A Strategy RPG Triumph
The issue with reviewing the second game in a series, without having played the first, is that it is pretty tricky to provide an opinion on whether it improves on the original or not. Such is the case with Dark Deity 2 from Sword & Axe (a great name for an SRPG developer if ever I heard one).
Of course, with the original appearing in 2021, only on Steam and Nintendo Switch, it’s perhaps not surprising that I haven’t played it before! Still, being a confirmed fan of a strategic RPG (and there seems to be a lot coming down the pipeline just now) I was eager to get stuck in. So, can this title set itself apart from the rest of the SRPG’s on the market, or is it a case of deja vu?
Grab the weapon of your choice and let’s dive in, shall we?
Classic Aesthetics, Modern Polish
Starting with the presentation, which seems like a sensible place to start, the news here is generally good. If you have played any of the early Fire Emblem games, you’ll be right at home and if you are going to base your game on anything, you might as well pick one of the best, eh?
Dark Deity 2 is divided into two main screens: the battle screen, which is the usual kind of layout, and the menus where everything else is controlled. Starting with the battle screens, they are a good size, requiring some scrolling to fit it all on screen, and the design is deliberately retro. The character sprites, both ours and the enemies, are cute pixel art representations, and when conflict happens, as it inevitably will, the two protagonists are displayed in larger detail, showing the attacks landing and the results.
Copied again from Fire Emblem, this actually works very well. Indeed, after watching me play for a bit, my son was motivated to put down his Switch and go and download this, so that is a positive sign. The rest of the game is handled from menus, be that equipping the team, changing their classes or forging bonds between characters. The interface is intuitive and easy to use, and this helps, as tutorials are somewhat thin on the ground.
The sound is worth special mention, as the voice acting for all the characters, good or bad, is of a high quality. Music and sound effects of battle are all nice enough, but the voice actors have really gone to town here, and the result is extremely impressive. All in all, the presentation works really well and I have zero complaints so far.
The Order of Eternals
But why are we engaging in all these fights? Surely just getting along would be better? Well, that’d be quite a boring game, I feel, and so the story does come into play.
We play as members of the Order of Eternals, ruled by one of the heroes of the first game, Irving. See, Wikipedia is good for some things! The events this time around take place 25 years after the first one, and as usual, there is an evil empire that has its sights set on expanding its horizons. Yes, the Holy Asverellian Empire is eyeing up Verroa, the country where we have our headquarters, and of course, it’s going to fall to us and a few friends to turn them away.
One thing to say about the story, told as it is through the voiced cutscenes, you do start to find yourself invested in what becomes of the characters that you meet, and in your team as a whole.
Teamwork, Tactics, and Temporary Injuries
So, we come to the most important part of the game, the actual gameplay itself. Now, the first thing to say is that if you have played any strategic RPG’s before, you’ll feel right at home here. The main part of the game is the usual fare, with our team arrayed at the beginning of the level, and then we can move a set number of squares, before performing a number of different actions. Each character has abilities that they gain as they level up (or change class) and these can sometimes be used in addition to an attack. Cassandra, my main healer, as an example, can heal an ally as well as smack a foe in the face with her axe in the same turn, and this is a nice change. Learning to use the abilities of the team is vital, as they can turn the tide of battle.
Losing allies isn’t quite as disastrous as it is in Fire Emblem, as they will retreat from the battlefield. There is a price to pay, however, as they pick up injuries if they are defeated, that makes them less effective for the next X number of battles, after which they are magically mended. Things like internal bleeding are pretty serious, as the unit will take damage each turn, whereas a damaged knee means they aren’t as mobile as they might be. All in all, it pays to keep everyone healthy.
Longevity and Loadouts
There is quite a lot of longevity built into Dark Deity 2 as well, which is always welcome. At various points through the story, we are asked to make decisions – and these have consequences. Choosing to side with one faction over another will affect the course of the game, and there are other nice touches too. For instance, when you start, you’re asked how you want the characters to level up: choosing random rolls means no two games will be the same, and you can also choose to randomise other aspects of the game. Expect to play through four times to experience all the different permutations, but that is certainly no hardship.
A Tactical Triumph
All things considered, Dark Deity 2 is an accomplished SRPG with a nice retro vibe to it. The story keeps you plugging away, the variety of the characters and upgrades you can choose helps with longevity, and to get all the achievements you are going to have to play it multiple times.
It’s about as close to a Fire Emblem game on Xbox as you are likely to get, and for that reason it comes highly recommended.
Important Links
A Legacy is Reborn in Dark Deity 2 – https://www.thexboxhub.com/a-legacy-is-reborn-in-dark-deity-2/
Buy Dark Deity 2 on Xbox – https://www.xbox.com/en-gb/games/store/dark-deity-2/9p4wvkqnlns1
