AeternoBlade II Reviews
AeternoBlade II is a mess of overly-complex mechanics and ill-fitting systems that struggles at all times to keep up with itself.
With unenjoyable and clunky combat that is made much worse during the 3D segments, a laughably archetypal fantasy story, and dated character models, it's hard to actually believe that AeternoBlade II released this year for modern consoles. AeternoBlade II simply falls short of all of its ambitions, whatever they might have been.
AeternoBlade 2 for the Nintendo Switch follows the Metrovania style and adds some RPG elements to a game that features some good ideas. Unfortunately it doesn't take long until the player realizes that those ideas are executed rather poorly and the game lacks a serious polishing work. Furthermore, long loading times, frustrating combat and technical issues only harm the experience further and make this AeternoBlade 2 something hard to recommend.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
I enjoyed my time in AeternoBladeII but alas I can not give it more than 4.5/10 due to poor optimization, stubborn camera and an overall dated game design.
While the puzzles are mostly enjoyable, the combat is largely uninspired, leading to tedious boss encounters and aggravating 3D battles that quickly neutralizes the fantastic points of AeternoBlade 2's design.
Needless to say, when there are so many good Metroidvanias available on all formats right now, there really is no reason to invest in or play AeternoBlade II.
I couldn't help but feel that the greatest time manipulation Aeternoblade II succeeds at was the 15 hours I wasted playing it
Sadly if you didn’t really enjoy the first AeternoBlade I’m not sure you’ll like this one much more. The story will be confusing to anyone who didn’t play the original and even to someone like me who did it still wasn’t very interesting. The bad writing and voice over work just further drags the story down.
It takes a special kind of talent to make a really boring action platformer. AeternoBlade II can almost be the cure for insomnia if it weren't for its embarrassing voice acted cutscenes. Outside of a few striking vistas, there is so little of value to enjoy here. There are so many better similar kinds of titles out there like Blasphemous or Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night and that is not even counting 2D action games from before 2019. With so little going for AeternoBlade II, there is no reason to ever play it.
Unfortunately, as it stands, AeternoBlade is simply not competitive either on a technical or artistic level, and that is a real shame.
Simply put, AeternoBlade II feels like one of those PS2 games that your weird friend loves but you can't help but wonder why.
Side-scrolling slashers are pretty well-represented on the Switch, though none of them have game mechanics quite like Aeternoblade...
This sequel tries very hard to improve upon the formula of the original title and fails at almost every turn.
AeternoBlade II is a niche game from Thailand. They are experienced team that created games for handheld consoles before their venture into full fledged gaming machines. Their game is surprisingly good, but not good or polished enough recommend.
Review in Polish | Read full review
Despite some obvious efforts by the developers to create a good title, AeternoBlade 2 does not go far beyond the overall quality level of the first game. Just like the first version of the series, good ideas can be found in this title; But their poor performance, along with issues such as tedious struggles, long loads, and questionable choices in game design, has left us with a title that can hardly be recommended to the general audience, especially players of the previous version.
Review in Persian | Read full review
No one is going to mistake AeternoBlade II for a AAA effort due to its writing, voice acting and visuals, and that is okay if you are a fan of the Metroidvania genre enough to focus in on the gameplay. Here the gameplay is merely average by and large, though the time lapse / recording element is a really great twist that does elevate the experience a little. The ideas seem to be there, but the polish is lacking and there are better examples of the genre out there to be had.
Overall, AeternoBlade II may not be winning any awards, but it shows off a decent progression for the studio that made what could also be a cult classic as many that I’ve spoken too have never heard of it, and those that have, enjoyed it even with its limitations. Changing things up with different characters that have different abilities and a “lighter” storyline than one simply hell bent on revenge, this end of the world tale is worth taking a look at for fans of platforming and metroidvania puzzles.
For every slightly redeeming feature AeternoBlade II showcases, such as the interesting boss and world design, the game does ten things terribly wrong that makes experiencing those interesting nuggets nigh impossible . At every turn I prayed something would stand out. I wanted to meet a new character I liked, fight a boss that really took me, or even hear a song that would move me. None of those things happened. Instead, I had the realization that I was playing a bad game that wasn’t going to get better. And sure enough, it never did.