Overview – developed by WONDERBOY BOBI, with publishing handled by PQube and PixelHeart, Aggelos 2 is an action adventure set in a fantasy world, set a thousand years after the previous game. As the hero Aggelos, save the Kingdom of Lumen from the army of darkness, which threatens the peace the gods hold and plunge the land into chaos. This title is available for all console platforms and Steam, with a link to each version of the game at the bottom of this review.
Disclaimer: before I get into the review, I would like to thank PQube for providing the copy of Aggelos 2 that was used for this piece, via the Keymailer service. The provision of this software has not influenced the contents of this review, all thoughts and opinions contained within are my own.
Now with the introductions out of the way, let’s get into the review, starting with the story. Please note, I will only be covering the core aspects of this release, as there are many secrets and surprises that I don’t want to spoil. I previously reviewed the first Aggelos title, but that was lost, so I revisited it before this review which you can find (HERE).
Story – Long ago, Aggelos, the angelic hero was sent to realm of the supreme god Lumen, dispatched by the minor god Balro. The hero was tasked with saving the Princess Lys and vanquishing the evil Deluge. Centuries after the defeat of Deluge, Lumen was driven into exile after a quarrel between the gods. A thousand years after the defeat of Deluge, a dark army attacks the divine realm. The Aggelos ventures to Lumen again, with the goal to dispel the dark once more.
Gameplay – Aggelos 2 is an action adventure with light RPG elements, where the player controls the angelic hero Aggelos. As the great hero, the player must explore the Kingdom of Lumen, which is made up of an interconnected world. The world is split into several regions, each with their own themes to them, including castle ruins, costal caves and a settlement in a forest. This gives the adventure a metroidvania style of progression.
The warrior of god Aggelos is armed with a special bracelet that allows magic to be fired, alongside a sword that can be used to cut down enemies. These weapons can be used to take down the enemies that appear, with each slain enemy dropping orbs that are added to an onscreen total. As the hero is an angelic being, they have a pair of wings that allow them to fly for a limited time. When flying, a bar on screen will run down and the hero will fall to the ground when it expires.
During the course of the adventure, the player will be able to unlock new special powers. The main power is the ability to transform, which allows the player to switch between their base Angel and Demon forms. The two forms have their own skills and powers, with the magic of the Angel form being purple and the Demon being red. When in combat, the player will be able to block attacks that match the color of the magic the hero currently has.
There are distinct differences between the Angel and Demon forms, which will change the playstyle that can be used in battle. As the Angel, the player will need to be more cautious and precise, whereas the Demon is more focused on rapid strikes and reflexive movements. The two modes also have their own special magical attacks, which will use up a magical charge. These are recharged by matching attacks and damaging enemies in battle.
As the player explores the different areas, the hero will gain new additional skills that will be used for the exploration. The player will gain the grappling hook, allowing the hero to hook onto walls, as well as the ability to climb and the use magic to destroy blocks. These skills allow for easier traversal of the areas, so players can reach higher points and reach previously inaccessible areas. More skills will be unlocked the further the player gets into the adventure.
While exploring the Kingdom of Lumen, there will be dimensional rifts that appear throughout the map. These are portals to a dark distorted realm, which can only be accessed when the Demon form is unlocked but players can switch forms inside this other place. The parallel world expands the total area that can be explored, while also making it possible to reach new areas that are blocked off. This adds a non-linear feel to the exploration.
As the player makes their way through the different locations, there will be items in hard to reach spaces. These include Hearts that add containers to the player total, allowing more damage to be taken before death. Then there are the orb containers, increasing the amount that can be collected, magic charges for special attacks and the magic vials for skill usage. The Angel form uses healing magic, whereas the Demon form provides enhanced speed and attacks.
At set points throughout the map, the player will come across special statues, with the most common being the save statues. These act as checkpoints where the player will revive if they die, with some of them offering the player the ability to teleport between special points. There will also be vial recharge points, which are candelabra with purple flames, where orbs can be traded to refill the magic vials to use form skills.
In this adventure, there will be boss encounters, where the player will enter and arena and engage in deadly battle with powerful foes. These battles are challenging and will use all skills the player has to this point. This makes them tests of the players skills, with the chance to encounter some of them sooner than others, potentially leading to death if the player is unprepared. By slaying the bosses, players will be able to progress further and obtain key items.
With this adventure being an action RPG, there is equipment that can be improved to enhance the power of the hero. Hidden throughout the kingdom, there are special altars that can be activated, by offering orbs that have been collected during play. These special altars will imbue the equipment tied to them with more power, levelling up the damage that weapons deal, as well as the resistance to damage for the armor that the hero wears.
The last core element of the adventure to discuss is the village, where Aggelos can return to frequently to get assistance and items during the quest. In the village there is a fortune teller, who will guide the player towards the current objective. Then there is the shop, which offers a selection of items, which are exchanged for orbs. Finally there is the nest room, where players can offer special eggs found across the worlds, getting rewards when milestones are reached.
Now with the gameplay covered, it is time to discuss the other aspects of this release, starting with the controls
Controls – This adventure makes full use of the controller, with the face buttons being used for attacks, magic vial skills and jumping/flying. Then there are the shoulders and triggers, which are used for the transformation skills and other movement skills. In play there is a lot of precision that is needed, with the best way to get this precise movement is through the D-pad. In general the game is comfortable, with remappable controls to fit any style of controller.
Difficulty – as this is a metroidvania style of game, there is a very fluid difficulty curve which is impacted by the non-linear progression. The introductory area of the game is relatively easy to navigate, but as the player gets further into the game, the challenge will ramp up. If the player goes off the beaten path, they may find themselves outmatched. For those who are looking for a greater challenge, there is an optional hard mode available from the start.
Presentation – Aggelos 2 uses a 16-bit style to the graphics, with big bold sprites, colorful backgrounds and parallax style scrolling. This style has a retro feel to it, with the overall look evoking the Mega Drive/Genesis style of graphics, specifically the wonderboy series. Thankfully as this uses a modern engine, there are no issues with flickering or slow down. The music is fantastic, with rearrangements of the first games soundtrack, alongside new music that adds to the fantasy feel.
Final Thoughts – I had previously played Aggelos, reviewing it long ago and revisiting it before doing this review. So when this game was made available, I was very excited to see what this adventure had to offer. There is a lot of depth to this adventure, with a light yet engaging story and new game mechanics, which expand greatly on the previous release. The action is challenging and a lot of fun, with reactive and responsive combat during play.
There are some cryptic elements to the adventure, with some of the items not being readily apparent with what they do. Due to this, there is the chance for some frustrations to occur, as well as the chance to get lost while trying to backtrack across the large map. But these elements are all part of the style that was pioneered by the Wonder Boy series that inspired Aggelos. Overall, I am happy to recommend this to fans of action adventures, and those who played the first Aggelos.
In the end, I give Aggelos 2 a final score of 4.25/5. This is a massive adventure, offering distinct styles of play, with two sprawling maps to explore, satisfying combat and challenging platforming, all wrapped in a retro 16-bit style aesthetic. If you want to check this title out for yourself, a link to each version of the game will be below.
Link to Nintendo Switch version (HERE)
Link to PlayStation version (HERE)
Link to Xbox version (HERE)
Link to Steam version (HERE)
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