Summon Night: Swordcraft Story 2

Aug 11, 2006

Despite being a smaller publisher, Atlus tends to put out consistently solid role-playing games. By bringing the Summon Night series over from Japan, it has managed to give a bit of life to the fading lineup of GBA titles. The first title in the series was pretty decent, but it had its fair share of problems. The surprisingly satisfying battle system couldn't completely make up for a clichéd storyline, vague objectives and ordinary visuals. It had some great things going for it, but these issues held it back from becoming something great.

In Summon Night: Swordcraft Story 2, players once again take up arms as a youngster trying to prove their worth by saving the world from an ancient evil. It has everything its predecessor offered, and looks to add even more to entice audiences to come back for more. Seeing as the original did have its fair share of appeal, a sequel didn't seem like a bad idea if a few of the right tweaks were made. Going by appearances, they were.

As the story goes, the main character (which can be either male or female; that's up to the player) is an apprentice craftknight who was orphaned when their father perished while banishing the demon Goura deep within a catacomb. A town conveniently built on top of the catacomb is the only defense against this great evil, and when a stranger comes to release Goura from his prison, all heck breaks loose. Our hero puts up a fight, but his only weapon is shattered, leaving him defenseless. The vanguards of the city come to put a stop to the conflict, but they get knocked out with ease, and when our defenseless champion sees this, he is engulfed in energy (similar to the Super Saiyans from the Dragon Ball Z series) and quickly puts an end to these misdeeds. And all that's before the opening credits!

The story mode seems to be improved upon in this sequel, as your quest is laid out before you early on in the game. In Summon Night, things seemed like busy work for the majority of the game; the story managed to feel as if it were going nowhere, making it seem a little tedious. In the sequel, it's clear what the objective is early on, providing a grand journey while offering a goal for players to strive for, easing what could otherwise end up a monotonous drag. Sure, it's still formulaic, but a sense of purpose adds some incentive to see things to the end.

A few new visual touches add some extra flair to the game, with big effects for attacks and small touches like embers floating about as players create their weapons. The extra polish adds some spice to the game, helping it rise above what its predecessor brought to the table. In a welcome change from the first game's lack of direction, you won't be left scratching your head as to what the next goal is. Here, you can speak with the NPCs that inhabit the game's world, and chances are good that someone will point you in the right direction. The distinct battle system makes a return and it's in fine form, allowing for a more interactive experience when compared to other RPGs. The side-scroller approach (similar to that of the Tales series) manages to provide a unique and fun experience, with a simple and customizable mechanic.

As players progress, they can concentrate on their proficiency in specific weapons by focusing on creating and using those weapons over others. Where some players might prefer a speed approach and choose gloves as their primary weapons, others might go for brute force, favoring axes. While the first in the series would have players create all the weapons in a given level range before they could progress to better weapons, SK2 alleviates that issue by adding environmental obstacles that require a certain weapon. Small bushes blocking your way can be slashed into oblivion with a sword, and trees that make terrain impassable require an axe to chop a path through.

While the first in the series was a pretty decent RPG, it's looking like Summon Night: Swordcraft Story 2 is doing everything right, picking up the slack where its predecessor has failed, all while providing a great deal of fun to keep players sated. Whether or not it can keep the pace up through the end remains to be seen, but be sure to keep the bellows burning and your smithing tools on hand, and we'll let you know how things shape up when it's released this October.