Cotton 2
From Sega Retro
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| Cotton 2 | ||||||||||||||
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| System(s): Sega Titan Video, Sega Saturn | ||||||||||||||
| Publisher: Success | ||||||||||||||
| Developer: Success | ||||||||||||||
Sound driver:  | ||||||||||||||
| Peripherals supported: | ||||||||||||||
| Genre: Shooting[1][2] | ||||||||||||||
| Number of players: 1-2 | ||||||||||||||
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Cotton 2 (コットン ２) is a shoot-'em-up game and the direct sequel to Cotton. It was released for the Sega Saturn and Sega Titan Video arcade hardware. A special edition of the Sega Saturn version included a Cotton-themed tea cup.
Contents
Story
Far south of the Kingdom of Filament (フィラメント), the land of witches and fairies, lies the Pumpkin Kingdom (パンプキン王国). The people live in peace because of the power of the "Water Willow" (水ウィロー), a magical treasure that protects them and preserves the magical balance of the land.
One day, one of the kingdom's princesses, the headstrong witch Appli (アプリ), secretly takes the Water Willow from the castle in the middle of the night to fulfill her own wishes. However, a sudden wind blows Appli and the Water Willow into the forest on the edge of the city. She searches for the Water Willow but cannot find it. The witch Cotton (コットン) happens by and overhears that Appli is searching for a Willow. Obsessed with the magical candy Willow, Cotton sets off to find the Water Willow herself so she can eat it.
Gameplay
The game is a side-scrolling shoot-'em-up. Players take the role of the young witch Cotton or her rival Appli and travel through several magical dream-like stages on a quest to retrieve the missing "Water Willow" candy to the Pumpkin Kingdom. Two players can play together simultaneously, with player one as Cotton and player two as Appli. After completing the game, players can choose the order of the characters in the options menu.
The characters move in any direction using the D-Pad. They fire a magical weapon with 
. This weapon is unlimited and has a power level between 1 and 5. The power level is increased by destroying enemies and by collecting yellow crystals and decreased by taking damage or dying. The character can move faster by holding while moving but cannot attack while doing this. The character can grab nearby objects, including enemies, with 
and throw them with or . Grabbed objects can be used as a shield or thrown as a weapon. The character can use a special magical ability with 
, which does high damage in a large area. Using a special magical ability expends a crystal.
Crystals are collected from defeated enemies, and each character can hold up to three crystals at a time. The standard attack and the special ability are both associated with an element corresponding to the last crystal collected: Fire (red), Ice (blue), Wind (green), or Light (white). Using a special ability sacrifices the current crystal (displayed leftmost), which changes the standard attack as well. If the character has no more crystals left, she reverts to a base attack and cannot perform a special ability until she finds another crystal.
Characters can perform special command shots by inputting special control sequences, similar to a fighting game. Enemies defeated by a command shot become sealed in a magical bubble. The bubble behaves differently based on the currently equipped elemental magic. Any other enemies who come in contact with a sealed enemy are destroyed in a chain reaction. Sealed enemies can be picked up and thrown with like any other enemy, allowing the player to execute long chains of exploding enemies. Characters can grab and throw the bubble multiple times; the bubble eventually detonates if it is not picked up for a while. Keeping the bubble on screen for longer increases the score bonus that it provides when it is finally destroyed. Shooting the bubble also increases the bonus. Sealed enemies also release a health restoring item when they are destroyed, which is larger and heals more if the bubble is kept on screen for longer.
Every stage has a sub-boss and a boss, which are typically composed of multiple segments or generate objects that can set off for chain reactions. Bosses have a time limit, though players progress to the next stage regardless if the boss is not completed in time.
Each character has a health bar, allowing her to sustain multiple enemy hits. The character is defeated when her health bar runs out, ending the game, but it can be continued from the same spot if the player has credits remaining.
There are four selectable difficulty levels (Easy, Normal, Hard, and Hardest). The Saturn version has a special Saturn Mode with different enemy patterns and differently styled stages.
Characters
| Cotton (コットン) | |
|---|---|
| Cotton is a witch of unknown age but with "a mental age of 5" who is obsessed with the magical candy Willow (ウィロー). She is accompanied by the fairy Silk (シルク). Silk is much more serious than Cotton but also a bit clumsy.
Cotton starts the game with the following crystals: Fire, Wind, and Ice. | |
| Appli (アプリ) | |
| Appli is the third princess of the Pumpkin Kingdom. She is an overconfident 13-year-old witch with her own secret ambitions. She is accompanied by Needle (二ードル), a spirit who manifests as a magical hat. Needle has served the royal family for 49 generations and watches over Appli.
Appli starts the game with the following crystals: Ice, Wind, and Fire. |
Weapons
| Fire (炎) | |
|---|---|
| The standard attack shoots fireballs. The special ability is conjuring a fire dragon. Sealed enemies bounce on the ground. | |
| Ice (氷) | |
| The standard attack shoots ice spears that ricochet off surfaces. The special ability is a spray of large ice shards. Sealed enemies slide along the ground. | |
| Wind (風) | |
| The standard attack shoots waves that pass through terrain and home in on nearby foes and increase in size as they travel farther. The special ability is sending giant whirlwinds across the screen. Sealed enemies float into the air. | |
| Light (光) | |
| The standard attack shoots long laser beams that pierce through multiple targets. The special ability is a diffusion of light beams. Sealed enemies are pulled to the ceiling. Light crystals only appear on the sixth stage. | |
| Base | |
| If the character does not have a crystal, she shoots energy balls in a helical pattern. |
Command shots
| Tornado Shot (トルネードショット) | |
|---|---|
|
Motion:   | |
| A large, piercing shot. | |
| Wide Shot (ワイドショット) | |
|
Motion: | |
| A three-way spreadshot. | |
| Upward Side Shot (サイドショット 上) | |
|
Motion:   | |
| An upward, four-way spreadshot. | |
| Downward Side Shot (サイドショット 下) | |
|
Motion:   | |
| A downward, four-way spreadshot. | |
| Bomb | |
|
Motion: , , , or | |
| Tosses a bomb. |
Items
| Crystal (クリスタル) | |
|---|---|
| The yellow crystals provide bonus experience. The other colors change the element of the main attack (red for Fire, blue for Ice, green for Wind, and white for Light) and provide a use of a magical ability. Shooting a crystal changes its color. | |
| Tea (お茶) | |
| Appears at the end of the stage after defeating the boss. It increases health and experience by a small amount. The darker-colored tea cups award slightly more health and experience. Tea cups can be shot to gain points and experience (but not health). | |
| Willow (ウィロー) | |
| Restores lost health. Larger balls restore more health. These items are released by sealed enemies when they are shot. The size of the ball increases the longer the sealed enemy is on screen before it is finally destroyed. |
Stages
| Wataboshi Hill (わたぼうしの丘) | |
|---|---|
| Castle in the Sky (天空の古城) | |
| Coral Sea (さんごの海) | |
| Cave of Confusion (とまどいの洞窟) | |
| Ayakashi Swamp (あやかしの沼) | |
| Mysterious Chapel (なぞの礼拝堂) | |
| Final Boss | |
| The last stage consists solely of a fight against the final boss, Wool. |
History
Legacy
The game was remixed and re-released as Cotton Boomerang for the Sega Saturn and Sega Titan Video in 1998.
In 2021, the Saturn versions of Cotton 2 and Cotton Boomerang were included alongside Guardian Force as part of the Cotton Guardian Force Saturn Tribute compilation for the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 by City Connection.[4] These versions include added features such as rapid-fire and online rankings. The collection was given a limited physical release by Strictly Limited Games.[5]
Production credits
- コットン: 嶋崎 はるか
- アプリ: 横手 久美子
- 協力: (有)賢プロダクション
- チーフ プログラマー: 初山 勝
- アルゴリズム・ボス プログラム: 江川野 誉至
- 敵キャラ プログラム: 大城 朝秀
- ビジュアル プログラム: 堀 雅弘
- チーフ デザイナー: 福田 誠弘
- キャラクターデザイン: 甲木 稔久
- モンスター デザイン: 西村 仁
- 背景 デザイン: 劉 向東
- 背景協力: 長谷川 弘行, (有)石垣プロダクション
- ミュージック コンポーザー: 平田 健一
- 広報: 赤間 ちえ, 中野 達也
- 協力: 阿部 正輝, 立花 裕美子
- スペシャルサンクス: 磯田 重晴, 堀口 勇一, 牛込 幸夫, 坂本 英彦, 武田 美保, & Success All Staff
- プロデューサー: 吉成 隆杜
- Presented by: Success
Magazine articles
- Main article: Cotton 2/Magazine articles.
Promotional material
also published in:
- Sega Saturn Magazine (JP) #1997-36: "1997-36 (1997-10-24)" (1997-10-09)[7]
also published in:
- Sega Saturn Magazine (JP) #1997-44: "1997-44 (1997-12-19)" (1997-12-05)[8]
- Sega Saturn Magazine (JP) #1998-02: "1998-02 (1998-01-09,16)" (1997-12-26)[9]
- Sega Saturn Magazine (JP) #1998-03: "1998-03 (1998-01-23)" (1998-01-09)[10]
- Sega Saturn Magazine (JP) #1998-04ex: "1998-04 extra (1998-02-06ex)" (1998-01-23)[11]
Physical scans
Sega Titan Video version
| Sega Retro Average | ||||
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N/A |
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| Based on 0 reviews | |
| Sega Titan Video, JP | ||||
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 Cart | ||||
Saturn version
| Sega Retro Average | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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74 |
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| Based on 6 reviews | |
| Saturn, JP |
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  Cover
|
 Spinecard  Disc  Manual  Calendar |
Technical information
- Main article: Cotton 2/Technical information.
References
- ↑ File:Cotton2 Saturn JP Box Back.jpg
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 https://sega.jp/fb/segahard/ss/soft_licensee3.html (Wayback Machine: 2019-07-28 12:30)
- ↑ Sega Saturn Magazine, "1997-35 (1997-10-17)" (JP; 1997-10-03), page 102
- ↑ https://www.segasaturnshiro.com/2021/04/27/cotton-guardian-force-saturn-tribute-to-be-released-on-switch-and-ps4-this-year/ (Wayback Machine: 2021-04-28 01:23)
- ↑ https://www.gematsu.com/2021/04/cotton-guardian-force-saturn-tribute-announced-for-ps4-switch (Wayback Machine: 2023-11-08 23:15)
- ↑ File:Cotton2 Saturn JP SSEnding.pdf
- ↑ Sega Saturn Magazine, "1997-36 (1997-10-24)" (JP; 1997-10-09), page 4
- ↑ Sega Saturn Magazine, "1997-44 (1997-12-19)" (JP; 1997-12-05), page 87
- ↑ Sega Saturn Magazine, "1998-02 (1998-01-09,16)" (JP; 1997-12-26), page 100
- ↑ Sega Saturn Magazine, "1998-03 (1998-01-23)" (JP; 1998-01-09), page 73
- ↑ Sega Saturn Magazine, "1998-04 extra (1998-02-06ex)" (JP; 1998-01-23), page 195
- ↑ Famitsu, "1997-12-12" (JP; 1997-11-28), page 1
- ↑ Joypad, "Janvier 1998" (FR; 199x-xx-xx), page 85
- ↑ Mega Console, "Marzo 1998" (IT; 1998-xx-xx), page 64
- ↑ Saturn Fan, "1997 No. 23" (JP; 1997-11-28), page 194
- ↑ Saturn Fan, "1998 No. 2" (JP; 1998-01-16), page 106
- ↑ Sega Saturn Magazine, "1997-43 (1997-12-12)" (JP; 1997-11-28), page 214
| Cotton 2 | |
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|
Main page | Comparisons | Hidden content | Development | Magazine articles | Reception | Technical information | |
| Cotton games for Sega systems | |
|---|---|
|
Cotton (1991) | Cotton 2 (1997) | Cotton Boomerang (1998) |
 |
Panorama Cotton (1994) |
|
Cotton 2 (1997) | Cotton Boomerang (1998) |
 |
Rainbow Cotton (2000) |