[Yawnson]

So I just finished and... it felt like I just beat the first castle in SotN and now I'm wanting to beat the 2nd castle. Am I missing anything or did it end on a open story note?

Also the combat wasn't as good to me as the first one, the simple melee and range combat felt a bit disappointing as well as the optional bosses which you could just get in their faces and hack away with no real skill.

I guess you can make your own challenges like minimal runs, but the base game felt a bit too easy.

Music wasn't notable to me like the music from the first game, miss those energetic alien beats, more background in this one.

Story was good, not the same horror show the first one could be if you paid attention.

In the end its a good game, but I'm wondering if they had different people helping to make this game or less time or what because it didn't feel as complete as the first one, and overall it felt more minimalistic and experimental than the first.

 

[Explosive Zombie]

So I just finished and... it felt like I just beat the first castle in SotN and now I'm wanting to beat the 2nd castle. Am I missing anything or did it end on a open story note?

Also the combat wasn't as good to me as the first one, the simple melee and range combat felt a bit disappointing as well as the optional bosses which you could just get in their faces and hack away with no real skill.

I guess you can make your own challenges like minimal runs, but the base game felt a bit too easy.

Music wasn't notable to me like the music from the first game, miss those energetic alien beats, more background in this one.

Story was good, not the same horror show the first one could be if you paid attention.

In the end its a good game, but I'm wondering if they had different people helping to make this game or less time or what because it didn't feel as complete as the first one, and overall it felt more minimalistic and experimental than the first.

They were both made by the same one guy.

"Axiom Verge 2's development started less than a year after the release of the original Axiom Verge. After working on the same thing for 5 years in a row, I didn't want to simply reskin the original game - I wanted to push the boundaries of the genre to figure out just what it means to be "Axiom Verge".

In the beginning - I mean around 2010 or so when I started thinking about what I wanted to make - I began outlining a story that went back thousands of years with multiple characters, each of which was meant to be the protagonist of their own life. Trace's part, awakening bewildered in a strange world, was designed as the introductory act. For the sequel, wanted to pick a more central character and time period that covered the most essential events providing the impetus for the overall story. Thus, Indra."

 

[Yawnson]

Well I'm definitely impressed at his range for game making.

 

[kreen101]

So far, I enjoy the game, but it takes longer for it to become as involving as the first one, and I think that has to do with the melee combat, which is just not as fun to me as gunplay. When I was playing the first game, never did I think "this is great, but it would be even better if I didn't have any gun and had to kill ennemies by standing right next to them and hitting them with a very short ice pick". Also there are no bosses (that I can see so far), and the large environments mean more time spent wandering around trying to find what to do or what to go.

Still very enjoyable, especially as you get deeper into the game.

 

[Yawnson]

Agreed, was really missing the gun combat, the melee felt a bit simple, and the boomerangs boring. But I enjoyed the game and look forward to theories and lore that come from it, but would rate the first one much higher just for the fun factor.

Spoiler








There's really only 2 bosses i can think of, and only one that's actually losable

For story reasons, the first one can't be lost.

There's big enemies that can be fought or ran away from in some rooms but you usually can tank them and keep hitting them till they're dead.

 

[kreen101]

I've finished the game, and it is a definite step down from the first one. Very easy, no bosses, useless boomerang, incomprehensible story. It's not unenjoyable, but the first one felt like a work of genius. This is a good indie metroidvania, nothing more.

 

[IrishWhiskey]

By the sounds of it the developer might have made it with games journos in mind. Seems to have everything they love with almost no pesky difficulty or bosses getting in the way.

I like the first one but what little I've seen of this doesn't really catch my interest.

 

[Sejan]

It's such a strange game, the metoridvania aspects are top notch. I love the upgrades that I've unlocked so far, but the limited weapon options and lack of real bosses are a real let down. I don't even mind using primarily melee weapons, but the lack of interesting variety in them is disappointing to say the least.

If the first game was a 9/10 then this one is a 7/10. Still good, but definitely a step down on the whole.