This review contains spoilers
Two words.
HOLY. SHIT.
How they followed up the flat nothingness of Iris 1 with this absolutely ASTOUNDS me. When people talk about sequels that are better than the first game, I'm going to be using this game as a prime example.
The world building is great, constructing a land with history and conflict, and with a load of different locales.
The characters are remarkable and have real motivations and defining traits, which extends to even the antagonists, especially Chaos. Even Felt, who fills the "Protag who saves the day" role has his own small quirks that set him apart. I absolutely adore the usage of Felt and Viese's letters to give them that little bit more.
The music is ASTOUNDING, with Empty Corridor being my personal favorite, but you could choose most any other song and not be disappointed.
The combat gameplay does take some getting used to with the split attack system, and knowing when to use which does feel rewarding, plus the "skill meter" to use battle skills is novel, I just wish getting skill gauge points was just that tiny bit easier.
The alchemy is much more refined off of Iris 1, with mana synthesis no longer being the be-all-end-all and not needing to arbitrarily throw materials together and hope you get a good item result. The addition of weapon forging and skills learned off of certain equipment also adds a nice layer to equipment that I do enjoy.
This game has a fantastic cast set within a well constructed world partaking in a well written story, all set to a fantastic OST.
Gust somehow gave you Viese at level 1 and remain underleveled, yet not be dead weight, AND they pulled a twist villain THAT ACTUALLY WORKS. HOW???
Palaxius WILL slam you into the concrete if you are not carefully prepared.
HOLY. SHIT.
How they followed up the flat nothingness of Iris 1 with this absolutely ASTOUNDS me. When people talk about sequels that are better than the first game, I'm going to be using this game as a prime example.
The world building is great, constructing a land with history and conflict, and with a load of different locales.
The characters are remarkable and have real motivations and defining traits, which extends to even the antagonists, especially Chaos. Even Felt, who fills the "Protag who saves the day" role has his own small quirks that set him apart. I absolutely adore the usage of Felt and Viese's letters to give them that little bit more.
The music is ASTOUNDING, with Empty Corridor being my personal favorite, but you could choose most any other song and not be disappointed.
The combat gameplay does take some getting used to with the split attack system, and knowing when to use which does feel rewarding, plus the "skill meter" to use battle skills is novel, I just wish getting skill gauge points was just that tiny bit easier.
The alchemy is much more refined off of Iris 1, with mana synthesis no longer being the be-all-end-all and not needing to arbitrarily throw materials together and hope you get a good item result. The addition of weapon forging and skills learned off of certain equipment also adds a nice layer to equipment that I do enjoy.
This game has a fantastic cast set within a well constructed world partaking in a well written story, all set to a fantastic OST.
Gust somehow gave you Viese at level 1 and remain underleveled, yet not be dead weight, AND they pulled a twist villain THAT ACTUALLY WORKS. HOW???
Palaxius WILL slam you into the concrete if you are not carefully prepared.