The Agency: Chapter 2
- March 8, 2018
- Sapphire Dragon Productions
- 2h median play time
Get on Steam"The Agency: Chapter 2" is a detective adventure game, where players help a team of detectives solve a mystery involving the Commodore's Uniform. The game features hidden item gameplay, puzzle minigames, and anime-style art with steampunk-inspired music. Picking up from Chapter 1, players will explore the affluent town of Pera, meeting new characters and uncovering leads.
Reviews
- The art style and backgrounds have improved significantly compared to the first chapter, enhancing the visual experience.
- The story is intriguing and well-developed, particularly by the end of chapter two, keeping players engaged.
- Puzzles are satisfying and enjoyable, providing a nice break from the narrative while still contributing to the overall experience.
- The game suffers from numerous typographical and grammatical errors, which detract from the reading experience.
- Many of the choices presented in the game feel superficial and do not impact the story, leading to a lack of meaningful player engagement.
- The addition of certain mini-games and puzzles feels unnecessary and can disrupt the flow of the narrative.
- story15 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 60 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The story has received mixed reviews, with some praising its intriguing narrative and well-developed world, particularly in chapter two, while others criticize its pacing and reliance on info-dumps that disrupt character development. Many players find the choices to be superficial and the overall length of the story to be short, leading to a feeling of forced progression. Despite these issues, there is anticipation for future chapters, indicating a strong interest in the story's potential.
“The art and story in chapter 2 is better than in chapter 1.”
“Generally, I'm a big fan of visual novels and have played my share of them. The agency has a lot of good ingredients: the story is genuinely intriguing (especially by the end of chapter two), the story world is well-developed, the music is fitting, and the artwork is lovely.”
“A great visual novel with an awesome story and characters.”
“The game has some really weak 'choices' that are just optical and have no impact on the story.”
“So many conversations that are just dragging out the game, 'minigames' that aren't rewarding or are in the way... and glossing over huge gaps in the story.”
“Further, a lot of the storyworld information is given in the form of massive info-dumps that come unnaturally in the middle of conversations.”
- graphics6 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are highlighted positively, with users praising the improved art style and lovely artwork that enhances the visual experience. However, there are significant concerns regarding typographical errors and poor text presentation, which detract from the overall quality. Despite these issues, the visual elements contribute positively to the storytelling in the game.
“The art style has improved quite a bit!”
“Generally, I'm a big fan of visual novels and have played my share of them. The agency has a lot of good ingredients: the story is genuinely intriguing (especially by the end of chapter two), the story world is well-developed, the music is fitting, and the artwork is lovely.”
“The only decent thing this game has going for it is the art style.”
“It is a series of slides with overlaid artwork representing some of the characters, and a printed 'conversation' which you read but have no influence in.”
- music3 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally well-received, fitting the overall atmosphere and enhancing the experience, though some players find it too loud compared to the voice acting, making it difficult to understand dialogue. Overall, it complements the intriguing story and well-developed world of the visual novel.
“Generally, I'm a big fan of visual novels and have played my share of them. The agency has a lot of good ingredients: the story is genuinely intriguing (especially by the end of chapter two), the story world is well-developed, the music is fitting, and the artwork is lovely.”
“The music is the same.”
“I wish I could read the text of the voice boxes and dreams, as I sometimes find it hard to understand everything since the background music is almost as loud as the speaking voices.”
