Kixira
2 reviews liked by Kixira
First off, this game is a direct sequel set 5 years after the first game and if you're wondering if you're required to play those first (original on vita or the remake, Overdose), you aren't but I would very much recommend at least Overdose because it's a very great game on it's own.
From the synopsis and first look on the game, it's hard to not get the impression that it's going to be the same as the first one but that is shaken early on and even more as you progress the game and notice their big differences. Things like the virtual setting of both games, Mobius and Redo, being completely different in every aspect despite being similar in concept. Or the battle system, while still called Imaginary Chain, is largely adjusted mechanically and has new and great functions added. There is also the music being more consistent quality-wise than the last game, both with the character tracks by various artists (Kemu, Ayase from YOASOBI, KairikiBear, etc.) and Tsukasa Masuko for the rest of the OST. All these elements come together to make old fans feel a completely fresh experience and give newcomers a very unique one.
The characters and plot this time around take an overall more serious tone. While the entire main cast is written in a way that not a lot of people will directly relate to, players will still be able to empathize with them as they get to know them more and find out the circumstances that put them in Redo and their regrets, which is the main theme of the game. A theme that isn't uncommon but, to me, isn't something that has been tackled this masterfully in a way that would definitely leave something for all players to reflect on as they go through and ultimately finish the game.
To end the review, I feel the game has set a gold standard for sequels and JRPGs as a whole for me. Caligula 2 is not only a game that improved on the first games but went over and beyond all expectations for me with how it managed to feel so much like the previous games while being completely different at the same time. A game that will definitely make everyone feel something they will never experience again with any other franchise. I highly recommend the game to anyone interested.
From the synopsis and first look on the game, it's hard to not get the impression that it's going to be the same as the first one but that is shaken early on and even more as you progress the game and notice their big differences. Things like the virtual setting of both games, Mobius and Redo, being completely different in every aspect despite being similar in concept. Or the battle system, while still called Imaginary Chain, is largely adjusted mechanically and has new and great functions added. There is also the music being more consistent quality-wise than the last game, both with the character tracks by various artists (Kemu, Ayase from YOASOBI, KairikiBear, etc.) and Tsukasa Masuko for the rest of the OST. All these elements come together to make old fans feel a completely fresh experience and give newcomers a very unique one.
The characters and plot this time around take an overall more serious tone. While the entire main cast is written in a way that not a lot of people will directly relate to, players will still be able to empathize with them as they get to know them more and find out the circumstances that put them in Redo and their regrets, which is the main theme of the game. A theme that isn't uncommon but, to me, isn't something that has been tackled this masterfully in a way that would definitely leave something for all players to reflect on as they go through and ultimately finish the game.
To end the review, I feel the game has set a gold standard for sequels and JRPGs as a whole for me. Caligula 2 is not only a game that improved on the first games but went over and beyond all expectations for me with how it managed to feel so much like the previous games while being completely different at the same time. A game that will definitely make everyone feel something they will never experience again with any other franchise. I highly recommend the game to anyone interested.
This is a sequel to Overdose, its heavily connected the same way Persona 1 and 2 are with a returning character and many references to the first entry. So play that first if you haven't. That being said, Caligula 2 is an improvement in almost every way. The general synopsis is the same as Overdose. You and your friends are stuck in a virtual reality called Redo and are looking for ways to escape it and return to the real world. Most of the game is about you discovering why it is that your friends and your enemies ended up in Redo in the first place as well and trying to help them discover their issues. Despite having such a similar synopsis however, In a lot of ways Caligula 2 takes the opposite direction of the first game. This time there is no musician route due to the structure of the game being completely different from OD. You don't go from dungeon to dungeon searching for Regret like you do with Miyu in OD. Its very well paced and never feels boring. Overdose was about people suffering because of things they had no control over, this one is about failed adults suffering because of mistakes they made. Hence the theme of the game this time around: Regret.
Mobius was a world of madness as it was one where every person living in it discarded their real life shell and acted the way they would if they did not limit themselves at all. Think of how sociopathic people online act during arguments or just general interactions in websites like Facebook and Twitter but if it was face to face and in "real life". That was Mobius. Here the world of Redo does not work like that at all, instead its about disturbed people trying their hardest to wear their shells and think twice before saying anything. As such, the world of Redo is much more self sustaining and functional than Mobius. Mobius was about granting desires without thinking of the repercussions , Redo is about discarding your previous desires and doing it all over again. One day a protoype virtuadoll named X (the greek letter Kii) crashes into you and starts inhabiting your body as a second spirits of sorts. She informs you that this world is a fake virtual reality and forces you to set on a journey to find other people who also realize that Redo is fake and form the second "Go Home Club".
The combat is similar to the first game with the return of the imaginary chain. The biggest difference is the new Floor Jack mechanic where you summon your partner X to interrupt the battle and change the song, improve hp, sp, attacks and so on. The battles also have MV's playing in the background that are animated by actual vocaloid MV animators and they look beautiful. The battle system in general is now much tighter and prettier looking. All the characters play differently and have their individual gimmicks, you also unlock a ton of new abilities as you play the game so it never feels repetitive. All the boss fights are challenging this time as well and very fun. The dungeons are much better this time and have a lot of thematic value that tie into the regrets of the GHC member and the musician tied to the dungeon.
The Character Scenarios (social link equivalent) are amazing and greatly improved. They are very realistically presented and are about actually connecting with the cast members. You don't really fix any of their problems, you simply listen and give advice just like you would in real life. There's also a lot of variety in the scenarios. The times the characters actually reveal their issues to you change a lot. Kobato for example reveals it to you as early as event 3 but Gin reveals it as late as 7. I think this game has my favorite JRPG cast. Their regrets are all very realistically presented. I feel most people will be able to relate greatly to at least one character here. This is also the mythical adult cast JRPG most people ask for. Only one character in the entire thing is underage. This ties into one of the main ideas behind the game of adults suffering because of their disillusion from expectations they had as children.
Its worth nothing that the game took me around 40 hours to complete and I didn't do any of the Causality Link quests so it is safe to say its a little longer than OD and has way more dialogue. I also played it on the Nintendo Switch and I'm happy to say I had very few framerate drops. Its very well optimized and runs really well. I can't wait for this game to be released in English so I can actually talk about it with people. Its probably my favorite JRPG now and an insanely good improvement over OD to the point where I don't think we'll ever get a Caligula 3 as there's almost no room left for improvement or anything new they could do. If you like video games with a lot of strong thematic value or you just want something different I highly recommend this game once it is out in english.
Mobius was a world of madness as it was one where every person living in it discarded their real life shell and acted the way they would if they did not limit themselves at all. Think of how sociopathic people online act during arguments or just general interactions in websites like Facebook and Twitter but if it was face to face and in "real life". That was Mobius. Here the world of Redo does not work like that at all, instead its about disturbed people trying their hardest to wear their shells and think twice before saying anything. As such, the world of Redo is much more self sustaining and functional than Mobius. Mobius was about granting desires without thinking of the repercussions , Redo is about discarding your previous desires and doing it all over again. One day a protoype virtuadoll named X (the greek letter Kii) crashes into you and starts inhabiting your body as a second spirits of sorts. She informs you that this world is a fake virtual reality and forces you to set on a journey to find other people who also realize that Redo is fake and form the second "Go Home Club".
The combat is similar to the first game with the return of the imaginary chain. The biggest difference is the new Floor Jack mechanic where you summon your partner X to interrupt the battle and change the song, improve hp, sp, attacks and so on. The battles also have MV's playing in the background that are animated by actual vocaloid MV animators and they look beautiful. The battle system in general is now much tighter and prettier looking. All the characters play differently and have their individual gimmicks, you also unlock a ton of new abilities as you play the game so it never feels repetitive. All the boss fights are challenging this time as well and very fun. The dungeons are much better this time and have a lot of thematic value that tie into the regrets of the GHC member and the musician tied to the dungeon.
The Character Scenarios (social link equivalent) are amazing and greatly improved. They are very realistically presented and are about actually connecting with the cast members. You don't really fix any of their problems, you simply listen and give advice just like you would in real life. There's also a lot of variety in the scenarios. The times the characters actually reveal their issues to you change a lot. Kobato for example reveals it to you as early as event 3 but Gin reveals it as late as 7. I think this game has my favorite JRPG cast. Their regrets are all very realistically presented. I feel most people will be able to relate greatly to at least one character here. This is also the mythical adult cast JRPG most people ask for. Only one character in the entire thing is underage. This ties into one of the main ideas behind the game of adults suffering because of their disillusion from expectations they had as children.
Its worth nothing that the game took me around 40 hours to complete and I didn't do any of the Causality Link quests so it is safe to say its a little longer than OD and has way more dialogue. I also played it on the Nintendo Switch and I'm happy to say I had very few framerate drops. Its very well optimized and runs really well. I can't wait for this game to be released in English so I can actually talk about it with people. Its probably my favorite JRPG now and an insanely good improvement over OD to the point where I don't think we'll ever get a Caligula 3 as there's almost no room left for improvement or anything new they could do. If you like video games with a lot of strong thematic value or you just want something different I highly recommend this game once it is out in english.