70 Hours Played] To help people struggling with reality. Review of Caligula2, a masterpiece RPG that follows and evolves from its predecessor!

Destroying the ideal world and returning to reality

In "Redux," a world created by a mysterious virtual doll called Riglet, people live by unconsciously redoing things they regret. The protagonist (player) was one of them, but after an encounter with the Virtua Doll Kii, he recognizes that Ridu is a virtual world created by the Virtua Doll. In order to return to reality, the protagonist gathers people with the same goal and forms the "Homecoming Club" to fight against Riglet and the "Obliged Musicians" who protect her.

In this work, which is based on the theme of "contemporary pathology," the characters are all burdened with some form of regret. The homecoming party is no exception, and in addition to adventuring through Ridoux in order to return home, it is essential to know their circumstances in order to enjoy this work.

Glimpses of this are subtly revealed in the main scenario and in casual conversations during dungeon crawls, and the truth can be learned by completing the individual character episodes.

The episodes are gradually unlocked as you increase your likability (which is raised through battles) and advance through the main scenario.

When you get close to the heart of a character, a special screen appears, and you can choose whether or not to go into the heart of the person. In game terms, it is impossible not to step in, but Redux is like an online game, and the player character and the person in question are not always the same. A person who is kind to everyone may actually be arrogant, and a mature adult with a mastery of the game may be a child. It is only natural to step in, but knowing this will upset any ideas you may have had about the members of the club, so you need to be prepared enough to avoid regrets.

If they have regrets in reality, they must have enough experience and perspective to regret, and in this sense, many of the residents of "Redux" are "adults" regardless of their age.

The members of the club are united in their single-minded commitment to return to reality, and while they enjoy their school life, they also fight enemies with their backs to the ground and frequently deepen their friendships, but when they come to a line, they stay there. Or, when someone tries to step in, someone will correct them. Whether it is a resignation to the idea of others trying to save someone else, or a sense of mastery that values should be respected, the homecoming club is built on such "adult" relationships. It is up to the player to step over the line.

The "adult" aspect of the main scenario is also strongly reflected in the play, with frequent scenes in which the players try to work things out through discussion rather than forcefully pushing something away.

The confrontation between the homecoming club and the Obliged musicians is more like a dialogue through conflict than a clash of righteousness. While acknowledging each other's arguments and values, they are forced to turn against each other in order to achieve their goals, so what should they do?

Each chapter of the story focuses on one of the two sides, the homecoming club side and the musicians' side, and the two sides vent their feelings to each other and fight using the "cathartic effect".

Since the cathartic effect is a weapon of the protagonists and the embodiment of their hearts, the battles of the homecoming club are tantamount to verbal blows. Because the "adult" homecoming club is suppressing their emotions, directly expressing their feelings in words and wielding cathartic effects has not only a game aspect but also a narrative aspect.

The flow of people with regrets confronting reality through dialogue conveys a positive attitude that there is hope even in the midst of despair.

Compared to the previous "Caligula," which depicted a fierce war in which the protagonists, who uphold justice, move forward even if they have to trample on the justice of the musicians, this film is very upbeat.

The scenario is presented in a clever way, with each chapter presenting a mystery, and the intermingling of enemies and allies, as well as the actions of the homecoming party, foreshadowing the situation and moving it gradually in a larger and more serious direction. It was a bit of a drag that Ki learns Makoto's convenient abilities as he defeats the musicians, but that's just a promise, and the inherent redux of light and dark and spiky characters are well plotted and nicely put together.

A battle system that fights while predicting the future

The battle system in this work is a command-selection type, and when you touch an enemy in the field, you are engaged in battle.

In addition to the series' familiar presentation in which songs played in the field are accompanied by vocals in battle, music videos are now projected on the surrounding walls in this title. The music played in each dungeon represents the inner life of the musician who rules the dungeon, and is essential to deepening the understanding of the story. The addition of the music videos not only deepens the understanding of the songs, but also genuinely enhances the excitement of the battle itself, as if you were fighting in a live venue, which increases motivation.

The actual battles make use of a system called "Imaginary Chain.
It is a kind of future prediction, visualizing the opponent's actions up to a dozen seconds in advance, and using this information to formulate a strategy. Every action of the opponent is known to the player, and counter attacks with attributes such as "assault," "shooting," and "defense" are countered.

There are many factors in favor of the player, and even on NORMAL difficulty, the player rarely has a hard time. On EASY difficulty, the enemy's strength and defense are greatly reduced, so you can win by simply hitting the enemy with a series of techniques.

Even if the difference in level between you and your opponent is almost double, you can still win, so I recommend EASY if you don't want to think too much. In addition, if the battle is set to auto mode, all members except the main character will act according to their own judgment, saving you the trouble of giving them instructions.

When the gauge called "Voltage" is full, "Floor Jack" can be used.

When activated, the song sung by Ligretto will change to Ki's, all allies will be able to act immediately, and the number of hits from attack moves will increase. It is a technique that can be considered a technique of the deep end, so you have to choose where to use it in the beginning, but by using "Ki points," you can enhance the performance of the floor jack, adding new effects, making it easier to accumulate voltage, and gradually increasing the frequency at which you can use the floor jack.

The songs sung by Ky are the same as those of the musicians, and the number of songs increases one by one according to the number of musicians defeated. The song sung during floor jacking can be selected in advance.

Riglet's melancholy and sad voice contrasts with Ki's bright and cheerful voice, and it is impressive that the same song can be sung by different singers. The only regret I have is that you cannot set the song that is playing in the dungeon you are currently conquering, because you have to learn the songs of the musicians you defeated in order.

Once Kee has learned a song, he can listen to it anytime at the jukebox in the base called "Kee Train," which is also available in the reglet version. There are also remix versions for each boss battle in the lottery that can be drawn in town, and as long as you get it, you can enjoy it as much as you like on the jukebox as well.

Personally, I would like to be able to listen to them in continuous playback or random playback, so I would love to see this feature added in an update.

A causal lineage connected by a vast number of subquests

With the exception of the homecoming party members, the members can receive subquests, which total around 150.

The "Causal Genealogy" screen shows a spider web of icons indicating the accounts of WIRE, a messaging app that appears in the game, and each person's profile is attached. The profiles are not related to the main scenario, but by completing them, their true profiles are revealed, revealing their true age, gender, and reason for coming to Redux.

Many of the subquests require "stigmas" in order to complete them.

Stigmas are a type of equipment that can be obtained by exploring dungeons. Some of the stigmas have "passive skills" that are essential to the quest. However, stigmas themselves are strong enough to be used not only for quests but also as equipment. It is also a great way to strengthen your forces and accomplish quests, so you can be diligent in collecting stigmas. There are many quests that can be completed as long as you have the passive skills, and the pace of the game was good thanks to the fact that you can take on quests while the story is going on. In some cases, completing a particular person's quests can lead to the release of a new quest to be completed by another person, so there is an awareness of human connections as well.

Finish playing and go back to reality.

Once the ending is over, the person returns to reality. Games are no different, and when you finish playing, that's it. Caligula2" depicts people trying to escape from the ideal of redux, which is constructed like a creation, and return to the harsh reality to fight.

As I have already mentioned, this is not a desperate attempt to make the best out of a bad situation, but a gentle reminder that a path can open up no matter what the situation.

Toward the end of the story, there is a line in which the author says, "I don't want to die, but I want you to want to live," a sentence without a voice.

Not wanting to die is passive, but wanting to live is willful, and although the meaning is the same, the context is completely different. In Redux, where they supposedly came to escape their regrets, the players and homecoming party members face their regrets and gradually grow up and return to reality.

Enjoying the temporary unreality and using it as a strength to live is similar to the feeling we have when we touch the work in reality. In this light, we can see a meta aspect to this work.

The closer to the end of the story, the slower one's reading progress becomes, or the more one saves before the final boss battle and leaves the game unfinished, which are often heard as expressions of love for a favorite work. The more absorbed I am in a story, the more I want to see it through to its conclusion and enjoy its elements. Therefore, while advancing the story, I completed a huge number of subquests, filled in the profiles in the causal genealogy, and played the music on the jukebox, and completed the game in over 70 hours.

While there are many games that are too much technology and not enough substance, "Caligula 2" is a rare example of a game that is too much about substance and not enough about technology. The graphics and motion are frankly dated, but this does not bother me because the story, music, and other elements that require a sense of style are all good. The fact that this is not a game that requires intense combat or beautiful photo-realism, the fact that Redux is not a reality but a created world, and the fact that this is a JRPG about a school, all of which are "promised" aspects of the game, are probably significant. The game carries over the themes of modern pathology and idol killing from the previous game, but also makes it easier to play for people today, both in terms of the story and the system.

When I moved from my parents' house to my current place of residence, I brought some of my personal belongings with me, including the soundtrack of the first "Caligula" game. I bought it because the music was good, but if you look at the "Caligula" series from the meta-viewpoint of players growing up after playing the games and struggling with the painful reality, the casual illustration of a virtual doll winking at us seems to have more meaning than just the illustration, It seems to me that there is more to the illustration than just the winking virtual doll. Just as when I left the movie theater after seeing a masterpiece, I felt as if I had grown up after playing "Caligula 2. I can't help but feel a little bit like that.

(Text by Yoshiyoshi Natsunouchi)

Information on the film
Caligula2
Compatibility: PS4/Switch
Release date: On sale
＜Price: $8,000 for the standard version and $8,000 for the downloadable version.
Normal Edition: 8,778 yen (tax included)
Limited Edition: package version/download version: 16,280 yen (including tax)
Genre: RPG
CERO: C (for ages 15 and up)
Publisher: FURYU Corporation

(C) FURYU Corporation