ATRIA II: THE RESSURECTION

The sequel to Jamie's first game also ditches pixel art for render graphics, and puts much more emphasis on the brawler combat, complete with 2-player coop. The overworld is a single screen now, and squares have to be unlocked by using "map chips" on them. Dungeons are one screen mazes, too, but you only ever see the character's immediate surroundings, the rest of the building is veiled in darkness. Every step here consumes torches, and the player is forced to leave the dungeon when they run out. The combat unfortunately is not that much enhanced over the predecessor, and even feels a little more stiff. Special move input is not very intuitive, and one has to hold the attack button for a second to access spell selection and AI settings in real time. The game is also not as story driven, instead the party just runs around menu based villages, takes jobs from local hero guilds and runs around the map for more fighting.