Snares of Ruin 2

[quote=] This review was brought to you on behalf of [b] Abyssal Ascent Reviews [/b] in collaboration with its developer. If you liked it, please [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/32607787-Abyssal-Ascent/]Follow[/url] the Curator and [url=https://steamcommunity.com/groups/AbyssalAscent/]Join[/url] its group. Thanks! [/quote] [b]Snares of Ruin 2[/b] is an interactive adventure mystery game with a lot of nice nuances and mechanics along with a great story. You are tasked with figuring out what on earth is going on in a city located a bit away from where original Snares of Ruin takes place, with the same characters and such making up the prime interactions for the main character. Choices can be quite important, and the skills you improve as you complete missions, as well as these choices you make with NPCs and environmental interactions will impact the overall story flow - and could create changes in various ways. These decisions can change the overall ratings for the town, as far as safety, economy, and overall integrity. There are a lot of really nice touches in the game, and while you have a generally similar premise as far as going out for a mission/case and examining what’s going on from your temporary boss, Calixa, it still stays interesting and fun. Most missions have something new or different to add to the overall variety factor. Nothing in it feels like it’s really a waste of time or filler for me. All this collectively adds up and builds on the eventual end as you make more and more progress. The game and developer are both highly underrated, and as mentioned in reviews of their games before, the writing style and overall creating process involved just feels really genuine. It has an underlying heart and soul at its core, and just feels good to play. You can really tell when some games have a lot of effort put into them. This one will not leave most people questioning their purchase. While I’d recommend trying an earlier one first, it’s still one of the real hidden gems amongst the gaming world on Steam. There’s a whole lot to like here. It’s hard to explain what I mean, but you’d have to try it to find out if it resonates with your own sentiments! The use of RPGMaker MV is quite fantastically done, and I can only give kudos for the finished product. There is some very slightly suggestive dialog at times, so it’s worth mentioning, as well as romance scenes. Nothing too heavy or over the top there, but it has some light adult elements here and there as far as the relationship parts of the story. I’ll throw a few gripes and complaints in, but for the most part, they’re easily overshadowed by the great way the story is told and unfolds. I really love all of what I’ve played from Astronomic Games! [h1]Pros[/h1] The story is really good! Suspenseful, and feels very real and immersive. They’ve done a great job on this aspect, and it really carries the game nicely. Most people are in for a treat. If you like the murder mystery kind of games, this one is well done. I can’t stress enough how great the others are too. If you try this and like it, you’re guaranteed to enjoy some of the other projects they’ve done! The choice-based system has a lot of depth to it! There are many levels and they factor into gameplay and many play on the eventual ending. Alternative solutions to situations you find yourself in during missions, and a lot of choices in dialog to make your interactions positive or negative, which can change how things play out in the story. The story changes based on how you choose to start and continue from your new game if you decide to replay it with different starting choices. Characters might say different things based on who you pick as your girlfriend in the game, for instance. Just one example. Each time I went through the whole campaign, there were varying lines in certain parts, and it’s hashed out very well each run. As opposed to some earlier renditions, like the first Snares of Ruin, or Pegasus-5, this one’s got a little more leeway as far as which stats you beef up early on. On Pegasus-5, one stat was mandatory to get right early on in order for certain things to happen, so I like that you could work on several of the three core stats and there was a margin for error, as you had enough time to get more numbers on par with the game’s event flow, since it checks and compares values for the impact of certain choices you make in your exploratory missions. The music was changed up a lot in various scenes. I liked the variations as a whole, and it kept the mood and everything fired up for me. I’m glad there was a decent amount of varying tunes as you went through the game. Very happy with the music, as it felt like it propelled the plot forwards and didn’t stick out or bother me as much as some games that kind of either do not feel right with the music, or it’s too redundant and not enough variety there. The achievements are nice, and don’t feel forced aside from going through every relationship. It wasn’t hard to prepare for a lot of them, and once you complete the game, each new game can have a few new things in it. There’s still a lot of interesting things you can do in your second or third playthroughs, and as mentioned, love the dialog changing up based on your various choices in the story. [h1]Cons[/h1] The animation wasn’t bad, but I felt a little detached from some of it. The main character’s features could’ve been a little more defined, though the facial hair model wasn’t too bad on that choice. I did like the older art style on other Snares games and such beforehand a bit more. Some of the bodies in the relationship scenes are “fleshed out” well enough though. Just didn’t quite fit for me in parts, where others felt a little more right. Hard to explain, but kind of a mixed emotion for me on the overall adherence factor. Personal opinion gripe: Most of the personalities were the same, but Miroslava felt a bit different. Not necessarily a bad thing, as it added another dimension, but it just felt too far out of context from what I was used to from previous games. Ran into a few invisible wall spots where stuff was placed, and some minor technical things that could be fixed up. The developer is great to work with though, so I made mention for some possible fixes in the near future for bugs I found. The pixels of the sprites would do odd things in some scene transitions. I don’t know if it’s my system or not, but I’d see pixels fly around for a split second on some transitions, and also a few oddities, like a camera scene where a weapon goes flying upwards before it strikes a guy not looking on a scene in a science lab. A few other slight problems there for me, but not major issues that were game-breaking. [h1]Conclusion[/h1] This game is brilliantly done! I can’t say enough about the story and the little creative bits thrown in throughout the story as you play. It’s very well put together, and it just feels like a genuine game that is the product of a lot of real serious effort and care. It really sets the game apart from a lot of others. It should get a hell of a lot more attention because it’s a true work of art! I’d love to see more variety overall, since I’ve already seen a lot of potential there. I’m hoping this goes even further with future releases if there are some down the road. There’s plenty to be had in this game already, and it makes it even more fun to play with all the different things you can tweak while playing through the game. I [b]highly[/b] recommend this game to anybody who likes detective reads, great story parts, and likes plenty of variables! It takes a platform that some do very little with, and expands its potential to do a whole lot. Without a doubt, I recommend this one at full price. Amazing stuff! Special thanks to [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/32110520-Simetria-League/]Simetria League[/url] for their support!

Snares Of Ruin 2 is a casual independent R.P.G. both developed and published by Astronomic Games. Once again ace detective Hank Anderson and his trusty partner Gwen head up an investigation this time in the city of Malrith to track down a mysterious serial killer who is leaving a trail of bodies all throughout the metropolis. The gangs all here as you will also team up with pivotal characters from the first title. Dr. Alzyra, a brilliant vampire scientist, Medina, a compassionate nurse and last but not least Miroslava, a strong-willed one-woman wrecking crew. Also, two new people will join the investigation as Hank and his team attempt to put an end to the killing spree that is terrorizing the city. [h1]GAMEPLAY[/h1] Like the first title this is a roleplaying game with your character earning skill points for completing various objectives. Said skill points can then be used to upgrade a skill tree consisting of Athletics for physical feats, Charisma used to coerce or gain information from other people and Erudition which is knowledge that can be applied to the use of science and computers. You can use these skill points to tailor your version of Hank Anderson as you see fit by investing all points into one ability or spreading them out for a more balanced character...the choice is yours. Choose carefully though as the skills that Hank possesses will allow him to handle situations in varying ways of success or failure. Another new addition to the series which I absolutely enjoyed is the city map which allows you to actually drive your car to different locations around town. This really adds to the feeling of being a detective as you move around to various crime scenes and search for clues. There are also sidequests available in the form of "Missing Persons" whom you can choose to pursue on your off-time or while conducting the main investigation if you decide to take on the extra work. Locating these people, preferably alive, will net you additional skill points and currency to spend and it will have an effect on the overall safety and well being of the entire city. As with the original title you have the opportunity to pursue one or more romances with a number of female friends and co-workers over the course of the game if you should choose to do so. Exploration of the locations that you investigate is encouraged as you'll sometimes find useful items that can aid you in some way if you're resourceful and keep your eyes open. [h1]VISUALS[/h1] This is a RPGMaker title that makes terrific use of the programs assets. The locations are wonderfully laid out, nicely detailed and filled with bright and beautiful colors when appropriate like in the suburbs for example and dreary tones when necessary for say...an abandoned warehouse or the sewers beneath the city. There's alot of variety to the many different areas that you visit over the course of the story. As opposed to Snares Of Ruin and Snares Of Ruin Zero, this title went in a completely different direction with some of the visuals and I for one really enjoyed the new aesthetics very much. The environments have a similar look to the previous games but the in-game sprites and character art used during dialogue sequences has changed altogether. The new cutscene artwork has a grittier look to it in my opinion and it really fits in nicely with the gumshoe narrative of this terrific game. The characters also move their lips during dialogue which definitely helps with immersion as you read. Moving on, once again you'll visit a myriad of different locations throughout the city as you conduct your investigations from the City Center to the business district and the suburbs as well as the more affluent areas of town. You'll also get a chance to spend some leisure time with your co-workers at a restaurant, a bowling alley, the city park or a bar just to name a few examples. Overall, I really enjoyed the changes made in the visual presentation between this latest title and the previous entries. [h1]SOUND[/h1] The aural presentation of this game is terrific from the sounds of the user interface to various in-game sound effects such as cell phones ringing, combat as well as many others. The soundtrack is also fantastic and I really wish it was available for download but sadly like the previous games it is not. Such a shame though as many of those songs are quite memorable and have a catchy beat. [h1]CONCLUSION[/h1] I enjoyed this game so much dare I say even moreso than the original title perhaps? The story was intriguing, the gameplay alot of fun with even some new elements introduced and a terrific new visual style that I adored. As always you can create the type of detective that you envision and there are a bevy of choices to make throughout the narrative that have an impact on current events as well as the ending. Replayability is high, again due to the decisions that you can make and for acquiring all the achievements if that's your thing. Also if you're fans of Astronomic Games and you pay close attention you might spot a couple of "easter eggs" hidden over the course of the narrative. On the technical side, I didn't have many issues but did start to suffer some lag and a crash to desktop towards the end of the title but nothing game breaking. As far as extra content goes, there are an abundance of Steam Achievements to hunt down but sadly no Steam Trading Cards to collect. In summary, I loved this next title in the franchise and really look forward to more sleuthing adventures with detective Hank Anderson and his crew so Snares Of Ruin 2 is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED to story-rich roleplaying gamers who also like the fact that choice matters.

For anyone that is familiar with Gastronomic Games and his creations I can simply say the game is of similar quality as SoR 1. It didn't quite live up to fans' expectations to top the first game and so is perceived by some as somewhat inferior. My major concern with the game is that it has ambition but lacks focus. Unlike SoR 1, this actually has 6 characters you can build up relationships with, and many interactions with every of them. This, unfortunately, resulted in lesser quality of each individual scene, reuse of locations, assets and some dialogues. It would be better if the dev sticked to 2-3 ladies like SoR 1 or his more recent title, Pegasus. My second concern is that the outcome of the first game barely has any influence over the events, same goes for your actions during gameplay. Many of the game's troubles derive from its nature as a sequel, it can't really tie well with the first game and so the plot is generally weaker overall. Also, since Hank has reached the developed relationships stage, the whole wild dating part is now kinda absent from the game. While I could forgive romance side having weaker emphasis in SoR 1, in this game I am not sure where the emphasis is. Nevertheless, this is a decent and sturdy game that I wanted to replay several times for the achievements. They are quite easy to get if you rush through the main quests, totally skipping side missions, which is entirely doable, since money is mostly useless in this game anyway. And in case you're new to the whole thing then I can tell you the latest games of the dev (SoR 1 and Pegasus) are a mix of a story rich detective, Deus Ex-like adventure/RPG with choice/consequence and a dating sim/relationship manager on top of that. So basically you'll be investigating a case while juggling your attributes to best deal with action sequences and living in a "bloody nuthouse" of females that like you, hate each other, form love triangles, catch you cheating, this sort of thing. Oh and the feature of the whole thing is that these ladies are supernatural, as in an elf, a vampire.. though in this universe supernaturals are really similar to humans in all regards. This sort of gameplay is kinda unique, and also the characters are wholesome and well-written, as the dev is a psychology nerd. However, this doesn't really have a "recap" video the Deus Ex: Mankind Divided has, so in order to know the plot and the characters you're supposed to start the game in a relationship with you best get SoR 1 as well of SoR Zero and play them first.

A pretty much interesting continuation of the story, liked it as always...Now I am waiting for part 3 to come out...And yes, a Dirty Cheater! achievement was fun, lol))

Loved the second part, but the artwork felt off. Glad Alzyra & Gwen weren't too affected. still worth every penny wating for part 3 keep up the great work.

I think my first critique was hidden, even from me. Dunno why Steam did that. I replayed recently that game and didn't really take a break to finish it. As for peoples asking for game play controls, mouse, WASD, ENTER, ESC, Arrows, left and right mouse buttons. So as you can read this is my second playtrough. I take it as reference for a future game and deserves the attention given. It have both its pros and cons, being a graphic artists I feel the busts are uneven, we could had used the originals for the protagonist, the new inhumans and animated expressions had the most works and finish feel over it. I however grinding my teeth at each shaky and unclosed lines. The talking animation is a new cool addition, it helps remembering who speaks if e have bad name memories or ant to voice-over while streaming a game. It still needs tweeking a wee bit. Lambek, seems a cool drinking buddy and I would almost imagine Gwen or the other ladies could end with. I missed the drink distributors use but loved the city computer where you can see from Hank's actions how the security, economy and corruption and solve satelite mission disaperances that allows Hank to drive in the surburbian surrounding and earn more Valeracs which in he end can help with the missions. A few hacking puzzles are well thrown when things starts to be complicated. Old characters from the past also emerge and helps to deepen the plot all around. Lots of Easter eggs and tongue in cheek for the other RPGMaker creators there too. All in all a good trust system with all he team members on the case do help too. Once again, the depth of narration from Matt makes forget most weaknesses of how he game as build. I did thought both the spritework animaion and tilesets were great in there too. The music is still great.

I can't really recommend this game, I din't play any of the tiles previously, bought it during the 85% discount. The entire game is walking, reading and some "puzzle", better than plain novel click but still those pixel look-alike~~~ boring Plus i seem can't seem make it full screen without borders. Overall Rating : 2 (1 = Worst, 5 = Best) *thanks to the discount • Graphic: 1.5 - better than pixel • Control: 2 - • Music: 2 - better than midi • Story: 3 - i still prefer reading comic or just watch youtube • Entertaining: 2 - youtube is much more entertain • Kill time: 3 - surely i kill as lots of reading and walking needed. • Value: 3 - only if it is at least 85% off, but I'm just requesting for refund

Gut aber schwächer als der erste Teil Snares of Ruin 2 ist eine solide Fortsetzung, die Kernelemente, welche Teil 1 so gut gemacht haben, sind immer noch vorhanden. Es ist ein schönes kleines Spiel für Möchtegern-Detectives, die auf Monster-Ladies stehen. Durch den gelungenen Einsatz von Choices & Consequences und clever eingestreute RPG-Mechaniken, bietet das Adventure im RPG-Maker-Gewand soliden Spielspaß für mehrere Spieldurchläufe. Abgesehen von der zurecht kritisch beäugten RPG-Maker-Engine leidet Teil 2 jedoch noch unter anderen Knackpunkten. Das neue Artwork ist einfach nicht so gut wie jenes der letzten beiden Spiele. Außerdem ist es hochgradig inkonsistent. Die Story besteht eigentlich nur aus einer schon x-mal dagewesenen Serienkiller-Hatz. Dagegen wirkt die Story von Teil 1 wie ein Epos. Beim Dating geht es jetzt eher darum eine feste Beziehung zu pflegen, statt wild herumzuflirten. All diese Dinge drücken mehr oder weniger auf den Spaßfaktor. Aber trotzdem ist auch Snares of Ruin 2 ein schönes Spiel. Wer auf Story-zentrierte Adventures mit vielen Choices & Consequences steht, wird hier immer noch gut bedient. Pro und Kontra: Pro: - nette Dating-Elemente mit Monster-Ladies^^ - neue interessante Ideen (Vermissten-Sidequests und Stadtwerte) - gewohnt unkomplizierte Steuerung via Tastatur oder Controller - hoher Wiederspielwert durch Choices & Consequences, sowie Achievement-Jagd - erstmals selbsterstellte Charaktersprites Neutral: - 5,69 € für ca. 6-7 Stunden Spielzeit zuzüglich hohem Wiederspielwert - viele Grafiken und Soundtracks basieren nur auf dem RPG-Maker-Baukasten (aber nicht alle) Kontra: - die Handlung kann nicht mit Teil 1 mithalten - die RPG-Maker-Grafikengine wirkt hier leider recht unattraktiv - das neue Artwork ist schwächer als in den letzten Spielen und wirkt inkonsistent - das Adventure-Gameplay ist sehr dünn gehalten und dient ohnehin eher der Narrative

The art changed and looks unfinished, and the sprites are ugly AF. I like Mira's new design, and the game is not as good as the first one. But it's good enough, and the story, characters and conversations, as usual with this dev, are very well written.

An interesting game with a good detective story. Continuation of the first part, at the beginning, you can choose how the first part ended, since the plot depends on it. There is a love line and RPG system + side quests (you should do them because they give you skill points). The game has great music that fits the game atmosphere. Your companions have complex personalities and you can harm them with your actions or words. There is no New Game+. I would like to try other scenarios and save skill points. And I would like to see information about what happened to your companions in the game ending.