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Millennium 2: Take Me Higher
PC (Steam)
Episode 2 of 5
4/5 stars
“Millennium 2: Take Me Higher” is the second part of Aldorlea’s episodic “RPG Maker” creation. There is actually very little worth mentioning that is different from the first episode, so instead of rehashing the aspects of the second part that are the same as the first part, I will direct anyone who is interested in this series of games to read my review of “Millennium: A New Hope” before proceeding.
Presentation
Everything about “Millennium 2’s” presentation is identical to the first episode, warts and all.
Story
“Millennium 2” resumes directly from the end of “Millennium: A New Hope.” Our heroes, including spunky female protagonist, Marine; her cautious cousin, Benoit; lady croc-hunter, Karine; and poetic monk, Hirado awaken from a nice rest, then immediately set-off for the capital city of Mystrock to begin the registration process for their woefully incomplete team of martial artists who will challenge the current government to a Trial by Combat in order to seize power and stop the abusive treatment of the poor rural folks by the elite and wealthy living in Mystrock proper.
Karine and Hirado don’t stick around for long since, as recruited fighters from Episode 1, they need to step aside and make room for whatever fighters Marine and Benoit manage to stumble across in Episode 2. Surprisingly, “Millennium 2” features more than just the two extra fighters who get recruited into Marine’s political power-play, as there are three extra… creatures that can join the party and be swapped in-and-out as the player wishes. Of course, these extra characters are severely outclassed by the two recruitable fighters in “Millennium 2,” Abu, a magical negro who lives in a swamp; and Jezebel, an attractive female beast tamer.
Marine’s quest to recruit fighters actually stalls quite early in the narrative of “Millennium 2,” but the plot actually gets a chance to thicken when Marine receives a letter from a mysterious individual proclaiming that her mother, who has been missing and presumed dead for quite some time, is still alive and was last seen entering a swamp. As she attempts to learn more about her mother’s situation, Marine and Benoit also come across a massive spider infestation in the Western part of the Mystrock continent, which leads them down the path of eradicating the scourge at its source.
Overall, “Millennium 2” feels much more substantial, plot-wise, even though the play-time is actually a bit shorter (about 10 hours) and the text has a few more instances of looking like it was written by an English as a Second Language student. Abu, Jezebel, and some of the other NPCs have more developed personalities than the last batch of fighters, and the game frequently cuts to the doings of the villainous Mystrock government between major scenes, providing the villains with some extra personality as well. “Millennium 2” also ends on a rather emotionally-charged note that will hopefully lead into further character and developments in Episode 3.
Gameplay
“Millennium 2” provides the player with the opportunity to import a save from “Millennium: A New Hope.” Interestingly, “Millennium 2” seems to be balanced around the player doing this, as the new areas feature tough battles that would become incredibly tedious without the end-game equipment from Episode 1. However, playing “Millennium 2” with an imported save feels perfectly balanced. Importing a save requires that the player have a post-game save from Episode 1, and allows the player to retain all of the items in their inventory at the end of the first game. Characters in “Millennium 2” start at level 20 with a purse of 2000 gold regardless of their levels and wealth at the end of Episode 1, which is slightly disappointing, but understandable.
The turn-based combat system is back, unchanged, from Episode 1. However, bosses feel like they have more reasonable HP numbers (there is one notable exception, but it’s technically an optional boss) and the playable characters learn a few more strategically interesting special moves – particularly Marine. I was actually shocked at how effective Marine is as a fighter in Episode 2… she’s hilariously strong compared to the ‘great’ fighters she’s trying to recruit, and could probably take-out all 13 members of Mystrock’s government on her own.
With regard to ‘Millennium’s’ predisposition toward secrets and quests, thankfully “Millennium 2” got rid of missable side-materials entirely. Early in the game, the secrets also seem to be a bit more reasonable, but by the last two dungeons fall back in the Episode 1’s patters of sticking hidden rooms anywhere and everywhere, leading thorough players to walk around inspecting every single section of wall. Likewise, most of the earlier dungeons in “Millennium 2” feel more reasonable in length than in Episode 1, but become rather long and drawn-out by the end of the game.
Overall
“Millennium 2: Take Me Higher” is a solid follow-up episode to “Millennium: A New Hope.” Everything that was good about Episode 1 is still good in Episode 2, while some of the smaller annoyances from the first part have been refined in the second. With the way the story is progressing, the characters developing, and the plot thickening, I’m definitely looking forward to Episode 3.
Presentation: 3.5/5
Story: 4/5
Gameplay: 4.5/5
Overall (not an average): 4/5
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