I didn't want to review this myself at first, since I was one of the testers. It felt like bad juju or something. But seeing as nobody has even bothered, I felt I had to say something. Since my last playthrough revealed some concerns, I decided the best way for me to review this game was to replay the finished version from scratch. I do admit, playing through a second time so fast made this game feel a tad tedius, but alas, the game has been beat and my review has now been unveiled.

Admittedly, I enjoyed this game much better than the first, more so on my second playthrough, and I think Mr. Bester has done a tremendous job in creating the layout of the atmosphere. But in comparing the two games, there are

First, the story in the first game was very simple, good verses evil, nothing terribly complicated. In this version, Mr. Bester has managed to recap certain events from the first game, making it playable even for those who never completed the first game. The story, along with gameplay, is fairly linear, and as you traverse the dungeons of Valhalla, you'll begin to learn more and more about your mission as well as the perils that await you within this dungeon. The story is a bit more complicated here, as Mr. Bester seemed to be trying to take the series in a darker progression. However, certain things were never quite explained, and I found myself confused by a few events towards the end.

Clicke the SPOILER tab for some examples:


Of course, the main purpose for this game is to get our hero out of Valhalla, which makes my conerns about story progression rather moot. However, I would like to suggest that for the next game, to include a library or an optional quest that allows players a more thorough recap of the first two games. Of course, for those who never played them, the simplest answer would be to download a copy and give it a run.

It has often been said that Mr. Bester's maps are generally very open and large, and most of the time playing the game is done simply by navigating and trying to find a way out. The maps in this game are still quite large and could certainly use some more detail, but for the most part they were easy to navigate. The dungeons within weren't too complicated to figure out, and for the most part they were much better in design than Valhalla's. Areas are color-coded in Valhalla, which helps you to identify your progress based on a new area. The colors didn't bother me too much, as they were pretty much what I was expecting.

As Mr. Bester has indicated, there are not very many sidequests in this adventure, but there are a few minor surprises and optional dungeons throughout. The Old English works well in this game, and I enjoyed the music a lot more this time around than I did the first game.

Gameplay feels more like a dungeon crawler this time around, and Mr. Bester does a great job creating puzzles. If mapping is not his specialty, creating some challenging puzzles (like the dreaded maze and the chest switches) certainly is, and it takes a lot of talent to be able to work the switches and variables like he does in this game. And let's not forget the unique fighting methods, requiring attacks and a bit of strategy. The very first game called for an attack/guard combo until you were masterful of some of the attacks so they can be used at all times. As much as I enjoyed it, I think I like the attack/weak attack method better.

The game, on a whole, reminds me of some hybrid Final Fantasy/Dragon Warrior/Ironsword game. I think it's a mixture of the graphics and gameplay, but being reminded of Ironsword really through me for a loop. I'm not sure why, but I think it's the color combination of some of the later levels. And now that's a game I haven't played in too long.

Story: 2.5/5 - A lot of questions were left too open for interpretation.
Mapping: 2.5/5 - Much better than the first game, still needs a lot of work.
Gameplay: 3.5/5 - It's a dungeon crawler, and it gets the job done. Lots of challenging puzzles to boot, with a few optional side quests. However, the game can get tedius in some areas, and the lack of a major antagonist (with the exception of a few selectable party members) makes the game feel slighty anti-climatic.
Resources: 4/5 - The music is much better, the tilesets are used well, and Mr. Bester does a great job with the tools on hand.

The moment of truth:
3.125/5

Wait... What? But I liked this game more than the first. How could I have scored it lower? For those who are bound to ask this, Eden Legacy was the first game I ever reviewed for RM. I've played a lot of games since then and have gotten a feel of what I like and dislike, as well as what works on a whole. I feel this scoring is as fair as I can be without being biased. And in my opinion, a game that averages an above 3 rating out of 5, especially considering it's freeware, is a damn good game.