Role-Playing Games of the 2010s, Part 3 Codexery

Record of Agarest War 2

A tactical RPG with three generations and a Dark Love ending.

Record of Agarest War 2

Record of Agarest War 2, released in Europe as Agarest: Generations of War 2, is a tactical role-playing game from Idea Factory and Red Entertainment. Compile Heart published it for the PlayStation 3 in Japan on November 18, 2010, and a Windows version followed on February 19, 2015. It serves as the sequel to the 2007 title Record of Agarest War and stands as the third installment in the series. A downloadable patch enables PlayStation Move support for certain mini-games.

The Soul Breeding system introduces a "Dark Love" ending: if the relationship rate with the chosen partner is low, the protagonist enters a politically arranged, loveless marriage solely to produce a child, resulting in weaker stats for the next generation's hero.

The story begins when a mysterious, blinding light engulfs the world, causing terrible destruction while appearing sublimely beautiful. Those who witnessed it compared the event to divine rage. The central continent, believed to be the light's origin, fell silent as demons spread across the land like a plague. Survivors called this day the "Day of Light." Later, a young amnesiac named Weiss meets Eva, an Agent of the Divine, who reveals that Weiss committed deicide. To atone, he must become a "Vessel" to hold the slain divinity's power, which will be used to resurrect the god he killed. The narrative warns that those who betray the divine will suffer in the space between salvation and damnation, along with their descendants.

Gameplay introduces several changes from earlier Agarest titles. The game spans only three generations, with 18 total party members: seven in the first, six in the second, and five in the third. It uses the AAA (Active Animation Adventure) system, which is more fluid than in Agarest War Zero. Party members now have relationship ratings, and only four can be on the field at once (down from six), though inactive members still earn experience points. The Leader command allows swapping field members. PP (Party Points) can be allocated to two new categories: Dex (Dexterity, replacing Luck) and Mnd (Mind, affecting resistance). Most PP is auto-distributed on level-up, but players can retract points if needed. This is the first game in the series where any bride can be chosen regardless of relationship level, with the next protagonist's stats scaling accordingly.

Quick Facts

Title
Record of Agarest War 2
Developer
Idea Factory / Red Entertainment / Laughing Jackal (PC)
Publisher
JP · Compile Heart · NA · Aksys Games · EU · Ghostlight
Released
PlayStation 3JP · November 18, 2010 · NA · June 26, 2012 · EU · August 31, 2012Microsoft Windows / February 19, 2015
Genre
Tactical role-playing
Modes
Single-player
Platforms
PlayStation 3, Microsoft Windows

Facts from the source article.

Lore & Background

The world was enveloped by a mysterious blinding light known as the Day of Light, which caused terrible destruction and made witnesses think of divine fury. The central continent went silent, and demons spread like a plague. After this catastrophe, a young man named Weiss, who has lost all memory of himself, encounters an enigmatic woman named Eva, an Agent of the Divine. She informs Weiss that he has committed the sin of deicide and must become the Vessel to store the power of the divinity he slaughtered, so that power can be used to resurrect the one whose life he stole. The game warns that those who betray the divine will pay for their sins in the space between salvation and damnation, as will their progeny.

Reader's Guide

Record of Agarest War 2 introduced several changes and improvements from earlier Agarest games. It features only three generations, with 18 party members total. The game uses the AAA (Active Animation Adventure) system, which is more fluid than that of Agarest War Zero. Party members now have relationship ratings, and only up to four can be on the field at once (down from six), though inactive members still receive experience points. Players can switch field members using the Leader command. The PP (Party Points) system now includes two new categories: Dex (Dexterity, replacing Luck) and Mnd (Mind, affecting Resistance). Most PP is automatically distributed on level-up, but can be retracted. This is the first game in the series where any bride can be chosen regardless of relationship level, with the next protagonist's stats varying accordingly. The battle system uses the system from Cross Edge, EX Skills are renamed Original Skills, Will Power is removed and replaced by EX Skills, and EP is removed (its functions now use gold). Certain CGs are animated rather than still images. The game is the first in the series to feature minigames that can utilize the PlayStation Move via a downloadable patch, and the first where the player can travel to all five continents during the First Generation. It uses HD sprites instead of standard sprites.

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