Very disappointing: A review for Azure Dreams fans.
Tao's Curse pretty much dumps all the little fun side jobs like dating and town development to focus soley on climbing the Monster Tower in search of the rare monster eggs. Unfortunately the tower just isn't as much fun this go around. This time it's all about building your levels (you don't automatically lose levels like you did in the first), leveling up your weapons, and learning new magic spells. The levels are no longer randomly generated this time either, and instead and emphasis on puzzle solving to find the exit to the next floor has taken its place. Even the monsters you catch don't seem to have the charm of the first one.
As far as the game itself goes, the controls are done almost completely using the touch pad which can lead to problems on occasions. The music and graphics are actually quite good and are probably the highpoint of the game.
Some have said that the game requires putting in a lot of work to be truly appreciated. That may be, but after 15 hours I couldn't force myself to play anymore. When a game is that unappealing, it's just not worth it to find out how much better it can get.