White Knight Chronicles II is truly a mixed bag. While is fails in certain regards, it also has a very addictive quality. Sadly, the average gamer is likely to be put off by this game, which is a shame, since a certain demographic of gamers could easily garner endless hours of enjoyment from White Knight Chronicles II. I am one of them, and have found much to love about the series. However, I must remain objective. White Knight Chronicles II has some glaring issues and they must be brought to light. Let’s dig in!
White Knight Chronicles II is a game that offers the player an intense amount to do. It can easily be considered a grind, the kind often found in Asian MMORPGs. Regardless, it does offer something unique for PS3 owners. It offers a MMORPG-esque experience overflowing with goals and gear to endlessly strive for. While it has a fairly substantial single-player, online is where this game really begins, and where the addiction can set in!
Taking place after the events of the original (a re-mastered version of which is also on the same disc), players take on the role of Leonard and his friends as they struggle against the Yshrenian Empire. At the center of this struggle are the Incorruptus, or Knights. They are weapons of vast power from a long past era driven by war and conflict. It is through these Knights that a war which had its roots set thousands of years in the past will finally come to a conclusion. Can all-out war be averted?
The single-player portion of the game is roughly 35 hours long. Regrettably, it is actually a regression from the original game. While the story has a good concept, it largely fails in its delivery. The characters seem flat, and the story twists are easily predicted.
I can’t quite help but ask myself, shouldn’t White Knight Chronicles II rather be called – White Knight Chronicles v1.2? The reason I say this is that it retreads over all of the previous game’s environments, barely offering any new areas to explore.
There are some improvements to be seen however. While the first game was an utter pushover in terms of difficulty, this time around expect a challenge, specifically as you near its conclusion.Visually speaking White Knight Chronicles II has also seen some improvements. The overall look of the game is still rather tepid, with character models almost resembling those we’d expect to see in a PS2 game, but it still gets the job done. The environments, on the other hand, are generally a treat.
For those who have not played the original, combat is a real-time affair, utilizing skills from pre-selected bars to be executed in combat. Skill points are acquired as you level, and are spent on combat skills such as Magic or Axe, mixing and matching, and ultimately unlocking stronger skills. These skills are then set to bars which you cycle through whilst in combat.
Although real-time, combat is rather slow, it has been sped-up somewhat from the original, making for an overall smoother experience. Players can now reach level 80, when they can finally get their very own Knights which are customizable with upgrade slots. Speaking of which, it would have gone down much smoother if you were given access to them sooner.
The cornerstone of the RPG genre is the ineherent bevy of quests that are associated with each game. White Knight Chronicles II offers both single-player and online quests. The single-player quests generally involve you going from pillar to post and are incredibly dull, but they do offer some great rewards. Online questing is much more enjoyable, and grouping with others makes for a much more enjoyable experience.
Now this brings me to the portion of the review which I feel is the most important. White Knight Chronicles II’s strong suite is certainly the online portion. Here you can build your own towns, resulting in special items and gear, while also acting as meet-up spots for players to go questing.
The game revolves heavily around item collecting. Items are needed for everything, and there are so many varieties that it is utterly daunting. They can be found on slain monsters , town vendors or gathering nodes. These items are then used to craft and upgrade weapons, armor and town components. One can easily spend hundreds of hours pursuing the best gear online, which is incredibly time consuming.
Finally, the maximum group size has been increased to six players and you can now use your newly acquired Knights online.
In Closing
The average gamer should steer clear of White Knight Chronicles II. If you disliked the first game, skip it. If you enjoyed the original, go grab it.
White Knight Chronicles II, like its predecessor, is deeply flawed but still offers tremendous value for those willing to put up with its problems. Gamers looking for a high-fantasy MMORPG-like experience on PS3 should seriously consider White Knight Chronicles II, as long as you are prepared for a grind. Personally, I recognized the game’s inherent flaws, but was still able to enjoy it for what it is.
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