Digimon World 2
| Digimon World 2 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | BEC |
| Publisher(s) | Bandai |
| Director(s) | Takao Nagasawa |
| Programmer(s) |
Masahiro Terao Kou Minegisi |
| Writer(s) |
Akira Wakuri Yōji Takase (story) |
| Composer(s) |
Kōji Yamada Satoshi Ishikawa |
| Series | Digimon |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation |
| Release |
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| Genre(s) | Role-playing video game |
Digimon World 2 (デジモンワールド2 Dejimon Wārudo Tsu) is a dungeon crawler video game developed by BEC and published by Bandai for the PlayStation as part of their Digimon series. It is the sequel to the original Digimon World, and was released in Japan in July 2000 and North America the following year in May 2001. The player controls Akira, a Digimon Tamer whose goal is to climb to the top of the Digimon World.
Gameplay
Because it is a dungeon crawler, Digimon World 2 has vastly different gameplay from its predecessor, Digimon World, which focused on raising Digimon like pets. The player explores vast labyrinths dubbed "Domains", inside a tank called a "Digi-Beetle" (Akira's Digi-Beetle has the default name of "Gunner", though like Akira himself, the player has the option of naming the vehicle, which can receive various upgrades throughout the game). These dungeons are filled with various things, including many types of traps including land mines, energy fields called "Electro-Spores", giant stones, acid floors, treasure chests, and most importantly, enemy Digimon.
Most traps can be disposed of by items that can be purchased at stores found across the game, and enemy Digimon can be befriended with "gift" items. However, the Digi-Beetle has a limited inventory, requiring careful management of items. Typically, at the end of each Domain there is a Boss, whether it be a lone Digimon, or another Tamer with a team of them. After defeating the Boss, the player may exit the Domain by means of an "Exit Portal" found near the Boss' location. Digivolving is one of the game's most interesting and difficult parts to understand.
Digivolving is the process in which a Digimon "evolves" into a new level. A digimon can digivolve if it reach certain level. A Rookie Digimon will always Digivolve into a Champion level, a Champion level will (almost) always Digivolve into an Ultimate level (some Champions don't digivolve), and an Ultimate level will (almost) always Digivolve to a Mega level (some Ultimates don't digivolve). However, a Digimon's Digivolution is affected by how many Digivolving points it has.
Plot
Akira lives in Digital City, a town located in fictional "Directory Continent", a land where digimon used to live peacefully. However, wild Digimon began attacking Akira's hometown, and Akira joins a guard team that is charged with protecting the peace and security of the region.
At the start of the game, Akira finishes his last Training Mission and joins one of the Guard Teams (the player has the option of choosing between the Black Sword Team, the Gold Hawks team, or the Blue Falcon team). He receives missions from the Team Leader, which involve entering Domains and hunting down evil Digimon.
Development
Digimon World 2 was announced in conjunction with Digimon World in May 1997, before either's release.[1]
Reception
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Digimon World 2 received a 27 out of 40 total score from reviewers of Japanese Weekly Famitsu magazine.[4] It earned a 42 out of 100 average score from aggregate review website Metacritic, which corresponds to "generally unfavorable reviews".[2] David Smith of IGN called the game "essentially a dull dungeon crawler, declaring other titles such as Torneko: The Last Hope on the PlayStation to be "a better specimen of the genre," and that the game itself would only appeal to fans of the Mysterious Dungeon series or similar roguelikes.[5] Although the reviewer found the graphics to be vibrant and colorful, the overall quality was described as "unrefined at best" along with a "standard" interface and that the overall experience was "ridiculously long, but not a whole lot of fun."[5] Editors of Electronic Gaming Monthly felt that the title's combat system was "about as exciting as watching paint dry."[3] Jim Cordeira of Gaming Age found the game to be "essentially a stripped down RPG for beginners," who commented on the simplicity of its combat by stating: "There is certainly nothing that would rival a true RPG in any way shape or form, but then again, that would probably just frustrate the younger gamers as to whom Digimon World 2 is geared towards."[6]
References
- ↑ Shoemaker, Brad (May 20, 1997). "Digimon World Hands-On". GameSpot. Retrieved May 19, 2010.
- 1 2 "Digimon World 2". Metacritic. Retrieved May 19, 2010.
- 1 2 "Review Crew: Digimon World 2". Electronic Gaming Monthly (145): 112. August 2001.
- 1 2 "デジモンワールド2" (in Japanese). Famitsu. Retrieved April 9, 2017.
- 1 2 3 Smith, David (May 4, 1998). "Digimon World 2". IGN. Retrieved May 19, 2010.
- ↑ Cordeira, Jim. "Digimon World 2 Review (PlayStation)". Gaming Age. Archived from the original on December 30, 2003. Retrieved April 9, 2017.