Ashes of Immortality II

Having loved the original 'Ashes of Immortality' so much I can only admit how dissapointing it's follow up is. The first game excelled because of it's superb storytelling, that was very well paced and dripping with (dark) humour and great dialogues, it was a gem. It did have some problems like the generic enemy battles (and too many of them) but that was a minor complaint since the overall experience was great. Ashes of Immortality 2 features other characters but in exactly the same world and personally I think that was a good idea since follow-up games with the same personalities tend to dissapoint since the mistery of the first game is gone, so is the excitement when you meet a new character. Few games pull off a good follow up so I follow their choice there. However the new lead characters are bland and don't generate the same electricity that the orginal cast did. You will still meet Orlok & Simona though and even early in the game when you meet them as an NPC in a bar. The problem with the second game in the series is that they didn't even try the weaknesses of the first game (enemy variety and interiors of houses that could have been better decorated). And with the magic of a strong scenario missing now you end up with a bland, boring game with generic battles against the same enemy most of the time. On top of that there was a maze where I couldn't get out (possibly due to a bug, had to do with a boulder that I couldn't move and drop in a river) so that was it for me, I didn't complete it but I'm not sad about it because it was just boring. Obviously the developer rushed this game to benefit from the success of the first game, it's lacking development and although the humour is still there it's missing the spark of part 1, this game is a money grab. My advice: stick with the first game only. Rating: 4/10.