Title: Izuna 2: The Unemployed Ninja Returns
Price: $29.99
System(s): DS
Release Date: July 22, 2008
Publisher (Developer): Atlus (Ninja Studio)
ESRB Rating: Teen for mild fantasy violence, mild language and suggestive themes
Pros: Easier than the first Izuna, interesting dialogue, extra chances in dungeons, more locations and dungeons.
Cons: Extra characters have to be leveled up. Too easy for true rogue-like fans, too difficult for rogue-like beginners.
Overall Score: One thumb up, one thumb down, 75/100, C, ** 1/2 out of 5
Rogue-like role-playing games are a funny sort of genre. They tend to be very difficult and appeal only to hardcore gamers with a penchant for leveling up. While they may receive critical praise, the general gaming population doesn’t really know what to do with them.
Izuna 2: The Unemployed Ninja Returns, for example, is a traditional rogue-like RPG, but Ninja Studio has attempted to make the sequel more accessible to standard RPG fans with partner characters and the introduction of some familiar, RPG elements that weren’t in the original.
While Izuna 2 is a great deal of fun, it will frustrate some players. Dying is an everyday event in the game, happening as many as 10 times in a single dungeon. Those unfamiliar with the series, or genre, might abandon the title because of this. Players willing to stick it out will find themselves enjoying a moderately challenging and clever RPG.
Unemployed But Keeping Busy
Izuna 2: The Unemployed Ninja Returns picks up shortly after Izuna: Legend of the Unemployed Ninja. Izuna, Shino, Gen-An and Mitsumoto are still unemployed, without a master to serve or a ninja visit to protect. The game begins with the crew attending the wedding of their friend Ichika to Sakichi. While there, Shino discovers that her long-lost little sister Shizune is back in Japan. The crew decides to then find Shizune.
The problem is, they always seem to be one step behind her. Plus all of these other people have problems along the way that need to be solved and it seems like the gods of the West are looking for Shizune as well. Players have to step into Izuna’s shoes and journey through dungeons, forests and towns to reunite Shino and Shizune.
Accessible Yet Alienating
As I mentioned earlier, it seems as though Ninja Studios wanted to make Izuna 2 more inclusive than the original Izuna. The first change is in difficulty. While the title presents a challenge, I found it easier to succeed in Izuna 2 than I did in Izuna. Perhaps I’ve become a more accomplished rogue-like player, or developed an appreciation for the genre. To compare, in the first Izuna it took me 6 attempts to clear the first dungeon, and the second Izuna required only 4 attempts.
Izuna 2 also offers multiple characters. So instead of venturing into dungeons alone, you have a backup character to offer assistance. Provided you have enough points, you can switch between the two characters or unleash tag team attacks. Its a novel idea, and it does make the game easier. The only problem is that all additional characters who join start at level one. So you have to go back with those characters and fight to get them to an adequate level.
But none of these extra measures really matter. You’re still going to die. A lot. And after each death, you’re going to probably lose all the items you collected during that dungeon runthrough and have to start over from the very beginning. And, if you want to use one of those new characters, you’ll have to run through that dungeon additional times to get them set. Patience is truly a virtue in Izuna 2.
An Adequate Intermediate Rogue-Like RPG
There’s one category of gamers I would strongly recommend Izuna 2 to: The people who are over the Pokemon Mystery Dungeon series but aren’t quite ready for Shiren the Wanderer. Izuna 2: The Unemployed Ninja Returns is a good game and really entertaining but it belongs to a certain genre that doesn’t appeal to everyone. I’d easily recommend it to DS owners but only a small segment are going to appreciate it.
Izuna 2 is better than the original Izuna and the Pokemon Mystery Dungeon games but it still doesn’t compare to Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer. I do hope the series continues, though, because I have a feeling that a third Izuna game could have potential.
No comments:
Post a Comment