Anime Panopticon
The story, which is told in Dusk Diver (released in 2019) and in the sequel, is standard for Japanese RPGs (although the action is set in Taipei, the capital of Taiwan). A schoolgirl as the protagonist, as well as eye-eyed girls with cat ears and busty, long-legged female vamps are there. Invasion of demons from another dimension into the human world is present.
Weird, bizarre characters and obscure words? You can’t go without them. The very girl with the cat ears (her name is Nemea) is actually a “humanoid dragon essence control system created by Kunlun.” This essence, which permeates all dimensions (Kunlun is the highest of them), is concentrated in the greatest quantity in one of Taipei’s districts, in Shimendin, creating there an unstable space between worlds called Yushending. That’s where the demons (“beasts of Chaos”) that feed on this essence pile in.
All this can lead to the merging of worlds, as evidenced by the appearance of demon-possessed people. This is why Kunlun created the Nemea. It got out of control in the first part, and it was up to our protagonist Yang Yumo to pacify it, who, along with her girlfriend, happened to be in Yushending, absorbed some of the dragon essence and learned to fight dashingly (in exchange for strange bouts of pain). Shoulder to shoulder with her were the guardians of Kunlun, including a stern man (he’s actually a stone lion guardian) and that same long-legged beauty named Li Weida.
In the sequel, Nemea has already calmed down and is just a cute 10-year-old girl who calls Yumo a sissy. But at some point, a new character becomes obsessed – Betty, who is actually either a maid or… a bat with vampire tendencies.
She had to “calm down” – and now Betty joins the friendly team of our heroes, who in parallel with saving the world are studying in college and working in one of the stores in Simendin. And their boss is this miracle with a fish on his head:
Did you make it? I, too, swam away from this nonsense at one point, although, in fact, we are faced with a standard anime bubblegum. In the sequel, our heroes, led by Yumo, naturally face new dangers, and their store tries to be bought out by representatives of a powerful corporation, from which obviously nothing good can be expected.
In fact, the story gradually even begins to drag on. Thankfully the characters are mostly likable, the art is top notch, the plot is more epic, and the world is bigger (not just Shimendin, but many different locations, including forests, snow and even huge arcade areas). The action takes place all over Taipei.
But three factors spoil everything. First, the battles. They seem to have been improved – there are more options, although without much surprise – almost all the familiar mechanics of similar games, with the correction that the fights are in real time. We are free to switch between the characters at any time, who dashingly beat up enemies with normal and enhanced attacks, call on others for help, use their own set of unique skills (Yumo, for instance, fights in close combat, and the long-legged Lee Weida fires pistols) and gradually fill up the scale to enter the local rage mode.
Yumo can also summon three little “Chaos Beasts.
Proskazka also standard – in the safe zones for the collected resources increase the parameters and learn new skills. Plus you can upgrade weapons, create useful spheres and consumables.
However, the battles remained just as boring and monotonous as in the first part. In fact, everything boils down to a monotonous chasing more or less fat monsters with punches and skills. Except for the boss fights that cheer you up.
Secondly, all this is exacerbated by uncomfortable controls, which, of course, feels especially so on the “keyboard”, but also on the gamepad is not ideal. The main thing that infuriates is the camera, which you have to constantly adjust to see where we are running or who we are hitting.
And finally, the exploration of the world here is as boring and monotonous as the battles. Yes, there are more locations in Dusk Diver 2, but it just increased the number of runs through the empty (though faithfully reproduced) streets of Taipei, where there are more food stores than interesting situations and quests. It’s understandable that all anime games are obsessed with food, but in this case it’s already a bit clinical – shops with a variety of food are found at every turn, everyone talks about food, it is separately stated what each character prefers, food can be eaten immediately or taken to take away to eat in a safe place before the fight and get passive bonuses.
Again, there are many side quests about gastronomy, including the global task of trying all the dishes on the extensive list and being rewarded for it. Most of the other sidequests are of the same level. Find a purse, bring a mask to perform, collect so-and-so, visit so-and-so places, listen to the history of that neighborhood. It’s generally okay for games like this, but when it’s also accompanied by primitive dialogue, it gets overwhelming.
The game has personal quests of Yumo’s friends, for which you can get a special reward or learn a useful skill. And that’s where we often hear things like. “I love you so much, Yumi, you’re so beautiful and smart.” – “You too, Yusha.” – “Oh, did you find my purse? You’re so cute, I’m so grateful and I love you so much.” – “Well, you’re welcome, because we’re best friends and I love you so much, too.” Curtain. Or one day Yumo went for a walk with Nemea, during which another girl wanted a picture with the two such kawaii cuties. Then the other girl forgot her camera and we had to run after her to give it back and get another “Oh, you’re so nice, I love you so much” at the end.
In my review of Atelier Sophie 2: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Dream I wrote about the possibility of overdosing on local anime milota, but if that’s really a signature gimmick there (it’s just too much for me even in comparison to Atelier Ryza 2), then in Dusk Diver 2 it’s more like idiocy. And when during these “exciting” runs through the neighborhoods we are also in the world of people begin to attack the beasts of Chaos, I want to skip them and run away from the game.
For me, Dusk Diver 2 was the epitome of over-the-top anime precisely in the worst sense of the word, which is what alienates many people from the genre. A deliberately confusing though essentially predictable plot, primitive quests, an empty world, a general obsession with food, idiotic dialogues between kawaii cuties… Plus monotonous battles and awkward controls. The good things here are also there – for example, humor, but the minuses outweigh.
Pros: the plot seems confusing at first, but can drag on; there are colorful characters that are also perfectly drawn; compared to the first part, the game has grown in scale; spectacular special effects in battles.
Cons: mostly boring battles that you want to skip; awkward controls and camera; empty world; primitive side quests and dialogues.