Leave it to cleaver: Death End re;Quest 2 review | Technobubble

All is not right in Wordsworth Women’s Dormitory. That’s Lesson No. 1 when you first enter the all-girls’ school in Idea Factory’s mystery thriller, Death end re;Quest 2.

Then again, the real question is, does anything actually go right inside the halls of Wordsworth?  Come to think of it, does anything go right in the town of Le Choara at all? 

Like that uneasy feeling you get in the pit of your stomach as you bite into an expired cheese single that you scrounged from the fridge in a moment of famished desperation, there’s just something about the school and the town it’s located in that doesn’t feel right. It’s a feeling that you’re constantly reminded of as it gnaws constantly in the back of your mind while playing the game. That lingering sense of dread — a hunch that something bad is about to happen — is a testament to how Death end re;Quest 2’s narrative likes to keep you on your toes. The game might not have the same level of polish as a AAA title. But it makes up for it with some spunk and an unusual, offbeat approach that results in an experience that’s different from the norm.

Day and night difference

When it comes to Death end re;Quest 2’s story, the game relishes in the uncomfortable. From child abuse and bullying to outright bloody murder, Death end re;Quest 2 does not shy from tackling tough topics. Forget easing players into its narrative. Right off the bat, the game dives straight into a disturbing and grisly scene as protagonist Mai Toyama finally snaps after years of abuse and emotional trauma and grabs a cleaver. You won’t guess what happens next. 

Clickbait aside, Mai finds herself entering Wordsworth as a new student looking to start a different life after her emotional breakdown. Well, sort of. Mai also has ulterior motives for going to Wordsworth — one involving a mystery of great personal importance. See, back when Mai lived with her abusive dad, one of the few sources of joy she had was receiving text messages from her sister, who was a student at Wordsworth. One day, however, the messages just stopped with a cryptic warning: “Barbas is always watching.” Mai decides to follow her sister’s trail by moving into the school and figure out what happened to her sibling.

It doesn’t take long for Mai to realize that not everything is as they seem. Wordsworth and Le Choara, whose way of life is essentially governed by the El Strain religion, typically evoke a quaint and peaceful vibe during the day. The school and the town happen to hide an assortment of secrets, however, many of which love to crawl out from the darkness once nighttime comes. It’s actually something that can be said about Mai as well. While she appears beautiful and seemingly harmless at first glance, her looks belie a rough and unstable personality that hides her own personal darkness — one that also happens to have an affinity for, yup, cleavers. In that sense, Mai perfectly embodies the world of Death end re;Quest 2.

It’s a world that doesn’t take long to show its deadly side. Upon Mai’s arrival, she notices a spate of disappearances that bear an eerie resemblance to her sister’s. After noticing the similarities, Mai quickly resolves to unravel the mysteries behind Le Choara’s dark underbelly alongside a few allies. 

Mai’s investigation of the school and town are split into day and night cycles. You typically start by visiting various areas and talking to people in order to unearth clues about what’s going on. The exploration part can feel pretty basic. I wish there was more actual exploration as I felt that I was just clicking things and reading text at times. The game does try to keep you on your toes by including multiple events that can open different paths. 

Once night falls, the game’s battle portion begins as Mai ventures out to battle Le Choara’s denizens. This mode is a matter of survival as you take down foes, escape from powerful creatures known as Dark Shadows and explore the surrounding environs. This mode leverages skills that are unique to each character. Mai, for example, is able to hack terminals to uncover hidden paths. The interestingly named Rotten Dollhouse, meanwhile, can use a Mosquito Jump to clear higher obstacles. Liliana, meanwhile, can break down destructible walls.

Playing through the narrative certainly isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. Death end re;Quest 2 does not shy away from using disturbing scenes that feature gore and other visual and auditory cues that might make some folks uncomfortable. I say that as someone who didn’t get the chance to play the first game, so I’m not sure how it compares in this department.

The game also likes to sprinkle its main scenario with a generous amount of voice acting, which I thought was done quite well. Storytelling can be hit or miss, however, and isn’t quite as consistent as I’d like it to be. While come characters are fleshed out rather well, for example, others get short shrift, making it harder to form an emotional connection when something does eventually happen with them. At the same time, the narrative’s main premise is compelling and had me curious to see how everything turns out in the end.

Line ‘em up

Battles, meanwhile, use a variation on the familiar turn-based system popularized by Japanese role-playing games.

Death end re;Quest 2 adopts what it calls the Triact system, which allows you to input three moves at the beginning of your turn that play out consecutively. Your options include regular attacks, blocks, special skills or using items. Depending on the situation, you’ll want to use different combinations in order to maximize your results. You can save up your skills and simply do three regular attacks, which allows you to end your combo with a bounce attack. Another option is to use an attack, a special skill then guard in order to deal damage but still be able to block in the end. Or you could use an offensive move first then two blocks in order to use a more strengthened guard.

Another interesting thing about the combat is how you’re free to move your character before inputting your moves. This allows you to take better advantage of one of the unique aspects of Death end re;Quest 2’s battle system, which is bouncing your enemies around via knockbacks. By using certain moves, you can end your Triact combo by making your enemies ricochet across the screen like a pinball. This, by the way, includes sending your foes into your allies, who can smack them around as well via a Knock Blow move. Getting the right angles set up actually reminded me of playing pool as I considered angles to get the maximum number of enemy collisions set up.

Other things that come into play are elemental and typing advantages that allow you to inflict more damage. Using certain skills in combination can allow you to trigger unique moves via the game’s Flash Drive system as well. The game also likes to throw in field bugs, which can either help or harm you depending on how you use them. Getting in contact with these field bugs can increase your characters’ corruption levels, which can be harmful if overdone. Do it just right, however, and you’ll be able to use Glitch Mode, which transforms your character into a powered-up version of themselves.

Admittedly, the combat system can feel a bit rough around the edges at times. But it feels quite unique and can be pretty fun once you get that hang of it. Death end re;Quest 2’s visuals for its battles also evoke an indie feel as it lacks the sophistication of more polished titles. It lends a certain charm to the game, however, which sets it apart from the by-the-numbers approach some games take.

Final thoughts

Death end re;Quest 2 serves up an experience that can be described as bloody interesting — literally. The game doesn’t shy away from disturbing imagery as well as portraying uncomfortable topics such as abuse, bullying and violence. The combat system, meanwhile, combines classic turned-based RPG battling with pinball physics, resulting in a unique experience. The game can admittedly be rough around the edges and it won’t be for everyone. If you like Idea Factory’s offbeat titles, however, Death end re;Quest 2 is another solid addition.

• Rating: 7.5 out of 10
• Cost: $49.99; PC, PS4
• Official site: https://ideafintl.com/death-request-2

Jason Hidalgo covers business and technology for the Reno Gazette Journal, and also reviews the latest video games. Follow him on Twitter @jasonhidalgo. Like this content? Support local journalism with an RGJ digital subscription.