ARKOS 2

If you have played ARKOS, imagine everything you hoped a sequel could be. ARKOS II is that. If you haven't played ARKOS, look at the screenshots and the trailers and imagine everything you'd hope this game would be like. ARKOS II is that. What I'm saying is, ARKOS II is a great game that utilizes all mechanics to the fullest without being overwhelming. Try it. There's a demo. Yes, it's really *that* good.

A sequel to a Wolf3D-like shooter that basically acts more of the same. ARKOS 2 is obviously the sequel to ARKOS, a Retro FPS game developed by RetroSouls and greatly follows the design philosophy of Wolfenstein 3D. This sequel expands upon what was introduced in the original game, but to a fairly minuscule extent. However that's not necessarily a bad thing as the game still remains simple Retro FPS fun much like the first game did but with a new coat of paint. Gameplay of ARKOS 2 is practically the same as the first game, you have small bit sized levels, keys to collect, enemies to shoot, and secrets to find. But one of the more notable aspects is the increased focus on height and other mechanics in the level design. Now there's lifts, stairs, and all sorts of height variation in some of the levels, there's even a entire episode set high in the sky to really get that new scope into view. There's also more of a focus on destructible walls, as the voxel based destruction aspect from the first game has been carried over and it's just as fun as it was in the last game. A lot of the weapon wands have made it over but also some new ones along with altfires. Though most of the weapons feel a tad on the weaker side with the exception of the latter wands that hit hard. Enemies have graduated from being just 3D flat voxels to actual voxel models. Making it even more satisfying blasting visible holes into them with your weapons. However this doesn't actually contribute anything gameplay wise as breaking their voxel weapons or face does absolutely nothing. Boss fights also return and range from painfully easy to frustratingly annoying but it's kinda a given for Retro FPS bosses to be a mixed bag. Style wise, ARKOS 2 has seen a massive improvement across the board. While there are fewer episodes to play through, this has been made up with making each episode feel more unique from each other and less restricted from the level design that Wolf 3D promoted. For example, Episode 2 takes place in the sky on floating island powered by turbines while it's raining. There's simply just way more effort put into the environment design and it's really commendable since the level design itself is fairly simple even with the new elements like height. The music is also pretty solid though I'm about 90% sure that some of it is reused from the first game. Which isn't that big of a problem since that game also had pretty nice music. Overall, ARKOS 2 acts as a tiny improvement in the gameplay of the original while greatly improving the visual design with way more indepth environments to explore. This sequel doesn't really do much to innovate off of the first game other than providing height to level design, altfires, and using the voxel environment to it's advantage. Things that other Retro FPSes both old and new have surpassed. It's also about the same length as the first game, being only 3 hours which might turn people away given that it's default price is about 13$. But that's still cheaper than a fast food combo meal so if you absolutely need some simple, but solid Retro FPS goodness in a voxel world, ARKOS 2 ain't a bad way to fullfill that wish.

So far this has been a great successor to the 1st Arkos game. The engine upgrade looks great with it being full 3d now and the more advanced levels that they've been able to craft with it are very visually pleasing. like the first game both enemy's and most noticeably pick ups have a nice Voxelly bounce to them that gives off a happy spirited mindset along with the look and feel of them bringing back memories of some 3rd and 4th gen console enemies. everything feels good and flows nicely and even jump has a purpose now. Overall I've been enjoying the new obstacles, weapon abilities, secret finding, and level design styles they've been able to do and look forward to discovering the rest.

Good, but very, very short. Bosses are the main slightly-bad thing here, just because they randomly become invincible or randomly teleport. (Also you MUST be within a certain radius of them to damage them, in case you're wondering why the first boss isn't dying even though you've sniped all the voxels off of him.) That being said, the weapons are interesting, the secrets are easy, and you can respawn infinitely (with whatever health/shield you had when you touched the barrier), so it's not too difficult (except for e2m4, the worst map in the game, where you're forced to stay on a moving platform while enemies bombard you with no breaks or pickups on the main platform, and e2m6, which is a boss that spams adds in a tiny arena while blinking in and out of existance and shooting bursts of pellets). The layout of mana, health and shields is also balanced and placed intelligently, thank goodness. I hate to say to get it whenever it gets to be 5 bucks or less, but that's kindof the reality here. Why they went for base $15 and $11 on sale is beyond me, yeah the game is good, but it's on the pretty simple, easy, and short side. Had it been 3-5 times as long, the price would have been more reasonable.

Great visuals, nice gameplay, love destructive voxels,lol! Thanks for game!

Holy crap, this game is amazing. At first glance, it didn’t seem all that impressive to me. The idea of using a staff as your main weapon felt a bit odd and underwhelming, at least compared to what I’d normally expect from a game like this. It almost looked like a basic, overly simple demo. But once I started playing, it completely flipped my expectations and made me rethink every assumption I had about it. Everything about it just works. The implementation of the destructible environment is brilliant, especially in how it’s used to reveal secrets and shape the overall level design. It doesn't feel like a gimmick or after thought. The staffs aren’t just weapons you can spam fire. Each one serves a unique purpose and feels distinct, especially with alternate powers that impact movement, combat, and environmental interaction. The music is fun and energetic. The visuals may seem simple at first, but they’re surprisingly impressive. The pixelation is presented in a clean, high-definition style - almost like if Minecraft had a smooth, shiny, high-resolution texture pack. This game isn’t trying to mimic the classics from the '90s. It carves out its own identity and absolutely nails it. The level design is fantastic too, never feeling bloated or convoluted. Also, please add a workshop. This game could be an actual masterpiece if there is a workshop with custom levels or wands, etc. The developer is a genius, and I don’t use that word lightly.

Already loved the first game in the series but Arkos 2 does so much more! Arkos 2 voxel visual style is stunning, everything is falling apart in voxels in a cruncy way. Levels so far are nothing complex but very fun to navigate (lots of secrets too!!). Overall, Arkos 2 is a must have if you're after casual/arcadish FPS!