Very nice! Both of these characters translate the mechanics of their source games beautifully and integrate flawlessly into the levels of base SRB2.
Skip's moveset works a lot better in a Sonic game than I thought it would when I first downloaded this addon! Having a fairly basic midair dive is really useful in a lot of situations, and the various shields make it even better. I'm sure I would've especially appreciated it back when I first started playing SRB2, where I constantly tried to use Sonic's Speed Thok to course-correct my jumps onto small platforms, with predictable results. :p
I also enjoyed using his crafting system to overprepare myself for certain levels. DSZ is surprisingly fun for a Sonic water level in the base game, but it's even better when you can come into it with a bubble shield and not have to stop for air! Walking across the ball sections in RVZ is also fairly gratifying.
I also found myself whiffing against bosses quite a bit using his dive, which I actually kind of like? It feels like I'm missing because I just didn't aim right, rather than doing the same thing while trying to use Sonic's speed thok and sending yourself flying into the abyss, which is far more frustrating.
However, the last part of Skip's moveset is by far the most powerful. If you bind the dance key to something easy to access (I already had it on E due to another mod I use), you can press it twice in quick succession for a maneuver I like to call the Microgroove. This Microgroove cures all frustration from the player in an instant. Waiting for an air bubble in DSZ? Microgroove. Getting mildly bored while cheesing ACZ's boss by hiding behind a crate? Hit 'em with a Microgroove. Finally reached the escape pod at the end after trying and failing upwards of 10 times to beat the final boss? I'd say you've earned a last-second Microgroove. Those first two notes of synth bass can immediately cure any ailment.
I know this is rapidly turning into an essay, but punctuality has never been my specialty. Time for another 3+ paragraphs explaining my thoughts on Jana!
I'll admit I've never played Mega Man Zero, and I've only played about half of Mega Man X1, but having the dash from those games put into a game I'm already fairly good at probably helps me experience the joy of dash-jumping around at breakneck speeds without having to actually get good at the Mega Man games, since I've heard MMZ is pretty tough! I managed to completely fumble my way through the first big room of BCZ1, and by the end not only catch back up with Metal Sonic but actually leave him in the dust. Broken? Probably. But fun? Absolutely.
Her sword is also plenty of fun to use against some bosses. Using her in BCZ2 unlocks levels of Metal Sonic bullying that would make Fang jealous. Did you know that he can be hit 4 times before getting out a single attack? I sure do now! BCZ3 is also significantly easier when you don't have to slam your entire body into him to do damage. The only boss I found harder with her was CEZ3, because her projectiles just barely can't reach him once he removes enough of the floor, and you have to start blindly dashing through him to do anything, which tends to get you skewered more often than not in my experience.
This might also not be super relevant, but I love both of their character designs, particularly Jana's. She's definitely cool, but she's also kind of adorable at the same time! A lot of the canon characters that are designed to be imposing or cool seem to forget that they're still cartoon animals with the proportions to match, particularly with the classic Sonic style, but Jana embraces it while still being badass in the process. And, of course, Skip is about one cute mannerism away from reducing my vocabulary to that of the average Twitter pet account, which probably makes the Microgroove all the more more effective.
TL;DR if I ever played netgames, these two would probably turn me into a toxic mess instantly in completely different ways, but by Chaos I'd have fun doing it. (/positive)
Again, sorry for the essay, I just had a lot to say! I tried to spoiler it a few times, but it doesn't look like BBCode works in reviews. Oh well!
This is probably my favorite character addon I've played so far. In fact, wanting to write this review was the deciding factor for me to make an SRB2MB account in the first place!
)
