I was really interested in the original, but it got pretty cold reviews. I'm really curious if this one is a better experience. Anyone else interested in it?

I got this one because I bought the first one. I've only played about an hour of it, but It's definitely better in a lot of ways. They explain a lot more to you and the overworld map is less crazy than the last game, but only slightly. I can see myself getting addicted to it for about a week when I go back to it. It's a weird game.

I bought the first one on a whim when it first came out and really didn't get into it at all. I got the second one for free via Steam because I already owned the first. I can't get into it at all.

I just hate how it feels.

It's better than the first IMO, mediocre/good so far although I don't see it getting better. It reminds me of Actraiser: action stage, then back to the strategy map, then back to action, and so forth. The strategy map is the best part; the action itself feels a tad clumsy, with too many small & fast enemies. At least all you really need to do in the action scenes is reach the end; there's no more resource gathering or multibranch interiors.

I thought the first game was worth $5; this one's worth $10.

I messed with it a bit, i love the music hate the game play. Its just not any fun to actually play the levels, worse is the fact that killing things is now pointless if you can avoid them. At least in the first game killing things got you xp.

I was also handed the game because I'd purchased the original, and gave it a spin the other day. I thought that the game's being more simplified and focused would be a boon, but it doesn't improve the clunky in-level navigation or the somehow...bad...graphics. I'm not especially concerned about graphics usually, but everything in the game feels so disconnected and your character resembles a marionette being propelled horizontally through the level. Combat feels inconsequential and the speed and size of some of the enemies (plus the way certain spells interact with parts of the environment) mean you go from blasting everything the second it's on-screen to suddenly losing a bar of health from a tiny crab hauling ass through the water. The spell clash system, where certain spells have more "weight" and thus blow through or block other attacks, is interesting; but it's balanced so heavily in favor of the monsters that it feels like an attempt to artificially increase the challenge of the game with no benefit to the player.

Also, you can carry a single piece of equipment. ONE. This cuts into the feeling of accomplishment for running levels and just feels ridiculous when, by the end of the tutorial, you're running between about 4 treasure chests but really get nothing out of opening each one, since you'll throw everything away or not bother to pick it up.

The overworld experience would be promising, but despite your being some nigh-invulnerable hero of the resistance you can't affect monsters or structures, relying instead on deploying your resistance members. For tearing down buildings that doesn't bother me as much, but the fact that the game spawns monsters who kill your troops and despoil the land, but can only be stopped -by- your troops, left me feeling disconnected from the game experience.

If you didn't absolutely love the first game, I don't feel that there's anything here you need to see.

While the first one looked interesting to me but got absolutely blasted by the reviews the second one does not look interesting to me at all. I do not know why but really does not look good to me.

Thanks everybody for all the feedback. I'll probably skip it unless it goes on super sale.