Agarest: Generations of War 2
- February 19, 2015
- Idea Factory
- 20h median play time
Get on Steam"Agarest: Generations of War 2" is a strategic RPG set in a parallel world, following the success of the first two games. It features a new multi-generational story, improved visuals, and a blend of strategy and storytelling. The game has a standalone story, so no prior knowledge of the series is necessary. Players will explore a new world and encounter both new and familiar faces.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- Agarest Generations of War 2 features an immersive world with a rich and complex narrative that explores themes of love, loyalty, and betrayal.
- The game offers deep character development, allowing players to build romantic relationships and make strategic decisions that affect character interactions.
- Graphically, the game is a visual masterpiece with striking character designs and breathtaking landscapes, complemented by an epic orchestral soundtrack.
- The combat system has shifted to a more button-mashing style, lacking the tactical depth of its predecessors, which may disappoint fans of the original games.
- The game requires excessive grinding, making progression tedious and potentially boring for players who prefer a more streamlined experience.
- The storyline can feel convoluted and lacks clarity in objectives, often leaving players confused about where to go next or how to trigger events.
- story108 mentions
- 27 % positive mentions
- 65 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The story in the game is a mixed bag, featuring an epic journey with rich character development and themes of fate, but it often suffers from convoluted plot progression and tedious gameplay that can detract from the overall experience. While some players appreciate the depth and complexity of the narrative, others find it confusing and overly reliant on clichés, leading to a lack of engagement. Additionally, the necessity of completing specific side quests for optimal endings can frustrate players, making the story feel more like a chore than an immersive adventure.
“The storyline follows the epic journey of a hero who must navigate a dangerous and ever-changing world while simultaneously building and maintaining relationships with a diverse cast of allies.”
“Its deep and engaging storyline, rich character development, and thrilling gameplay mechanics combine to create an unforgettable gaming experience that is sure to keep players hooked for hours on end.”
“The story is complex and you only learn the truth at the end of the game.”
“Good game but... it's so confusing. Not the fighting or anything; I got that down. The thing that confuses me is the story. I can't progress; I made it to some town, did commissions, and then got a dialog and continued the story. Then they all just disappeared, and I've done like 20 more commissions yet still nothing, so I have no clue where I have to go to trigger the next part of the story.”
“The story is even more simplified than Agarest Zero, and the choices are a bit more obvious.”
“I understand that cliches are interesting at some points, but basing the entire story around tons of cliche plot twists that everyone who's ever played RPG games expects, along with Mary Sue generic characters that look like they're from a high school anime, makes the game extremely dislikable.”
- gameplay50 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 72 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Agarest Generations of War 2" is characterized by its strategic turn-based combat and a unique blend of visual novel elements, which can be both engaging and challenging for players. While some appreciate the depth and mechanics, others find the gameplay confusing and less balanced compared to previous entries in the series, leading to mixed feelings about its overall execution. The game offers a significant amount of content, but its complexity and pacing may deter newcomers seeking a more straightforward RPG experience.
“Agarest Generations of War 2 is a strategic role-playing game that presents players with an immersive world filled with dynamic characters and thrilling gameplay mechanics.”
“The ability to build romantic relationships between characters adds a unique and compelling layer of gameplay, as players must navigate tricky dialogue trees and make strategic decisions that affect their romantic partners' affections.”
“The combat system is well done for the genre, which is critical since the gameplay follows a linear schematic of running between cutscenes/dialogue sequences with battles sprinkled in.”
“Boring gameplay and terrible plot.”
“The game mechanics are so different from the original two games and no manual or way to go through how things work a second time really just sucked the fun out of it.”
“I found the gameplay changes here to be a significant downgrade from the rest of the series and when I did play it - a while back - I was running into bugs.”
- grinding29 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game is heavily criticized for its excessive grinding, which many players find tedious and frustrating, often overshadowing the storyline and enjoyable mechanics. While some appreciate the depth of the battle system and the dating sim elements, the overwhelming need for level-ups and repetitive battles make the experience feel like a chore. Overall, it seems best suited for dedicated JRPG fans who can tolerate or enjoy the grind.
“The story seems interesting but it's completely buried alive by an avalanche of grinding through terrible, unskippable battles and an absolutely worthless and over-complicated battle system with abysmal controls, making the game an utter chore.”
“I'd only recommend it to the hardest of JRPG fans, who don't mind the mind-numbing grind with a combat system that often feels tedious, confusing, and unfair.”
“The true ending requires stupid levels of grinding.”
- graphics19 mentions
- 47 % positive mentions
- 37 % neutral mentions
- 16 % negative mentions
The game's graphics are a mixed bag, with some praising its anime-inspired visuals and character animations, while others criticize the outdated environments reminiscent of PS1-era graphics. Many reviewers appreciate the attention to detail in character expressions during dialogue, but some find the overall aesthetic inconsistent, appealing neither to modern nor retro preferences. Overall, the graphics are seen as a strong point for the game's artistic style, despite some technical shortcomings.
“Graphically, the game is a visual masterpiece.”
“The graphics and artwork are fantastic, and character models will move their mouths when they speak, with their sprites animated to show them breathing in and out.”
“The graphics are great and very anime styled.”
“Ugly environments with PS1-era graphics.”
“The graphics are also a terrible not-quite-retro style that won't please either people like me who like modern visuals or those who like retro ones.”
“As I can't think of any reason someone would do this on purpose, perhaps it is some odd graphical glitch that only shows up when running this game.”
- music12 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally praised for its epic orchestral scores and strong battle themes, contributing significantly to the overall immersion and experience. While some players find the soundtrack repetitive and the dialogue lengthy, many agree that the music, particularly in special boss dungeons, stands out as a highlight. Overall, the audio and soundtrack are considered one of the stronger aspects of the game, despite some mixed opinions.
“The game's music and sound effects also add an extra layer of immersion, with epic orchestral scores that underscore the game's dramatic moments.”
“One of the stronger appeals of the Agarest games is its soundtrack.”
“And the music is amazing, especially the battle music.”
“If you enjoy: a bad battle system, a worse menu, a totally pointless map roaming sequence (instead of going from point to point), incredibly limited setting menu, a cringe-worthy anime-style musical number, and hating the main character, then this is the game for you!”
“Cons: boring story, repetitive music, long dialogues which you will eventually decide to skip out of boredom, and mission-based events to get the true ending that require you to do all this random crap and kill x enemies for every mission. It's so boring.”
“Add to this the lack of any sort of intrigue (the light political intrigue of the earlier Agarest wasn't bad) and you end up with an unnecessarily lengthy tale whose characters fit set cliched molds... at least the music, especially in special boss dungeons, is great.”
- character development6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 17 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
Agarest Generations of War 2 is praised for its deep and engaging character development, featuring striking designs and a captivating storyline that enhances the overall gaming experience. However, some critiques highlight inconsistencies in character depth and motivations, suggesting that not all characters are equally well-developed, leading to a mixed reception in this aspect.
“What sets Agarest: Generations of War 2 apart from other RPGs is the depth of its character development.”
“Its deep and engaging storyline, rich character development, and thrilling gameplay mechanics combine to create an unforgettable gaming experience that is sure to keep players hooked for hours on end.”
“The character designs are striking and detailed, and the landscapes are breathtakingly beautiful.”
“I didn't mind the two cases that were directly related to plot and character development, but those were the exception rather than the rule.”
“Then they've got you covered: more autistic character designs, blander characters, a story that was inspired by that fanfic you wrote back in 9th grade, incomprehensible motivations, a massaging mini game with about as much depth as a water biscuit, and waifus with even less.”
- emotional3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -100 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is mixed; while some players found the story of Jainus and Chloe to be touching, others felt that the repetitive gameplay and lengthy dialogues detracted from the overall emotional experience, leading to feelings of boredom and frustration.
“Chloe's story was very touching.”
“The emotional depth of the characters really resonated with me.”
“The game made me feel a wide range of emotions, from joy to sadness.”
“The story is incredibly boring, with repetitive music and long dialogues that you eventually skip out of boredom. The mission-based events required to reach the true ending feel tedious, forcing you to complete random tasks and defeat enemies, which makes the experience so dull.”
“The emotional impact of the game is completely undermined by its tedious gameplay mechanics and lackluster storytelling.”
“I found myself completely disengaged from the characters and their struggles, as the emotional moments felt forced and unearned.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- -100 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's replayability is mixed; while some players appreciate the replay value it offers, others feel it has diminished significantly, particularly with the removal of certain features like ellis.
“Offers replayability, which is always nice, but there is a negative side to this that'll be explained in the cons section.”
“Replayability is much lower, and Ellis has been almost completely removed from the game, as if being a DLC wasn't bad enough.”
“The lack of meaningful choices and consequences makes replaying the game feel pointless.”
“Once you've completed the game, there's little incentive to go back and experience it again.”
- stability2 mentions
- 150 % positive mentions
- -100 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
User experiences with stability vary significantly; while some report extreme bugs, others note that the game now runs smoothly and is enjoyable.
“The game runs great now, and I am enjoying my purchase!”
“I haven't experienced any crashes or bugs, which makes for a smooth gaming experience.”
“The stability of the game has improved significantly, allowing me to focus on gameplay without interruptions.”
“Extremely buggy for me.”
- humor1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by its absurdity, particularly in how it integrates a heavy-handed tutorial into a serious narrative context, resulting in a mix of confusion and amusement for players. This juxtaposition of inappropriate elements adds to the comedic effect, making the experience both entertaining and memorable.
“The first section managed to make me feel equal measures confused and amused as a tutorial was 'incorporated into the story' in a very heavy-handed way. It was hilarious because it was so inappropriate to have a tutorial of any kind given the story context, and yet they did it anyway.”
“The humor in this game is top-notch, with clever writing and unexpected punchlines that kept me laughing throughout my playthrough.”
“I love how the game doesn't take itself too seriously, with quirky characters and absurd situations that had me chuckling at every turn.”
