The Caligula Effect 2

About

The Caligula Effect 2 is a single player role playing game with a science fiction theme. It was developed by FURYU Corporation and was released on June 22, 2022. It received mostly positive reviews from critics and very positive reviews from players.

In The Caligula Effect 2 a virtuadoll named Regret has created the world of Redo in order to save people from their past regrets by unknowingly imprisoning them in a simulation. However, this "paradise" is shaken to the core when a virtual idol named X breaks into Regret's virtual reality and restores a high school student's memories of the real world. In order to escape Redo, they re-establish th…

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

91%

Audience ScoreBased on 206 reviews

story45 positive mentions

grinding18 negative mentions

The music is outstanding, featuring a variety of catchy tracks that enhance the gameplay experience.
The combat system is innovative and engaging, allowing for strategic planning and execution of moves.
The characters are well-developed, with relatable backstories that add depth to the narrative.

The side quests can be tedious and lack meaningful engagement, often requiring excessive backtracking.
The graphics and animations feel dated, which detracts from the overall presentation of the game.
Some character arcs and story elements feel rushed or underdeveloped, leading to a lack of closure.

story
198 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
70%
7%
The story of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players appreciating its character development and emotional depth, particularly in relation to mental health themes. However, some critics feel that it lacks the impact and cohesion of the first game, with a rushed ending and underdeveloped antagonists. Overall, while the narrative is engaging and features well-written characters, it suffers from pacing issues and a cumbersome side quest system that detracts from the overall experience.
- “Overall fantastic story and enjoyable game.”
- “The story, gameplay, OST, and dialogue were all excellent, and the main cast had a great variety of characters.”
- “The story is something I greatly enjoyed, especially the aspects of it that connected to the previous game.”
- “The story 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.”
- “The story was passable enough that I'd shrug it off in most JRPGs, but when it deals with mental issues, it puts it in a different light for me.”
music
195 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
35%
61%
4%
The music in the game has received widespread acclaim, with many players praising its high quality and catchy compositions, often likening it to a top-tier soundtrack that could stand alone as an album. The integration of music into the gameplay and character development is highlighted, as each track reflects the personalities and stories of the characters, enhancing the overall experience. While some players feel the soundtrack may not reach the heights of the first game, it remains a standout feature that significantly contributes to the game's appeal.
- “The music, the story, and the environment are just so well done and never failed to excite me.”
- “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.”
gameplay
61 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
26%
69%
5%
The gameplay of the game is characterized by its innovative turn-based combat system, which combines strategic planning with unique mechanics like the "x-jack" ability that enhances party performance. While many players appreciate the engaging combat and well-designed characters, some criticize the repetitiveness of encounters and a lack of variety in enemy types, leading to a sense of tedium over time. Overall, the gameplay is seen as a significant improvement over previous titles, though it still has room for refinement in terms of encounter design and pacing.
- “The gameplay is incredible, with one of the most innovative combat styles I've ever seen.”
- “Caligula's turn-based mechanics are something entirely new and refined from Overdose, and planning your moves right makes for a rewarding pay-off!”
- “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.”
- “The game suffers from gameplay reasons -- encounters are repetitive and become very tedious by the end, and more variety in enemy types, mini-bosses, etc. would have been nice.”
- “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.”
graphics
26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
15%
70%
15%
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many players noting that they are below average and feel dated, reminiscent of games from the mid-2000s. While some appreciate the art style and find the visuals acceptable, others criticize the lack of significant improvement from previous titles and the overall mediocre quality. Despite these shortcomings, many reviewers emphasize that the gameplay and music compensate for the graphical limitations, making the game enjoyable for those who prioritize content over visuals.
- “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, but I am not someone that cares too much about graphics.”
- “The graphics are just okay, and many animations are wooden.”
grinding
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
16%
95%
The grinding aspect of the game is a mixed bag; while some players find it less tedious than previous entries and manageable for those pursuing 100% completion, others criticize the repetitive nature of encounters and the quest system, which can feel cumbersome and frustrating due to inaccurate NPC locations and a lack of quality-of-life improvements. Overall, while the combat system is praised, the grinding can become tedious, especially in postgame content, leading some to advise against extensive side quests and level grinding.
- “Furthermore, if you're not grinding a billion levels or trying to find the most optimal stigmas, then the difficulty is relatively fair.”
- “The grind in this game feels rewarding, as each level up brings a sense of accomplishment and progression.”
- “I appreciate how the grinding mechanics are balanced; it encourages exploration and experimentation without feeling tedious.”
- “The game suffers for gameplay reasons -- encounters are repetitive and become very tedious by the end, and more variety in enemy types, mini-bosses, etc. would have been nice.”
- “I wouldn't recommend doing a 100% playthrough of this game as it adds at least 20+ more hours of the game, and a lot of side quests are a pain to complete (like grinding until you reach level 60) or are just really hard to know 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 or challenge-wise.”
character development
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
34%
33%
The game excels in character development, seamlessly integrating it with the plot progression typical of JRPGs, resulting in a natural and engaging narrative. Players appreciate the depth of character interactions and design, as well as the thematic cohesion that ties each character's abilities and story elements together, enhancing the overall experience.
- “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) 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.”
- “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 down.”
optimization
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
20%
20%
The game's optimization is mixed; while the PC version is well-optimized with solid keyboard and mouse controls, some users report poor overall performance and disruptive animations. Additionally, the English localization has drawn criticism for its use of controversial language, detracting from the experience.
- “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.”
- “Was looking for an RPG to play in VR and this is getting quite a lot of recommendations, both from JRPG fans and in terms of performance from the UEVR Discord.”
- “The game is not much better than the first game play-wise; its animations are disruptively poor, the game's performance is poor, and to add insult to injury, the English localization team thought they were being cheeky by inserting controversial political lingo and meme speak from America into the game.”
humor
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is characterized by a mix of meta-commentary and modern pop culture references, with characters displaying depth beyond mere stereotypes. While some jokes may feel forced, they are generally well-integrated into the narrative, enhancing rather than detracting from the overall experience. Localisation moments add to the comedic elements without undermining the story, maintaining a balance that resonates with players.
- “Though it was kind of funny, on a meta level, how in the first game most opposing characters were sympathetic, while in this one they were just pathetic.”
- “The game uses modern terminology and pop culture jokes and memes; someone calls someone else 'woke,' but instead of talking about politics, they talk about how much they love trains. It's kind of funny, and there's a lot of PC stuff here, but I didn't feel that the devs were trying to force-feed me anything. It's sprinkled into the world organically, and characters aren't just one-note tropes; they are defined by the things they do, not the things they are.”
- “There are some funny localization moments, but none of it detracts from the story, and all of it is in character, so if you are concerned about that, don't be.”
emotional
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Overall, players find the game's story to be highly emotional, with some noting that while the bad ending is impactful, it doesn't quite reach the emotional depth of the prequel's conclusion. Despite this, many still appreciate the emotional weight of the narrative and character connections, particularly highlighting the character Marie.
- “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.”
atmosphere
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The atmosphere of the game 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 an unforgettable atmosphere.”
- “Every location feels alive, filled with details that enhance the overall atmosphere.”