Shining Plume 2

About

"Shining Plume 2" is a sequel to the hit game by Warfare Studios and Aldorlea Games. Summoned back to his homeland to face an unknown enemy, samurai Musashi Juniro must confront his past while battling new foes and uncovering old truths. As you explore a vast world, become Lord of the Manor, building up a fortress to unlock new skills, weapons, and one of three endings. Delve into the first game for more background on the Shining Plume universe.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

75%

Audience ScoreBased on 16 reviews

story3 positive mentions

gameplay3 negative mentions

The game offers an engaging and unpredictable plot with intelligent and heartfelt writing, making it a satisfying conclusion to the original story.
Players can enjoy a sense of freedom and accomplishment through the new side-project of restoring Jun's family manor, which replaces the original's fetch quests.
Despite its flaws, the game is entertaining for its price and supports indie game developers, appealing to those who appreciate Japanese themes and art.

The game suffers from poor gameplay balance, with bosses being laughably weak and critical hits causing disproportionate damage.
Players are frustrated by the lack of data transfer from the original game, forcing them to start over at level 1 with no retained skills.
The writing is criticized for being juvenile and dramatically inconsistent, detracting from the overall experience.

story
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
17%
33%
The story in "Shining Plume 2" is praised for its depth and satisfying conclusion, building on the narrative foundation laid by the original game. While it requires familiarity with "Shining Plume" for full comprehension, it effectively replaces the previous game's fetch quests with a more engaging plot centered around restoring a family manor. Overall, players appreciate the fast-paced storytelling that maintains the excitement of the original.
- “Yet, when it comes to Shining Plume's strong point - the story - Shining Plume 2 does not disappoint.”
- “It brings the epic story to a satisfying conclusion with all the breakneck pacing of the original (once again, a first playthrough took me just six hours).”
- “This makes no sense, particularly since in the undoubtedly rare occurrence of someone playing Shining Plume 2 without having played Shining Plume, they'd quickly realize they need to go back and play Shining Plume to understand any of the story.”
- “Moral of the story: you never know what life has in store for you, and if I had given up when all odds were against me, I wouldn't be where I am today.”
gameplay
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
The gameplay of Shining Plume 2 is criticized for its lack of balance and poor design, typical of RPG Maker titles, featuring low-quality graphics and numerous typographical errors. However, it introduces some interesting changes, such as character equipment mechanics, and offers a few improvements over its predecessor, though it remains largely a continuation rather than a true sequel.
- “The gameplay also does get a couple of improvements.”
- “It's riddled with typographical errors, like most Andorlea games, and features little in the way of meaningful gameplay balance and map design, but once more it does have comically awful writing.”
- “Like most RPG Maker shovelware and asset flips, the game features extremely low quality copy-pasted 2D retro pixel art, looks awful, and has even worse gameplay.”
- “While it makes a few curious changes to the gameplay that you have to watch out for (e.g. Jun is now equipped with two swords instead of sword and shield, so if you give him only one sword he'll be at half strength), Shining Plume 2 is essentially a straight continuation of the original Shining Plume - not a sequel, but the second half of the game.”
graphics
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The graphics in this game are criticized for their poor quality, typical of RPG Maker titles, with issues such as lack of full HD support and inadequate fullscreen display. Additionally, the overall visual presentation is marred by typographical errors and a lack of meaningful design, making it unappealing for modern gamers.
- “As with all RPG Maker games, the poor quality engine displays badly in fullscreen and doesn't have full HD support or any graphics tweaking options, making this unacceptable for any dedicated modern PC gamer.”
- “It's riddled with typographical errors, like most Andorlea games, and features little in the way of meaningful gameplay balance and map design, but once more it does have comically awful writing.”
music
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The music
- “I relaxed for 5 minutes listening to this music, long enough to realize that I would be okay.”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The game's humor is generally well-received, featuring clever and engaging moments, though it includes some self-deprecating jokes that may feel uncomfortable for some players, particularly surrounding the final boss encounter.
- “The game is filled with clever jokes and witty dialogue that kept me laughing throughout my playthrough.”
- “I loved the quirky characters and their hilarious interactions; they really added to the overall charm of the game.”
- “The humor is spot-on, with plenty of laugh-out-loud moments that made the experience even more enjoyable.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by its intelligent and heartfelt script, which combines wit with profound depth, resonating strongly with players.
- “The script is consistently intelligent, heartfelt, witty, and just plain deep.”