Aragami 2 Reviews
While Aragami 2's serpentine levels are fun to stealth around in, especially in co-op, a needlessly drawn-out campaign rife with frustrating combat and game-ending glitches prevent it from becoming a tale worthy of song.
I do truly wish I could call this a diamond in the rough or some classic in the making, but that’s just not the case. Aragami 2 is fine and while I am likely to revisit it one day, I wouldn’t say you need to rush out and play it right now.
Aragami 2 is a stylish, aggressive stealth game that's a little too lean at times.
Arguably one of the original Aragami's greatest strengths, it's nice to see Lince Works broaden the scope of their level design.
Aragami 2's ninja garb is frayed around the edges, but it's still an easy, breezy fit. Perfect for a quick-fix of stealth, and joyfully light on its feet.
Aragami 2 is wonderful when you're being a ninja, but one-on-one encounters are poor, and a lack of variety lets it down.
At the end of the day, Aragami 2 is a bit of a disappointment. Yes, it supplies some decent thrills if you fancy conquering a mission or two, but you can’t help but daydream about better games that provide similar mechanics and use Japanese culture to heighten its creativity instead of saving it. The appealing character designs and settings, carried over from its predecessor, have lost stylistic flare alongside repetitive missions. However, Two Feathers’ score, pretty backgrounds, and smooth sneaking are the sequel’s saving grace.
Aragami 2 is a huge departure from the original game. In exchanging the linear narrative-driven stealth experience for an open-ended co-op mission adventure, Lince Works has created a game that feels just as flawed as the original, but has a lot more charm in it's small moments and simplicity. Repetitive missions and enemies make it hard to get engrossed with the game for long periods of time, but as a stealth action game to hop into for quick little bursts, Aragami 2 can be pretty fun.
A bigger, more ambitious stealth sequel which revamps the original's mechanics and personality but most of the changes are to the game's detriment.
If my relationship with stealth titles is toxic, Aragami 2 is one more symptom of that bond: I know that its mistakes are not reduced, but I can't help but ignore them in pursuit of their benefits. Lately, any criticism of its plot, its design or its technology succumbs to the simple but fundamental fact that it is satisfying and fun, leaving me with an experience that, without a doubt, I will remember fondly and recommend to every fan of the genre.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Aragami 2 had potential to be a great follow up to an indie classic released five years ago. Unfortunately it lacks any real challenge and feels bloated with repetitive mission types and locations. The game starts to overstay its welcome after a while, but there's definitely fun to be had before reaching that stage if you can put up with the plenty of bugs that still need to be fixed.
Aragami 2 is a fun stealth-action game armed with an abundant variety of ninja killing skills and tools which are sure to please fans of the genre, especially in co-op. However, the monotonous missions, low-production quality cutscenes, and slightly clunky combat system may cause a modicum of annoyance for some.
Aragami was and still is a good game to play if you like infiltration, and obviously you don't expect the same degree of finishing as a AAA. Unfortunately, this is where Aragami 2 crashes: wanting to do like the others and address as many people as ever. As a result, it does not satisfy us while we expected it after the success of the first, and includes too many defects for others who will not forgive this more artisanal side.
Review in French | Read full review
Aragami 2 is an adventure that can be enjoyed by stealth fans and anyone who wants to try infiltrating an enemy base with satisfying results. Even if you’re bad at stealth games, Aragami 2 encourages you to create your own path and explore different ways to tackle a challenge. Sometimes close combat is my jam, and other times I just want to avoid confrontation. The many ways to experience Aragami 2 made it feel less catered to one specific audience and more towards anyone who is interested in trying a stealth experience. While the plot isn’t all that engaging, it is satisfying in its own way.
Aragami 2 could be a good stealth game, with a good foundation of stealth gameplay and even an intriguing story, but it is plagued by constant bugs, performance issues, poor level design, pacing, rough implementation of gameplay mechanics and a visual style that only further serves to make its flaws even more evident then they already are.
Ultimately, poor combat fails to sour the strong level and encounter design here that meshes beautifully with well-thought-out controls and plenty of mechanical variety. An impressive sequel, but perhaps lacking the purity of its predecessor.
Aragami 2 ends up being a bit of a mixed bag as a gaming experience. On one hand, the stealth mechanics, outstanding skill tree and playground-esque level designs means that the core gameplay is a blast. On the other hand, the new combat system isn't great, repetitive mission objectives and map reuse is maddening, and the bugs certainly don't help matters. The new addition of co-op has potential to make missions more fun by working with a friend, but this is purely speculation as Screen Rant was not able to test the feature as of writing this review. Stealth fans should find enough to enjoy about Aragami 2, but be prepared for a few stumbles along the way.
Aragami 2 is another enjoyable sneak 'em up and a solid improvement over its predecessor, but an overfamiliar world and mechanics make it hard to get too excited about the game. Aragami 2 gets the job done cleanly and efficiently, and is worth a shot if you're into old-school stealth, but its memory may quickly fade into the shadowy recesses of your mind.
Coming off the first game, the hope was that the sequel would expand upon the hardcore stealth mechanics, and it would have worked a treat with Aragami 2’s larger levels. The increase in co-op partners make for more ways to have fun, and being able to see how certain groups tackle things silently or with all-out mayhem could have given the community more to strive for. The new direction in Aragami 2 is not a bad thing at all, considering the general quality present, but perhaps giving players the option between this new style and the old would have made this sequel a more complete package worth killing for.
Aragami 2 is a very linear stealth experience that gives too much power to the player, making it extremely easy to overcome any kind of challenge the game throws at you. Repetitive missions and buggy performance make it a hassle to play through.
Review in Spanish | Read full review