Windjammers 2 (Steam Deck) - Arcade Mode: S. De Lys [Hard/1CC/1.1.1 Update]

Haven’t we done this we done this one before?
As a matter of fact, we have.
Windjammers 2 is up there as one of the most addictive games I have played in recent memory. As someone who dabbled with the original Ultimate Frisbee game, I can respect that the sequel/remake has gone a long way in respecting the legacy left from Data East's 1994 classic, updating it's formula to work in the 4K era of gaming. Windjammers 2 looks and plays like a dream, with relatively solid netcode and a simple and responsive interface to boot.
Over the past year or so, Windjammers 2 saw a massive content dump, with two and a half new characters being introduced, besides an updated Proton patch to make sure it runs smoothly on Steam Deck. Praise the Sun since there is no more messing around with glitchy OpenGL libraries! Windjammers 2 on Linux is virtually indistinguishable from the Windows experience now.
Although Windjammers 2 also continues to be incredibly brutal in it’s single player campaign. The arcade mode did always veer into broken AI territory, even on the lower difficulties, and now CPU opponents seemingly never slip up in their pursuit of goal. They will often make miraculous saves, and clutch actions that will only ever succeed in infuriating the most careful of players. In many ways it reminds me of the Mortal Kombat 2 walker AI, since it is basically reading your inputs and cheats to victory. I said this before, but it needs saying again, Iosing just 2 points from missing a frisbee can make all the difference if your opposition plays you until the time limit expires and, believe me, it will happen alot. Ring and Beach might be the toughest areas to play in, obviously not counting the dumb barrier stages, as these will forever feel like a game of luck, especially as your opponent gets lucky deflections that lead to far, far, too many 5 point goals. However, much like the aforementioned Mortal Kombat 2 AI, the trick to achieving victory is in ultimately finding and exploiting the computer’s quirks, reacting in kind to their eccentricities. I aimed for corners often, and used curved supershots to mix up some of my attacks, other times I relied on frustrating the computer's assaults with low power throws or time wasting lobs. Casino might be the best demonstration of this sort of time wasting, especially since you can hold a Hard opponent to an endless rally, with one point frisbees, while holding a comfortable lead late into the round.
I am not a big fan of Sophie De Lys. While I can appreciate her vibe, she is fast and has a solid slide, it isn't quite enough to keep up with the fastest of characters (e.g. Raposa) and the heavier characters will dominate unless you box clever. De Lys does have an incredible Super however in Rockets, which will take most players off-guard during busier rallies, but controlling the pace of rounds can feel more difficult than it really should.
I do intend to fully complete video playthroughs for the entire cast of characters in Windjammers 2. Please keep watch on this space.
--------------------------------------­---------------
A NECESSARY EVIL:
---------------------------------------­---------------
Any copyrighted footage I use is covered under fair use laws, or more specifically those listed under Section 30(1) of the UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1989 and under section 107 of US Copyright Act 1976. This video exists purely for the purpose of research and criticism. I do not make a profit from any uploaded content, nor do I intend to. Thank you for watching.