When it comes down to it, the game has so many highs, and yet very little lows. If this is truly the last game as it’s marketed to be, then it’s a shame that there won’t be a Gravity Rush with a fleshed out story and perfected combat. At the same time, with this one, there’s so much packed in it, if another were to be announced, it would be a long ways away. A game like this is incredibly special and only comes along every so often. Gravity Rush is easily one of the Vita’s best games, and Gravity Rush 2 is easily one of the best video games ever made.
There isn't much to not like about this game. Truthfully, this the ultimate Hatsune Miku game to own - especially if you're new to Vocaloids. With this game you'll see a ton of classics such as Love is War, The World is Mine, Ievan Polkka. If you're a long time fan of the series, sure, you've more than likely seen and played all of these songs before, but having them all in one spot with fresh coat of paint is a real treat.
In the end, despite its anime counterpart taking perversion to the next level yet stopping just before being considered pornagraphy, this game is actually one of Takaki’s tamer games of the giant breast hyper battle “genre”. Sure, it still contains the usual mechanic of clothing being ripped off and the small cinematic that comes with it is still the same as the changing dressing room mechanics. But despite all of the sexual appeal, there’s a good gameplay mechanic underneath that just can’t seemingly take off the way the game wants, which is sort of disappointing.
Overall, Cold Steel II is a much, much better game than the first game in just about every regard, but sadly, the framerate problem still exists. The new mechanics are more than welcome as they add additional strategy into the mix. For fans of the first game, it’s time to pick up right where you left off. When the game originally came out in Japan there were quite a few people singing its praises and now I see why. While Trails of Cold Steel can feel generic at times, all of the systems in place make it certainly worth the investment.
At the end of the day, believe it not this game goes much further than looking for your dog and sister. Ultimately it’s a coming of age story about coming to terms with one’s actions and understanding life and death. Between that and the game’s atmosphere and aesthetics, the game doesn’t look like much, but it certainly brings a lot to the table. Outside of the whole “quicksaves are just checkpoints” bit, the game barely has any faults that could be recalled.
When Atlus said they wanted to make this the best RPG on the 3DS they absolutely meant it. This is easily in the upper-echelon of that genre on the platform.
In conclusion this game just has too many problems to be recommended to anybody unfortunately. What started off as a good and entertaining time just became a race to finish the game as fast as possible to get away from it. The game certainly has cool ideas but there’s way more negatives than positives; with the worst of it all being that the Vita has so many DRPGs on it already – some of them being the best DRPGs ever made. For this one to come out after them just feels like wasted potential.
Project Diva X is another great entry in the franchise where it’s easy to pick up and play but harder difficulties will certainly test your limits. It’s a fun and cutesy experience that’s just full of energy.
In all, this game is absolutely great in terms of design. Its story-telling can get a little weak at points, but just how deep these mechanics can go and ultimately build into each other is almost perfect.
At the end of the day, this is an absolutely fantastic game that’s only bogged down by its animations. However, at the same time, this is a wonderful example of where the technical problem they couldn’t get down doesn’t harm the enjoyment of the whole. What does harm the game’s overall enjoyment is just how lost one might be if they didn’t go through the previous games. Even so, while this potentially ends the franchise with a weird bang, it’s a bang nonetheless.