Summoner 2

Summoner 2
US box art for PS2 version
Developer(s)Volition[a]
Publisher(s)THQ
Designer(s)Sandeep Shekar
Programmer(s)James Hague
Artist(s)Mitri Vanichtheeranont
Frank Marquart
Writer(s)Jason Scott
Composer(s)Dan Wentz
Franky Vivid
Kate Marlin-Nelson
SeriesSummoner
Platform(s)PlayStation 2, GameCube
ReleasePlayStation 2
  • NA: September 23, 2002[1]
  • EU: November 1, 2002
GameCube
  • NA: February 4, 2003
  • EU: April 11, 2003
Genre(s)Action role-playing
Mode(s)Single-player

Summoner 2 is an action role-playing game developed by Volition and published by THQ as the sequel to Summoner. It was originally released for PlayStation 2 in 2002 and was ported to the GameCube in 2003 by Cranky Pants Games with some visual changes as Summoner: A Goddess Reborn. The game features improved visuals and a more real-time, action-oriented combat system from the original.

Instead of Joseph, the player now takes on the role of Maia, Queen of Halassar, who is the goddess Laharah reborn, and can transform herself into a variety of "summonable" creatures. Maia must heal the legendary Tree of Eleh, the source of Aosi, the language of creation. Along the way, she meets a host of characters, including Yago from the original Summoner game.

Gameplay

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Similar to its predecessor, combat is in real time, with spells cast over time depending on the complexity of the spell. The chain attack system from the first game was removed in favor of a more traditional button combo and guard system. Skills are increased as the characters level up, and equipment is collected, including skills that are specific for AI controlled characters, meaning the player can focus playing a specific character if desired. Some enemies will respawn over time.

Unlike the first game, which was played with an unchangeable 5 member party (except for the summon), Summoner 2 only allows up to 3 characters to be in the party at once, although these characters are picked from a group of 7. Some sections of the game have a fixed character set-up, and most sections require Maia to be in the party. Also unlike the first game, overworld travel is done point to point, with no random encounters during travel. In addition to forwarding the main plot, Maia can also directly influence the development of the kingdom. She can donate gold collected from her adventures to improve the health services, education, and military of her realm, and also issue judgements on a variety of political issues. The decisions made will have repercussions later in the game.

Story

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The game takes place 20 years after the previous installment. Halassar, a province in the Empire of Galdyr, distant from the kingdoms of Medeva and Orenia, was foretold as the birthplace of the Goddess Laharah Reborn. The priestesses of Laharah declared Maia as the goddess when she was an infant and armies rose up in Maia's name, led by the Emperor's brother Prince Taurgis, making Halassar independent from Galdyr and Maia, the Queen of the Halassar Empire. Traveling with her is Sangaril, an orphan trained by the Shadow Clan assassins of the Munari, who was sent to kill Maia as a child, but instead became her sworn bodyguard. While reclaiming the Book of Prophets from the Halassar Palace traitor Dama Sivora, Maia activates a rune stone embedded in the pirate island stronghold of Prince Neru, on the Isle of Teomura, gaining the ability to transform into one of the 4 Summons. After recovering the Book of the Prophets and returning to the Palace she learns more about her destiny.

The Prophecy states that the Tree of Eleh, which gave life to the world, was shattered by the Tempest, an evil storm. Maia, the Goddess Laharah Reborn, is tasked with restoring the Tree as prophecy dictates. Maia next responds to a surprise attack by the remnants of the King of Adamur, the kingdom which was greatly truncated when she was identified as the Goddess Laharah. Attacking the Imperial Sepulchre the Empire has seized, Maia encounters Krobelus, under control of the Tempest, and defeats him. Curious to Krobelus' knowledge of her Prophecy, she begins to track him to the Prison of Indubal, where he has been held prisoner after being seized by Imperial forces of King Azraman, King of Galdyr. Krobelus explains that he was possessed, and that they must travel to the ice caverns of Eleh to find the gateway to the Realm of Twilight so that he can free himself of the evil and where Maia hopes to discover the key to restoring the Tree of Eleh. They hope to use a flying vessel which belongs to the legendary Morbazan who lives in Munari City, home to an aquatic race that worship many gods. There they encounter Morbazan, who tells the Goddess he will lend them his vessel in exchange for Iari. Not knowing what that is, Maia delves into the Adytum of the Unseen, and finds Iari who turns out to be a sentient weapon machine. She returns to Morbazan, who agrees to lead them up north to the Eleh Caverns, where the group find the monk Yago of Iona, from the first Summoner game, who guides them to a fragment of the Tree of Eleh, which acts as a portal to the multiplanar Realm of Twilight. Maia finds herself in a place called the Wheel of the Perduellion, controlled by a race who define themselves by a complicated system of Masks and are intent on slaying all of their gods. The Perduellion[2] inform Maia that her friends are trapped and can only be freed if she destroys their god, which entails complex quests in the Temple of the Archons, the Bibliopolis of Lost Tomes, the Tribunal, Vandal's Ruins to battle Vandal and his daughter, Nepenthes, and Paludal's Bridge with mud golems. She frees Morbazan from a trial by combat, discovering who he really is; that he and Iari are the last of the Unseen, the former gods and leaders of the Perduellion. Once Maia has freed all of her party, they must fight the Perduellion's new tyrant ruler Ushandul and travel to the stronghold of Sharangir to control his tower and therefore defeat the powerful Khargathalan. After this the party are automatically transported back to the Palace of Halassar except for Maia, who is sent alone to the Dream of Eleh to speak with the spirits of Rosalind, the Abbess of Iona and Yago's daughter, and the God Urath who was made whole again in the first Summoner game. She learns from them more about the path she wishes to go down in order to save the kingdom and defeat the Tempest. Maia's trusted friend and guide Surdama Kir betrays her and becomes a slave to the Tempest. In the Palace Throne Room, Maia and her friends travel to the Labyrinth of the Guardians, where they are attacked in four portals. After completion of the Labyrinth, Maia is able to access the 13th Summon and its powers. Showdowns at the Eye of the Storm and the Celestial Sphere follow, with the weakened Maia joining with Iari in a final desperate move, to become more powerful and defeat the Tempest once and for all. The game ends with Maia/Iari defeating the Tempest and becoming the Tree of Eleh itself.

Reception

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The original Summoner 2 received "generally favorable reviews", while A Goddess Reborn received above-average reviews, according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[3][4] Star Dingo of GamePro's December 2002 issue said of the former game, "Anyone willing to dive into this science-fantasy swirl will be duly rewarded with one of the more memorable and unique RPGs to ever grace the PS2. Unfortunately, it's a plunge most will be unwilling to take...on the surface, Summoner 2 looks a little too cold."[26][c] Four issues later, he said of the latter, "While it may not be the most technically advanced RPG on the market by any stretch of the imagination, Summoner: A Goddess Reborn still manages to break through its weaknesses to stretch your imagination."[27][d]

GameSpot named the same console version the best GameCube game of February 2003 in review.[28]

Notes

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  1. ^ Ported to GameCube by Cranky Pants Games.[1]
  2. ^ Three critics of Electronic Gaming Monthly gave the PlayStation 2 version each a score of 7/10, 6.5/10, and 7.5/10.
  3. ^ GamePro gave the PlayStation 2 version 3/5 for graphics, and three 4/5 scores for sound, control, and fun factor.
  4. ^ GamePro gave the GameCube version two 3.5/5 scores for graphics and control, and two 4/5 scores for sound and fun factor.

References

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  1. ^ a b "THQ® and Volition® Ship Summoner® 2 for PlayStation® 2 THQ and Volition Announce Summoner 2 for Nintendo® Gamecube™". GameZone. September 23, 2002. Archived from the original on September 6, 2005. Retrieved July 17, 2024.
  2. ^ "Perduellion definition". Dictionary.com. Archived from the original on December 12, 2008.
  3. ^ a b "Summoner: A Goddess Reborn". Metacritic. Fandom. Archived from the original on May 17, 2024. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
  4. ^ a b "Summoner 2". Metacritic. Fandom. Archived from the original on December 1, 2023. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
  5. ^ "Summoner: A Goddess Reborn". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 164. Ziff Davis. March 2003. p. 134.
  6. ^ EGM staff (November 2002). "Summoner 2". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 160. Ziff Davis. p. 70. Archived from the original on May 17, 2004. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
  7. ^ Taylor, Martin (December 13, 2002). "Summoner 2". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on January 21, 2003. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
  8. ^ Barber, Chet (April 2003). "Summoner: A Goddess Reborn". Game Informer. No. 120. GameStop. p. 88. Archived from the original on June 20, 2008. Retrieved April 1, 2018.
  9. ^ Barber, Chet (November 2002). "Summoner 2". Game Informer. No. 115. GameStop. p. 122. Archived from the original on June 20, 2008. Retrieved April 1, 2018.
  10. ^ Liu, Johnny (March 2003). "Summoner: A Goddess Reborn Review". GameRevolution. CraveOnline. Archived from the original on September 19, 2015. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
  11. ^ Liu, Johnny (October 2002). "Summoner 2 Review". GameRevolution. CraveOnline. Archived from the original on October 9, 2015. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
  12. ^ Kasavin, Greg (February 10, 2003). "Summoner: A Goddess Reborn Review". GameSpot. Fandom. Archived from the original on March 26, 2005. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
  13. ^ Kasavin, Greg (September 20, 2002). "Summoner 2 Review". GameSpot. Fandom. Archived from the original on February 6, 2005. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
  14. ^ Nutt, Christian (February 4, 2003). "GameSpy: Summoner: A Goddess Reborn". GameSpy. IGN Entertainment. Archived from the original on December 29, 2005. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
  15. ^ Villoria, Gerald (September 21, 2002). "GameSpy: Summoner 2". GameSpy. IGN Entertainment. Archived from the original on May 9, 2008. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
  16. ^ Lafferty, Michael (March 6, 2003). "Summoner: A Goddess Reborn - GC - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on September 26, 2008. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
  17. ^ Romano, Natalie (October 12, 2002). "Summoner 2 Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on December 28, 2008. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
  18. ^ Lewis, Cory D. (February 4, 2003). "Summoner: A Goddess Reborn". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on September 22, 2021. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
  19. ^ Dunham, Jeremy (September 17, 2002). "Summoner 2". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on October 4, 2023. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
  20. ^ "Summoner: A Goddess Reborn". Nintendo Power. Vol. 166. Nintendo of America. March 2003. p. 135.
  21. ^ Sklens, Mike (April 14, 2003). "Summoner: A Goddess Reborn". Nintendo World Report. NINWR, LLC. Archived from the original on September 1, 2023. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
  22. ^ Mielke, James (November 2002). "Summoner 2". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine. No. 62. Ziff Davis. p. 192. Archived from the original on March 29, 2004. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
  23. ^ Bracken, Mike (November 19, 2002). "Summoner 2". RPGFan. Emerald Shield Media LLC. Archived from the original on December 1, 2023. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
  24. ^ Bemis, Greg (March 21, 2003). "'Summoner: A Goddess Reborn' (GCN) Review". Extended Play. TechTV. Archived from the original on April 4, 2003. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
  25. ^ Bub, Andrew S. (October 16, 2002). "'Summoner 2' (PS2) Review". Extended Play. TechTV. Archived from the original on October 22, 2002. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
  26. ^ Star Dingo (December 2002). "Summoner 2" (PDF). GamePro. No. 171. IDG. p. 206. Archived from the original on February 8, 2005. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
  27. ^ Star Dingo (April 2003). "Summoner: A Goddess Reborn". GamePro. No. 175. IDG. Archived from the original on February 9, 2005. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
  28. ^ GameSpot staff (2003). "GameSpot's Month in Review: February 2003 (GameCube)". GameSpot. CNET. Archived from the original on February 26, 2004. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
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