Astro Duel 2 is a shooter/platformer for the Nintendo Switch. When I say shooter/platformer, I don’t mean it just merges those genres into one. No, Astro Duel 2 has two separate elements: platforming and shooting. It’s a cool idea that generally works, despite a few flaws.

I like shooters and platformers, so a game that combines both is right up my alley. In Astro Duel 2, levels begin with a short platforming experience before your character jumps into their ship. You’re instantly in space, shooting down all kinds of alien craft. Then you notice some kind of portal on the edge of a building. Flying to this edge takes you inside, where you can run and shoot to defeat even more enemies before returning to your ship through another door. This seamless transition between play styles makes this title easy to enjoy. It is fair, then, to talk about each half of the game separately. Let’s start with the platforming.

I’m a huge fan of platforming. running and jumping is my jam. Astro Duel 2 takes a simple approach to the genre, with a small sprite that can run, jump and shoot. Each section is self-contained and includes small rooms to dodge and attack enemies. It works well, with basic controls that make it accessible.

That said, it’s not always obvious how to do certain things, like using special weapons. It took me longer than I’d like to admit to realize that picking up new weapons didn’t automatically change my default weapon. There is a separate button for this, and they are of limited use in terms of ammo. An indication of how much ammo is left for these special weapons would also be welcome.

The shooter department keeps things just as simple. The upside is that this creates something easy to jump into and enjoy. On the other hand, it lacks the depth to keep players hooked for long periods. The flight is generally good, although I had trouble controlling my ship. It feels a little loose, but maybe that’s meant to mimic the feeling of being in space? It’s not uncontrollable by any means, it’s just a little different from what I expected.

Shooting is also slightly different. Instead of being able to fire repeatedly, you’re limited to three bullets at a time. These are replenished after a short wait, but it feels slightly garbled and unnecessary. While it helps create a more strategic approach to shooting, I prefer the fast action of a standard shooter.

Different doesn’t mean bad, though, and Astro Duel 2 presents a fun experience once you know what you’re doing. There are several stages to play through, each with waves of enemies. You can take three hits before dying completely, requiring you to restart on wave one.

Shooting enemies drops money and earning enough will allow you to unlock new missions. It’s a simple perspective that forces you to keep an eye on the moolah that floats by. Some repetition is necessary to earn enough for some levels, but thankfully each mission is concise enough that the repetitions aren’t too burdensome.

You can choose from four pixelated avatars, even giving your chosen astrokiller a unique name. There are two modes to choose from: missions and co-op. What’s missing, though, is a story mode. The missions, while enjoyable, become repetitive after a few hours, especially without the dangerous threat of a larger enemy to work with.

Overall, Astro Duel 2 is a neat combination of two popular genres. The simple setup is fun, despite my initial issues with the controls. It could benefit from a bit more variety and some sort of story mode to tie it all together, but the addition of a co-op mode is welcome.