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An Epic Anime Action RPG Made by Just Four People - Epic Conquest 2 Review

21K View2022-09-23

Let me start by saying that I pour my blood, sweat, and tears into these reviews all so that you, the reader, can know which games are must-play, which are complete flops, and which are the best thing since sliced bread. I’m so serious about this duty—no, this privilege—that I’m willing to do something crazy, like abandon my beloved iPhone to review the Android-only Epic Conquest 2. Luckily, it was worth the trade-off. This gem was created with a team of only four people, but it managed to bring me back to the nostalgic days of single-player offline RPGs.

Developed and published by Gaco Games, Epic Conquest 2 is a single-player, action RPG sequel that’s independent enough that you can enjoy it without playing the original Epic Conquest. This follow-up includes considerable hack-n-slash elements in its combat system and relies heavily on the narrative—something I love and expect from my RPGs.

You play as Claris, a rookie knight with a penchant for falling asleep on the job. Like many RPGs, you’ll go through various quests and missions, gather resources, and face powerful demons to move Claris from rookie to badass. I particularly liked the opening cutscenes, which were filled with character, personality, and classic anime-style art. You can tell by the image below that some of the women characters in the game are...disproportionate. But ultimately, these scenes managed to bring the world to life and hold my attention.

Admittedly, it took me a while before I felt that level of engagement. Claris spend the early portions of the game complaining about how boring the jobs she’s been getting lately are, and she’s not wrong! Epic Conquest 2 takes its time to build up the story before you get deep into demon hunting, but once I was finally properly slaying monsters, the combat controls were smooth and easily understandable. Claris has a multitude of skills and abilities that help her face opponents, and I needed to pick which active and passive skills I wanted to spend XP on to build her up.

Outside of combat, points can be distributed into classic RPG stats like strength, intelligence, agility, etc., but that’s not the only means of customizing Claris to your liking. Grinding and item collection play a big role in Epic Conquest 2, as you’re also able to improve your character via these methods.

Epic Conquest 2 offers starter packs, costumes, an in-game pass, and a premium currency called rubies, all purchasable with real-world money via its shop. However, turning to the shop (and your IRL wallet) to power up your character is not a requirement—it’s just a bit of a hassle to do without real-money purchases. You can grind for gear and equipment and skip the store altogether if you’re patient enough. Just know that you may need to farm an awful lot of monsters if you want the best upgrades possible without spending money.

The same is true with new characters you might want to add to your party. Every character in the game can essentially be added free to play by playing through the main story and waiting for them to naturally join the party. If you’re impatient, you can drop a little under $5 to get these characters early. A pretty fair monetization strategy if you ask me.

And of course, you can get some goodies for free by simply logging into Epic Conquest 2. Items like gold, rubies, and stat-boosting consumables are all offered as bonuses from the game. Considering I didn’t have to pay for the download and wasn’t bombarded with advertisements every two minutes, I was impressed.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the look of Epic Conquest 2. The game features great anime-esque visuals through its character design, but I was equally drawn in by its city landscapes and outdoor environments. Little details like the crispness of the flowing water and the vibrant colors of the surrounding forests really caught my eye.

I also enjoyed the open-world nature of Epic Conquest 2’s maps, although I must admit that I got lost a few times while trying to figure out what I was supposed to do. The game provides hints on where to go next, but it would benefit from a stronger navigation system that clarifies the next objective.

Epic Conquest 2 is a solid single-player action RPG that offers a delightful experience, decent combat, and a fair (if not totally invisible) monetization system. The fact that this passion project was made by a four-person team blows me away. Although the game isn’t perfect (and much to my chagrin, isn’t available on the App Store at the time of writing), I wasn’t disappointed with this good offline RPG.

SCORE: 3 STARS OUT OF 5

PLAY IF YOU LIKE:

• Epic Conquest. If you enjoyed the first one, chances are that you’ll like the sequel.

• Action RPGs. If you like the familiar hack-n-slash combat elements in this genre, you’ll find those matched with a decent character-building system in Epic Conquest 2.

💬 Did you like Epic Conquest 2? And what is your top action RPG of all time? Let’s debate it in the comments!

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