Ooh boy, this did not fix the issues I had with the first game at all. In some ways it is a refined project - the map is much better and dynamically shows your location! The running actually works more than 2 steps and your stamina recovers much more reliably. There are still some great puzzles too.

But they really had no concern about non-native players. There are way more puzzles than the first game that rely on your language and cultural knowledge, and even with a guide it’s unintelligible. I tried my best to push through with the limited help I could find, but it’s not possible.

Besides that, combat is even more annoying than the first. Encounters are just annoying, slow down the pacing, and feel completely stiff and finicky. The world design is a lot more empty and lifeless. It’s very much a scenario of 2 steps forward 2 steps back.

When the game is good, it’s lots of fun. But in this case, the good so rarely happens and it just feels unplayable 80% of the time. Someone native to the dev’s region may find this to be an incredible game, but heed my warning if you’re not that person.