Critics enjoyed the gameplay retained from the original Cannon Fodder but were disappointed at the lack of new mechanics or weapons, comparing the game to a data disk.

To this end, he can split the squad into smaller units to take up separate positions or risk fewer soldiers when moving into dangerous areas.

During the process of space travel, the aliens send the soldiers to various times and places, resulting in the intervening medieval and Chicago settings.

[5] The game is the sequel to Cannon Fodder, which drew criticism for its juxtaposition of war and humour and its use of iconography closely resembling the remembrance poppy.

The cover art's poppy was ultimately replaced with a soldier,[6] in turn replaced by a hand grenade for Cannon Fodder 2, regarding which Amiga Power joked: "The great thing about an explosive charge wrapped in hundreds of meters wound-inflicting wire is that it doesn't have the same child-frightening, 'responsible adult' freaking, society-disrupting effect as an iddy-biddy flower".

[7] Amiga Power itself had become embroiled in the controversy due to its planned use of the poppy on its cover (also abandoned) and perceived inflammatory commentary its editor Stuart Campbell.

[5][8] A small team of "essentially four" people – among them first-time level-designer Campbell – created the game, retaining the Cannon Fodder engine.

It was not possible to illustrate the story in the game itself, due to Cannon Fodder 2's simple nature and so Campbell began work on an elaborate "plot-to-be", partially completing a novella intended to accompany the final product.

Campbell later said the loss of the novella was an example of a publisher preferring to maximise profit from a game rather than build intellectual property towards the end of the Amiga's commercial life.

[10] Hare sold Sensible to Codemasters in 1999 and consequently worked on an abortive Cannon Fodder 3,[10] with such a title ultimately published by Russia's Game Factory Interactive for the PC in 2012.

[7] Amiga Computing also felt the high difficulty to be the "biggest problem": "I like a game to get progressively harder rather than getting virtually impossible after just four missions".

[5] The game's alien planet levels drew much criticism,[8] on which Amiga Computing opined "whoever chose the colour schemes should be thrown away in jail".

[4] While he praised their mechanics, Amiga Power's reviewer said: "I hate the entire look of the alien planet [...] From the disgusting purple pools to the silly flowers".

[4] Amiga Power said it was not as good as its predecessor and also pointed out that the in-game music remained the same as the original Cannon Fodder and had grown tiresome.

[5] Critics decried the lack of new weapons,[1][5][7] pointing out that the original armaments and vehicles had merely been made to look different in the various settings, while behaving in the same manner.

[8] CU Amiga conceded that the designers could have added little new to such a simple game without tampering with the basic, successful mechanics;[12] Sensible Software was accused of "laziness" by The One,[7] and of "greed" by AUI.

[4] The One summarised: "If you've got CF1, love it, and want seconds, only harder, look no further – but, if like myself you've played Cannon Fodder to death and would've liked to have seen the game developed in some way, I think you'll be a bit disappointed".