I am oddly very slow at playing these games. I’ve only ever beaten the GG and MD versions of Madou I. I did try to play this one over a year ago but got frustrated and quit. I wanted to give it another try so I did and I finally beat it. Sadly this is still my least favorite of the ones I played.

Sure, Madou II has a lot going for it. It has a really nice plot, funny writing and comedic moments, really good graphics, and even pretty good music for the Game Gear. I think it starts off really promising and I was expecting greatness here especially since this was the number 1 rated game on the system at the time. A lot of what makes the series good is here so what is the problem?

Well the difficulty is what hurts this one badly. Madou I was a very easy game on the GG. I’d actually argue it’s a good beginner RPG especially with the fun writing. It was more the tower’s design and room gimmicks that made up the challenge. Madou II also can have its own challenges but what Madou II wants you to focus on is the battles. The game now makes you grind for a majority of the adventure which is just so weird to me considering Madou I only made you do this like two or three times.

The challenge also just doesn’t work imo. Arle is always by herself and you’re kind of limited in what you can do and you’ll never know when to blow your items on an enemy or boss. Speaking of bosses, I hope you like fighting Schezo, you fight him like 5 times. I hate some of his earlier fights because it just feels like RNG if you win. I even try putting on items, using a lot of Diacute and it still feels like luck if you succeed or waste a bunch of items. What’s weird is he gets easier after the 4th rematch which makes the difficulty feel really inconsistent. The late game is also just brutal and they don’t even have the decency to bring in new enemies. It’s just stronger variants of Banshee Trio, Medusa, and Draco. I do think part of it could be just my skill but this game really does frustrate me at times.

It’s all just a shame because I find the game to be good but only barely. I hate even rating it this way. I remember before I ever touched this game, I was expecting greatness but instead I got a game feeding me mixed emotions. It just needs difficulty balances and it could’ve been something really good but as it stands, Madou II is a game I feel on and off about. It has good moments and good qualities but I’m hoping Madou III will fix some of these issues. I’m just kind of sad I’m not here telling you that it’s really good…

Oh before I go. I wanna point out if you play this game and use the map guide on GameFAQs, late in the game you’ll find this pig npc. He will make an item for you if you give him 10,000 gold and he’ll go on to make it. Though it almost looks like it can be a scam. The guide tells you it actually is which is incorrect, he helps you during the final boss if you pay him so don’t listen to the guide. Give him the gold.

The game has a lot of charm and the story is still fun, plus it's great to see Arle after the first game. That said, the game is a grindfest. Where the first game (or at least at the TurboGrafx version) had a lot of more logical puzzles where the player was the one challenged, this game challenges Arle's level (you are gatekept by a recurring boss every 2 dungeon levels or so). So you'll have to grind. A lot. On top of that, the final boss requires even extra grinding. Oh, and don't forget to enjoy Wall Hell!

With all it's problems, I enjoyed the game and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoyed the first one, but be aware of it's flaws.

For anyone grinding for the final boss and wondering how long do they have to grind, spoilers ahead.
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I leveled up until The Banshee Trio was the only enemy who still dropped XP (1 full sphere)