Lost Kingdoms II (2003)

I was really excited to discover that there was a sequel to Lost Kingdoms, and after looking and looking I found a copy on ebay that was reasonably enough priced to pick it up.

Lost Kingdoms 2 immediately was given a graphic overhaul, the environments and characters look better, but I personally don't like the card design changes.

The camera angle is closer to 3rd person over isometric, and while this makes it look better, I think it makes the game play worse.

It tries to deliver a better story with voice acting, but this is mediocre at best, mostly just cheesy nonsense that even me as a pre-teen would have rolled my eyes at.

Unfortunately, a LOT of the gameplay changes I think make this game worse.

The game is given more cards, which was awesome. But a lot of these are new card types of mechanical enemies, which serve as like 80% of the enemies and they are ANNOYING!

They have more hitpoints and take longer to kill. Overall fights take slightly longer with it rare you one hit anything. I think this is also because the levels are meant to be revisited, but this means that initial passes through levels are incredibly short, so fights are dragged on.

Unfortunately this means that cards feel weaker, and Independent monsters frustrating AI means often they die without doing anything.

The stone system feels off in this game. I was running out constantly, because of the monsters having more hitpoints. But also the game just gives less stones, and forces you to use more outside of fights.

This is combined with a new skill system, where using certain elements levels your skills, if you don't meet the skill required those cards cost double. Unfortunately, this combined with the above changes means when you get an awesome monster card you usually can't afford to use it without hurting yourself a ton! This defeats all the excitement of getting an epic card.

A new card type is added where the player transforms into a monster and gains some attacks/abilities. However, these are used primarily like HMs in Pokemon, where it's a tax you pay to explore more in the level. BUT, with the stone issues above you frequently are penalized for using these cards.

They also take precious deck space when not contributing a ton to the fights.

I could go on, but needless to say, the gameplay tried to iterate too much on the first game and lost what made it work well in the first place.

Overall I was really disappointed by this game, particularly after hunting down a physical copy.

Just play Lost Kingdoms 1

Much like the previous title, this game is all about having real-time monster card battles. There is no setting cards, picking moves, and waiting passively for your turn again. Instead you will be throwing cards all around the battlefield, dodging clashing monsters, and just trying not to get killed. I had about as much fun as I did with the first title, and here is how it breaks down:

--The Good--

This game is unambitious as a sequel game, but manages to accomplish everything a sequel needs to accomplish. Improvements to the gameplay were made so that battles flowed a little better than the original. New card types were introduced, similar to the way new card sets are released for your favorite CCG. There are a few new game mechanics too, like the ability to actually transform into certain monsters and move around the field as them.

--The Bad--

Unfortunately this game tries to have a bit more of a story. But the whole thing is rushed and sloppy, and this time it is a little more difficult to ignore it than in the first game. I personally wish that games like this would give up all but the bare-bones of a narrative or go all out and try to write something memorable. Half-assed stories like this just waste my time. The first game was more tolerable because the story was not so front-and-center. The main focus was on the card battles. I wish this game had kept that narrative minimalism going.

-- The Verdict --

If you enjoyed the previous title you will find more of the same. If you have never played the previous title, but you enjoy the concept of this game, go ahead and play it anyway. The games take place far enough apart in the history of this world that you don't need to have played the first one to make sense of the second.

Though these two games are not overly impressive, I have yet to find a better representation of real-time monster card battling. Both games together hardly took me ten hours to beat, so if you can get them relatively cheaply and the idea of these games resonates with you I say go with your gut and play them. It's a reasonably fun way to spend a few evenings.

I do hope that another game company digs up these titles someday though and does something a little more creative with the game mechanics.