Back to Saturn X Episode 2: Tower in the Fountain of Sparks
By Back to Saturn X Team - 27 Maps
Format: Vanilla
[Download]
Started: June 17th 2025
Finished: June 22 2025
Status: Completed
BTSX E2 isn't quite as solid as the first entry but it does improve on a lot of E1's primary issues. The average quality of the maps is a little higher, and it doesn't share E1's middle third slump, but there's not as many standout maps here as in E1 (as well as a surplus of very big/long maps), and the vibes aren't quite right. The visual theme here is a lot more varied than E1's techbase fatigue, but I found it to be a lot less cohesive, and overall a little less interesting. The soundtrack (while still solid, shoutouts to Angry Science and Vinefort especially) isn't as good either. In general E2's theming tends more towards melancholy and darkness, and I like E1's high tempo techbases a lot more. The hub levels here are disappointing compared to E1's vibe-y subway stations. E1's hub felt a lot more natural and well connected, with you entering it and getting on one of the trains as the exit from the first map, and then leaving through the back way into the caves for seamless transition into the finale, and it was small enough that you never had to worry about getting lost but big enough that you could explore around a bit and get a good sense of scale and "realness". E2's hubs are much bigger and more detailed, but basically just amount to linear walks to the exit teleporter. There's no real cohesive feeling of connection between the hubs and the chunks of maps, each hub is a completely separate section of this place which ruins the feeling of it being a singular real location you keep returning to, and they're so much bigger and more confusing that there's just lines of health bonuses guiding you to the exit, which only strengthens the feeling that these are just boring straight line walks to the next map. BTSX E2 is still a pretty solid wad overall, I had a lot of fun playing it and I can now finally join the club of eternally waiting for E3 to release, but I get the feeling this is going to end up being the weakest in the trilogy in the end.
Rating - ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Favorite Map - Map 26: "Beneath a Festering Moon"
Least Favorite Map - Map 25: "Unstable Journey"