplay	O
mechanics	O
in	O
the	O
sequel	O
are	O
the	O
charge	O
attacks	O
and	O
fairy	O
abilities	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
New	O
to	O
Cotton	B-Application
2	O
are	O
the	O
introduction	O
of	O
a	O
lifebar	O
for	O
each	O
character	O
to	O
sustain	O
multiple	O
enemy	O
hits	O
and	O
fighting	O
game	O
elements	O
,	O
as	O
players	O
can	O
perform	O
"	O
command	O
"	O
shots	O
by	O
executing	O
a	O
combination	O
of	O
directional	O
and	O
button-based	O
commands	O
to	O
fire	O
in	O
multiple	O
directions	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
pick	O
up	O
enemies	O
and	O
their	O
shots	O
to	O
throw	O
them	O
around	O
to	O
destroy	O
other	O
enemies	O
by	O
performing	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
"	O
command	O
"	O
shots	O
to	O
seal	O
them	O
into	O
an	O
orb	O
and	O
pick	O
trapped	O
enemies	O
to	O
use	O
them	O
as	O
shield	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Cotton	B-Application
2	I-Application
:	I-Application
Magical	I-Application
Night	I-Application
Dreams	I-Application
was	O
first	O
released	O
in	O
Japanese	O
arcades	O
in	O
November	O
1997	O
by	O
Tecmo	O
,	O
running	O
on	O
the	O
ST-V	O
board	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Cotton	B-Application
2	I-Application
:	I-Application
Magical	I-Application
Night	I-Application
Dreams	I-Application
was	O
created	O
by	O
members	O
at	O
Success	O
who	O
previously	O
worked	O
on	O
Cotton	B-Application
:	I-Application
Fantastic	I-Application
Night	I-Application
Dreams	I-Application
,	O
with	O
Takato	O
Yoshinari	O
heading	O
its	O
development	O
as	O
producer	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
idea	O
for	O
the	O
game	O
design	O
of	O
Cotton	B-Application
2	O
came	O
about	O
after	O
the	O
president	O
of	O
Success	O
asked	O
Masahiro	O
Fukuda	O
what	O
he	O
would	O
like	O
in	O
a	O
Cotton	B-Application
game	O
,	O
leading	O
the	O
development	O
team	O
to	O
give	O
the	O
game	O
a	O
more	O
action-focused	O
design	O
,	O
with	O
design	O
elements	O
that	O
they	O
all	O
liked	O
in	O
video	O
games	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
particular	O
,	O
the	O
command	O
shots	O
and	O
the	O
throwing/catching	O
system	O
were	O
inspired	O
by	O
Takashi	O
Egawano	O
's	O
obsession	O
with	O
Virtua	B-Application
Fighter	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sol	B-Application
Divide	I-Application
was	O
also	O
an	O
direct	O
inspiration	O
for	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
choice	O
to	O
develop	O
the	O
arcade	O
version	O
on	O
Sega	O
's	O
ST-V	O
hardware	O
was	O
because	O
it	O
felt	O
like	O
a	O
natural	O
progression	O
from	O
Cotton	B-Application
:	I-Application
Fantastic	I-Application
Night	I-Application
Dreams	I-Application
running	O
on	O
Sega	O
's	O
System	O
16	O
hardware	O
,	O
and	O
to	O
enable	O
easy	O
,	O
arcade-perfect	O
porting	O
to	O
the	O
Sega	B-Device
Saturn	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
heard	O
via	O
word	O
of	O
mouth	O
that	O
Hideki	O
Tamura	O
,	O
the	O
character	O
designer	O
for	O
Cotton	B-Application
,	O
wanted	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
cutscenes	O
to	O
be	O
manga-like	O
,	O
Masahiro	O
Fukuda	O
made	O
a	O
demo	O
and	O
it	O
stuck	O
later	O
on	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
To	O
import	O
the	O
backgrounds	O
into	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
Liu	O
Xiangdong	O
scanned	O
them	O
all	O
digitally	O
,	O
and	O
edited	O
them	O
all	O
with	O
PhotoShop	B-Operating_System
on	O
a	O
Mac	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
the	O
fifth	O
stage	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
where	O
it	O
references	O
Cotton	B-Application
:	I-Application
Fantastic	I-Application
Night	I-Application
Dreams	I-Application
via	O
it	O
's	O
stage	O
layout	O
and	O
enemies	O
,	O
Kenichi	O
Hirata	O
made	O
a	O
melody	O
for	O
the	O
stage	O
based	O
on	O
that	O
game	O
soundtrack	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
there	O
were	O
quite	O
a	O
few	O
people	O
that	O
wanted	O
to	O
play	O
it	O
as	O
a	O
shooter	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
previous	O
Cotton	B-Application
game	O
,	O
and	O
dismissed	O
the	O
new	O
command	O
shots	O
because	O
of	O
it	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
December	O
4	O
,	O
1997	O
,	O
Cotton	B-Application
2	O
received	O
an	O
arcade-perfect	O
conversion	O
for	O
the	O
Sega	B-Device
Saturn	I-Device
published	O
by	O
Success	O
in	O
Japan	O
,	O
featuring	O
an	O
exclusive	O
"	O
Saturn	B-Device
"	O
mode	O
and	O
new	O
control	O
options	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Prior	O
to	O
launch	O
,	O
the	O
Saturn	B-Device
version	O
of	O
Cotton	B-Application
2	O
was	O
unveiled	O
at	O
the	O
September	O
1997	O
Tokyo	O
Game	O
Show	O
just	O
days	O
after	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
arcades	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
October	O
28	O
,	O
1998	O
,	O
a	O
Cotton	B-Application
2-themed	O
desktop	O
accessories	O
collection	O
titled	O
Cotton	B-Application
2	O
Tenkomori	O
was	O
published	O
by	O
Success	O
for	O
Windows	B-Application
95	I-Application
and	O
Windows	B-Device
98	I-Device
computers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
remixed	O
arcade	O
edition	O
dubbed	O
Cotton	B-Application
Boomerang	O
:	O
Magical	O
Night	O
Dreams	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
Japanese	O
arcades	O
by	O
Tecmo	O
in	O
September	O
1998	O
,	O
running	O
on	O
the	O
ST-V	O
board	O
as	O
Cotton	B-Application
2	O
featuring	O
additional	O
characters	O
,	O
new	O
gameplay	O
and	O
scoring	O
systems	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
altered	O
stage	O
layouts	O
and	O
visuals	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
October	O
8	O
,	O
1998	O
,	O
Cotton	B-Application
Boomerang	O
received	O
a	O
version	O
for	O
the	O
Saturn	B-Device
published	O
by	O
Success	O
in	O
Japan	O
,	O
featuring	O
an	O
art	O
gallery	O
and	O
the	O
same	O
new	O
control	O
options	O
as	O
the	O
Cotton	B-Application
2	O
port	O
on	O
Saturn	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
September	O
2021	O
,	O
the	O
Saturn	B-Device
versions	O
of	O
Cotton	B-Application
2	O
and	O
Cotton	B-Application
Boomerang	O
were	O
included	O
alongside	O
Guardian	O
Force	O
(	O
1998	O
)	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
Cotton	B-Application
Guardian	O
Force	O
Saturn	B-Device
Tribute	O
compilation	O
for	O
Nintendo	B-Application
Switch	I-Application
,	O
PC	B-Device
and	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
with	O
added	O
features	O
such	O
as	O
online	O
rankings	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
ININ	O
Games	O
and	O
Strictly	O
Limited	O
Games	O
later	O
announced	O
that	O
the	O
compilation	O
would	O
be	O
launched	O
in	O
western	O
regions	O
under	O
two	O
editions	O
,	O
while	O
Cotton	B-Application
2	O
was	O
published	O
worldwide	O
by	O
City	O
Connection	O
as	O
a	O
separate	O
digital	O
release	O
from	O
the	O
compilation	O
for	O
PS4	B-Operating_System
and	O
Switch	O
on	O
September	O
30	O
,	O
2021	O
,	O
marking	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
first	O
international	O
appearance	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2022	O
,	O
City	O
Connection	O
revealed	O
that	O
the	O
compilation	O
will	O
be	O
ported	O
to	O
PC	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Cotton	B-Application
2	I-Application
:	I-Application
Magical	I-Application
Night	I-Application
Dreams	I-Application
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
Cotton	B-Application
Boomerang	O
:	O
Magical	O
Night	O
Dreams	O
,	O
were	O
met	O
with	O
positive	O
reception	O
from	O
critics	O
since	O
their	O
release	O
on	O
Sega	B-Device
Saturn	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
Famitsu	O
,	O
the	O
Saturn	B-Device
conversion	O
of	O
Cotton	B-Application
2	O
sold	O
over	O
8,907	O
copies	O
in	O
its	O
first	O
week	O
on	O
the	O
market	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Readers	O
of	O
the	O
Japanese	O
Sega	B-Device
Saturn	I-Device
Magazine	O
voted	O
to	O
give	O
the	O
Saturn	B-Device
versions	O
of	O
both	O
Cotton	B-Application
2	O
and	O
Cotton	B-Application
Boomerang	O
scores	O
of	O
a	O
8.6363	O
and	O
8.2857	O
out	O
of	O
10	O
,	O
ranking	O
at	O
the	O
number	O
180	O
and	O
301	O
spots	O
respectively	O
,	O
indicating	O
a	O
large	O
popular	O
following	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
its	O
showing	O
at	O
the	O
1997	O
Tokyo	O
Game	O
Show	O
,	O
the	O
European	O
Sega	B-Device
Saturn	I-Device
Magazine	O
regarded	O
the	O
Saturn	B-Device
version	O
of	O
Cotton	B-Application
2	I-Application
:	I-Application
Magical	I-Application
Night	I-Application
Dreams	I-Application
as	O
a	O
"	O
High	O
quality	O
arcade	O
conversion	O
of	O
a	O
very	O
polished	O
two-player	O
action	O
shoot	O
'	O
em	O
up.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Ação	O
Gamess	O
Ronny	O
Marinoto	O
reviewed	O
the	O
Saturn	B-Device
version	O
of	O
Cotton	B-Application
2	O
and	O
praised	O
the	O
colorful	O
visuals	O
,	O
fast	O
gameplay	O
and	O
audio	O
,	O
while	O
regarding	O
its	O
challenge	O
as	O
interesting	O
and	O
fun	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
German	O
magazine	O
Fun	O
Generation	O
regarded	O
the	O
Saturn	B-Device
port	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
as	O
playable	O
and	O
commended	O
its	O
co-op	O
mode	O
,	O
stating	O
that	O
it	O
adds	O
"	O
additional	O
appeal	O
to	O
present	O
the	O
game	O
as	O
a	O
party	O
gag.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Super	O
Game	O
Powers	O
Marcelo	O
Kamikaze	O
and	O
Marjorie	O
Bros	O
also	O
reviewed	O
the	O
Saturn	B-Device
ports	O
of	O
both	O
Cotton	B-Application
2	O
and	O
Cotton	B-Application
Boomerang	O
respectively	O
and	O
gave	O
positive	O
remarks	O
to	O
its	O
audiovisual	O
presentation	O
,	O
controls	O
,	O
fun	O
factor	O
and	O
originality	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Video	O
Gamess	O
Wolfgang	O
Schaedle	O
reviewed	O
the	O
Saturn	B-Device
release	O
of	O
Cotton	B-Application
Boomerang	O
as	O
well	O
,	O
highlighting	O
the	O
precise	O
controls	O
and	O
2D	O
graphics	O
,	O
stating	O
that	O
"	O
Action	O
fans	O
who	O
like	O
an	O
uncomplicated	O
shooting	O
game	O
principle	O
are	O
well	O
served	O
with	O
Cotton	B-Application
Boomerang.	O
"	O
</s>
