Playing this game immediately after the first one makes it abundantly clear that this is the greatest sequel to any game of all time. Everything that doesnt work about the first game is fixed and its way more ambitious and interesting. This is one of my favorite games of all time. The more I play this the better it gets.
I dont even know where to begin with it. I think the storytelling is far better than the original. It has a more personal narrative, where you and your dragon, Lagi, are hunting down the ancient ship that destroyed your home. The dragon evolution mechanic is one of my favorite things in any video game. Seeing Lagi evolve throughout the entire game is such a cool thing. It adds to the narrative, but also getting better at the game and mastering it gives you further evolutions, so its this tangible reason for you to replay it. This also includes the alternate routes which dramatically change a levels progression. One of my absolute favorite things is that the first time Lagi flies is in gameplay. He struggles to do it during a couple of cutscenes, but then during one of the levels, he finally gets it. Its done entirely through the gameplay and you get to control it. It had a big impact on me even though I first played it decades after it came out.
The controls are emaculate. Flying, switching the four directions, aiming and shooting lasers and shots, it all feels like butter. Its such a satisfying game to control. Everything is so readable. I never felt there were many unfair moments or that the hardware was holding it back. It has a great difficulty curve, its actually a lot easier than the first game, but the scoring gives it more complexity. Its just a nice balance between that first playthrough being impressive versus having really good staying power. Every level is so cool and they are backed by an incredible soundtrack that eclipses the first games OST. The bosses are a highlight too. I love how the game encourages you to kill them quickly, they feel really dynamic as some have hidden phases or have attacks that can be interrupted with skillful shots.
The final boss in this game is legendary to me. It is my favorite final boss of any game. It is epic in scale but it also has this ethereal beauty to it. The track that plays is incredible and the attacks it does are stunning. The second phase is amazing. Its a fight of equals that I dont think couldve been done any better. Its something you gotta experience to really understand and its worth playing the game just to get there. Its incredible stuff.
I really dont have anything bad to say about it. I mean maybe my only issue is that alternate routes are pretty hard to identify in the moment and easy to screw up if you want to play perfectly. But thats something I really dont even mind because I can just play this over and over and over again. Its simply a perfect video game that I hope everyone gets to experience. A real masterclass.
I dont even know where to begin with it. I think the storytelling is far better than the original. It has a more personal narrative, where you and your dragon, Lagi, are hunting down the ancient ship that destroyed your home. The dragon evolution mechanic is one of my favorite things in any video game. Seeing Lagi evolve throughout the entire game is such a cool thing. It adds to the narrative, but also getting better at the game and mastering it gives you further evolutions, so its this tangible reason for you to replay it. This also includes the alternate routes which dramatically change a levels progression. One of my absolute favorite things is that the first time Lagi flies is in gameplay. He struggles to do it during a couple of cutscenes, but then during one of the levels, he finally gets it. Its done entirely through the gameplay and you get to control it. It had a big impact on me even though I first played it decades after it came out.
The controls are emaculate. Flying, switching the four directions, aiming and shooting lasers and shots, it all feels like butter. Its such a satisfying game to control. Everything is so readable. I never felt there were many unfair moments or that the hardware was holding it back. It has a great difficulty curve, its actually a lot easier than the first game, but the scoring gives it more complexity. Its just a nice balance between that first playthrough being impressive versus having really good staying power. Every level is so cool and they are backed by an incredible soundtrack that eclipses the first games OST. The bosses are a highlight too. I love how the game encourages you to kill them quickly, they feel really dynamic as some have hidden phases or have attacks that can be interrupted with skillful shots.
The final boss in this game is legendary to me. It is my favorite final boss of any game. It is epic in scale but it also has this ethereal beauty to it. The track that plays is incredible and the attacks it does are stunning. The second phase is amazing. Its a fight of equals that I dont think couldve been done any better. Its something you gotta experience to really understand and its worth playing the game just to get there. Its incredible stuff.
I really dont have anything bad to say about it. I mean maybe my only issue is that alternate routes are pretty hard to identify in the moment and easy to screw up if you want to play perfectly. But thats something I really dont even mind because I can just play this over and over and over again. Its simply a perfect video game that I hope everyone gets to experience. A real masterclass.