Introduction
Light Fairytale RPG Episode 2 is a JRPG that was developed and published by indie studio neko.works and was released on consoles and PC in November 2021.
*Disclaimer: A code was provided by the publisher for the purpose of this review. But this doesn’t affect anything, as my thoughts are mine and mine alone. Also beware of spoilers.
Review
After the cliff-hanger from Episode 1, Haru has ended up in the mysterious Deeplands. Not entirely sure what to make of it and it’s frigid landscape, he winds up being rescued by the sweet and mysterious Ayaka. Not only does Haru have to find his way back to the city, he also finds himself caught up trying to survive in this harsh tundra, and needing to help a small town survive!
The story is a step above the first episode. This time there actually feels like there’s something at stake. It also builds a little bit on Haru’s relationship with Kuroko, even though she’s nowhere to be found. But you do learn more about your saviour Ayaka. Who is a sweet and lovely girl, who may or may not be a couple hundred years old.
This episode actually felt a bit bulkier than the last as well. Maybe it’s because of all the story that actually happens, and you get to go through more than one dungeon! When you finish the game, you unlock a “very short side story” to a mysterious character. This was indeed VERY short, as I had it done in a matter of minutes. Sure it introduced the character, but I wanted to know more by the end. Although the game built up on the story, this episode felt like it got held back this time with the combat.
For a good portion of this episode, you play as just Haru. With no other teammates. So when you’re pitted up against plenty of enemies at once, you have to hope that you can defeat them without using any items, or just waste them, and hope for the best. It doesn’t help that this time, the game is plagued with enemies that you have to focus on, or else they respawn other enemies in battle. This made battles drag on for a lot longer than they needed to. Sure eventually you get a teammate, but the only thing they can do is heal you. So when the enemies start getting stronger and stronger, the fights last even longer.
This was especially evident in the boss battles. Not only was Haru the only one attacking, I had a gem equipped so he could do fire damage from his weapon. This was great considering all the enemies were ice based, but the bosses themselves never took as much damage, and there was no way to turn this off. Sure I attached a gem to Ayaka so she could do a giant spell that hit everything, but when she’s tied up doing nothing but healing, I started to get a bit annoyed. This episode is also dragged down by the abysmal store. Where I could get one piece of better gear, but nothing else. I don’t get this mentality so far with these games. Why have a store, and nothing better in them?
This time though, you actually feel like you’re getting stronger at least, as the level ups come at a great speed. Now I wasn’t sure what level I would start at, but the game starts you at the level it expected you to end Episode 1 at. Which is level 4. But there is an option to carry over a save from the first episode. But I couldn’t do this. The save transfer seems to be region locked. So I played the NA region of Episode 1, and for this instalment, I was playing the EU region. So I have no idea what actually carries over.
Rating
Pros:
- Story Got Intriguing
- Multiple Dungeons
- Beautiful Locale
Cons:
- Battles Drag On
- Store Still Feels Useless
Summary
This was a massive leap from the first episode of the series. I’m now invested in the story and I wish we could have more. I do hope for the next instalment though, the developer manages to get everything right. I especially hope the store feels more useful! But for now, I recommend this episode a lot. Whether you want to wait until it’s all out, is your choice.
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Game & Developer Information
Developer/Publisher Website: neko.works
Developer/Publisher Socials: Twitter
PSN Store Links: £7.99/€9.99 Europe / $9.99 North America
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