Synopsis
Again in the setting of the twin worlds connected by dreams, we follow Zoe, a rich student suffering from clinical depression/apathy. (I could RELATE!) She sets off on a journey while searching for her ex-boyfriend Reza, a journalist for a controversial paper. During the journey she meets April from the previous game and uncovers a dangerous conspiracy.Virtues
A non-white female lead! Zoe is a beautiful Eurasian woman with very good flaws and interesting relationships.Play as multiple characters. April returns to the title as a playable character and newcomer Kian.
Great graphical improvement really helped immersion reach a new level. Environments were lush and absolutely goregous. The characters look and move in more human-like ways.
Not hypersexualized. The women are beautiful and sexy but note in a hypersexualized way. Zoe wears practical clothes for the most part. True there are underwear dream sequences, but it's a white cami and bikini underwear. Sexual relations are spoken about but never shown.
Diverse characters. People come in all shapes, sizes, ages and colors.
Lovely soundtrack and good voice acting. Maybe it's just that I enjoy British and Irish accents but it was lovely.
Puzzles were all very solvable without a walkthrough. (Except for a couple that I got lazy on.)
Good story. With good or at least decent morals. And a sweet romance. The theme is "Faith", which is nicely explored. I was uncertain about Kian but wait it out and let it develop. It gets good. Questioning his faith and finding True Faith and strength in his religion. He sees the flaws and failings of the people but not the true goodness of it.
Traveling was faster with the new action system.
Vices
Primitive battle system. Zoe could do karate, Kian a sword, and April a staff. It was clunky and slow. The battle AI also did not provide much challenge. (Which suits the system.)Again, lots of strong language and swearing. Now more violence because of the battle system.
Disorienting at first. Okay, maybe I've been spoiled by mini-maps for games like this. It was easy to get turned around and lost while trying to find the next objective. (Which I guess could be a good thing too. It WAS very immersive.)
The game plays well with a controller, it's very tricky with a mouse and keyboard. (Thus I used a controller.)
Lots of plot points left hanging for a sequel. Frustrating for the player, to be left with more questions than answers. (Luckily the sequel comes out this year.)
