preview Aragami 2: infiltration at its peak?
Five years after the success of the original title, the Spaniards at Lince Works are back with a new episode of Aragami, an infiltration game that puts us in the shoes of a ninja. It must be said that given the sales of the first episode, which has sold more than 600,000 copies worldwide, it seemed logical to start a sequel. But while we find infiltration in all AAA open world games today, does Aragami 2 have the arguments necessary to find a place in the hearts of fans of the genre?
As the war continues, Aragami 2 puts us in the position of a warrior from the Rashomon Valley who must face the invasion of the Akatsuchi, an alien army. Despite his best efforts, our hero is murdered by enemy officers. Then he wakes up in the village of Kakurega, where he meets Kurotsuba, the chief of the clan. He explains to him that he and all the other villagers suffer from a curse that makes them immortal, but prevents them from feeling anything. Their faces have also disappeared, forcing them to wear masks to express their personality. Affected by the same disease, our hero decides to return to the Rashomon Valley to help the remaining villagers drive away the invaders and find a cure for this curse.
You will understand, Aragami 2 does not shine for the originality of its scenario. This quest for revenge, however, adds to the overall feel of the title, which is based on a pleasant artistic orientation inspired by Asian folklore and mythology. in addition, Fortunately, the title can count on its charming visual identity as its technology looks a bit dated and textures in particular are not always very detailed. To get back to the story, the latter only serves as a pretext, since the game takes the form of a series of missions interrupted by returning to the village that plays the role of the turnstile. In the latter it is possible to buy new tools, equip runes or activate different techniques within a skill tree. Classic in itself.
Classic but effective … like a ninja
And classic, that’s the word that also defines Aragami 2’s gameplay. In fact, all of the mechanics it offers have already been seen in a large number of titles that preceded it. : you have to crouch in the tall grass and stay in the shade to avoid being seen, you have an “eagle sight” to spot enemies, you can storm from platform to platform and teleport. If you’ve played an open world AAA game in the past decade, you are on familiar territory here. More precisely, the title is a mixture of Dishonored for the powers that be, Ghost of Tsushima for the atmosphere and Sekiro for the combat system, which is based on endurance and parries with precise timing. And yet, despite this immediately noticeable feeling of déjà vu, it is clear that everything is working particularly well.
If the gameplay lacks originality, it is still very fast and allows players to be efficient as long as they have foreseen their actions well in advance.. If the first missions are relatively easy, the levels quickly become more complex and longer and require more and more observation, patience and caution. In terms of objectives, the latter are not very different (eliminate or capture a target, observe or steal resources …). Fortunately, to achieve them, the game offers many effective tools and skills that allow you to vary the approaches, even if they are not particularly original (making noise to attract the enemy, making yourself invisible …). Another essential element for a game of infiltration, Artificial intelligence is in the average of the current titles that suggest phases of infiltration, that is, rather permissive towards the player, but difficult to defeat once he has discovered you.
So we get into the game quickly, we go through the missions, becoming more and more comfortable and efficient with his character, which in the end gives the feeling of playing a real ninja. Since the title focuses almost exclusively on the missions and does not offer any side, the title seems to be primarily intended for fans of infiltration games, as evidenced by the scoreboard at the end of each level. Of course, to get the top grade the goal is to be as discreet as possible by avoiding being spotted by the guards and hiding the bodies. In conclusion, it is important to emphasize that we unfortunately couldn’t try multiplayer, which nonetheless seems to be one of the main arguments of this second episode. So answer in September for the game’s release.
Our impressions
Despite its lack of originality in its mechanics, Aragami 2 manages to deliver a captivating experience for lovers of infiltration. With its efficient and fast gameplay, we like to chain missions to get the best possible score. But if the title still offers a beautiful visual universe, very much inspired by Japanese folklore, then we can blame it for a somewhat outdated technique, especially when it comes to the textures. It now remains to try multiplayer to see if the Aragami series has enough to become a safe bet for infiltration.
Journalist igamesnews.com
July 15, 2021 at 6:00 p.m.
