Generally speaking, I try and play games in order. As a voracious reader of novels and consumer of media, I’ve found things are typically better if you experience them that way. But sometimes you come face to face with something that so grabs you that you’re forced to jump the line with it. That game is one I’ve had on my Steam wishlist for some time called 8-Bit Adventures 2.
I generally love retro-styled RPGs, having grown up with the likes of Chrono Trigger and the Final Fantasy games of the NES and SNES era. So when I found that it was finally making the jump from PC to consoles, I knew I was going to say yes to the opportunity to cover it. And after spending 15+ hours with the adventure, I can confidently say 8-Bit Adventures 2 not only lived up to the hype but proved itself to be one of the best games I’ve played all year.
We’re Not in Kansas Anymore…
As you’ve probably already guessed, I didn’t play the original game, but thankfully, the sequel remedies that with some handy flashbacks and narrative segments. The short version is that in the first game, 3 heroes fought something called the Dust Invasion, and saved the world with the help of an omniscient entity called The Computer. At the start of 8-Bit Adventures 2, one of those heroes, the warrior Jacob, is off searching in desert ruins for the means to prevent some new calamity called the Glitch. And in so doing, he accidentally falls prey to the very nemesis he was hoping to thwart.
When Jacob’s fellow adventurer and love interest, a heroic thief named Angie, worries about how long he’s been missing, the quest begins in earnest. She heads off by boat to follow his trail, with an unexpected stowaway in the hold. His name is Charlie, and he’s a young child orphaned by the events of the first game who views Angie as a mother or big sister. He’s a rough and tumble, cheeky little fellow, but his heart’s in the right place.
Heroic Puppet
After some time exploring, they come across Jacob, but something’s horribly wrong with him. It turns out the Glitch managed to turn the hero into a dangerous puppet. While Angie and Charlie valiantly fight and rescue Jacob, things take a turn for the worst when the Glitch itself is about to destroy them. This is when salvation teleports in: the red wizard Peggy!
I should note real quickly, 8-Bit Adventures 2 does allow you to choose your own names for the characters you control. While I kept Jacob and Angie the same, I obviously had some fun with the wizard. There’s also a robotic companion, a self-styled Exterminator. I named him Arnold and never looked back. However, I relented and allowed the rest of my team of seven to keep their regular names.
Early on, you’ll be managing small teams of one or two in battles. But once you get more than 4 characters, you’re allowed to swap out members of your team during battle without any penalty. I found this was where 8-Bit Adventures 2 really opened up in wonderful ways. Say you’re facing enemies that deal massive magical damage, and you have teammates with low MDEF? Just swap them out for a magical tank and keep on attacking.
You’ll also get access to equippables called Augments that let you further tweak your team. Each Augment is unique and will do things like protect the equipped character from status ailments, force enemies to target one character, or even add status ailments to regular attacks. There’s a lot of variety, and it truly makes the experience one you can craft to your liking. As you level up, you’ll also gain access to more Augment slots per character.
Rocking Combat
As for the combat itself, it’s finely tuned. There’s a traditional turn-based system, with clear indications of who goes next via a handy bar. Each character has a regular attack, as well as the ability to defend or run from battle. Defending will reduce incoming damage as well as recovering a small bit of health. Besides all that, characters also have Abilities and Personal Skills. The former cost AP and lets you do things like reduce enemy defense, cast spells, shield your entire team, and more.
Personal Skills, besides being utterly unique to each character, cost zero AP. Charlie’s lets him attack two random enemies, whereas Jacob will attempt to stun a foe and Peggy will recover AP and boost your Omega meter. Once that’s full, any character can unleash an Omega Burst. These are dramatically powerful mega-attacks that can turn the tide of battle, and you can use them more than once. It just depends on taking or dealing sufficient damage to charge it up.
The other vital technique is Combo Abilities. These rely on having two specific characters fighting together and will drain AP from both. On the plus side, either character can use a Combo Ability. The only downside is it can take a long time to unlock them, and after spending nearly 20 hours with 8-Bit Adventures 2, I only had access to a couple of them. Jacob and Angie can use Love’s Shield to heal any character and boost their defenses, while Charlie and Emma’s Mystery Combo pummels enemies and assails them with negative statuses.
Besides all that, there’s also the robotic Exterminator, Arnold. He plays unlike any other character in the game. Instead of using AP to fuel his abilities, he exchanges parts and can use them to do helpful things at zero cost. Maybe he’ll use a laser to zap and mute enemies, or fire rocket fists to paralyze them. My favorite abilities are his healing parts, such as a ray that heals all his allies, as well as a Defibrillator that can revive downed friends. Put simply, he quickly became my MVP, and whenever I could put him in my party, I would.
No Objection Here
Now, if 8-Bit Adventures 2 only relied on what I’ve mentioned thus far, it would have been a very solid adventure. But it goes above and beyond with capable and modern combat and also features some surprisingly stellar writing. Put simply, this game is very funny. There are a lot of comedic moments and meta-humor in the game, especially once you start to understand more details about the Glitch. Whether Charlie gets hit on by saucy shopkeeps, maids complain about how much work they do, or regal rats assail you in sewers; this is a charming experience. This was especially impressive once I learned that the game was pretty much created by a solo developer using RPG Maker MV!
As an example of how playful things get, there are some really surprising little events that happen in the game, from facing off against a prosecutor Phoenix Wright-style to contending with an invasion of zombie samurai and ninjas, learning how to control magic in an ice cave, or investigating a robot murder in the Glade of Graphics. There are even fun puzzle segments, which is normally not something I love. An especially good example is an area called the City of Sounds, where you have to manipulate musical notes and ring bells to unlock the way forward. And then, when you think you’re about to fly your airship to the finale, the Glitch warps reality, and you think you’re relaxing on a pleasant beach vacation.
Nothing More Modern Than a Computer
For modern conveniences, there’s plenty, from auto-saving (though you can also save anywhere outside of battle) to the ability to replay any tutorial you might have forgotten from the pause screen. There are even talking save point sparkles that warn you to save right before a big boss battle! While the game is relatively linear, at least for the first half of the game, that’s not to say it lacks challenge.
I never felt overpowered during battle and always had just enough coin to get some new gear at every other shop I found. Better yet, there are no random battles, and you can always see enemies on the screen before the battle starts, and you even have the option to respawn them if you feel like grinding. You can even bring up a detailed overview of your stats and gear during battle. In other words, even though the game was inspired by retro games, it features full-throated modern conveniences that’ll help any level of player.
Gloriously Retro
Visually, 8-Bit Adventures 2 looks like a retro game, and I mean that as a good thing. Just don’t expect anything outside of that frame of reference, and you’ll be happy. Though the world map design is pretty simplistic, the pixel artwork used during battle is really detailed and attractive. The highlight was probably the multicolored City of Sounds. But what really shocked me was the music design. I generally don’t pay much attention to the music in my gaming, but it was outstanding here. There’s a glorious variety of chiptunes to listen to, and they do an amazing job of amping you up for the challenge ahead.
There really wasn’t very much I had an issue with in my time with the game, but there’s a few small things that just held it back from a perfect score. One was that the game doesn’t do a very good job of explaining the elemental weaknesses and which foes they apply to. You can kind of guess the weaknesses of some foes, such as icy or fiery enemies, but the rest is just trial and error. My only other complaint was that I felt I never had enough money to buy everything I wanted in the game, though I also never utilized the ability to respawn foes and really grind.
Nostalgia For the Win
I honestly could probably spend several more paragraphs talking at length about all the stuff I enjoyed while playing the game, but you probably get the gist by now. 8-Bit Adventures 2 is a marvelous retro-styled RPG that utilizes all the best aspects of the genre while avoiding the worst. Though I do wish the game did more mechanically to stand apart from the crowd, this is nevertheless a well-made, funny RPG with a ton of heart.
Final Verdict: 4.5/5
Available on: Nintendo Switch (reviewed), PC, PS4/5, Xbox One and Series X|S; Publisher: Critical Games, Ratalaika Games; Developer: Critical Games; Players: 1; Released: October 16, 2024; ESRB: T for Teen – Fantasy Violence, Suggestive Themes; MSRP: $19.99
Editor’s note: The publisher provided a review copy to Hey Poor Player.
