The sequel to 2013's Demon Gaze, Demon Gaze II is a colorful dungeon-crawling JRPG from the veteran team at Experience, Inc. Demon Gaze II follows the exploits of the "Demon Gazer," as he unites with the Revolutionist party to overthrow the evil Lord Magnastar. Your time is split between two areas: crawling dungeons and building bonds with your allies, both human and demon. The dungeon crawling makes up the bulk of Demon Gaze II's runtime, which sees you traipse through the various districts of Asteria City. Killing demons is only half the battle though, as you can acquire stronger gear, furniture and funds for your base, and upgrade materials.
The other major half of Demon Gaze II involves capturing and outfitting demons in your party. Stepping away from the ability to create your own allies in Demon Gaze, instead, you're given characters with clearly defined roles, and their own abilities. The story plays out in scenes similar to your average visual novel. Voice-acted 2D sprites engaging in the world of Demon Gaze II in a variety of ways, while CGs take center stage in dramatic moments. There's a healthy dose of story, to be sure, but the majority of the time is spent grinding through dungeons.
With the promise of a heavy anime aesthetic and bright, colorful visuals, Demon Gaze II delivers handily on that front. Easily clocking in over 40 hours, there's a wealth of post-game content to fight through, and an extensive compendium for completionists. With difficulty slider you can change at will, Demon Gaze II can be as challenging or as easy as you'd like. It may lack the bombast or wide appeal that the Persona or Etrian Odyssey games have enjoyed, but Experience Inc. has a unique combination on their hands.
