Keys Of Enlightenment II RPG

Review by MePHiStO_IS_GoD 3

One of my favorite SC rpgs of all time!

Terrain:

The Terrain is good, elitists will look down on it because its all 'square' but this was made before scmdraft so :P

Units:

The units are balanced to give you a good level of challenge without being overbearingly hard

AI:

The AI works well with the respawning enemy system so they feel like actual enemies.

Sound:

Lots of cool sounds made this very immersive back in the day

Originality:

The unique death system and EXP system are the first of their kind and are done very well.

Replay Value:

With the respawning enemies done well, and the ability to pick different heroes, this map has pretty good replay value

General Overview:
The story of Keys of Enlightenment 2 is set in a medieval time where the land's peace is kept by 6 magic stones, the keys of enlightenment. They have been targeted by thieves and evil doers multiple times but they have been protected by heroes throughout the generations. However this time a horrible plague has swept in and stolen the keys spreading chaos and disease throughout the land. You are heroes who have been charged with defeating the evil plague and recovering the keys so that peace can resume once again.

The Good:

-This RPG isn't afraid to take chances as it feels very different from a traditional one. For one thing you control 2 heroes instead of one, and the map works on a "colored" exp system. One hero gains exp when killing blue colored enemies while one gains exp when killing green colored enemies.
It sounds weird but in execution it works very well and makes this a unique experience.
-The Death system is also unique, if one of your heroes dies you go to hell and must escape hell to get back to the living world, however if you die in hell you return with a curse that haunts you until the end of the game. If you lose both your heroes at the same time, its game over.
-This map has the best use of respawning enemies I've ever seen. The enemies respawn, but not in clumps that can cheap-kill you or just get plain annoying, So many RPGs are guilty of lazily using respawning enemies. Even Spellsword, an rpg that some consider to be flawless, uses a clumpy respawning system that just gets tedious. Thankfully KoE2 does it right. By having the respawning enemies patrol around after spawning so they feel like real enemies.
-The map is challenging enough to be difficult but not too hard that you wanna break your computer *cough labryinthos*
-Good replay value as picking new heroes creates a new experience.

The Bad:
-The terrain, while good when it was made, will be considered poor by elitists, but I'll remind them it was made before Scmdraft so extended terrain didn't even exist.
-There aren't any real spells or side quests in this rpg, I admit side quests would've been nice, but spells I can do without, I can think of plenty of terrible rpgs with spells *cough X-men Insane RPG *
-The story, while not bad, could've been a little more fleshed out and immersive.

The Ugly:
-Certain curses you get from dieing in hell are just plain brutal. Some of the curses you get in the game aren't too bad, but some are so brutal you might as well restart the game.

Overall:
Despite the few flaws this game has, It still remains a great rpg and one of my favorites. I've been playing it since I was in middle school and I can still find time to go back, play it, and enjoy it today. How many RPGS on SC can you say that about! If you've never heard of it (which you probably haven't) Do yourself a favor and try it out or else you'll be missing out.

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Author:

MePHiStO_IS_GoD 3

Posted On:

June 26, 2010

Rating

Overall:

• Excellent

Excellent

Terrain:

Units:

AI:

Sound:

Originality:

Replay Value: