((PLEASE READ IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN BUYING THIS GAME, TOMATO WAY. WHOLE WAY)
I have a lot to say about the first and now second Tomato Way game. I absolutely loved the first game, unironically of course. I liked the idea, I liked the combat even though it wasn't too polished, and I liked the overlaying story that you really had to look for to truly appreciate it. This game is a different case however. I'm going to do two things, I'm going to compare this game to the first game and then rate this game as a standalone game.
Tomato Way 2 Vs. Tomato Way 1
Tomato Way 2 does have better optimization, and better graphics. Tomato Way 2 is much easier to look at.
Tomato Way 2 has some good quality cutscenes! The cutscenes and cinematic value has increased greatly!
Tomato way 1 however has skippable cutscenes whereas in Tomato Way 2 you cannot skip the cutscenes, making the beginning of the game a pain if you've already played it once. I had to restart my entire game after the first section and I had to watch a whole minute of cutscenes again. I should mention this now, replaying this game is also not fun with all of the bugs(which I will mention soon)
Checkpoints are better in Tomato Way 2. Nothing more needs to be said, if you've played Tomato Way 1, you know I'm right.
Combat is better in Tomato Way 1. (Will go over this soon)
Story is better in Tomato Way 2. What Tomato Way 2 lacks in engaging combat is a nicely wrapped story about Tomates father.
Unfortunately, I cannot talk about boss fights because I only encountered one boss fight in Tomato Way 2, but it was actually the most fun I had in the game before I had to stop playing. (Will get back to why I had to stop playing soon) So both Tomato Way 1&2 have engaging boss fights.
Overall, Tomato Way 2 has a better story, and technically is a big advancement graphically from the first game, but the first game is more fun. The combat is better in the first game, and so is the fast paced action. In this game, you mostly have to run away from everything until you absolutely have to fight, and usually you'll just hire a body guard to do it for you because fighting in this game is a pain. (More details next)
Now.. Tomato Way 2 as a solo game. If you take Tomato Way 1 out of the equation, what is left?
Well I feel like the first thing I need to address is that the change to third person was not the best idea. It's not preference either, third person games are fun. For example, Nier Automata. The problem with the Third Person view in this game is that it just doesn't work. The combat is slow and wonky, and the camera doesn't move with your mouse, your character will always look at where he is going. So the best way to fight enemies is to either stand in front of them because there is no strafing in this game and just hit them, shoot them from a distance which usually doesn't work for long because the crowds of enemies can quickly catch up with you, or use your right click and choose from a list of abilities that you can use. The problem is, the game doesn't tell you what these abilities do. They're on your back or something and one of them can stun and instantly kill enemies but you're really never gonna know what ability you have unless you go out of your way to test them all, but you cant do this in the beginning of the game when you need to do it because you dont have silver.
Point is, the combat is not polished, and it is not fun. I do not like to go back to the Tomato Way comparison but the combat there was so much more engaging. You were constantly strafing, you had to actually aim your gun. Your shots mattered, and in general it was much more engaging.
The combat in this game is not good, and I think a lot more attention needs to go to tweaking the combat system to make it more fun.
NOTE: I played with a keyboard, perhaps playing with a controller makes the combat tolerable in which case, ignore all of this. I didn't bother trying to hook up a controller because of my next issue.
This game is filled with bugs. Bugs, bugs, bugs, bugs. I can name two that slow the entire game down for you.
Ontop of most of your time being spent in this game running away from enemies, or trying to fight them and accidently walking ontop of their heads, the game is filled with bugs. For example, in the library section of the game, there is a ladder in the back next to a secret door I assume you're not supposed to know about until a little bit later in the game. Want to know how I found out about this door? There's a ladder right next to it that's out in the open, and my curiousity peaked. I went and tried to climb the ladder and I ended up climbing it really slowly. But I only got a quarter of the way up because eventually it just stuck me on the other side of the wall and I had to restart the game. That was annoying, and so was clipping through the railing on the huge spiral stairway. That's right, railings which are supposed to stop you from falling are actually just magic tricks. The railings are just there for show, you'll fall to the bottom of the spiral walkway if you think you can lean on them. I also accidently fell multiple times, which made the whole process so so annoying. The area also forces you to fight monsters which is already a pain, get what I'm saying?
Point is, the game just isn't fun or wacky enough to keep the player involved like it did in Tomato Way. If Tomato Way wasn't released and this was just a standalone game, people probably wouldn't play it. I am going to recommend this game even though the game is buggy, frustrating, and unpolished. If you're a fan of the first game, you should definitely give this game a try, but maybe wait til it goes on sale again. A lot of bugs need to be fixed, and I think the combat definitely needs some tweaking. When these issues are fixed, and the game is cheaper, then I think the fans of Tomato Way should definitely come back and give this game another try. And if you have not played Tomato Way, you really should. Once you've done that, come back and give this game a try, but if you're not interested in Tomato Way, you will not be interested in this game either. It's worth the experience, but it's not quite worth the money in its current state. I know that I will come back once the game is more polished, and I will definitely be itching in my seat to give this game the props it deserves because I know a lot of time did go into this game. Nothing but love and respect to the developer, and I hope you and the Tomato Way series thrives!
