Whichever group you’re currently following, the atmosphere is consistently, oppressively unsettling, the tension so thick you can practically taste it. The visuals are still arresting, but more abstract: at times you’ll swear the abundance of jagged edges is going to puncture your shimmering bubble, which appears ever more fragile with every step. And you don’t get to gawp at the pretty scenery so much as shudder at the fate of anyone unfortunate enough to be caught in the darkness. But the penny has to drop soon…Īs it turns out, you’re not the only ones out there, but you shouldn’t expect the cast to grow much beyond the small handful of newcomers introduced at the outset. Of course, when the episode begins, they don’t know that yet. Trapped within a bubble of light magic are one-armed Varl giant Iver, spellweavers Eyvind and Juno, and the Ravens, episode two’s mercenaries who aren’t just minus a leader but have effectively been tricked by a mind spell into helping out. It’s a deeply distressing scenario, even before Rugga starts spouting off about “the will of the people”, and making populist speeches riddled with the kind of lies that frightened citizens are only too willing to believe.Īnd if one pressure-cooker environment wasn’t enough, the potential world-savers of the piece have been forced into the uneasiest of alliances. And now here come the dredge-your former enemy suddenly vulnerable and sympathetic-begging to be let in, before they can be consumed by the poisonous fog that has choked the rest of the world. Arberrang was already in a bit of a state upon the caravan’s arrival now, with its king at death’s door and irredeemable bastard Rugga having successfully sown divisions among the populace, the city is a powder keg, waiting for the tiniest spark to make it explode. The only flaws in this otherwise fabulous role-playing adventure are the occasionally confusing (possibly buggy) tutorials and the painful cliffhanger ending.“Despite everything that’s going on, it’s still mankind that worries me the most,” says Rook astutely, moments before things go from bad to disastrous. The graphics and music are unbelievably gorgeous. Along with addressing the notion of good versus evil, the story taps into more complex issues such as racial prejudice, processing the death of a loved one, and the need for different peoples to come together when faced with a common threat. It's easy to get attached to your favorites, which makes the perilous events of the game all the scarier to endure. Characters all have useful, interesting combat skills that work well in conjunction with one another, and, even better, they all have distinct personalities. The combat system is fairly easy to learn, and optional training sequences provide plenty of opportunity to master skills and gain the renown needed to level up characters. Whether you import decisions from the first game or start fresh with one of the two playable heroes, you're in for hours of fun turn-based combat and nail-bitingly tough decisions that affect your characters in profound ways. This well-crafted sequel presents a high-tension, action-packed story that will keep your heart racing from beginning to end.
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