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Back on the road again... on my Way!
TheRpgmakerAddict- 11/29/2021 01:11 PM
- 615 views
A long time ago, in 2018 I reviewed the first episode of The Way, a masterpiece by LunCasari. I still have his games in my hard disk and the date of my savegames is 2015! Whoa it's a lot of time ago, but still not as old as this game, and this episode was released in 2008.
For the review of the first episode, look here: The Way Ep 1 - The land beneath the sky
The Way 2 (Echoes of the past decry) follows the adventures of Rhue of Landorin after the first episode, with the return of two other supporting characters we already met before, Traziun and Gaius, but also introducing new characters and organizations that will be important for the rest of the saga.
There are still fun situations in this episode too! (but also dramatic ones) But what's the ladder on the table on the left??
This game is longer than the first (not just because of bigger maps but also more story, battles and content) and in my opinion a quite better: first the minigames are all more enjoyable (I absolutely hated the rabbit one and the crossing river of the first episode!), still there are some difficult parts (like the part with the ambushes of the cave monster, luckily the save points are all well placed before difficult boss encounters and dangerous situations) also thanks to the fact that The Way isn't a game where you can grind and hoard consumables... because there aren't! The only possibility to survive is to use the characters' abilities well. And be lucky too!
The good thing is that finally we CAN win the duels! The plunge system returns, and while in the first episode it was impossible to win, now we can, and this adventure also includes a tournament where we may win or lose (even if something will happen before the final part, and... well play and see!). Remember that like in the first game there is the possibility to collect the plunge abilities that have to be absorbed through the sword after fighting normal combat. This is extremely important since in the third episode I lacked some abilities (that I missed in the first and second episode) and I was not able to win a particular obligatory duel. So I suggest you to A) take your time and explore, and play the optional minigames that offer some rewards OR B) consult a guide (like I did! The Jabbo's guide is right on the main page) or C) play easy mode (I mean with battle cheats ON).
Not just assassins, duelists and brigands, but also monsters roam the lands of the Way!
Yes, game isn't extremely easy, but it's enjoyable: is bigger, longer and more varied than the first, that also introduced some characters that were not seen after (except I guess one that will have a cameo later). Here the story starts to take shape after we visit the village of Lide, take part in a tournament, meet and get involved with some character and organizations (the Guided, the Peradans and the Blue Scarves bandits).
Mapping and graphics get better here: we have a free roaming part before and after leaving the settlement with some points of interest and useful resources that may be collected (if I remember well one item is available only if you lose a tournament duel, others are optional), it's fun exploring the wilderness, since we play the part of the wanderer. I liked how there are more "traditional" maps and less "sill life" backgrounds (even if they will be present in every episode).
Characters are also more varied and less RTPs than before. The new entries like my favourite Alan are also immediately recognizable (they have custom facesets, charsets, poses and also different abilities and skills), even if the real central protagonist remains Rhue, that is the only permanent party member, like in the episode before this one.
Finally the music! Aside for the usual ending theme that I love, now there is a cool version of the Good the Bad and the Ugly theme when in town. Fantastic choice that really sets the mood!
New characters are introduced, take notes because we'll encounter them again during the series!
Final Verdict
Despite a couple of minor flaws (the difficulty of some parts, like the adventure in the cave with the gruesome istant deaths, or some boss battles, anyway there are no real bugs or errors or gamebreaking problems at all!) it's a huge improvement on the first episode: story is amazing, characters are interesting, there are NO random encounters (that's a big plus, considering that at the time most games had, and still now have, those hated random battles!), there is a fun duel (plunge) system, and finally, when you will reach the end I'm pretty sure you will be eager to play the third episode and see what happens next!
4/5, the saga starts getting really fun!
Extras
Thelin of Nelin, the duelist from the first game that was seen in the plunge tutorial can be found here too, and IF you find him he will give an item to help Rhue if he lost the tournament. Sadly the reward for winning is far better.
In this episode also appear a couple of characters that may easily be forgotten, Rhan and his girlfriend. He takes part in the tournament with disastrous result,and he is also seen in the tavern scene (it's the one on the lower right corner in the 1st pic here), but will also appear in episode 4 and 5 also with some dialogue.
For the review of the first episode, look here: The Way Ep 1 - The land beneath the sky
The Way 2 (Echoes of the past decry) follows the adventures of Rhue of Landorin after the first episode, with the return of two other supporting characters we already met before, Traziun and Gaius, but also introducing new characters and organizations that will be important for the rest of the saga.
There are still fun situations in this episode too! (but also dramatic ones) But what's the ladder on the table on the left??
This game is longer than the first (not just because of bigger maps but also more story, battles and content) and in my opinion a quite better: first the minigames are all more enjoyable (I absolutely hated the rabbit one and the crossing river of the first episode!), still there are some difficult parts (like the part with the ambushes of the cave monster, luckily the save points are all well placed before difficult boss encounters and dangerous situations) also thanks to the fact that The Way isn't a game where you can grind and hoard consumables... because there aren't! The only possibility to survive is to use the characters' abilities well. And be lucky too!
The good thing is that finally we CAN win the duels! The plunge system returns, and while in the first episode it was impossible to win, now we can, and this adventure also includes a tournament where we may win or lose (even if something will happen before the final part, and... well play and see!). Remember that like in the first game there is the possibility to collect the plunge abilities that have to be absorbed through the sword after fighting normal combat. This is extremely important since in the third episode I lacked some abilities (that I missed in the first and second episode) and I was not able to win a particular obligatory duel. So I suggest you to A) take your time and explore, and play the optional minigames that offer some rewards OR B) consult a guide (like I did! The Jabbo's guide is right on the main page) or C) play easy mode (I mean with battle cheats ON).
Not just assassins, duelists and brigands, but also monsters roam the lands of the Way!
Yes, game isn't extremely easy, but it's enjoyable: is bigger, longer and more varied than the first, that also introduced some characters that were not seen after (except I guess one that will have a cameo later). Here the story starts to take shape after we visit the village of Lide, take part in a tournament, meet and get involved with some character and organizations (the Guided, the Peradans and the Blue Scarves bandits).
Mapping and graphics get better here: we have a free roaming part before and after leaving the settlement with some points of interest and useful resources that may be collected (if I remember well one item is available only if you lose a tournament duel, others are optional), it's fun exploring the wilderness, since we play the part of the wanderer. I liked how there are more "traditional" maps and less "sill life" backgrounds (even if they will be present in every episode).
Characters are also more varied and less RTPs than before. The new entries like my favourite Alan are also immediately recognizable (they have custom facesets, charsets, poses and also different abilities and skills), even if the real central protagonist remains Rhue, that is the only permanent party member, like in the episode before this one.
Finally the music! Aside for the usual ending theme that I love, now there is a cool version of the Good the Bad and the Ugly theme when in town. Fantastic choice that really sets the mood!
New characters are introduced, take notes because we'll encounter them again during the series!
Final Verdict
Despite a couple of minor flaws (the difficulty of some parts, like the adventure in the cave with the gruesome istant deaths, or some boss battles, anyway there are no real bugs or errors or gamebreaking problems at all!) it's a huge improvement on the first episode: story is amazing, characters are interesting, there are NO random encounters (that's a big plus, considering that at the time most games had, and still now have, those hated random battles!), there is a fun duel (plunge) system, and finally, when you will reach the end I'm pretty sure you will be eager to play the third episode and see what happens next!
4/5, the saga starts getting really fun!
Extras
Thelin of Nelin, the duelist from the first game that was seen in the plunge tutorial can be found here too, and IF you find him he will give an item to help Rhue if he lost the tournament. Sadly the reward for winning is far better.
In this episode also appear a couple of characters that may easily be forgotten, Rhan and his girlfriend. He takes part in the tournament with disastrous result,and he is also seen in the tavern scene (it's the one on the lower right corner in the 1st pic here), but will also appear in episode 4 and 5 also with some dialogue.
