Death end Re;Quest 2 (REVIEW)

Dark, and serious are two words one would not usually associate with a IFI game release. With "Death end Re;Quest 2" though that is exactly what you get. This mature rated JRPG sequel earns it's ESRB rating by including a protagonist subjected to unrelenting physical and emotional abuse. That and her resulting journey into what could be best described as descent into madness. As Mai the player gets plunged into a dreary, and hopeless reality as well as a seemingly unreal situation due to her parents dealings with her and her younger sibling, Sanae. Abandoned by her mother, and abused by her father Mai's only hope in life lies with knowing that her sister is better off in the company of her mother. This hope draws to an abrupt close early on though as Mai receives an enigmatic text message from her sister with an ominous warning attached. An event that falls into place right before a bloody confrontation with Mai's abusive father. Mai ends up discovering herself first hand that the preemptive warning which related to her sister's placement at the all girls dormitory called Wordsworth is itself steeped in mystery. Being located in a town that is shrouded in it's own religion, and hush-hush happenings only serves to further the intrigue as she finds herself the newest resident orphan. 

As Mai you will take on the day, and night task of finding out clues to your little sister Sanae's whereabouts. During the day you will interact with the dormitory's staff, and residents doing some sleuthing while at night you will venture out into the streets of Le Choara without authorization to do so facing the ghosts of it's peculiar past. Phantoms that may or may not be as real as Mai believes ...

Staying true to the past IFI video game formulas, 'Death end Re;Quest 2' has you engaging in a mostly interactive visual novel with scattered bits of turned based combat to fill that JRPG niche. As Mai you will first live through the horrors of your home life before being ushered into your new life at Wordsworth. It is at Wordsworth where the twists, and turns of the plot will take hold as Mai interacts with staff, and orphans who themselves reside at the residency. The dormitory itself is a two floor building with housing for the ladies of Wordsworth, and within it's walls there lies an exit for outside exploration. During the narrative storytelling tidbits that play out during the day Mai will have a choice to converse with characters occupying the two floors of the dormitory as well as the city grounds of Le Choara, but only through contextual character based conversation. Leaving nightly outside combat focused excursions to the oddly viral Le Choara streets. It is in these daily conversations through the calendar year that Mai will learn more about the place, and it's mystery as well as the mystery of her missing sister, Sanae. With the help of her newfound friend Rottie, and the gang of girls of Wordsworth they'll find plenty of stuff to get into as the attention getting story unravels ...

Outside of Wordsworth, and beyond the restricted midnight curfew Mai, and other acquaintances will party up to face frightening foes in turned based ring battles. Both bosses, and lesser creatures of nightmarish proportions. In these battles the girls of Wordsworth including Mai will use unique weapons and skills to combat the enemies before them. This includes bouncing them around the bordered enclosure, and among themselves like billiards balls to maximize damage output, and up the XP earnings. Within the ringed arenas lies glowing spots with negative/positive effects. By attacking, and knocking back enemies through, and into these spots as well as into themselves and other party members the party will be able to maximize damage by creating combos. All while gaining bonus buffs in the process for the extra effort. The ring based combat is turn based in nature so using skills, attacks, and healing/items at the appropriate times is crucial for landing the final victory blow. When not in the ring the girls will be seeking event markers, area transitions, and areas of interest tied to the main plot. This sometimes entails using their "Buggies" or symbiotic partners to get past certain barriers or platforms. Most of the time traversal is straightforward or maze-like. Other times though it will have Mai running from Shadowmatter her and her party cannot contend with. Other times still they'll be accessing glowing green computer terminals to find false walls along the alleyways, and streets via a hidden spy camera.

Unique to this particular JRPG battle experience is the ability to overkill the enemies that you fight against. Enemies within the ring come with a full yellow bar of health. If Mai can use her attacks, and skills in conjunction with the knock back, and trajectory properly she can empty the yellow health bar, and fill it back up with red many times over. Filling an enemy's life bar with red before they come to a rest after the knock back attack will result in an 'Overkill'. This banks Mai, and her current party members bonus XP. XP in the game not only levels up the characters to the point of increasing stats, but it also helps the girls learn new skills. Skills which can be managed, favorited, and arranged in the TRIANGLE menu. Along with awarded XP comes items, and currency.

Defeating the enemy is the end goal of all battles, but doing so can be done in a variety of different ways. With basic attacks, attack combos, and skills comes super knock backs, and glitches as well. Super knock backs, as they may sound, are more damaging knock back attacks that are achieved by maxing out the red in an enemy's health bar upon attack. Ultimately dealing more damage than the regular knock back attacks. The Glitch option, on the other hand, is this game's version of form transformation, and will change Mai, and her party into a more powerful version of themselves which are able to deal more damage. Using their "Buggie" partners as fusion for the transformation they achieve Glitch status. Glitch is made available only after you're bug corruption percentage maxes out. This can be done by being attacked by bugs, or walking across the bug spots. As with most IFI JRPGs.

In a similar fashion as previous IFI releases your characters can also be suited up, and equipped with the latest gear. For fashion, and function. This includes weapons, clothing, and accessories. Things that carry with them stat based benefits, and JRPG functionality. Buying equipment for your party members is done at a camp which is accessed at a save crystal in the nighttime Le Choara streets. In the camp you gain access to the shop and it's wares as well as the opportunity to further converse with your party members. Of course at the save crystal you'll also be able to save your progress, and heal your party as you do so. 

Mai's midnight outings will feature her in a third person perspective within a 3D model of Le Choara allowing you to control her basic abilities such as attack, interact, and jump. Traversing the streets of Le Choara will require that you reach certain markers for story progress via the given dungeon labyrinth. These include the usual IFI brand event markers we've all become accustom to. Different though are the computer terminals you can access and hack to reveal false walls that will lead you to areas of interests as well as hidden secrets. Once accessed, and viewed the false wall will glow green showing you where it is you need to go. When it comes down to encountering the enemy you'll find that combat within Le Choara begins when your avatar runs into or attacks a lone enemy avatar. This too functions like past IFI JRPG experiences allowing you to swing your weapon at an enemy avatar for a "Good Encounter", or preemptive strike. This in turn makes the battle easier for you. Getting hit by an enemy first however will make things harder.

With the story being the main focus, and combat secondary you might be led to believe there's little else to do, but with 'Death end Re;Quest 2' comes a variety of missions including Containment, Collection, and Special missions that can be taken on at the camp for special reward opportunities. Things like special items, and equipment are rewarded for tasks completed. You'll basically be doing things tied-in with the battles, shopping, and story driven objectives. 

The Verdict ...

I ended up falling in love with this sequel more than I did the original game. The mature tone, and events definitely led me to care more about the characters, and the story that was unfolding. So much so that my playthrough sessions lasted a few hours at a time, minimum. I really wanted to see this game through to the end, and to see the fate of Mai, and the others involved. Nothing about the game was dull, and despite being mostly comprised of visual novel material it still was captivating, and motivating enough to keep me invested. I highly recommend this to any JRPG fan who doesn't mind some mature themes thrown into the mix, and a lighter emphasis on combat. I know it's an all girl type game as well, but I think guys will and can enjoy it just the same. Glad to see IFI still has that storytelling spark. That story with a moral value.