Sword of Hope II

"Better than the first. Not much, but better."

I recently reviewed Sword of Hope. It wasn't a good game, well, not so good as I have expected. Yes, it's a RpG with some basics but has nothing that will make you excited. The sequel is a bit better. The story seems to have been enhanced a bit...well, graphics are enhanced too, musics are repetitive but a bit better. Gameplay is changed a bit. All a bit. There are so many better GB RpG out there, though, so why would you want to waste money on this? Still you want to play it? Well, then read my review, hope it'll be useful.

GRAPHICS: Well, if you've played Sword of Hope, you'll notice some good changes... enemies now (at least the ones I've encountered) do squash when they're killed (well, to tell you the truth I only encountered a Blob and it squashed)... however graphics aren't changed so much, but GB is a GB...and now the famous question rises...if they did THAT in XX II, why they didn't do THAT on XX and not in the sequel? Sword of Hope could have been a great game... well, the sequel is far from being a great game but at least is a bit more enjoyable. I'd give an 8 for the graphics. 8/10.

AUDIO: Again, a bit better than the first. Basically, if you've played SOH, I could say: think of a game like Sword of Hope, only a bit enhanced, SOH2 is so.. the soundtrack is only a bit better than the one in the first title while the effects are hugely the same. Mmm...as for rating, I'd give a 7...no, 6.5, because effects are the same as SOH. 6.5/10.

GAMEPLAY: Well, you move exactly as you were moving in the previous game... and battles only have a different graphic for the menu while the options are always the same (attack, magic, ...)... they didn't change anything. 7/10.

STORYLINE: I didn't quite understand it... so I can't really say much about it... I only know that someone (much probably Prince Theo) has defeated a dragon and put the Sword of Hope into his chest... now...well, something happened and Theo starst for a Journey... however it's good trust me, it's only that I don't remember it well... 8/10.

DIFFICULTY: Mmm... I'd say SOH2 is a bit more difficult than SO1... but this is a personal opinion...it's better you play it for a while... Medium to Hard, I'd say...

REPLAY VALUE: Like-any-other-RpG-out-there...

BUY OR RENT? If you are an huge RpG fan, then buy it. If you have some doubts...well you're right, this isn't an RpG suitable for everyone... I suggest you to rent it for a while.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 01/04/04