Name: Genocide² – Genocide Square
Item: Genocide² – Genocide Square
Rating: 7.2
Author: Retro Replay

Genocide² – Genocide Square

Genocide² – Genocide Square is a smartly tuned FM Towns compilation for anyone who wants to dig into Zoom’s side-view mecha action without immediately being crushed by the first game’s original difficulty. Starting Genocide with the capsule weapon Betty already in hand changes the opening’s tone: you get to engage with the action from the outset instead of waiting for a major power spike.

The trade-off is that this is a revision-minded package, not a preservationist one. Genocide 2 stays close to its original form aside from enemy-design changes, while the first game is notably easier and rebalanced around earlier access to Betty. If you value a friendlier route through two futuristic robot action games, that makes this an easy recommendation; if you want the exact original challenge, the alterations matter.

Retro Replay Review

Gameplay

The first hour of Genocide² – Genocide Square has a useful advantage over the original Genocide: it lets you start with Betty, the powerful capsule weapon that was previously held back until mid-game. That immediately makes the first game feel more welcoming. Rather than spending its early stretch asking you to endure the game until a major weapon arrives, this version hands you a meaningful tool from the beginning and lets you get into the rhythm of its side-view action sooner.

The lower difficulty in Genocide is the other major change, and it makes this compilation easier to recommend to a curious newcomer. Difficulty reductions can flatten a game if they remove all pressure, but here the stronger opening loadout and gentler tuning have a clear purpose: you can spend more time learning the game’s pace instead of bouncing off its early resistance. That is a genuine improvement if your goal is to see what the series is doing rather than prove yourself against its harshest form.

Genocide 2 takes the more conservative route. Its differences are primarily in enemy design, so it remains the closer-to-original half of the pair. That creates a nice contrast within one package: Genocide has been substantially reshaped around accessibility, while Genocide 2 offers a comparatively familiar follow-up with altered opposition. If you enjoy comparing revisions, this is exactly the sort of compilation where small design changes are part of the fun.

There is still a caveat for purists. Betty’s early availability and the reduced difficulty mean the first game’s intended progression has been changed, not merely polished. You should play this edition because that revised balance sounds appealing, not because you assume it is a one-to-one substitute for the original release.

Genocide² - Genocide Square — screenshot 1 — Genocide² – Genocide Square — screenshot 1

Graphics

The action is presented from the side, with a futuristic mecha focus that suits the direct, arcade-minded structure. Genocide 2’s revised enemy designs give its half of the compilation a tangible visual point of difference, even when its overall game structure stays close to the earlier version.

Genocide² - Genocide Square — screenshot 2 — Genocide² – Genocide Square — screenshot 2

Story

Genocide² – Genocide Square is built around two connected entries in a futuristic giant-robot action series, and that shared science-fiction framing is the thread that holds the package together. The emphasis is on revisiting the games themselves rather than treating the compilation as a new chapter with its own separate dramatic hook.

That makes the collection easy to approach in order. Begin with Genocide to see the version that has received the heavier gameplay revision, then move to Genocide 2 to encounter the more restrained update. The progression is less about a newly expanded narrative than about seeing how two related games sit beside one another.

If you need elaborate story development to stay invested, the draw here is likely the mecha-action setting and the chance to compare two versions of the series. For fans who enjoy a compact sci-fi framework around focused action, that is enough to give the compilation a coherent identity.

Overall Experience

Genocide² – Genocide Square is at its strongest when you treat it as an approachable alternate route through Genocide rather than a museum-piece reissue. The first game’s easier difficulty and immediate access to Betty remove a major barrier, and that adjustment gives the collection a practical reason to exist beyond simply putting two titles on one disc.

The package also respects the distinction between its two games. Genocide receives the larger rethink, while Genocide 2 changes chiefly through its enemy designs. That unevenness is not a flaw; it gives you a clear sense that Zoom did not apply the same blanket revision to both entries.

For an FM Towns action fan, this is a worthwhile compilation with a specific audience in mind: someone who wants side-view sci-fi robot action with a softer entry point. Series veterans attached to the original Genocide challenge may prefer the earlier balance, but everyone else gets two related games and a first entry that is far less guarded about letting you use one of its strongest tools.