Bike Rider DX 2: Galaxy sounds like the name of just another digital-only platformer where you play as a bicyclist (and it is), but it earns its share of credit for being the sequel to Bike Rider DX, a quality eShop game that establishes enough promise and potential to justify a sequel’s existence. While I cannot give it quite the same level of approval this game received in its original review, I can at least say this: Bike Rider DX 2 is good.

Bike Rider DX 2 is a runner, in that it’s a 2D platformer where the player character (a plain stick figure) automatically moves forward until he fails the level. Unlike games like Runner2, however, Bike Rider offers more autonomy. There’s no ducking or dance button, but there’s double and multi-jumping, the player can move forward or backwards on the screen and there are several power-ups. One turns our hero into a frog that slows his movement while giving him charged jumps, while another is a pair of wings that gives him free flight. The controls are tight and responsive, and the gameplay manages to feel like a quality runner as well as a quality traditional platformer.

The main content of Bike Rider DX 2: Galaxy is split between two main modes: Galaxy Tour and Grand Prix. Galaxy Tour is the main platforming section, where you play across twelve galaxy worlds (each with five levels each) themed around the twelve zodiac animals. Levels are roughly 30-60 seconds long, with three medals to collect (a la New Super Mario Bros.) and a special crown if you manage to beat a level using only the jump button to maneuver.

While the themes range from extraterrestrial to Roman and beyond, the level design is static and unmemorable. Each world has its own set of variables, but the game reaches its max difficulty far before the game’s end (barring a series of bonus levels after the credits) and all of the traditional spike/pit/enemy hazards are relatively bland and predictable. It is nice that the individual worlds are visually colorful and the soundtrack is catchy, but it doesn’t have much of a personality in presentation outside of “that looks nice.” In this mode, everything is good enough and nothing more.

Grand Prix, the other main mode, is where the game truly comes alive. This is a more of a simple endless runner, where the game procedurally generates an endless level (around any level theme of your choosing) and you run as far as possible without dying. With two difficulty modes and online leaderboards, this is by far the best, most addicting part of the game. DX 2’s mechanics are far more interesting than its level design, so creating a mode that focuses on the former and puts the latter in the background makes for a more enjoyable experience.

Bike Rider DX 2: Galaxy is easily one of the better-playing indie platformers you can find on the eShop right now. Its mechanics are a fun fusion between two platformer styles and it carries a great foundation. However, for all of the fun its endless runner mode is, the base 60+ level campaign has little going for it outside of a reasonable three-hour run time. It’s hard to complain about a downloadable game that offers a more-than-reasonable amount of content and value, but Bike Rider DX 2: Galaxy only does enough with that content to reach adequacy.