Are you a fan of games such as dynasty warriors, Berserk and other games produced by Koei? If so, this is not something you might enjoy! Yup, you actually read that correctly...if your'e after some button bashing combos style fighting game, which is usually Dynasty Warriors with a skin...this is NOT it. This is a toned down version of the game where there's a bit more RPG element involved.


Nights of Azure 2 is a fantasy type RPG with most elements of the Koei fighting style games...however, the graphics are a little more basic and...well, after playing the game for a good 15 minutes, you start to tell that GUST Studios has 1 type of audience in mind when making the series...the stereotypical OTAKU. Yup! Everything about this game displays it, not that it's a bad thing, but it's tailored for a specific crowd.

The story revolves around the main protagonist, Aluche, who is set out to guard a childhood friend by the name of Liliana. Without giving away everything, she finds out that she's to deliver her childhood friend, who's a priestess now, to be a sacrifice. Unfortunately she never arrives at the Moon Queen due to being attacked by a powerful fiend. Fast forward a little and she's brought back to life after not surviving the battle...but this time as a half breed fiend/human. Amongst that, you team up other characters who join your party. That's the main gist of the story without giving much more away. I honestly can't say that the story is so appealing that you'd be following it to the tee...


The game is absolutely distracting, and as the graphics feels like this game is not being played on a PS4, but even an older generation console. The animation and movements are so stiff with minimal movement. And as previously mentioned, the game's target audience is definitely for the Otaku's. This can easily be seen as the character designs look as though they're just about to start a pole dance on stage. Yup, all the characters are wearing the most revealing costumes, all you ever see is huge cleavage. To make it even worse, there doesn't seem to be any male characters....yup, they're all female characters in skimpy outfits! It's an absolute dead giveaway.


The game mechanics are no better either, and are extremely basic. Not that you can do much to begin with, but with any standard Koei fighting game, you have the standard movements, and the variation of combos to remember. The only issues with this particular game is the fact that the camera movements/angles make it a little tough to follow at times.


Nights of Azure 2 isn't the best example of a stereotypical Koei game available. And if you have been to Japan, you know that there are a enormous amount of games we don't see in western countries. To add, they obviously churn through a massive amount in a short period of time. This feel exactly like that....catered for the Japanese Otaku audience which had been created in a short period of time and rushed off onto the shelves of shops, while they're already working on their next.


Review copy supplied by Koei Tecmo