Exile II (w/ Unworked Designs patch)(PCE CD, 1992)
Graphics-7.5 Sound-8 Control-6.5 Challenge-6 Story-6
Level Design-5.5 Frustration-6.5 Fun-6 Originality-5.5
Overall Score-6
+
Can now play as any of the other party members in action segments (different attacks and speed+strength, shared experience but also HP, different gear)
Minor interface improvements (can sell equipped gear, larger text boxes)
Speed up text on a per sentence basis (not quite as fast as before though)
Unusual setting (Arabic during the crusades with fictional elements)
Pretty nice animé cutscenes overall (worse art style though - bug eyed Sadler)
Improved action segment graphics overall (overworld graphics look near identical though)
Can see boss HP now
Save feature (only in overworld areas, 3 slots named after current location)
Run button in the overworld
Dialogue portraits
Can destroy some projectiles with your sword/own projectile, magic attacks (pretty cheap - only Fakhyle uses them now though and they're not quite as effective) and healing (?), somewhat improved level design in dungeons - still lacks puzzles though), title cards when entering new areas, the game doesn't pause for a few seconds when leveling up,
+/-
More zoomed out view with mostly smaller sprites (but the loose scrolling means it isn't really put to good use, some large sprites)
Slashes are no longer canceled if you attack right before landing but instead you slash again when landing (can be used for quick double swipes)
Can't move while slashing
Can't turn around while slashing in mid-air but not on the ground
Travel between locations via action segments instead of the map screen now
Need ro re-enter the area/room to make enemies respawn here (good for survival, bad for grinding)
No inns (but you regain HP & MP from entering towns so grinding in-between towns is easy)
The chars who seemed to have been killed off in the prequel apparently survived
No block or dodge moves
Can breath and move normally under water
Can't move while crouching, can damage some enemies by moving into them, super forgiving hit detection around the moving crusher/spike traps in the first dungeon (looks kinda glitchy the way your avatar's sprite tilts up and down when standing on these as well), can't escape from boss battles, one escape sequence (sea cave) - very easy and short though, some unintentionally funny dialogue ("I must die but, oh yes! I said I would tell you about...", "I must go"/Why?"I just have a nagging feeling that I've something to do" - both by Lawrence), pretty tongue in cheek dialogue (Working Designs but the original game also seems a bit less serious than the prequel), linear structure and you can't go back to earlier areas at certain points in the story, no alternate main attacks for anyone but Fakhyle (who uses spells only), some gore, no warping out of dungeons (but no need to here)
-
Some level grinding at a couple points (sudden difficulty spike at the sea cave boss (purple cape guy/lawrence - sloppy and unforgiving hit detection (he'll join you afterwards meaning it's forgiving as him instead), have to grind at least a couple of levels and/or stock up on healing items), )
Looser horizontal scrolling makes it very hard to react various attacks
Slower movement unless you play as Rumi (who's a bit weaker?)
More annoying dialogue noise which can't be silenced this time
Loose vertical scrolling as well
Somewhat less satisfying combat sfx and feedback when killing an enemy
Fewer dialogue portraits (none in shops)
Can't unequip gear - only switch to different gear
Some enemies and projectiles move too fast considering the zoomed in view (means you have to take it slow in any new area)
Some control & interface issues (can't aim upwards as Yumi or Kindi nor Sadler when he's on the ground, item & weapon menus don't loop/wrap around, slower shop menu navigation, can't jump down through platforms you can jump up through, no jump height control (fairly high with most chars), the game won't warn you about buying a piece of gear that you already have, no item explanations in-game and unintuitive healing item/tonic names - at least the game now tells you what an item does after using it, has almost all of the same combat segment control issues, can't see gear stats in the shop interface nor when equipping gear - have to check each char's status in a separate menu)
So-so voice acting overall, healing and boosting items can be "weird" meaning their effect is either nullified or there's some random bonus added (can't tell in advance as they are named and sorted the same as regular items), a few story events are told with plain in text this time, fakhyle sucks (very slow movement, short jump, can't use the good spells in mid-air, long delay on his last spell attack), no quest log or journal feature, some plot oddities and conveniences (pretty obvious that Lawrence was going to turn again, at one point the game suddenly cuts to Lawrence after he's left the party and you're made to fight an unwinnable battle against the villain - the bad part is that you can access the party inventory and don't know that it's unwinnable in advance, some significant looking buildings with standard NPCs in them, most NPCs say variations on the same thing), mostly bland level design outside of dungeons and the dungeons themselves are never better than average, a few odd color choices, no dungeon maps (one maze where you can end up having to redo half of it if you take a wrong turn), music tracks don't loop properly (fade out instead - redbook), some unavoidable hits from bosses (pharaoh), kinda short for an ARPG (even for its time) - less than 2h, super easy and short black sea area+easy final dungeon and boss+safe spots near certain enemies later on, some trial & error (a few leaps of faith (can't loop up/down), shots from off-screen?, can't move backwards in some dungeon areas - can miss some gear in the last dungeon),
Bugs:
-6-button mode glitches out the controls
Notes:
-Patch info: http://www.romhacking.net/forum/index.php?topic=23436.0
Level Design-5.5 Frustration-6.5 Fun-6 Originality-5.5
Overall Score-6
+
Can now play as any of the other party members in action segments (different attacks and speed+strength, shared experience but also HP, different gear)
Minor interface improvements (can sell equipped gear, larger text boxes)
Speed up text on a per sentence basis (not quite as fast as before though)
Unusual setting (Arabic during the crusades with fictional elements)
Pretty nice animé cutscenes overall (worse art style though - bug eyed Sadler)
Improved action segment graphics overall (overworld graphics look near identical though)
Can see boss HP now
Save feature (only in overworld areas, 3 slots named after current location)
Run button in the overworld
Dialogue portraits
Can destroy some projectiles with your sword/own projectile, magic attacks (pretty cheap - only Fakhyle uses them now though and they're not quite as effective) and healing (?), somewhat improved level design in dungeons - still lacks puzzles though), title cards when entering new areas, the game doesn't pause for a few seconds when leveling up,
+/-
More zoomed out view with mostly smaller sprites (but the loose scrolling means it isn't really put to good use, some large sprites)
Slashes are no longer canceled if you attack right before landing but instead you slash again when landing (can be used for quick double swipes)
Can't move while slashing
Can't turn around while slashing in mid-air but not on the ground
Travel between locations via action segments instead of the map screen now
Need ro re-enter the area/room to make enemies respawn here (good for survival, bad for grinding)
No inns (but you regain HP & MP from entering towns so grinding in-between towns is easy)
The chars who seemed to have been killed off in the prequel apparently survived
No block or dodge moves
Can breath and move normally under water
Can't move while crouching, can damage some enemies by moving into them, super forgiving hit detection around the moving crusher/spike traps in the first dungeon (looks kinda glitchy the way your avatar's sprite tilts up and down when standing on these as well), can't escape from boss battles, one escape sequence (sea cave) - very easy and short though, some unintentionally funny dialogue ("I must die but, oh yes! I said I would tell you about...", "I must go"/Why?"I just have a nagging feeling that I've something to do" - both by Lawrence), pretty tongue in cheek dialogue (Working Designs but the original game also seems a bit less serious than the prequel), linear structure and you can't go back to earlier areas at certain points in the story, no alternate main attacks for anyone but Fakhyle (who uses spells only), some gore, no warping out of dungeons (but no need to here)
-
Some level grinding at a couple points (sudden difficulty spike at the sea cave boss (purple cape guy/lawrence - sloppy and unforgiving hit detection (he'll join you afterwards meaning it's forgiving as him instead), have to grind at least a couple of levels and/or stock up on healing items), )
Looser horizontal scrolling makes it very hard to react various attacks
Slower movement unless you play as Rumi (who's a bit weaker?)
More annoying dialogue noise which can't be silenced this time
Loose vertical scrolling as well
Somewhat less satisfying combat sfx and feedback when killing an enemy
Fewer dialogue portraits (none in shops)
Can't unequip gear - only switch to different gear
Some enemies and projectiles move too fast considering the zoomed in view (means you have to take it slow in any new area)
Some control & interface issues (can't aim upwards as Yumi or Kindi nor Sadler when he's on the ground, item & weapon menus don't loop/wrap around, slower shop menu navigation, can't jump down through platforms you can jump up through, no jump height control (fairly high with most chars), the game won't warn you about buying a piece of gear that you already have, no item explanations in-game and unintuitive healing item/tonic names - at least the game now tells you what an item does after using it, has almost all of the same combat segment control issues, can't see gear stats in the shop interface nor when equipping gear - have to check each char's status in a separate menu)
So-so voice acting overall, healing and boosting items can be "weird" meaning their effect is either nullified or there's some random bonus added (can't tell in advance as they are named and sorted the same as regular items), a few story events are told with plain in text this time, fakhyle sucks (very slow movement, short jump, can't use the good spells in mid-air, long delay on his last spell attack), no quest log or journal feature, some plot oddities and conveniences (pretty obvious that Lawrence was going to turn again, at one point the game suddenly cuts to Lawrence after he's left the party and you're made to fight an unwinnable battle against the villain - the bad part is that you can access the party inventory and don't know that it's unwinnable in advance, some significant looking buildings with standard NPCs in them, most NPCs say variations on the same thing), mostly bland level design outside of dungeons and the dungeons themselves are never better than average, a few odd color choices, no dungeon maps (one maze where you can end up having to redo half of it if you take a wrong turn), music tracks don't loop properly (fade out instead - redbook), some unavoidable hits from bosses (pharaoh), kinda short for an ARPG (even for its time) - less than 2h, super easy and short black sea area+easy final dungeon and boss+safe spots near certain enemies later on, some trial & error (a few leaps of faith (can't loop up/down), shots from off-screen?, can't move backwards in some dungeon areas - can miss some gear in the last dungeon),
Bugs:
-6-button mode glitches out the controls
Notes:
-Patch info: http://www.romhacking.net/forum/index.php?topic=23436.0