8th of February 2025

Operation Get Bike Back 2: Pedal Recall | Single | Author: The Community | Download

The Review: About 22 years ago Duke's bike got stolen, forcing our hero to go on a rampage to get it back. Now it's been stolen again, but this time the setting is Mars, where no Martian stone is left unturned and no alien is left unkilled in Duke's pursuit of his precious bike. What this means in practice is that you must find all the disassembled bike parts scattered across the map. The layout of the Martian city (which houses apartments, stores and the usual hi-tech facilities) is open-ended just like the city in the original OGBB was. Only this time the scope is MUCH bigger. In fact, the map is so big that it took me 72 minutes.
The map has a promising start. There are several directions to choose from, and it seems there's interesting stuff in the distance no matter where you look. The authors have drawn inspiration from many sources (including the Lego Spyrius 6991 monorail base which I sure as hell wanted as a kid but never got! Christmas 1994 did bring me the related 6959 base though along with Sonic & Knuckles). And, of course, everything floats, from vehicles to park benches, because a few decades ago people seemed to think that in the future everything would float, practical considerations be damned! Then there are laser fences, curious-looking Martian plants, an elaborate TROR bridge, and so on. The map also makes good use of various moving sprite-based objects (and yes, the Emperor gets a bike too...). This is also probably the first time ever that I took a pee while on a conveyor belt. Oh, and it wouldn't be a Mars-based map without some awesome Total Recall references here and there.
For a collaboration work the map is quite consistent visually. For sure, you're bound to recognize that some bits are cleaner and more detailed while others occasionally reek of "build the first thing that comes to your mind" (yes, I'm looking at your MRCK). The cast of authors consists of the authors of the original (William Gee and the Oostrum bros) plus MRCK, Alex Pistol and StarNukem ("StarCraftZerg"). With a trained eye you'll be able to recognize the various authors' distinct styles (even if the Oostrums and MRCK have quite similar styles), but largely the different strengths of these authors work to the map's benefit; after all, a city of this scope would usually be the work of different architects and engineers.
As you explore the main urban area the map slowly starts to make more and more sense. But it never really settles down, which then becomes an issue. You're constantly discovering new areas along the edges of the map, making it harder to keep track of where you have been, where you haven't been and all the million things you probably missed along the way. Viewscreens provide shots of where the bike parts are, but these are useless as guides. So, rather than navigating around the map with a clear purpose you kinda end up just drifting aimlessly hoping to find something. There are keys, but these are all red, meaning you can shove them in any slot you find in any order you happen to find them in. This too makes navigation more difficult, not less. At one point you'll get a jetpack (although I can't recall now whether it was missable) which makes it far easier to move around, but fuel is scarce and running out of it means you'll be scratching your head trying to figure out how you reached this and that location without it. Due to the map's sheer size you're bound to get stuck eventually. Nothing of importance is really explicitly hidden, but occasionally important paths tend to get lost in the background or are barely noticeable from certain angles. Considering the map's enormous size and that these paths are essential to progression, I'd have done more to highlight them.
Combat goes through many phases. It never really gets as spammy as I feared, and the first ten minutes or so are in fact quite relaxed (accentuated by a fitting new music track) with just a few monsters lurking around. But you'll eventually get Battlelords and Commanders taking shots at you from considerable distances and other such annoyances. There are also mini versions of alien drones around the map; these are a curiosity, but unfortunately they take just as many bullets to kill as those of regular size. Ammo is abundant, and I like how toward the end you can freely resort to using only explosives. There are also plenty of medkits and even Atomic Healths, but occasionally the distribution of Portable Medkits is a bit uneven (not that it's easy to get the balance right in an open-ended map such as this). There are some puzzles beyond the usual hunting for keys and buttons, and these include operating a massive cannon to open up a route, using a Shrinker over a very long distance (although both these examples could've benefited from better highlighting/signposting of their relevant bits) and some platforming (luckily nothing too annoying).

Conclusion: Operation Get Bike Back 2 is of enormous size and scope. The map is filled with interesting details and homages to sci-fi classics, and the authors' distinct styles serve the map well. It starts off with relaxed, atmospheric exploration and joy of discovery. Eventually it starts to wear you out; you'll be exhausted by the sheer amount of new areas. It becomes harder to keep track of things and easier to miss out on crucial details. Of course, nothing forces you to play all of it in one go; feel free to take a break or two and return to the map later.

Rating: 92