This second installment is superior to the first game in many ways!
Story:
The story initially starts off quite simple. Izuna and her gang pick up the tab of their inn bill, only to find that it's exceedingly expensive. Must of it is contributed to Izuna's bottomless stomach. Not long after that, Ichika announces that she is being wed by Sakichi, making one of the most unusual couples in gaming. Izuna decides to attend, though only for the "free food" (typical for her). During the ceremony, however, Shino starts to get nostalgic about the food, and wonders if its possibly from her "real" sister. She then sets off to find the truth, and the next day, Izuna follows her trail. Will Shino ever catch up with her sister?
The plot initially seems quite silly and trite, but it does introduce some intriguing twists along the way. Then again, most people don't play rogue likes for the story, but the narrative does help a bit. The game also has several references to the first game, although playing the first one is not required to go into this one, as both stories are completely independent, though it does help if you are already familiar with the game's characters….
7.0/10
Design:
Izuna 2, for the most part, hasn't changed much from its predecessor. You'll still be traversing randomly generated dungeons, fighting enemies, move on to the next floor, repeat. Each step, attack, or any other action you do in a dungeon represents one turn, where the enemies then do something. The formula requires careful planning and thought, as each step you take is vital, and the wrong move could lead you to an untimely death. Like the first game, death ends you up with losing all your items, equipment and money, with only your experience being intact. Only items and money that you put in storage at a shop is kept if you die. The game's difficulty won't sit right for those that have been introduced to RPGs on the more recent offerings, but the difficulty is for those that have been gaming for at least a decade, so they welcome a challenge.
The old items from the first game return as well as some new ones. Some of the previously useless items are now useful. Some pills, when swallowed, are actually beneficial now. The new items in the game include Light of Grace, Razor Yo-yo, Angelic Bow, and the like. Bows, of course, require arrows in order to use, and characters have different attributes on how well they use equipment (some they can't use at all). This character attributing encourages use of the different playable characters that are available to you.
The main new addition to the game is tagging. You take two people in one dungeon at a time, but only one can be out at any given time. If the need arises, you can switch to the other character you have out with the press of a button. Another thing this adds is a special team attack, which varies depending on whose out. Izuna and Shino can call forth a tornado, Fuuka and Izuna can produce fire, and so on. These team attacks are used to get yourself out of a pinch, if necessary, and trust me, you'll be relying on them quite a bit.
8.5/10
Gameplay:
Like the previous game, this one controls with no qualms. No unnecessary touch screen gimmicks are used here, and in fact, there's no touch screen support at all, so you might as well put that stylus down, as its useless here. One interesting change is that SP also determines how much strength you have in your attacks, and it even drains while walking, which encourages using restoring SP items or switching characers. Like the first game, health restores automatically as you move, but it doesn't restore fast enough usually so that healing items are useless, as you'll never know when you'll be attacked again. Oddly, the game actually seems easier this time around, though it can still be quite hard. Switching characters can't be exploited too much, as there is a limit of three times you can do it very quickly, and you need to wait for a bar to recharge before you can do it another time. Same can be said for the team attacks, which helps prevent the game from being too easy. These limiters, as well as limited item stock, encourages you to think up your moves a lot of the time, so strategy is encouraged.
One thing must be noted, however, is that when new characters come, they start at level 1, and they only gain experience when they are actually out and on the field, so the game requires quite a bit of grinding…. This can be a turn off for those that despise it, but it also causes you to experiment with different characters to see which ones suit your preference.
I also have to give personal props to Atlus for actually bothering to fix the glitches in the Japanese release. To show you what they went through, here's a link to their production diary:
http://www.atlus.com/pd5.php
If it directs you to another page, click on "Employees of the Unemployed".
8.0/10
Presentation:
Another aspect where this sequel has changed pretty drastically is in its visuals. Characters look less chibi, more levels of shading are present, and there are even some minor visual effects, like moving leaves. The game does look more like a DS release now, but there's little here that couldn't have been done on lesser handhelds, like the GBA. Roguelikes don't need to impress with their visuals, but it would've helped if there were more visual splendor. The same cool art style returns, though, and there are even some nice stills shown during certain story sequences. The original's snappy localization has returned, and believe it or not, its even better in this installment, though because of the jump in ratings from E10+ to T, expect to hear more references to innuendo, like how Shino is…. Uh, it's best for me not to say.
The music is just as good as it was in the last game, and there's something about the game's music that just makes you love it. There is more voice acting this time around, but once again, its still all in Japanese, and it occurs at random. Some lines are spoken, but most are not. Though those that don't like to read may be turned off by the sub only localization, many anime fans would actually prefer that over a bad dub.
8.5/10
Overall:
Izuna 2 adds quite a bit to an already good game, while fixing some things that were wrong about the first title. Having a more diverse playable cast is always a good thing, and several additions to the gameplay, as well as more useful items, make this title superior to the original release. If you're a fan, definitely get this one, and if you're curious about this cutie, this is a good place to start, as its easier than the first game, making it more approachable to newcomers. Whoever you are, definitely give Izuna a shot at your heart. She may win you over!
Final Score: 8.5/10 (Not an average)