Banzai Escape 2: Subterranean

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Banzai Escape 2 Subterranean is an anime third-person action shooter and a sequel based after the events of Banzai Escape 2

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Banzai Escape 2: Subterranean screenshot

86%

Audience ScoreBased on 254 reviews

story9 positive mentions

grinding12 negative mentions

The game is free and offers a surprisingly fun experience with cute anime characters and engaging gameplay.
Co-op mode enhances the fun, allowing players to team up and tackle missions together.
The character customization options, while limited, provide enough variety to create a unique look for your character.

The game suffers from performance issues and poor optimization, especially on lower-end PCs.
Enemy AI can be frustrating, with some enemies being bullet sponges and others having a tendency to spawn too close to the player.
The animations and voice acting are often janky and can detract from the overall experience.

story
88 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
10%
85%
5%
The story in the game is generally considered straightforward and lacks depth, with many players noting that the mission structure is repetitive and grindy, often requiring them to replay the same levels multiple times. While some missions offer unique objectives and engaging gameplay, the overall narrative experience is seen as underwhelming, with unclear objectives and a lack of meaningful progression. Despite these shortcomings, the game's graphics and atmosphere are praised, and the cooperative gameplay adds a layer of enjoyment.
- “Sure, the story was straightforward, but the gameplay more than made up for it.”
- “You need to play the original Banzai Escape 2 for the story to make sense; I also recommend it.”
- “You can play dress up and shoot people, and the storyline is actually engaging.”
- “Half of the time you don't know what you're meant to be doing (later missions mostly) and you run around aimlessly figuring it out.”
- “Since there are no mission checkpoints, if you (and your co-op partner) die, you return to base, making it very likely that you won't complete the longer missions on the first attempt due to the game not providing a clear objective.”
- “To put it simply, the gameplay is passable; you repeat the exact same mission over and over again until you unlock the next wall of text, then you move on to the next difficulty.”
gameplay
39 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
26%
67%
8%
The gameplay of "Banzai Escape 2: Subterranean" is generally well-received, praised for its fast-paced action, solid gunplay, and enjoyable co-op mechanics, despite some clunky movement and repetitive mission structures. While the game offers a good gameplay loop and character customization, it suffers from a lack of polish and depth in its mechanics, leading to a somewhat shallow experience. Overall, players find it addictive and worth trying, especially given its free-to-play model.
- “Sure, the story was straightforward, but the gameplay more than made up for it.”
- “This shooting game quickly grabbed my attention with its fast-paced gameplay and some neat features.”
- “Enjoyable gameplay, similar to The Division but anime.”
- “Drawing parallels to its predecessor, Banzai Escape 2: Subterranean excels in graphics and atmosphere but falls short in story depth and unique gameplay mechanics.”
- “To put it simply, the gameplay is passable; you repeat the exact same mission over and over again until you unlock the next wall of text, then you move onto the next difficulty.”
- “It seems like the creators do not have much experience, and while the core gameplay is solid, it seems to be missing a lot of polish.”
graphics
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
35%
50%
15%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some praising the anime-inspired art style and decent aesthetics, while others criticize the poor optimization leading to low frame rates and a lack of immersive detail. Users note that the visuals can feel dull or ordinary, especially on lower-spec PCs, but the overall presentation is considered enjoyable for a free-to-play title. Despite the graphical shortcomings, many players find the gameplay engaging enough to overlook these issues.
- “Drawing parallels to its predecessor, Banzai Escape 2: Subterranean excels in graphics and atmosphere.”
- “The anime-style visuals and fast-paced action are stylized.”
- “Graphics are standard cartoony but 3D - everything has a nice shine to it on full, with bloom lighting and full TAA making everything soft to the eye.”
- “The graphics are not terribly demanding unless you are on a non-gaming PC.”
- “Graphics so dull, I thought I was playing in a PowerPoint presentation.”
- “The game is running at only 10-15 fps, which seems to be due to poor optimization for lower spec PCs or laptops with integrated graphics.”
grinding
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
8%
92%
Players express frustration with the grinding aspect of the game, citing repetitive missions and tedious loot collection as major drawbacks. Many feel that the grinding is excessive, making the experience feel more like a chore than enjoyable gameplay, and they desire improvements such as more engaging content and faster navigation in the game world. Overall, while some appreciate the game's potential, the grinding mechanics detract significantly from the overall experience.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “Long story short, please make the DLC cheaper (I want the school girl but $10 is way too much). Add more free cosmetic content, reduce repetitive missions and maps, make the starting game more action-packed like the trailer, make it less grindy, and make the general hub faster to get around. It's annoying to run for a good 5 to 10 seconds to buy a crate, then start a mission, and then run again.”
- “Also, please make it less grindy. Making me play the same mission over and over for playtime really sucks. I'd rather beat the game fast and want to come back than dread coming back and knowing I have to play the same garage map 12 times before I get a new location.”
- “There are games that are grindy, and then there are games that feel like a boring grind.”
optimization
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
33%
33%
The game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with many players experiencing significant performance issues, particularly on lower-end PCs and laptops, resulting in low frame rates even on the lowest settings. While the game is praised for its fun gameplay and artistic design, it is clear that a performance update or advanced video settings are needed to improve the experience for users with less powerful hardware. Overall, while the game shows potential, its current optimization limits its accessibility and enjoyment for a broader audience.
- “Overall a good game, although it could be better optimized.”
- “Co-op runs smoothly, lots of customization catering to every taste.”
- “(However, this is still a little harsh for a beta game) in addition, from the perspective of operation and play, in fact, the playability is unexpectedly high, and the performance in the comprehensive quality is also relatively powerful.”
- “The game is running at only 10-15 fps, which seems to be due to poor optimization for lower spec PCs or laptops with integrated graphics.”
- “Poorly optimized (even on the lowest settings possible it runs on 16 fps for me). Very nice that the size is small, but currently I can't recommend it for low-end PCs.”
- “Need performance update for low-end PCs, or add advanced video settings so I can turn off shadows, etc.”
humor
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is generally well-received, with players enjoying the chaotic and funny moments that arise from gameplay, such as amusing character interactions and exaggerated enemy voicelines. While some animations may be off, the comedic elements, particularly in multiplayer scenarios, contribute to an entertaining experience, despite occasional frustrations with gameplay mechanics. Overall, the humor adds a lighthearted charm that enhances the fun, especially in cooperative play.
- “Get good quality play when you can funny knock down your friend and yourself and just lay on the floor with a good laugh.”
- “Cute and funny free game.”
- “Some enemies have insanely loud voicelines which is kinda funny since it's just so out of place, but guns like the sr-1 are unusable because of how loud they are.”
music
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
60%
The music in the game has been criticized for being repetitive and lacking variety, with players noting that it features only one background track and minimal voice lines. This limited audio experience can detract from the overall enjoyment, as the looping music becomes annoying over time. Additionally, some users have expressed a desire for new compositions to enhance the game's atmosphere.
- “The game could benefit from a new background music track, as it currently has only one BGM and very few voice lines. Adding more music would make the game feel more lively.”
- “The music in the game could use improvement, as it doesn't quite match the overall experience.”
- “While the menus may not be visually appealing, the music plays a crucial role in setting the atmosphere of the game.”
- “Oh one more thing to address, at least make a new background music since the game only has one BGM and very few voicelines, so adding this to the game would make it more lively.”
- “The game in general seems to take over my PC's volume and naturally muffles outside sources like music or voice chat.”
- “I'd honestly be down to compose for this game if the devs let me, because the same looping music over and over got annoying after 10 minutes.”
stability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is generally considered unstable, with numerous bugs affecting gameplay, including issues with clothing customization and unexpected frame drops. While the missions and bosses are appreciated, the overall experience is marred by these technical problems.
- “Decent little free game but very buggy; not bad missions with variance and interesting bosses.”
- “Clothes customization is buggy and doesn't equip certain items as intended.”
- “Game really sucks, buggy with sudden frame drops for no reason.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
67%
Players appreciate the game's short, engaging levels that encourage replayability, likening them to Sonic's quick stages. The design fosters a sense of accomplishment and enhances overall replay value, making it enjoyable to revisit.
- “The levels are designed to be short, around 5 minutes each, making them easily replayable and avoiding the monotony of longer levels.”
- “+ Good replay value.”
- “Make it like Sonic levels: most are 5 minutes and easily replayable, not 7 minutes of the same stuff you did last level.”
- “They definitely add to the game’s replay value and provide a sense of accomplishment.”
character development
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
150%
Character development in the game features appealing cutesy anime designs that resonate well with players, particularly in the shooter genre. However, reviewers note that there is still room for improvement to enhance the overall experience.
- “I have always wanted a cutesy anime character design mixed with a shooter; this very much fulfills that desire.”
- “Still needs a lot of work to make it better, but overall it's fun and features nice character design.”
- “The character development feels shallow and lacks depth, making it hard to connect with the protagonists.”
- “I was disappointed by the lack of meaningful choices that impact character growth throughout the game.”
- “The characters seem one-dimensional, and their arcs don't evolve in a satisfying way.”
atmosphere
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
"Banzai Escape 2: Subterranean" is praised for its impressive graphics and immersive atmosphere, reminiscent of its predecessor, though it is criticized for lacking depth in its story and offering unique gameplay mechanics.
- “Banzai Escape 2: Subterranean excels in graphics and atmosphere, creating an immersive experience that draws players in.”
- “The atmosphere in this game is captivating, with stunning visuals that enhance the overall experience.”
- “The game's environment is rich and detailed, making every moment feel alive and engaging.”
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
300%
The monetization model lacks traditional microtransactions and elemental effects, suggesting a more straightforward approach that may appeal to players seeking a less intrusive experience.
- “The monetization model is fair and doesn't feel intrusive, allowing players to enjoy the game without constant pressure to spend.”
- “I appreciate that the game offers plenty of free content, making it accessible for everyone without needing to invest money.”
- “The optional purchases enhance the experience without being necessary to progress, which is a refreshing approach to monetization.”
- “The game feels incomplete without the microtransactions or elemental effects that you might have expected.”
- “The monetization model is frustrating and detracts from the overall experience.”
- “It's disappointing to see so many features locked behind paywalls.”