Compared to the prequel (which I reviewed
->here<-), the sequel is a much, much more polished version of the original Japanese PC RPG. And unlike the prequel, the PC Engine has the only console version of this game.
The PC versions actually labels this game as
gekan (下卷), which is more akin to "second half" of the one full story, rather than a "Part II". That is, it's a direct continuation of what happened in the first game. And just like the prequel, the game is split into a number of chapters, and you guide through a number short quest that's about 2-3 hours per chapter for a number of characters before they all meet up for a final showdown with the evil mastermind. However, the last quest in the prequel was much longer, but in this version, it's just as short as the individual chapters that precedes it. Most of the quests are pretty straighforward, and there are a lot of cutscenes which advance the storyline.
This time around, the developers just about addressed every single complaint I had about the prequel's effort, including updating the graphics to match the contemporary RPGs of the era, widening the playfield, greatly easing the menu navigation, and the whole game overall feels helluva lot more polished than part I.
In fact, the game menu/navigation is pretty intuitive and easy for the average gaijin as there are a lot of icons indicating what's going on with your party members, how equipment affects party members, etc. For example, when you go into a shop, you can see how each of the equipment generally affects your party member, so you don't have to waste all this time trying out random things for party members. When fighting, you can easily tell what's happening as icons indicating things like poison, stone, etc. appear, and up or down arrows show what's going on when your abilities are affected.
All of these things were absent in the prequel. The developers have done a good job this time in really updating the game, and it also really helps your average gaijin understand what's going on.
One thing that took a step backwards in gameplay compared to the prequel is the difficulty level. This game is much easier than the prequel - and this could be just for the console version. I read that the PC versions are still much more difficult. This is a double-edged sword. While it makes it for less frustrating experience, I just didn't get the satisfaction of developing your character like that in part I. In part I, dying is a regular part of the game in the beginning of the chapters, but you eventually get to a point where your characters kick major ass.
In this version, they're never really *that* weak, and it doesn't take long before you're polishing off your enemies like nothing. Also in part one, you really had to be choosy about what status you "fast-track" for character development; and also the books that your characters learned new skills from really made a difference. In this version, you can simply set your development skills mostly to strength, and simply plow away. I never even bothered so much with the book reading - learning new skills just wasn't as important in this version.
The overworld graphics isn't anything to write home about, but there are a LOT of cutscenes in the story, and the artwork is quite exceptional. The prequel's artwork was a bit more gritty and eye-catching to be honest, but this is still really good stuff, and as I mentioned before, there's a LOT of it. The style of the artwork is quite unique, and I can't quite point another title (other than the prequel) that has a style similar to Burai.
The audio is also MUCH improved. While it's no Ys soundtrack, the tunes do a good job of matching up with the atmosphere, and no longer on a super-quick loop like that of the prequel.
The game is hardly ever talked about in the gaijin PCE crowd, as there's almost no information about the game in English except runin's review in
->here<-. I've yet to find a decent faq for this in even in Japanese let alone English. Only one I found was a super basic one in Japanese for the PC versions
->here<-, but it's almost of no help. I hardly used it.
However, the game is relatively linear and the easy interface makes it quite possible for an intermediate JRPG player to get into without much problems. My last save file has an indicated playing time of 21:30, so it's not a super long one by any means either.
Also, I actually wrote a minifaq while I was playing. I've submitted this to gamefaqs just now, so it should help those out with some previous JRPG playing experience and basic kana reading skills. I'll provide a link once it goes through.
...Onto my the next one...
Compilation of my other reviews:
Aurora Quest: Otaku no Seiza in Another WorldAne-sanBabelBakushō Yoshimoto ShinkigekiBlood GearBuraiCosmic Fantasy 1Cosmic Fantasy 3Dragon Knight IIIDragon Slayer: Legend of HeroesDragon Slayer: Legend of Heroes IIDowntown Nekketsu MonogatariKO Seiki: Beast SanjūshiKūsōkagaku Sekai: Gulliver BoyNekketsu Legend BaseballerTengai Makyō: ItōryōdanTengai Makyō: ZiriaValis I~IVXak I & IIXak III
Topic: REVIEW: Burai II (Read 256 times)
