The Caligula Effect 2

91%
Game Brain Score Based on 185 reviews
  • story
  • music
  • gameplay
The Caligula Effect 2 Game Cover
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In "The Caligula Effect 2," players enter a virtual world called Redo, built from people's regrets, where they can relive their lives. As the Go-Home Club, they aim to return to reality, guided by the virtuadoll χ. This turn-based RPG explores themes of self-identity and regret, challenging players to distinguish reality from illusions.

  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Play​station 4
  • Play​station 5
  • Steam Deck
  • Windows
  • Play​Station
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

91%
Audience ScoreBased on 185 reviews
story37 positive mentions
grinding16 negative mentions
  • Significant improvements in gameplay mechanics and quality of life features compared to the first game.
  • The soundtrack is outstanding, featuring a variety of catchy songs that enhance the overall experience.
  • The characters are well-developed, with engaging backstories and relatable struggles, making the story more impactful.
  • The main story feels rushed and lacks depth in certain areas, particularly with some antagonists.
  • Side quests are tedious and often lack meaningful engagement, making them feel like filler content.
  • Graphics and animations are dated, which detracts from the overall presentation of the game.
  • story180 mentions

    The story in "Caligula Effect 2" has received mixed reviews, with many players noting it as a downgrade from the first game in terms of depth and character development. While the main narrative is engaging and features well-written characters, it often feels rushed and anticlimactic, particularly towards the end. Despite its flaws, the game offers a solid experience with improved gameplay mechanics and character interactions, making it enjoyable for both newcomers and fans of the series.

    • “The story and characters are fantastic, and the music is so good it should be illegal.”
    • “The progress of the story feels natural and there is apparent character development throughout the story.”
    • “Honestly a great game from start to finish, I really enjoyed the story and the combat in this game.”
    • “It feels a bit rushed and there's so much wasted potential for the protagonists and antagonists in terms of their story.”
    • “The general feel was that the plot was done very poorly from the 'bad guys' perspective, and needs way more attention.”
    • “I'm just going to give it to you straight; the story is not the strongest aspect of this game.”
  • music180 mentions

    The music in the game has received widespread acclaim, with many reviewers praising its catchy and diverse soundtrack, which features contributions from well-known vocaloid producers. While some players feel that the soundtrack does not quite match the excellence of the first game, it remains a standout aspect, enhancing the gameplay experience and character development. Overall, the music is considered one of the game's strongest elements, with many players expressing a desire to listen to it outside of the game itself.

    • “The best OST in any game I've ever played, the story and characters are fantastic and the gameplay is super unique and enthralling.”
    • “The soundtrack is superb, in particular the music used for battles and boss fights.”
    • “The music itself is a representation of the musicians as the lyrics of all the musician songs are a reflection of their personality.”
    • “The music lacks the 'oomph': so one of the main features for the antagonists is that they are musicians.”
    • “Well it seems to me that in this part they are just getting a track made by someone else and slapping the 'musician' title.”
    • “Even if it gets hella repetitive as the same song plays through the dungeon for like 5 hours, it's still a gawddang bop.. still wished that you are able to change the music somehow for variety but that's just me being nitpicky.”
  • gameplay55 mentions

    The gameplay of the latest Caligula Effect installment has seen significant improvements in quality of life, mechanics, and level design compared to its predecessor, offering a unique and engaging turn-based combat system that encourages strategic planning. While many players appreciate the refined mechanics and innovative features like the "x-jack" ability, some criticize the gameplay for becoming repetitive and unbalanced over time, leading to a mixed reception regarding its overall enjoyment. Despite these issues, the game is praised for its captivating soundtrack and character variety, making it a solid entry for both newcomers and series veterans.

    • “The gameplay loop pretty much involves planning out your timeline to counter as many enemy attacks as possible and finish them off with style, gaining bonuses if you fought well.”
    • “Caligula's turn-based mechanics is something entirely new and refined from Overdose, and planning your moves right makes for a rewarding pay-out!”
    • “The combat system has been updated and refined in various different ways, slightly new mechanics that improve the flow of battle such as voltage and being limited to one input instead of three per turn which gives you a larger incentive to really consider your choices.”
    • “The gameplay can be confusing at first.”
    • “It creates a scenario where the gameplay is stale and bland.”
    • “The stories are often well written, but gameplay-wise it's such a chore it can barely be called gameplay.”
  • graphics24 mentions

    The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many players noting that they appear dated and reminiscent of older titles, despite being a 2021 release. While some appreciate the art style and find the visuals acceptable, others criticize the animations and overall quality, suggesting that the game's low budget is evident. Ultimately, those who prioritize graphics may be disappointed, but many agree that the gameplay and soundtrack compensate for these shortcomings.

    • “Graphically and mechanically streamlined compared to the first one, and deeper passive and equipment.”
    • “Fairly impressive game with okay graphics, kind of bad animations, really good characters, and an amazing soundtrack.”
    • “Just don't put your expectations too high for this game, and if you can look past the animation and graphics, then you will enjoy your time!”
    • “As for the negatives: the graphics are pretty much unchanged, but it's understandable since it's a low budget production.”
    • “I will start off with the bad, the graphics are very very very dated, which should be obvious at one look at gameplay clips.”
    • “All of the budget of this game went to the OST, because the animations are horrible, the graphics are bad, and most characters are uninteresting.”
  • grinding17 mentions

    Overall, players find the grinding aspect of the game to be less tedious than in previous installments, with improved quest systems making progress feel more meaningful. However, many still express frustration with the repetitive nature of quests, the difficulty in locating NPCs, and the lack of quality-of-life features that could streamline the experience. While the combat system is praised, the postgame content is often deemed tedious and lacking in incentive, leading to mixed feelings about the overall grinding experience.

    • “Furthermore, if you're not grinding a billion levels or trying to find the most optimal stigmas, then the difficulty is relatively fair.”
    • “While it received a lot of quality of life improvements, it still needs a lot more. The quest system has been improved a lot and completing a quest is a lot more meaningful than before, but it's still a bit tedious having to look for a specific NPC in a specific location every time you want to accept, continue, or finish a quest. They also took out the option to teleport them to the starting area where you are.”
    • “I wouldn't recommend doing a 100% playthrough of this game as it adds at least 20+ more hours, and a lot of side quests are a pain to complete, like grinding until you reach level 60. Many of them are just really hard to figure out what you have to do, and finding guides for this game is impossible as there are none.”
    • “Tldr: do not do the postgame, it is not worth your time. The game does not respect you or your time, and the postgame content is tedious, frustrating (due to tedium and bugs), and offers no real incentive either story-wise or challenge-wise.”
  • character development5 mentions

    Character development in the game is praised for its natural progression and depth, with engaging interactions and thematic cohesion that ties character design, skills, and narrative elements together. Players appreciate the well-deserved growth of party members, highlighting how each character's attributes and story arcs are intricately connected to the overall themes of the game.

    • “The progress of the story feels natural and there is apparent character development throughout the story.”
    • “I love how thematically cohesive the game is—from the character design to the songs, to how each party member's class/playstyle (and even their skill names) reflect who they are, to how the foils are set up for each party member, the meaning behind the flowers assigned to each character, what their catharsis effect looks like, and much more.”
    • “Your party goes through some well-deserved character development.”
    • “But more than that, I love how thematically cohesive the game is-- from the character design, to the songs, to how each party member's class/playstyle (and even their skill names) are a reflection of who they are, to how the foils are set up for each party member, the meaning behind the flowers assigned to each character, what their catharsis effect looks like, and a lot more other stuff that would take way too much space if I list them all.”
  • optimization4 mentions

    The game's optimization is inconsistent; while the PC version benefits from solid performance and good controls thanks to Unreal Engine 4, the overall gameplay experience suffers from poor animations and performance issues. Additionally, the localization choices have drawn criticism for their controversial content.

    • “The game is using Unreal Engine 4, and it's very well optimized.”
    • “The PC version is optimized well and has some surprisingly solid keyboard and mouse controls on top of that.”
    • “The game is not much better than the first in terms of gameplay; its animations are disruptively poor, the game's performance is lacking, and to add insult to injury, the English localization team thought they were being clever by inserting controversial political language and meme speak from America into the game.”
  • emotional3 mentions

    Overall, players find the game's story to be highly emotional, with some noting that the bad ending, while brief, still carries significant emotional weight. However, comparisons to the prequel suggest that the impact of the bad ending may not reach the same heights.

    • “I really enjoyed the game; the story is incredibly emotional, and Marie is the best girl!”
    • “While the bad ending is short, it is still very emotional.”
  • humor2 mentions

    The game's humor is characterized by modern terminology and pop culture references, often delivered in a light-hearted manner that feels organic rather than forced. Characters are well-developed beyond stereotypes, and humorous localization moments enhance the narrative without detracting from it, contributing to an overall enjoyable comedic experience.

    • “The game uses modern terminology and pop culture jokes, like someone calling another person 'woke' but instead of politics, they talk about how much they love trains. It's kind of funny, and the humor is sprinkled throughout the world organically.”
    • “Characters aren't just one-note tropes defined by their sexuality or gender; they are defined by their actions. This adds depth to the humor and makes it feel more genuine.”
    • “There are some funny localization moments, but none of it detracts from the story. Everything is in character, so if you're concerned about that, don't be.”
  • atmosphere1 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is characterized as vibrant and colorful, contributing to an engaging and lively experience for players.

    • “I feel the atmosphere in this game is a lot more vibrant and colorful.”
    • “The immersive sound design and stunning visuals create a truly captivating atmosphere.”
    • “Every location feels alive, filled with details that enhance the overall mood of the game.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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Play time

3hMedian play time
3hAverage play time
3-3hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 1 analyzed playthroughs

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