The Caligula Effect 2

The most significant improvement over the first game is that Caligula Effect 2 has a much better understanding of its characters. They're no longer a collection of exaggerated personalities that, at their worst, come across as simply edgy. Instead, they're people with believable struggles that explain why they ended up in Redo in the first place. This applies to both the Go-Home Club and the antagonists. The party, in particular, works much better because there's a genuine sense of camaraderie, and it's easy to believe these characters will remain connected even after the events of Redo. I also found myself smiling more than once at their banter, helped in no small part by the excellent localization. Some characters—especially 𝜒—are allowed to go completely off the rails, and I ended up liking them a lot. Even characters like Kobato, whose behavior initially seems questionable, receive enough context to make them understandable. Unfortunately, some story arcs are resolved a little too simplistically given the complexity of their underlying themes (Gin and Marie, in particular). The music once again plays a major role in this. The songs of the Obbligato Musicians aren't just back…

It’s a shame this game has gone so under the radar. Is it rough around the edges due to a tighter budget? Yes. But it’s got an incredibly unique combat system, an impactful and differentiating story, and an excellent cast of characters. It doesn’t outstay its welcome in length. I was incredibly surprised by how good this game was. Give it a chance if you’re a fan of JRPGs!

[h1]Story (7/10)[/h1] - Main story is okay. - Stories revolving unique characters (allies, enemies) are good (the setting of the world gives rise to characters with different "problems"). [h1]Graphics (5/10)[/h1] - Character designs are good. - Environment looks ok. - Animations (outside of battles) are stiff. [h1]Gameplay (6/10)[/h1] - Cool battle system (Plan and Simulate) - Skill system is ok - description of skills can be more descriptive - Dungeons too long - Escaping a (normal) battle takes too long - Side Quests mostly not interesting (exceptions are the group quests which there are only a few) - Normal enemy variety is low [h1]Sound (8/10)[/h1] - Almost all vocal unremixed songs are good. Some of them are still stuck in my head. However, since the dungeons are long, there is some kind of fatigue setting in. - Remixed songs are either hit or miss. - The rest is ok - Sound effects are ok [h1]Performance/Configuration/Settings[/h1] - The controller often needs to be plugged out and then in again to be recognized - No crashes [Misc] In every way a better game then the previous game. It's actually good now.

Music:1000000000000/10 Story: 100000/10 Graphics: meh A must play without a doubt.

Possibly my biggest disappointment this year. How does this have 91% positive reviews?!? It keeps being referred to as "low budget Persona" but frankly it's just low budget. There is nothing that even remotely resembles Persona. The story would be ok if the characters weren't so childish that it's impossible to take any of them seriously. The combat is boring and gets repetitive 10 times faster than in Persona, dungeon design is likewise boring and repetitive. There is just nothing here that I'd rate "good" or worth the price tag (thankfully I got it on a sale).

Persona from Temu