Axiom Verge 2 Review (FireREGS)
It's a very good game on its own, but the gameplay is kinda disappointing if you expect a sequel.
Not only does it go from a Shooter to Melee, the combat is remarkedly simpler and dumbed down, the movement is a lot more constrained with the lack of any kind dash/dodge equivalent, and in general fighting enemies is just usually "Hack if needed > Charge melee > Spam fast melee", without much variation.
The hacking does make the boss fights interesting in their own right, but feels heavily underutilized by the rest of the level design and enemy locations. For example, changing the allegiance of enemies very rarely will be worth the 100 points it costs, because there are no other enemies nearby.
And while I know it's basically a prequel of sorts, I don't exactly appreciate being left on a half-decade cliff-hanger, only for the protag to be replaced on the next game, I would've rather this story was told on the third game of the series.
So only complaints so far, why the positive review?
I had a good time with the game, most of its problems lie in with the expectations created by the previous game, not by its own merits.
The music is great and even better than the first game.
The quality of the sprite graphics has been improved from the last game, but I sorely missed the giant bosses with super detailed sprites (they are kinda still there, but the scale is kind of 50% smaller)
The drone's sling is a joy to control, and I kinda wish you had gotten it earlier on. In general, exploring the map is FAR more fun with the drone than with the human mode.
The story remains solid, pretty great worldbuilding (althought the new MC is kinda boring, Trace was much better), the only problem is that its delivery remains designed specifically for people who enjoy autistically piecing together things that superficially seem only vaguely related together... So if that's not your personality type, you will be better served by watching a 1-hour long summary of the story AFTER finishing the game.... and that's something I don't like.
To me a good narrative should be delivered by the game itself, not the community. Story and world-buidling: 8/10. Narrative delivery: 3/10.
The map is a lot more enjoyable to traverse than the first game's, although you might dislike it if you wanted more bizarre alien worlds like in the first game. I don't mind the more normal-ish environments.
I would say the game on its own merit is a 7-8/10, but it might be a 6-7/10 for people who expected a direct sequel in all aspects of the first game, not just a narrative expansion.