A sequel to a terrible game that is not too bad actually.
What They Say:
The virtuadoll Regret creates Redo, a simulation in which people are trapped. To escape from Redo, a group of “awakened” high school students re-establish the Go-Home Club to fight against Regret’s reign and escape to the real world.
Content:
The Caligula Effect 2 is a sequel to a game that I honestly never thought would see a sequel to, let alone one that I would play myself. The first game is infamously my worst reviewed game of all time worst reviewed game of all time, one that surprised me in almost every way, but for all the wrong reasons.
So, I was shocked when The Caligula Effect 2 was announced and I knew that I had to give it another shot just because of how infamously memorable it is for me. Thankfully, this game is a better title overall, but it does not stop it from repeating many of the same mistakes as the original, just to a less extreme degree.
The general premise for this title is that players are thrown into a virtual world where you are essentially the “best” version of yourself. Your character (male or female) awakens from the trap you are in and finds themselves with the ability to fight against the corrupted people of the world of Redo.
If it sounds familiar to the first game, that is because it is by and large the same premise to the point where this game even references the events of the first quite often. With that said, you can definitely jump into the game fresh without experiencing the first one (plus you really should not waste your time anyways) and not have an issue.
The story of The Caligula Effect 2 is one of the stronger parts of the title, focusing mainly on the core cast of characters that you come across and their motivations. The various musicians, who are the villainous followers of the idol named Regret who created this world, are thought out enough and have interesting personalities, which is also true for the various party members that you’ll meet.
Accompanying this decent story is, once again, the game’s best aspect and that is the soundtrack. Being that this is based off of a idol controlling the world, there are plenty of songs sprinkled throughout and the awesome feature of having an instrumental version of a song play while you explore a dungeon and then the vocals come in when you are fighting is still just as impressive here as in the original game.
Strangely enough, though, I actually think that the soundtrack is a little bit worse than the first game, with not nearly enough unforgettable tracks as that title. However when it comes to everything outside of the characters, music, and surprisingly slick UI in The Caligula Effect 2, it all is about as mediocre and forgettable as it comes.
Much of what you are going to be doing in the game is exploring dungeons, opening up chests, and engaging in the turn-based battle system. It uses an active time battle system of a sort, where moves will take some time to be used and then you will be unable to make another move for a period of time.
Some moves are better used in combos with other ones to launch an enemy in the air, attack them mid-air, and so on. There are other standard JRPG elements, too, like ultimate attacks that each character in the party has and a hype gauge that fills up over time to let you unleash attacks more effectively.
It is all pretty cookie cutter gameplay in The Caligula Effect 2, which is fine, except the execution is not always that great. For one, the combat in the game is excruciatingly slow, with no way to speed up the turns. Another is the fact that the game is not too difficult on the default normal setting, only enhancing the boredom I had while fighting.
It does not help that the dungeons are just like the original game in being bland, empty, and uninteresting to look at. On Nintendo Switch, the resolution takes some noticeable hits, but even still, the graphics are a bit better than the original title. That is not saying much, though, as The Caligula Effect 2 still looks like a low-budget PS3 title.
The animations are awfully done, far too simple, and hilariously bad at times. The character designs, when close up, actually look pretty good, but outside of that, I feel like I’m playing a game from two generations ago now. It does not help that the game once again has an insane number of NPCs that you can build relationships with, like before, that try to artificially fill the empty world that you explore.
These relationships are about as shallow as they come, with you simply talking to someone or doing a quick task for them in order to raise the relationship level and gain benefits from that. Each of the party members have optional storylines that are a bit more in-depth than the other NPCs, but not by much.
While I do not, ahem, regret playing The Caligula Effect 2 like its predecessor, which is an accomplishment in its own right, I also would have stopped playing it, personally, if I were not reviewing it. I do think that there are a few people who will enjoy this game, especially if they liked the first one, but outside of that, it is hard to wholeheartedly recommend it when there are better games worth your time on the Switch and PS4, even with the lower starting price.
In Summary:
The Caligula Effect 2 is far from the worst game I’ve ever reviewed, which is an accomplishment given the status of its predecessor, but it is still one of the most mediocre JRPGs I’ve ever played. The soundtrack and characters stand out among a game that is otherwise anything but noteworthy.
The turn-based gameplay is a boring slog that takes too long to get through, exploration of the bland world was a struggle for me in longer chunks of time, the graphics are a relic of the past, and the shallow relationships system once again leaves much to be desired, even with its improvements. However, above all else, I do not regret playing it and I think that a few players will enjoy this game, especially those who liked the original, as it is an improved experience overall going from a terrible first entry in the series to this sequel that is at least worth checking out.
Grade: D+
Released By: NIS America
Developer: FuRyu
MSRP: $49.99
Release Date: October 19, 2021
Platform: PS4, Nintendo Switch (reviewed)
This review was done with a review copy provided by the publisher. We are grateful for their continued support.
