Dungeon Explorer II

~ DUNGEON EXPLORER II ~

Hudson Soft / TTI

Super CD-ROM

1993

Fifty years after a heroic band of dungeon explorers pummeled the sinister Natas, the country of Oddesia once again finds itself in serious trouble. The precious Ora Stone, which was cherished so highly by Natas in the original Dungeon Explorer, has fallen into the execrable hands of a demonic being named Phades. Not one for half measures or small talk, Phades resurrects Natas, and while cunningly assuming the guise of Natas’ minion, sets plans in action to conquer Oddesia--and the rest of the world with it. Thankfully, the last of the great dungeon explorers still happen to reside in Oddesia, and off they set, not only to slay Natas once and for all, but also to thwart the covert ambitions of his malicious henchman.

Dungeon Explorer successfully merged the mechanics of Gauntlet with slick 16-bit superficials, and was a huge hit with Turbo fans. However, while DE did transform Gauntlet into more of an adventure than a maze-crawler by inserting towns, bosses and an ongoing story, it was still a decidedly linear adventure, with players asked to migrate strictly from one locale to the next, demolishing the hordes of enemies that acted as Natas’ guard. Dungeon Explorer II, on the other hand, is so much more than that: it’s a full-blown epic adventure chock-full of sidequests, secrets and surprises.

The vintage Gauntlet-style game play is still intact in DE II, with the action viewed from an overhead perspective and enemies born from small, circular generators located in abundance throughout the land. (Towns are usually devoid of villains, however.) Along with a primary weapon that can be hurled endlessly at enemies, each character has specific varieties of black and white magic at his or her disposal. Black magic is typically used when on the offensive, while white usually contains healing or defensive properties. Potions, which can be found at odd spots throughout Oddesia or obtained by defeating villains, are necessary to make use of spells. Players can select from eight different types of characters at the beginning of the game, with each class differing in strength, speed and magic power.

You'll meet up with other types of characters who'll be willing to help you on your quest, among which are a monk, an engineer, and even a droid.

At any point during your journey, you can stop by a tavern and switch to a different character class, with no penalty being assessed to your stats--a very nice feature indeed, especially considering that various NPCs in Oddesia will react differently to you depending on which character you are using. For example, a certain wizard will teach you a new type of magic should you be playing as a witch, while you'll only be allowed to enter the Dwarf Woods if you are using Dorz, the dwarves’ king. These opportunities for experimentation were limited in the first episode of the series, but they present themselves in abundance in DE II.

One of the game’s nicest features is the option for as many as five players to undertake the mission simultaneously. It’s true that the action can get quite hectic at times with five brash warriors charging around the screen at once, and the game is significantly easier when there are more good guys available to deal with the relentless enemy forces. Nonetheless, it’s rare for action-RPGs to offer the opportunity for more than one person to participate in the gameplay, and if the members of your party can manage to work reasonably well together, you will find few experiences in gaming as enjoyably chaotic as multiplayer DE II.

There is a catch involved with the multiplayer mode that should be mentioned, however, and it involves the game’s method of increasing character statistics. Instead of utilizing the standard system of experience points, DE II awards each member of your party a crystal after you stomp on a boss. Each crystal that you obtain raises your character’s level by one. However, a party member must be alive when a boss is beaten to receive a crystal. In other words, if you happen to lose a life while battling a boss and your allies manage to defeat said boss before you can hit “Run” and resume playing, you'll be deprived of a precious crystal. Thankfully, your party will be allowed to return to the boss’s lair afterwards and smack him around for a second time so that you can obtain your crystal.

While the first Dungeon Explorer basically holds players’ hands through each step of its adventure, allowing for very little independent exploration, DE II offers a plethora of areas and subquests that aren’t relevant to the main storyline. Exploring every nook and cranny of Oddesia will enable you to boost your stats and meet new, playable characters. Subplots and boss creatures await you in places where you least expect them, adding to the depth and spontaneity of the adventure. If you take full advantage of all that the game offers, you'll be able to choose from over a dozen different playable characters and battle over two dozen bosses.

As you will soon discover while traveling through the game’s many dungeons, towns, forests and caves, the land of Oddesia is absolutely enormous--probably ten times the size of the country that was presented in the original DE. Although backtracking is rarely necessary, you might wish to return to certain areas that you hadn’t explored thoroughly the first time around (a good idea considering the secret characters and bonuses that can be discovered), which leads to another neat feature of DE II. In most towns, you can visit the home of a wizard who can teleport you to locations that you visited earlier; all it will cost you is a single potion. This is a nice way of dealing with the overwhelming enormity of Oddesia, and it will encourage you to conduct as much independent exploration as possible.

Should you need a break from the insanely fast-paced action, you can always pay a visit to one of the local grim reapers and challenge him to a quick game of blackjack. At stake is your life. Beat the reaper to add an extra life to your supply; lose, and one life will be depleted from your stock, and you'll be subjected to some of the reaper’s wisecracks. It’s definitely an enjoyable diversion when the action begins to get a little too hot and heavy, and the reaper’s sense of humor will likely keep you entertained even if you’re getting your butt kicked in blackjack.

In addition to the intense multiplayer gameplay and the many secrets, subplots and mini-games, Dungeon Explorer II boasts a superb storyline. Don’t be fooled by the simplicity of the main plot; there is plenty of depth to this adventure, primarily thanks to its fascinating villain.

The scrawny yet sinister Phades, whose grinning countenance is featured on the game’s cover, is immensely compelling, possibly due to the fact that he is as much a threat to the evil side as to the good. It’s fascinating to watch the animated intermission scenes where Phades obediently deals with Natas, only to privately identify and dissect his “leader’s” insecurities and weaknesses. Phades cares little for Natas’ ambitions and wishes to crush him just as convincingly as he wishes to destroy your own party of heroes. (Think of Galvatron’s relationship with Unicron in the legendary Transformers film and you will have a surprisingly accurate idea of how Phades feels about Natas.) Such interaction between villains is far too rare in video games and is especially impressive when you consider that DE II was designed so many years ago.

Despite the fact that Natas is typically referred to as the “great evil” in the Dungeon Explorer games, Phades will act as your primary (and most dangerous) adversary in this adventure. Due to his penchants for stealing precious stones, killing kings, and just generally wreaking havoc, you will spend much of your journey pursuing Phades similar to the manner in which Cloud and company chase after Sephiroth in Final Fantasy VII.

As with any respectable villain, Phades’ actions grow more shocking and wicked as the adventure continues, and he occasionally drops by to taunt your party and present you with one of his pet behemoths, whom you will, of course, be forced to do battle with.

Dungeon Explorer II’s captivating story is aided by the unconfined use of cinemas throughout the adventure. These scenes add to the drama immeasurably and stand as the game’s greatest visual moments. The graphics during actual play are a small step above the original DE’s, nothing particularly flashy but still immensely effective. The bosses are reasonably large, and most of the locales are bright and colorful enough. Some of the caves and dungeons are a little too drab and simplistic, but if visuals are going to be drab, they might as well be drab in caves and dungeons, right?

The original Dungeon Explorer features some of the best music one could ever hope to hear in a 16-bit game, yet this sequel goes above and way beyond that, primarily by boasting incredible CD remixes of many of the greatest tunes from the first title. I hadn’t acquired Dungeon Explorer II until a good ten years after conquering the first one; yet, I was able to recognize the redone tracks the second they began playing, and I was completely blown away by them. Veteran DE players will undoubtedly find feelings of nostalgia evoked by this music, but at the same time, they'll realize the superiority of the adventure they are currently immersed in. That’s why Dungeon Explorer II is such a massive success as a sequel: it makes players appreciate the greatness of the original episode while seeing how far the series has clearly come with the follow-up.

If there is any complaint I might have regarding the game’s audio, it involves the voice acting. It’s not bad by any means, but the actors tend towards the overdramatic, which almost kills the power of some scenes. Otherwise, the sound effects are simple but unobtrusive, while the music adds to the atmosphere of each scene immeasurably.

Dungeon Explorer II ranks as one of the greatest Duo games and belongs in the libraries of all fans of the action-RPG genre, particularly those who enjoyed the first DE. The US version of the game goes for very high prices, but this is one title that’s actually worth every penny it will cost to obtain it. So track down a copy immediately and get started with your quest; Phades will be anxious to meet you.