Many an indie developer has tried to recapture the magic of formative Japanese RPGs — but few have managed to pull it off with such charm and confidence as Critical Games. The Australian studio has delivered something quite special with 8-Bit Adventures 2 — a title that doesn't sacrifice its own identity in pursuit of the classics that it so clearly reveres.
Nostalgia can be a slippery slope, especially when it's used to fuel a creative process. Games that harken back to simpler times can end up selling themselves short; content to simply exist within the shadows of the genre-defining properties that they draw upon.
But again, 8-Bit Adventures 2 feels confident in its own skin — it stands on its own merits first and foremost. Take its high quality writing, for example, which is packed with personality. The textbox dialogue is fast-paced and punchy, quickly endearing you to the game's main party.
While this is a sequel, featuring characters and callbacks to the first 8-Bit Adventures — which isn't available on PlayStation platforms, it should be noted — the story takes place years later, and deals with the aftermath of the original's world-saving and world-changing events.
This is a setting that already has its heroes, and that makes for an interesting hook. Young protagonist Charlie is all too keen to follow in their footsteps, and before you know it, he's fighting alongside his idols as they come face-to-face with the consequences of their previous actions.
To be clear, you don't need to play the first game to understand or enjoy the sequel — and it actually does a great job of getting you up to speed anyway.
Really, it's 8-Bit Adventures 2's straightforward, but tidily balanced gameplay that ties the package together. Turn-based combat is, of course, the order of the day, with each party member bringing their own unique abilities to the fray.
Although there isn't a whole lot of room for party customisation and tactical tinkering, the game's fairly linear approach to progression gels well with the plot's pacing, while a wide variety of enemy types — complete with defined strengths, weaknesses, and behaviours — bring necessary depth to the overarching battle system.
8-Bit Adventures 2 is both a fantastic homage to the classics, and a lovingly crafted RPG in its own right. It's one of the best nostalgia-driven indies you'll find on the market.
Comments 11
So I may have missed it… but on what systems is the original 8 bit Adventures available on?
I’ve been eyeing this game, nice to know it’s actually something special like Sea of Stars and Chained Echoes
Looks like my kind of jam, just need to see some gameplay and story beats before I slap it on my wishlist.
@colonelkilgore I think first one is PC only. Honestly just skip it though, its just OK but the second one that's reviewed here is truly excellent.
@danzoEX Chained Echoes was totally slept on. It was one of the best traditional RPGs I'd played in a very long time. I played it right around the same time as FFXVI and it blew it away in terms of story, characters and charm.
Robert, thank you SO much for the incredible review! Pacing is one of the things that's most important to me (and which Chrono Trigger taught me a lot about), so I'm really happy that that stood out to you
@colonelkilgore - The first game was released on Steam in 2015, but I'd say @Rgeneb1 is spot on with their comment. No need to play the first one before the second in this case =)
That said, I would love to remake the first game and release it on console in the future! It's just down to time/money/player interest.
@danzoEX - Thank you very much danzoEX! The Indie JRPG community is doing some really great work at the moment, so please keep an eye out
@LuXifer - Thank you very much for your interest! There's actually a demo available on PS4 and PS5 if you've liked to try it out for yourself!
@Deadhunter - I wholeheartedly agree on that one. While we've been getting some great bigger budget RPGs like Metaphor and Trails through Daybreak, I'm a big advocate for what the indie scene is doing with the genre right now =)
@CriticalGames hope you do, as I hate having an incomplete set of games in a series on my trophy list… yup I’m a trophy-weirdo 🤪
@CriticalGames I'll download it right away, thanks. 😃 Great to see the passion and hands-on approach from the dev team. 👍
@colonelkilgore - As a collector, I competely understand what you mean. 1 has to be in front of 2 XD
@LuXifer - Aw, thank you very much! I try my best to respond to everyone I can. As an indie, word of mouth is really the only tool you have for sharing your game. And I always want to thank anyone who's interested in my work =)
i like the look of this will be purchasing it soon
@geordie197 - Thank you very much geordie197, I sincerely appreciate it!
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