<s>
Switchblade	B-Application
II	I-Application
is	O
a	O
1991	O
side-scrolling	O
action-platform	O
run	O
and	O
gun	O
video	O
game	O
originally	O
developed	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Gremlin	O
Graphics	O
in	O
Europe	O
for	O
the	O
Amiga	B-Device
home	O
computers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
the	O
sequel	O
to	O
the	O
original	O
Switchblade	B-Application
,	O
which	O
was	O
solely	O
created	O
by	O
Simon	O
Phipps	O
at	O
Core	O
Design	O
and	O
released	O
earlier	O
in	O
1989	O
across	O
multiple	O
platforms	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Its	O
gameplay	O
consists	O
of	O
run	O
and	O
gun	O
action	B-Application
mixed	O
with	O
platforming	O
and	O
exploration	O
elements	O
,	O
with	O
a	O
main	O
single-button	O
configuration	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Originally	O
released	O
for	O
the	O
Amiga	B-Device
microcomputers	B-Architecture
,	O
Switchblade	B-Application
II	I-Application
was	O
later	O
ported	O
to	O
the	O
Atari	B-Device
ST	I-Device
in	O
May	O
1991	O
and	O
the	O
Atari	B-General_Concept
Lynx	I-General_Concept
handheld	B-Application
in	O
1992	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
latter	O
being	O
published	O
by	O
Atari	O
Corporation	O
in	O
North	O
America	O
and	O
Europe	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Upon	O
its	O
original	O
release	O
on	O
the	O
Amiga	B-Device
,	O
Switchblade	B-Application
II	I-Application
garnered	O
very	O
positive	O
reception	O
from	O
critics	O
who	O
praised	O
multiple	O
aspects	O
of	O
the	O
title	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
visuals	O
,	O
sound	O
effects	O
and	O
gameplay	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Atari	B-Device
ST	I-Device
version	O
also	O
received	O
positive	O
reception	O
from	O
reviewers	O
for	O
its	O
graphics	O
and	O
gameplay	O
,	O
while	O
the	O
Lynx	B-General_Concept
version	O
was	O
met	O
with	O
a	O
more	O
mixed	O
reception	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Despite	O
the	O
positive	O
reviews	O
,	O
programmer	O
George	O
Allan	O
was	O
criticized	O
for	O
the	O
lack	O
of	O
enemies	O
and	O
as	O
a	O
result	O
of	O
this	O
,	O
Allan	O
wanted	O
to	O
make	O
a	O
significantly	O
faster	O
title	O
,	O
which	O
would	O
eventually	O
become	O
the	O
popular	O
Zool	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Switchblade	B-Application
II	I-Application
is	O
a	O
side-scrolling	O
action-platform	O
game	O
with	O
run	O
and	O
gun	O
elements	O
similar	O
to	O
the	O
original	O
Switchblade	B-Application
where	O
the	O
player	O
takes	O
control	O
of	O
Hiro	O
through	O
six	O
stages	O
of	O
varying	O
thematic	O
set	O
in	O
the	O
land	O
of	O
Thraxx	O
at	O
Cyberworld	O
infested	O
with	O
mechanoid	O
,	O
metal-clad	O
enemies	O
where	O
the	O
main	O
objective	O
is	O
to	O
fully	O
destroy	O
the	O
returning	O
Havok	O
once	O
and	O
for	O
all	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
All	O
of	O
the	O
actions	O
in	O
the	O
game	O
are	O
performed	O
differently	O
depending	O
on	O
the	O
version	O
,	O
with	O
one	O
button	O
and	O
a	O
joystick	O
in	O
the	O
home	O
computer	O
versions	O
,	O
while	O
the	O
d-pad	B-Device
and	O
two	O
buttons	O
are	O
used	O
in	O
the	O
Lynx	B-General_Concept
port	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
progression	O
structure	O
between	O
levels	O
is	O
also	O
different	O
between	O
each	O
version	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
Amiga	B-Device
and	O
Atari	B-Device
ST	I-Device
versions	O
transitioning	O
seamlessly	O
,	O
while	O
the	O
Lynx	B-General_Concept
port	O
is	O
broken	O
into	O
several	O
sections	O
instead	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
plot	O
summary	O
of	O
Switchblade	B-Application
II	I-Application
varies	O
between	O
each	O
version	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
original	O
Amiga	B-Device
and	O
Atari	B-Device
ST	I-Device
versions	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
is	O
set	O
several	O
centuries	O
after	O
the	O
last	O
of	O
the	O
Blade	O
Knights	O
,	O
Hiro	O
,	O
defeated	O
the	O
evil	O
Havok	O
and	O
saved	O
the	O
land	O
of	O
Cyberworld	O
from	O
his	O
influence	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Taetomi	O
,	O
the	O
eldest	O
person	O
during	O
the	O
dispute	O
,	O
considered	O
the	O
Blade	O
Knights	O
 '	O
second	O
demise	O
as	O
a	O
massive	O
mistake	O
from	O
their	O
part	O
and	O
the	O
many	O
elements	O
they	O
took	O
for	O
granted	O
also	O
vanished	O
as	O
well	O
,	O
however	O
he	O
also	O
mentioned	O
the	O
existence	O
of	O
a	O
descendant	O
from	O
the	O
former	O
Blade	O
Knights	O
leader	O
's	O
lineage	O
named	O
Hiro	O
,	O
who	O
has	O
been	O
taught	O
with	O
the	O
way	O
of	O
the	O
knights	O
and	O
knows	O
the	O
full	O
risk	O
in	O
attempting	O
to	O
defeat	O
Havok	O
again	O
without	O
the	O
now-decimated	O
Switchblade	B-Application
with	O
nothing	O
but	O
the	O
knights	O
 '	O
ancient	O
weapons	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
Atari	B-General_Concept
Lynx	I-General_Concept
version	O
,	O
it	O
is	O
implied	O
that	O
the	O
original	O
Hiro	O
from	O
the	O
first	O
game	O
is	O
the	O
main	O
protagonist	O
,	O
as	O
he	O
was	O
granted	O
immortality	B-Application
after	O
defeating	O
Havok	O
200	O
years	O
ago	O
,	O
who	O
survived	O
the	O
confrontation	O
and	O
vowed	O
to	O
return	O
one	O
day	O
,	O
with	O
Hiro	O
preparing	O
himself	O
once	O
again	O
in	O
defeating	O
him	O
completely	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Switchblade	B-Application
II	I-Application
first	O
began	O
its	O
development	O
process	O
on	O
the	O
Amiga	B-Device
in	O
August	O
1990	O
and	O
it	O
was	O
solely	O
written	O
by	O
programmer	O
George	O
Allan	O
over	O
the	O
course	O
of	O
six	O
to	O
eight	O
months	O
,	O
who	O
previously	O
worked	O
on	O
Venus	B-Application
The	I-Application
Flytrap	I-Application
alongside	O
artist	O
Paul	O
Gregory	O
at	O
Gremlin	O
Graphics	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Both	O
Allan	O
and	O
Gregory	O
had	O
free	O
rein	O
on	O
the	O
project	O
and	O
were	O
influenced	O
by	O
various	O
arcade	O
games	O
such	O
as	O
Midnight	B-Application
Resistance	I-Application
,	O
Shinobi	B-Application
and	O
Strider	B-Application
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
the	O
first	O
Switchblade	B-Application
in	O
order	O
to	O
give	O
the	O
project	O
a	O
"	O
home	B-Device
console	I-Device
"	O
feel	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
runs	O
at	O
50	O
frames	O
per	O
second	O
and	O
its	O
maps	O
were	O
created	O
as	O
16x16	O
pixel	B-Algorithm
tiles	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Original	O
Switchblade	B-Application
author	O
Simon	O
Phipps	O
had	O
no	O
direct	O
involvement	O
in	O
the	O
development	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
although	O
Allan	O
has	O
claimed	O
to	O
have	O
briefly	O
met	O
with	O
Phipps	O
in	O
a	O
2012	O
interview	O
with	O
the	O
website	O
Amiga	B-Device
Lore	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Swtichblade	O
II	O
was	O
first	O
released	O
on	O
the	O
Amiga	B-Device
on	O
Europe	O
in	O
1991	O
and	O
while	O
it	O
was	O
the	O
lead	O
format	O
for	O
the	O
second	O
Switchblade	B-Application
game	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
not	O
widely	O
ported	O
to	O
the	O
other	O
platforms	O
unlike	O
the	O
first	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
later	O
ported	O
to	O
the	O
Atari	B-Device
ST	I-Device
in	O
May	O
1991	O
by	O
the	O
same	O
team	O
with	O
Alex	O
Davies	O
assisting	O
in	O
the	O
porting	O
process	O
at	O
Core	O
Design	O
,	O
featuring	O
less	O
colors	O
than	O
the	O
original	O
version	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
also	O
ported	O
to	O
the	O
Atari	B-General_Concept
Lynx	I-General_Concept
by	O
Optimus	O
Software	O
and	O
released	O
on	O
North	O
America	O
and	O
Europe	O
by	O
Atari	O
Corporation	O
in	O
1992	O
,	O
although	O
the	O
former	O
are	O
not	O
credited	O
as	O
such	O
in-game	O
and	O
this	O
version	O
was	O
first	O
showcased	O
to	O
the	O
attendees	O
at	O
SCES	O
'	O
92	O
before	O
being	O
published	O
late	O
on	O
the	O
same	O
year	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Between	O
2016	O
and	O
2017	O
,	O
former	O
programmer	O
Christian	O
Harvey	O
recounted	O
about	O
the	O
development	O
process	O
of	O
the	O
conversion	O
for	O
the	O
system	O
at	O
Unseen64	O
,	O
stating	O
that	O
the	O
port	O
was	O
completed	O
under	O
a	O
whole	O
year	O
and	O
based	O
upon	O
the	O
original	O
Amiga	B-Device
version	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Switchblade	B-Application
II	I-Application
received	O
mostly	O
positive	O
reception	O
since	O
its	O
release	O
on	O
the	O
Amiga	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
One	O
gave	O
the	O
Amiga	B-Device
version	O
of	O
Switchblade	B-Application
II	I-Application
an	O
overall	O
score	O
of	O
90%	O
,	O
comparing	O
it	O
to	O
Strider	B-Application
from	O
Capcom	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
One	O
notes	O
Switchblade	B-Application
II	I-Application
as	O
an	O
improvement	O
over	O
its	O
predecessor	O
,	O
expressing	O
that	O
"	O
the	O
main	O
sprites	O
are	O
larger	O
,	O
the	O
levels	O
are	O
bigger	O
"	O
and	O
praising	O
the	O
addition	O
of	O
new	O
weapons	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Competition	O
against	O
Switchblade	B-Application
II	I-Application
at	O
the	O
time	O
of	O
the	O
release	O
include	O
the	O
similarly	O
critically	O
acclaimed	O
Gods	B-Application
and	O
the	O
less-so	O
Turrican	B-Application
II	I-Application
,	O
and	O
The	O
One	O
expresses	O
that	O
Switchblade	B-Application
II	I-Application
stands	O
out	O
from	O
similar	O
titles	O
due	O
to	O
its	O
"	O
individual	O
merits	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
Switchblade	B-Application
II	I-Application
received	O
mostly	O
positive	O
reception	O
in	O
all	O
platforms	O
,	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
main	O
criticisms	O
directed	O
towards	O
George	O
Allan	O
was	O
its	O
slow	O
pacing	O
and	O
the	O
lack	O
of	O
enemies	O
in	O
the	O
playfield	O
and	O
as	O
such	O
,	O
Allan	O
pursued	O
in	O
creating	O
a	O
significantly	O
faster	O
title	O
than	O
his	O
previous	O
work	O
,	O
which	O
would	O
eventually	O
lead	O
to	O
the	O
conception	O
of	O
the	O
original	O
Zool	B-Application
.	O
</s>
