"Thank you, From Software"

I was and still am a huge fan of the original Lost Kingdoms. Though the graphics were sub-par, and the game being only about ten hours long, I still thought it was a brilliant game. I’m an rpg fan, but real-time battles are some what new to me. Lost Kingdoms is now not the only RPG on the Gamecube, and has to compete with another classic, Skies of Arcadia Legends. Soon, Lost Kingdoms will have to go up against real-time giants such as Tales of Symphonia and Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles. When I went to pick up Lost Kingdoms II, I had my doubts. From screen shots, I just couldn’t get into the game. Thank you, From Software, you made me worry for nothing!




Graphics (8/10)

One of my biggest gripes in the original Lost Kingdoms was the graphics. I felt like I was playing a Dreamcast game. From Software has listen to our pleas, and has given the sequel and nice graphical overhaul. Places in Lost Kingdoms seem so much more real and life like. Water has nice reflections and textures are much more crisp. Trees now seem to have leaves instead of the tripod of 2d leaves. The ground is nicely detailed, and overall it just brings the whole experience together and makes it much more enjoyable. NPC and Tara look very nice. The polygon count from the original has risen which also adds to the overall experience of the game. One of the flaws from the first game was that you could never really see any one’s face, and the Katia looked very bland. Monsters are back, and look better than ever. It seems that a lot of the work has been put into making the monsters look good. Each monster (or at least most monsters) have different movements, different patterns of attacking. Most of the battles are very fluid, except when you have seven or eight independent creatures on the screen. Even then, the slow down is minor. Although the graphics aren’t ground breaking like The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker or Metroid Prime, the graphics still are quite nice. It should also be noted that the art in the loading time is amazing, and the artist should be noted.




Story (7/10)

What? Seven out of Ten? But... This is Lost Kingdoms! It’s not supposed to have a story! This time, From Software has made some attempt to make a somewhat good story. The basic plot (summarized from the instruction manual), the Kendarian Army has produced their own Runestones, and are able to control mechanical monsters. They plan to take over Argwyll, and the only thing that’s standing in their way is the Queen and her true Runestone. If you haven’t played Lost Kingdoms, you should be able to grasp the story, but you might be a little confused. There are many signs from the old game in this one, and it seems From Software has put some work in trying to incorporate Lost Kingdoms in Lost Kingdoms II, as some sequels fail to do. Although the story isn’t as epic as a Final Fantasy or a Skies of Arcadia, the story seems to make you wonder what’s going to happen next.




Audio (8/10)

The music in Lost Kingdoms II, although not great, still is very soothing to listen to. The old Lost Kingdoms music from the first is back, and many new songs join it. The old theme is back, as seen in some towns and the title screen. Music from old areas have been updated and put in their Lost Kingdoms II counterparts. The voice acting in cut scenes is ok, some voices sound a lot better than others. The voices really give the game more personality however, and it makes the characters much more real.




Gameplay (9.5/10)

The gameplay can’t be THAT good... right? Wrong. Lost Kingdoms II excels wonderfully in the Gameplay level. The basic battle system is that you have a deck of 30 cards you bring into each level. Each card has a type, such as Wood, Fire, Earth, Water, Neutral, and Mech. Fire beats Wood, Wood beats Earth, ect. Each card is also a weapon, helper, summon, independent, and transform cards. Weapon cards become temporary swords, bows, ect. They can only be used a few times before they burn out. Helper cards will improve your stats and set traps. Summon cards are usually very powerful, and you become the creature for a brief moment to execute the attack. Transform cards allow you to turn into that card and walk around as that creature until the power of the card is gone. You can fly, jump, and crush things with many transformation cards. The battle system is like one great melee. Four cards are randomly selected from your deck of 30. You can place cards at the bottom of your deck if you’d like to save them. There are no random battles, so you can fight with out having to worry about those stupid random battles. When you find a monster, you press A, B, X, or Y to release one of your cards and to attack. Tara is pretty weak, so she has nothing to defend herself with. Each card costs a certain amount of magic stones. Magic stones will be dropped when an enemy is hit. The bigger the stone, the more magic stone points you get. If you use a card that you don’t have enough magic stones for, you start to loose damage. During the battle, a Lupian Butterfly will show up. By pressing up on your C-stick, you can lock on to a creature. You can also charge up cards by pressing Z. Tara will level up during the game, gaining more HP and more MP as she gains more levels. The battle system, although seeming simple at first, is very deep, as explained from before. The gameplay is notably harder than the first game, and the AI (or at least the enemy AI) is a lot smarter than in the first. This adds some frustration, but, it also adds the satisfaction once you beat a level that was missing from the original. The camera in the game allows you to see Tara and the creatures with much greater detail, but, it takes time in the start to get used to it. It may need some watching even after the first couple of levels. The gameplay is VERY addictive, and will make you come back for more.




Overall:

Graphics (8/10)

Story (7/10)

Audio (8/10)

Gameplay (9.5/10)

Total: (32.5/40) 8.125/10

GameFaqs Score: 8/10



Closing Comments:

Ever since I started to play this game, I’ve been wrapped around it. All through school, this game was the only thing I could think of. That has to say something about this game. With improved Graphics, sound, story, and gameplay, this game is a strong addition to the Gamecube’s growing RPG library. I have full confidence that Lost Kingdoms II will not be forgotten when the upcoming rpgs for the Gamecube are released. Lost Kingdoms II is a must buy for those who loved the original, love rpgs, and love original games like the Lost Kingdoms series. Congratulations From Software on making a hit!

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 05/19/03, Updated 05/19/03