Many an indie developer has tried to recapture the magic of formative Japanese RPGs — however few have managed to tug it off with such attraction and confidence as Vital Video games. The Australian studio has delivered one thing fairly particular with 8-Bit Adventures 2 — a title that does not sacrifice its personal identification in pursuit of the classics that it so clearly reveres.
Nostalgia is usually a slippery slope, particularly when it is used to gasoline a artistic course of. Video games that harken again to easier instances can find yourself promoting themselves quick; content material to easily exist throughout the shadows of the genre-defining properties that they draw upon.
However once more, 8-Bit Adventures 2 feels assured in its personal pores and skin — it stands by itself deserves at first. Take its top quality writing, for instance, which is filled with persona. The textbox dialogue is fast-paced and punchy, rapidly endearing you to the sport’s primary celebration.
Whereas this is a sequel, that includes characters and callbacks to the primary 8-Bit Adventures — which is not obtainable on PlayStation platforms, it ought to be famous — the story takes place years later, and offers with the aftermath of the unique’s world-saving and world-changing occasions.
It is a setting that already has its heroes, and that makes for an attention-grabbing hook. Younger protagonist Charlie is all too eager to observe of their footsteps, and earlier than you understand it, he is preventing alongside his idols as they arrive face-to-face with the implications of their earlier actions.
To be clear, you needn’t play the primary sport to grasp or benefit from the sequel — and it truly does an important job of getting you in control anyway.
Actually, it is 8-Bit Adventures 2’s simple, however tidily balanced gameplay that ties the package deal collectively. Flip-based fight is, after all, the order of the day, with every celebration member bringing their very own distinctive skills to the fray.
Though there is not a complete lot of room for celebration customisation and tactical tinkering, the sport’s pretty linear strategy to development gels nicely with the plot’s pacing, whereas all kinds of enemy varieties — full with outlined strengths, weaknesses, and behaviours — deliver crucial depth to the overarching battle system.
8-Bit Adventures 2 is each a improbable homage to the classics, and a lovingly crafted RPG in its personal proper. It is top-of-the-line nostalgia-driven indies you will discover available on the market.