[h1][i]“Again by all means
I want to save you
And the past if I can go
I will save you~ 🎶”[/i]
~Vamps[/h1]
DEMON GAZE. DEMON GAZE never changes... See, there was a big problem with Experience Inc.'s game – it was good. Well, not [i]good[/i] good (there's literally no reason to choose it over the others nowadays), but let's just say it perfected the formula. Which formula? The one that was introduced to us in Wizardry XTH and then resurrected in Generation XTH. Which was heavily similar, but... you know. Didn't have the Wizardry tag on it.
Anyway, the idea was – while keeping the “Japanese Wizardry” approach (while the Western series moved towards things like non-linear gameplay and storytelling, Japan intentionally stuck with squared maps) – to make [i]the[/i] most comfortable experience possible. Did they succeed? Like I said, yeah. That was the DEMON GAZE's crime. It was comfortable as F.
While being a portable title (originally, it was a PS Vita exclusive), it was the most comfortable DRPG experience you could ever imagine. Up to the point where we were free to choose a point on the map, press a button, and see our party auto-traveling there. Yes, the story wasn't good enough, yes, characters were shallow nobodies, and yes, the gameplay itself didn't have anything really special about it. But the core mechanics felt so good that... let's just say for the DRPG genre, DEMON GAZE was like a shellshock. Which... damaged it [i]a lot[/i].
Experience found the new “gold standard.” And suddenly, everybody started to want exactly that. If you were a gamer back in the 2010s, you sure remember how it was. If it wasn't Experience themselves copying or even remaking their Generation XTH games, it was the others (big names like Nippon Ichi included) doing the same. It was almost like the whole genre became one big DEMON GAZE clone. And Mary Skelter? It was one of such games.
It did try, though. In order to distinguish their game from DEMON GAZE, Compile Heart created the complicated dungeon mechanics, which involved things like growth. To make it short, we were supposed to “satisfy” the dungeon's needs in order to make it grow and unlock the new paths. They also added battle mechanics that revolved around some girls called Blood Maidens (I mean, it's Compile Heart we are talking about; [i]of course[/i] it was a harem thing with the “ecchi” elements) and multiple endings.
The problem was... neither of those worked. The dungeon mechanics, while being interesting on paper, made things way more confusing than needed; the girls were just shallow archetypes (players were just choosing the one they found more appealing and that was it), while the best ending required us to find parts for some special weapon (exactly like DEMON GAZE, Mary Skelter revolved around a male hero with special powers). Which... did I mention how confusing the dungeons were? Also, with Compile Heart being Compile Heart, characters just didn't know when to shut up and kept talking about the smallest things for no apparent reason. So... yeah. Mary Skelter was stylish, sure (especially with its visual design and characters inspired by fairy tales), but it was [i]far[/i] from being perfect. Now, here's the sequel. Did they learn?
Well... technically, yeah. Yeah, they did. I mean, they [i]tried[/i]. The dungeons were reworked to become less confusing, the characters got more depth, while the good ending is [i]much[/i] easier to get (all you need is to answer three questions correctly). See? They did acknowledge everything that was wrong with the first Mary Skelter and aimed to fix that. The problem is... neither in Mary Skelter 2 works either.
Let's start with the dungeons. Technically, those did become more intuitive. Moreover, they rely mostly on the Maidens' unique abilities now (aside from battle abilities, our girls have abilities that can help you navigate the dungeons), which sure contributes to a proper puzzle-solving feeling. The abilities were there in the first game, too, but like I said, dungeons in Mary Skelter 2 finally did 'em justice. So, what's the problem? The problem is... it's the same dungeons. The. Same. F*cking. Dungeons. I mean, they just took the old assets, made the new maps, and called it a day. Ba-dum-tsss...
Actually, you know what? That's the biggest problem with the sequel. Which... isn't a sequel at all. Mary Skelter 2 is one of those “alternative reality” things. Except instead of calling it, say, “Mary Skelter Alter,” they called it “Mary Skelter 2.” Yet it doesn't feel anything like it. Everything here looks and feels almost exactly like it was in the first game. They did throw in some new abilities here, altered some things there, add more QoL features (aside from other things, we can auto-travel across the floors now), our main character is a girl (yes, we finally got a harem with a female protagonist, which is, like, an instant +1,000 in my book), but all in all, it's the same thing.
Which feels especially bad thanks to how the original Mary Skelter wasn't an original thing. It was a clone. One of the many. Like, [i]many[/i] many. DEMON GAZE was like a bloody disease. And even though I do love the genre, I'm having a really hard time playing one of such games right after another. Yet here. We. Are. Having almost a carbon copy of the original Mary Skelter. Good. F*cking. Grief.
Also yeah, if you thought they'll do something about those small talks, think again. An [i]enormous[/i] amount of gameplay here is just you, sitting on your butt and reading about our girls talking 'bout whose breasts are bigger. Don't get me wrong, though; I do understand the purpose of fan service. But the thing is – for something like this to work, we need real characters. Somebody who you'll instantly remember when thinking about the game years later. And Mary Skelter? It simply doesn't have that. There's literally not a single character to remember. Yet they want you to know, like, everything. About every single girl. Feels like a torture, really.
I did mention more depth, and sure, it's there. [i]Technically[/i]. Remember that Vamps' song? In which Hyde wanted to go to the past and stuff? That's it. Mary Skelter 2 is a timey-wimey kind of thing revolving around love, oaths, and stuff like that. Much better than “kuso jiji” villain from the first game. But you know what? Exactly like in the first game, the real story happens only at the very beginning of the game and during its finale. The rest? The rest is just girls wasting your time and showing you their half-naked bodies.
Which is ironic, since in this exact version they screwed up even that. See, aside from other things, the original Mary Skelter had a so-called “purging mini-game.” During the battles, our girls used to become “unclean” and we were supposed to... you know. Touch 'em in all the funny places. For justice. Mary Skelter 2 was supposed to have that too, but for whatever reason, that mini-game was completely removed (censored). Which is just stupid, especially since the Steam version of the first game had it.
Talking 'bout the first game, BTW. If you don't feel like suffering through its confusing dungeons, Mary Skelter 2 offers you its remake. For free (in this version, at least). All you need too unlock it is to beat MS 2. The MS 1 remake has reworked (simplified) dungeons [i]and[/i] offers you a new ending. And while the “dumbed down” approach is arguable, having two games for the price of one is not.
Then again, while simplifying things, Mary Skelter 2 lost lots of the original's identity. Which made it feel even more like one of them “yet another DEMON GAZE” games. And with all the copy-pasted assets and even censorship in mind, I just can't find a way to give this game a thumbs up. If you're a die-hard fan of the genre who has already finished everything else? Mary Skelter 2 will do. Otherwise? Avoid. As sad as it is, Mary Skelter 2 is yet another one of them “white noise” releases. Dixi.
