Product Description

THE END MARKS THE BEGINNING FOR ALCHEMY As the bench mark of hardcore RPG titles, Mana Khemia evolves to a new level for the PlayStation 2. With the ultimate 2D graphics blended with anime influenced 3D environments the visuals are stunning. Game play is as excellent as its looks with plenty of action and tons of item crafting. Players can indulge in the hardcore world of gaming with highest degree possible on the PlayStation 2 platform.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4147 in Video Games
• Brand: Koei
• Model: 8-132
• Published on: 2009-08
• Released on: 2009-08-25
• ESRB Rating: Teen
• Platform: PlayStation2
• Number of items: 1
• Dimensions: 1.25" h x 5.44" w x 7.60" l, .38 pounds

Features

• Mana Khemia 2 adopts a unique type of turn based battle system
• You will have a set of attackers and supporters that would be exchanged in and out through out the battle with attack/support actions
• Players can search for ingredients throughout the world and create over 100 new item by using what was found
• There are 2 separate stories ready for Mana Khemia 2 one for each of the 2 main characters
• Depending on how you play the game can alter the ending

Customer Reviews

Classic, in my book.
Well If you played Mana Khemia 1, then you'll definitely love this one. One of the best games I would consider to be on the withering years on the play station 2 console. It has a nice variety of characters in which if you get enough, you can switch in battle. This game reminds me entirely of golden sun, except its not as great as golden sun, it still has memorable great battle music and similar battle systems. I love how it comes with the ost, that makes it worth buying even more, I wish most of the great games came with the ost. The gameplay is 2-D, Running around and on a overworld like map, seeing blob like monsters then encountering them like those in Tales of Symphonia. There are missions that pertain to the plot of each character, and those for just free roaming the world, and side missions for more items/cutscenes/character development arcs. They're skill tree's that through alchemy, you can obtain the item then gaining the skill for the person of choice. Overall, to me its a great game. I suggest buying the first one before buying the second one (duh), so you'd understand the plot.

Please check your RPG appetite before playing
In the dying years of the PS2, the English market has finally been seeing a number of small-company Japanese RPG games that often play to niche markets. Generally simplified as "JRPGs", this is both an adored and loathed term in the video game universe. How do you define one? "It looks animated" is nice and vague, but works. For the most part, you either like them or you don't. Some games have more popular appeal (like the Disgaea or Persona series), but there are dozens of essentially unknown games floating about for the hardcore fan to enjoy. This game, despite some attempts at originality, simply can't find its way out of the grab bag of JRPGs.

Characters? Story? Only so much can be expected. As with many JRPGs we have a high school type of setting, and characters are variably intelligent or mature in a variety you'd normally expect at that age. It can be very frustrating to see people complain about characters without understanding that a lot are just deliberately placed there as a generic role or stereotype fillers. To try to offer a different spin, Fall of Alchemy actually has two different plotlines that let you pick which main character you'd like to be before starting. Sadly the selections are terribly unbalanced, with the male protagonist angle of fighter and boytoy Raze offering a much better experience. Either direction you take, you're confined into the same environment by your school and the "main" plot events and story characters are shared between both. Things are even written cleverly enough to have a good rivalry between the two parties.

Time progression in the game is separated by weeks, and you'll have either school assignments to complete or free time to waste. With the school as your base, it's actually a good way to open new areas and slowly teach the more advanced game features. Assignments start easy, but eventually lead to the obligatory big monster boss fights. As its a game in this series (and with the title), the other lead aspect of the game is Alchemy synthesis which is how you'll be coughing up literally every piece of new equipment and medicine after you begin. Free Time is given after you complete certain class grade requirements and should mostly be used to view the optional character development lines.

Right, time for players to get weeded out into those who actually want to buy the game or not. Alas, it suffers from almost every generic JRPG 'drawback': A slow start for battle and characters, a highly exaggerated concept of a story, a combat system that gets hectic and wildly complicated as you move on, in-game features that end up as more of a pain than the added fun they were meant to be, and she sheer time investment needed to complete. If you're used to this all, there's no particular reason you should avoid this game. There's just no special thing that stands out. This series is a part of the larger Gust development team of RPGs that would take far too long to explain in a small space here.

The combat system is actually pretty slick after you learn the ins and outs. Emphasis is placed on supporting attacks by other allies and swapping positions on the front line. Not all abilities are instantaneous and have charge times, and others are elemental effects that occur a few times. Though this is the battle "gimmick" of this series, it'll still wind up the same in the end... where for nearly all your normal encounters you'll use the same general abilities over and over again. The boss battles can be both exciting and strangely hectic at the same time, as swapping is meant to be continuous, actions speed is halved, and special combination attacks are thrown in. Sometimes I found myself just winning without really knowing what happened, but it was fun nonetheless. It's a bit much for the eyes on the defunct PS2, though there are no framerate or speed issues anywhere.

If your goal is just expanding your RPG collection and some pretty cheap thrills, go for it. 90% of the people who are researching the game probably already have a good idea how much they'll enjoy this before they ever begin. Such is the universe of the JRPG, but there are better games out there you'd likely want to look into first if you're new to the concept. The other 10% of you, hopefully this explains things at least a little.

A Boring Spiteful Game
I really tried to like this game. I kept playing for quite some time, telling myself that there are plenty of great games with a terrible first hours. This is not one of those games, this is a thoroughly un-fun game the entire way.

Let's start with a positive note, shall we? Gameplay is slightly better then in the original, Alchemy is a bit more complex since you now have to synth with a partner, different partners give different effects, and the "ether meter" from the first game has been changed. As for fighting, well it didn't get any worse or better.
If this is your first time playing a game in the series you'll find the gameplay to be enjoyable and refreshing. If it is not your first game, you'll find the lack of change to be boring.

Now to move onto the negative part, the plot and the characters. I put these two together since there isn't much of a plot, so the game is character based. The problem is that the characters are completely unlikable. More specifically, the characters are all determined that they aren't going to get along with anybody and not a single conversation goes by without them insulting/harming/just generally being mean to the person they are talking to. Everybody hates everyone else. Every single conversation is negative in tone. If one character genuinely likes another, they are met with such scathing hatred that you wonder what they could have possibly seen in that character in the first place.
I started the game playing Ulrika's (the girl's) path, and in her story there is only one positive relationship and it's between two characters the game seems to regard as "weird" and "gross" and who everyone else in the game hates them enough to make up for their friendship.
In desperation for some characters who don't hate each other, I switched over to the other character, Raze. I was immediately introduced to a boy who hates every person who he knows, who insults the girl next to him for the simple reason that she was being nice and introducing herself, and to a rich girl who punishes her maid corporeally several times for daring to say something she didn't like.

It's just... tiring and unpleasant to exposed to such negativity nonstop. I feel so bitter and angry after playing this game, just thinking about it to write the review wears me out emotionally.

If you're new to the series and think the premise of going to an Alchemy School is interesting, do yourself a favor and play the first game. If you're an old fan... Just wait till Atelier Annie comes out and hope it's better.