3/5 ★ – Lancey's review of Nights of Azure 2.

Nights of Azure was a surprising game for me: it wasn't amazing as an action game and very poor as an RPG, but it was still a very fun game and after finishing it I was very excited for the sequel! But the truth is, this game is both a massive and downgrade: it doesn't worsen things enough to say it's downgrade, but it doesn't improve enough to be a better game either. Let's start from the positives: the game has massively improved on graphics and it shows: characters have better animation and there's a better use of the motion capture, and characters are also better designed and more varied both in looks and physique. Even a small girl. Areas are less this time, only 7 (plus a free DLC area), but much bigger and more detailed than before and unlike the previous game, you won't get lost while trying to find the next area. And you got a map this time as well! And last but not least, the story is a lot better and all characters are well written and likable - except the bad "girls". Yes, this game has enormous "yuri" tones and yes the main protagonist loves Liliana - the second protagonist - but unlike games like Neptunia where the yuri is a lot more sensual, in here it's more platonic and closer to friendship rather than actual lesbians. I never cringed while seeing the romantic scenes because I genuinely felt their friendship and I don't dislike this kind of relationships either. But I digress. Combat has also seen massive improvement: it feels heavier and still a bit clunky but a lot more powerful, as you feel the hit and the slashes more than the previous. You have only 2 servans slots - down from 4 decks of 4 slots - but this time you have also a companion you can choose among 6 and each one have their special skills, a double chase (a combo) and a Lily Burst (a final skill) that are all unique and some work better for bosses and some for cleaning the areas. In addition, the leveling system is far better now and you can level up to 50 this time, with 3 level tress you can unlock and better servan leveling up as well - while companions will require quests to unlock their additional skills and everything. As you might notice the flaws of the original game - clunky combat, poor character details and lack of them, and poor maps etc - seems to be gone and this could be the best sequel ever right? Well, I still haven't touched the cons and believe me when I say, I really had a hard time to swallow it... First of all, combat might be improved but you'll have one weapon all the time - down from 5 - and while technically you have other weapons available in the game (great shield, mirror, lance, greatsword), they're tied to your servans...this means that you have to carry a servan along that transforms into a weapon and this could be all good if the weapon had a time limit - the servan's mana. But forget about the weapons because you'll NEVER use them anyway, because there's another gimmick: some servans (specifically Nero, Scharf, Farfalla, and Froid) can open barriers or and pathways to secret rooms and areas, this essentially means you'll ALWAYS have to carry 2 servans that can open pathways or else you might not be able to get a specific servan, which are now recruitable via cocoons you "unlock" through the maps. This might not be such a terrible idea if it wasn't for another mechanic that has been implemented into the game: day limit. That's right, you have a time limit of days on each chapter, ALONGSIDE a time limit inside the dungeons - initially 10 minutes - and while it can be improved via levelling up at first you will feel suffocated from the very short amount of time given and how long some battles can be at first! This is not a new feature mind you: NoZ had a time limit too but it was more lenient with its 15 minutes and there was no day limit at all, despite mentioning it all the time. NoZ2 starts out hardcore with only 10 minutes to spare, a very strict day limit mechanic that essentially forces you to plan your soirèes, and if you die you might as well reload your save file since you lose a day and if it's your last one, it's game over. I just don't understand these changes because once you finish the game, the NG+ will give you unlimited days and you also gain AP from quests which make learning abilities **** feels like they rushed the game because the game is VERY short, clocking in about 16 hours to reach the end - I took 25 in the original + 7 for the extra ending - and being extremely thinner in terms of content and gameplay features. This game was a disappointment for me: I had a lot of fun but I couldn't stop saying "I wish I could do this" all the time while fighting or playing. With NG+ the game could become tolerable enough, but what a price to pay just to play at your own pace Try this game on discount, or give the original game a shot, even if it's flawed.