The first Aphelion had a shocking level of polish for an indie release and was packed with more random combat, lengthy monologues and loot hording than you could shake an oversized sword at. Episode 2 picks up right where the first game left off, with our heroes on the lam from the Earth government that believes they blew up a secret science facility.
I was quickly disappointed that it lacks the option to import a save from the first game. Sure there wasn’t much to import aside from skill tress, but it feels odd that my characters somehow forgot how to perform the skills they just used five minutes ago. Once I got over the initial bummer, I was happy to find an enjoyable RPG that continues the excellent story with a few minor improvements to the formula.
Episode 1 had some of the nicest graphics in an indie game with its large sprites, detailed environments and lots of different characters, but the world seemed stark, cold, and everything seemed to be constructed of blue plastic. Wings of Omega opens up the color palette with locations and enemies that really make the game far more visually appealing.
Unfortunately, exploration of most of those areas is plagued by random combat every fifteen seconds. Random combat, random combat, random combat. Everywhere I step its more random combat. I know it’s a staple of the genre, but I can’t get around the fact that combat feels like a total chore. It’s just an RPG-by-numbers approach to what should be the most exciting part of a game. Fans of Final Fantasy or Phantasy Star may feel comfortable with the action, and judged against the standard of its peers, it’s totally functional. But, I just can’t get excited to watch my characters wait patiently to take their turn to hack away at the enemy.
Although I thought the combat was a bit tedious, I was compelled to continue playing by the interesting narrative component and fun character interactions. Sure, a story revolving around the guilt of a scientist over the destructive nature of his creation isn’t really that original, but what makes the game really work is the dialogue and character interactions. The sheer amount of dialogue in this game is staggering with locations that are packed with tons of people, all of whom have something to say that helps illustrate the world. The main villain seem to have graduated from the James Bond villains’ school of explaining your evil plot, and I think it adds a level of charming hamminess.
The main characters are super loquacious as well, with long segments devoted to conversations and musings, and I actually really dig it. It can be a tad robotic at times, but most of the dialogue works really well. Savion is still the un-charismatic leader who can’t make the difficult decision between soup and salad, and Drake is still the sarcastic know-it-all, but they work well together throwing around verbal jabs and insults.
Along with the improved art design, there are a few other minor tweaks. Some are pretty useful like the arrows in shops to indicate when an item is an upgrade over the currently equipped item. Others, like the side quests are a bit more mundane. I didn’t enjoy fighting my way through the swamps the first time, and I definitely wasn’t jumping up and down in glee for the opportunity to revisit them to save some wimpy scientist.
There really haven’t been too many RPGs of this nature released this generation, so you should definitely pick up Wings of Omega if you’re looking for a bit of a throwback. It doesn’t reinvent the heal potion, but it is a lot of fun, and I still find that the genre works better in these bite-sized five-hour releases, where I can get my fun and get out without feeling committed to a month-long adventure.
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Aphelion Episode 2: Wings of Omega was provided for review by Lunatic Games. It is available for 240 MS points ($3).
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