Toukiden 2 Reviews
As a third person monster hunter with JRPG elements, Toukiden 2 gets a lot right. It has some important limitations that you should consider before diving in, but if you enjoy the franchise or the monster-hunter genre, keeps this one in mind.
Toukiden 2 is packed with new concepts, battle mechanics, an open-world and an evolved application of previously existing elements that both fans and newcomers to the franchise will be spoiled with and enjoy.
Toukiden 2 is without question a fun game, but so is Dynasty Warriors. My ultimate takeaway is that Omega Force has touched on some pleasant RPG charm and exploration of world and character here, but perhaps hasn't gone far enough; instead, the game flirts with such elements before falling back on familiarity.
Toukiden 2 make for a fine addition to the Action/JRPG genre, bringing a lot of new ideas to the table but not without its minor frustrations.
All around, Toukiden 2 feels like it takes a lot of what made the earlier games feel a bit flat and fixes it up. New features and open-world exploration set it further apart from the Monster Hunter franchise — not because there’s anything wrong with Monster Hunter, of course, but because it’s important for a game to feel like it’s own unique thing.
Toukiden 2 has a rough start, but manages to pick it up and be a solid member of the monster hunting community. It will manage to hook you in, with its engaging world and simple crafting system. Unfortunately, it might lose you to the weird and often dense AI, and the unimpressive story.
Toukiden 2 could have been a gateway drug. It could have stolen away countless hours from my other vices. Yet the fact that my progress online with friends had no impact on the offline components and their general structure meant that I was often lonely in running around the massive sprawling map of Toukiden 2. There are some really interesting elements buried deep between the long walks and repetitive monsters, but I feel that I was never invested enough to stay a little longer and find out just what they were.
Toukiden 2 is a huge step up from its predecessor, and is a smart evolution of the gameplay that Monster Hunter fans have come to know. By opting for a more story-focused experience, it manages to forego feeling like a grind, and the open-world aspect allows players to really take in their surroundings.
Despite "monster hunting" type games being a niche genre, Toukiden 2 has enough RPG elements that can break out with some cross-over appeal. Ultimately a button mash action game, there is a story and upgrade system that can keep players interested. With this game, what you see is what you get, and for those that are looking exactly for this, it will be a great romp. No major issues drag it down; rather, it is simply a refined Monster Hunter game in everything that entails.
What I got was a game filled with storytelling (I can't emphasise enough just how many cut scenes Toukiden 2 has), and with a huge shift to open world design. In fact, where the first Toukiden was very solidly in the Monster Hunter tradition, this one edges that much closer to a hybrid JRPG/ Monster Hunter experience, and I couldn't be happier about that. This is exactly what I want from a "Monster Hunter clone."
In short, Toukiden 2 is everything a sequel should be. Instead of lazily expanding on the original game, which would have been so easy to do, Omega Force actually went back to the drawing board, completely reinventing those parts that needed work. By streamlining much of the dull admin and encasing the game in a larger open world, Toukiden 2 manages to break free from the pack. As a result, it's easily one of the subgenre's best entries to date and one that, in some ways, is preferable to Monster Hunter.
Even if you’re new to the series, as I am, you can pick this title up with virtually no barrier to entry and enjoy it fully.
It's the console monster hunting game you've been wanting, but with a far bigger emphasis on story and exploration.
Toukiden 2 shows that an already impressive series can be made even better by taking chances on new systems. The story stays in scope of the premise throughout the game even after accepting multiple side-quests, theres always clear knowledge of what to do next. Although the open world map by intimidating to some, the game offers easy quick traveling options to seamlessly get players from one place to another. After playing the game for well over 30 hours, I feel like I can continue playing for another 100 and with that I happily say, "Bring it on!"
Toukiden 2 improves pretty much on every feature of its predecessors, with an interesting approach to open world gameplay, a good number of customization possibilities, an engaging story featuring a charming cast of characters, and plenty of intense action. Sadly, combat tends to become a bit stale after a while in single player, as good equipment and skills allow players to just mash their way through the hordes of Oni infesting the land. Toukiden 2 is, without a doubt, a quality title and the best entry in the series, but with other recent games delivering better open world design and combat it may be difficult for some to be enthralled by the Omega Force developed game.
Toukiden 2 could have been a fair game, if only it wasn't so visually ugly and so absolutely not user friendly.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Minor annoyances aside, Toukiden 2 has some truly addictive gameplay and tonnes of content to chew through. The game's dripping with atmosphere and looks great, with plenty of varied, large open world areas to explore. Meanwhile, the battle system is satisfyingly fast paced, and nothing quite compares to the power trip of ripping off the body parts of a giant demon.
Toukiden 2 is a game only suitable for fans of the franchise or lovers of Omega Force. Otherwise you'll have to make an effort to go through its basic cliché-driven narrative and gameplay.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Toukiden 2 ends up offering something that's lacking in all departments.There's too much fluff between the good stuff, but it still offers a somewhat exhilarating experience in short bursts. If you're looking for a combat-heavy co-op experience on PC, it's not a bad choice at all - but if you're coming from similar games, you'll likely be left feeling generally underwhelmed.
When you need to slay...demons If you need a monster hunting game look no further than Toukiden 2