<s>
Strider	B-Application
II	I-Application
(	O
released	O
in	O
North	O
America	O
under	O
the	O
title	O
of	O
Journey	O
from	O
Darkness	O
:	O
Strider	B-Application
Returns	I-Application
)	O
,	O
is	O
a	O
side-scrolling	O
platform	O
game	O
published	O
by	O
U.S.	O
Gold	O
(	O
under	O
license	O
from	O
Capcom	O
USA	O
)	O
and	O
originally	O
released	O
for	O
various	O
computer	O
platforms	O
in	O
1990	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
a	O
European-developed	O
sequel	O
to	O
Capcom	O
's	O
arcade	B-Application
video	I-Application
game	I-Application
Strider	B-Application
,	O
which	O
U.S.	O
Gold	O
previously	O
ported	O
to	O
home	O
computers	O
in	O
Europe	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Capcom	O
later	O
developed	O
their	O
own	O
sequel	O
in	O
1999	O
,	O
titled	O
Strider	B-Application
2	I-Application
for	O
the	O
arcades	O
and	O
PlayStation	B-Device
,	O
which	O
ignores	O
U.S.	O
Gold	O
's	O
version	O
of	O
Strider	B-Application
II	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
controls	O
in	O
the	O
computer	O
version	O
are	O
similar	O
to	O
U.S.	O
Gold	O
's	O
home	O
computer	O
ports	O
of	O
the	O
original	O
Strider	B-Application
,	O
although	O
the	O
character	O
cannot	O
slide	O
nor	O
climb	O
ceilings	O
like	O
in	O
the	O
original	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
a	O
robot	O
,	O
Strider	B-Application
can	O
shoot	O
lasers	O
,	O
but	O
cannot	O
jump	O
nor	O
crouch	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Strider	B-Application
II	I-Application
was	O
released	O
for	O
the	O
Amiga	B-Device
,	O
Atari	B-Device
ST	I-Device
,	O
Commodore	O
64	O
,	O
Amstrad	B-Device
CPC	I-Device
,	O
and	O
ZX	B-Operating_System
Spectrum	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Strider	B-Application
II	I-Application
was	O
later	O
remade	O
for	O
the	O
Sega	B-Operating_System
Genesis	I-Operating_System
and	O
Master	O
System	O
in	O
1992	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Two	O
years	O
after	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
the	O
computer	O
versions	O
,	O
U.S.	O
Gold	O
and	O
Tiertex	O
ported	O
Strider	B-Application
II	I-Application
to	O
the	O
Sega	B-Operating_System
Genesis/Mega	I-Operating_System
Drive	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
addition	O
to	O
its	O
European	O
release	O
,	O
Strider	B-Application
II	I-Application
was	O
also	O
released	O
for	O
the	O
American	O
Sega	B-Operating_System
Genesis	I-Operating_System
under	O
the	O
title	O
of	O
Journey	O
from	O
Darkness	O
:	O
Strider	B-Application
Returns	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Genesis	B-Operating_System
version	O
of	O
Strider	B-Application
Returns	I-Application
differs	O
from	O
the	O
previous	O
computer	O
version	O
in	O
several	O
ways	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
the	O
plot	O
is	O
the	O
same	O
,	O
the	O
antagonist	O
is	O
now	O
the	O
Grandmaster	O
(	O
Meio	O
)	O
from	O
the	O
original	O
Strider	B-Application
(	O
who	O
is	O
referred	O
in	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
manual	O
as	O
the	O
"	O
Evil	O
Master	O
"	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
the	O
main	O
character	O
uses	O
the	O
same	O
sprite	O
as	O
in	O
the	O
Genesis	B-Operating_System
version	O
of	O
the	O
original	O
Strider	B-Application
,	O
this	O
Strider	B-Application
is	O
addressed	O
in	O
the	O
manual	O
as	O
"	O
Hinjo	O
"	O
(	O
instead	O
of	O
"	O
Hiryu	B-Application
"	O
,	O
the	O
actual	O
code	O
name	O
of	O
the	O
original	O
protagonist	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
player	O
controls	O
Hinjo	O
similarly	O
to	O
Hiryu	B-Application
in	O
the	O
first	O
Genesis	B-Operating_System
game	O
(	O
with	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
slide	O
and	O
move	O
under	O
ceilings	O
retained	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
player	O
can	O
choose	O
between	O
Hiryu	B-Application
's	O
original	O
cypher	O
from	O
the	O
first	O
game	O
or	O
a	O
new	O
"	O
sweeping	O
"	O
cypher	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Strider	B-Application
II	I-Application
was	O
also	O
released	O
for	O
the	O
8-bit	O
Master	O
System	O
in	O
Europe	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
version	O
features	O
gameplay	O
similar	O
to	O
its	O
Genesis	B-Operating_System
counterpart	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlike	O
the	O
Genesis	B-Operating_System
version	O
,	O
the	O
Strider	B-Application
's	O
supply	O
of	O
shurikens	O
are	O
unlimited	O
,	O
but	O
he	O
can	O
only	O
throw	O
two	O
on-screen	O
at	O
the	O
same	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
version	O
was	O
converted	O
to	O
the	O
Game	O
Gear	O
and	O
released	O
in	O
North	O
America	O
as	O
Strider	B-Application
Returns	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
Atari	B-General_Concept
Lynx	I-General_Concept
version	O
was	O
being	O
developed	O
and	O
listed	O
as	O
50%	O
complete	O
,	O
but	O
it	O
was	O
never	O
released	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
four	O
reviewers	O
of	O
Electronic	O
Gaming	O
Monthly	O
gave	O
the	O
Genesis	B-Operating_System
version	O
a	O
6.75	O
out	O
of	O
10	O
,	O
describing	O
it	O
as	O
a	O
decent	O
but	O
disappointing	O
sequel	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Three	O
of	O
the	O
four	O
also	O
felt	O
that	O
the	O
gameplay	O
lacked	O
the	O
excitement	O
of	O
the	O
original	O
Strider	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Two	O
of	O
them	O
felt	O
it	O
to	O
be	O
"	O
surprisingly	O
better	O
on	O
the	O
Game	O
Gear	O
than	O
on	O
the	O
Genesis	B-Operating_System
"	O
,	O
citing	O
better	O
playability	O
with	O
far	O
less	O
choppiness	O
in	O
the	O
animation	O
,	O
while	O
the	O
other	O
two	O
felt	O
it	O
to	O
be	O
far	O
worse	O
than	O
the	O
Genesis	B-Operating_System
version	O
,	O
complaining	O
of	O
both	O
inferior	O
graphics	O
and	O
the	O
annoyingly	O
long	O
distance	O
the	O
player	O
character	O
is	O
knocked	O
back	O
when	O
hit	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
GamePro	O
took	O
the	O
middle	O
ground	O
,	O
saying	O
the	O
"	O
Graphics	O
and	O
game	O
play	O
parallel	O
the	O
Genesis	B-Operating_System
version.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
praised	O
the	O
controls	O
,	O
large	O
sprites	O
,	O
and	O
detailed	O
backgrounds	O
,	O
but	O
criticized	O
the	O
slower	O
pace	O
and	O
droning	O
soundtrack	O
,	O
and	O
concluded	O
"	O
Strider	B-Application
fans	O
will	O
welcome	O
his	O
return	O
,	O
but	O
others	O
will	O
shrug.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
a	O
Strider	B-Application
series	O
retrospective	O
,	O
Ken	O
Horowitz	O
of	O
Sega-16.com	O
compared	O
Strider	B-Application
Returns	I-Application
to	O
"	O
seeing	O
a	O
loved	O
one	O
revived	O
as	O
a	O
mindless	O
zombie	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Travis	O
Fahs	O
,	O
writing	O
a	O
Retro	O
feature	O
for	O
IGN	O
,	O
commented	O
that	O
U.S.	O
Gold	O
had	O
made	O
multiple	O
improvements	O
to	O
Strider	B-Application
II	I-Application
for	O
its	O
console	O
ports	O
,	O
but	O
that	O
the	O
core	O
problem	O
of	O
dull	O
level	O
design	O
remained	O
.	O
</s>
