25 years later and I still don't like it
In terms of technology, Super Turrican 2 is quite impressive and makes great use of the SNES abilities. In terms of actual fun it is however a major step down from the previous Super Turrican and the equally superior Turrican1&2&3 on the Amiga. The previously large and open level design got replaced here with extremely linear and "cinematic" levels, making the game play much more similar to something like Contra. But unlike Contra everything here feels a little slow and sluggish. The awkward to use grappling hook doesn't help either and the lack of ability to shoot diagonally is also a big handicap for this style of gameplay. The rolling as a ball and freeze ray also feel more like leftovers from previous games, than something that fits the gameplay. The cinematic cutscenes and story bits don't add anything to the game either and feel quite disconnected from the actual gameplay.
Overall there isn't a whole lot positive I can say about this game. It looks good enough, plays well enough and has a descent amount of variety, but it just never captures the fun in the way previous entries did it. It just feels like a step in the wrong direction for the series.