8-Bit Adventures 2 tickles my nostalgia bone. As strange as that sounded, it is true. See, I grew up with the NES/Sega Genesis. Games like Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, and Phantasy Star looked A LOT different back then. But does that mean they cannot look the same now? Just because we've advanced so far doesn't mean those games back then were bad by any means. So let's take a look at 8-Bit Adventures 2 and see if a game that was made by a team of ONE can give me the experience I had so many years ago.
8-Bit Adventures 2 starts off when a calamity known as the Dust Invasion takes over the world a few years ago. To fight this, something called "The Computer" selected 3 champions who then gained powers to save the world. As some of them go missing, a young boy (you) decides they are going to be the one to help find them. On your way, you discover deeper and darker things about the world you live in and, naturally, you are tasked with saving everything. Nothing crazy unique here but it's a really good story and it's even filled with a lot of humor and characters who actually act like their ages. I often gave a laugh at how ridiculous the main character can be at times because I was, in ways, like that as a teenager. I wasn't out trying to save the world, but I was pretty bullheaded whenever I thought I was doing the right thing. That kind of relatability is often hard to convey and I think it is done rather well here. The 40+ hour campaign rarely gets dull and I commend that.
While playing through the game, the music makes me feel like I have heard these chiptune-styled melodies before. Even though I haven't, it's a nice feeling and you find yourself humming a battle theme or overworld jam like you would back in the day. I don't think you could fit the music and sounds any other way. One of the things I remember the most about exploring dungeons and such of that era was the music. 30+ years later they still get stuck in my head. I hope the same for 8-Bit Adventures 2. The same goes for sound effects as you're in a menu or battle. It's all here and it's all good.
The gameplay itself remains to be the star. Reminiscent of Dragon Quest or Phantasy Star, you participate in turn-based battles. You exploit your enemy's weaknesses, charge up and unleash ultimate attacks, and strategize defending and basic attacks. For the first 5 or so hours, I initially thought the game was made easier to keep people moving along and then I finally started running into baddies who required some more thinking and planning and some dang tough bosses. You gain XP and level up pretty traditionally. You also gain access to new armor, weapons, skills, and ultimate attacks. One cool thing I absolutely loved was the ability to reset the enemies in a dungeon at the talking save point. Yes. The Save Point talks to you. So if you need to grind a bit to make the next boos a bit easier or learn the patterns of some of the enemies, you can do so by speaking to it. It's such a Dark Soulsy type idea that I found to be pretty helpful if I was struggling a bit due to being underpowered. Also, you can save anywhere and that save point is a "Hey there's something about to happen up ahead so save your game now" character/spot. I can't say it is a bad thing at all.
The towns are charming, the NPCs give backgrounds, and the item stores make sure you hunt for gold. I honestly couldn't get enough of the side quests and additional (voluntary) grindfests I went on to extend the game.
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