Review: Metro Quester: Osaka Is More of a Good Thing

Again in 2023, KEMCO dealt with console variations of Thousand Video games’ RPG Metro Quester, and it was fairly nice! It was an unorthodox, post-apocalyptic recreation that actually felt distinctive because of its method. Metro Quester: Osaka, its sequel, isn’t actually all that completely different, but it surely doesn’t should be. It’s extra of a very good factor! This time, I’d even say it feels extra welcoming to those that is likely to be uncertain learn how to method it.

The world ended. Some stay, preventing in opposition to the monster, charting what’s left of the world, and trying to find assets. In Metro Quester: Osaka, gamers discover themselves in a brand new area of the decimated Japan. After choosing an preliminary squad of teammates, your warrior got down to scavenge and survive, maybe additionally studying extra concerning the area and discovering extra survivors as they do.

Did you want Metro Quester? I hope you probably did, as a result of Metro Quester: Osaka is mainly that very same expertise and components! It’s simply going down in a brand new area of Japan. There are our bodies of water it is advisable cross! As an alternative of 24 characters, you’ve gotten 32! There are extra monsters! Extra dungeon! Additionally, one thing I actually appreciated, which is extra tutorial and textual content. 

The unique Metro Quester, as nice as it’s, ended up being an RPG with little textual content and background to it. A lot of it’s concerning the expertise. You discover the area, uncover secrets and techniques, discover assets, struggle monsters, and survive. Metro Quester: Osaka has slightly extra story to it. The introduction is a bit meatier and does a greater job of explaining gameplay components. Loads remains to be left to your creativeness. Simply it seems like there’s slightly additional to it, which is appreciated. 

However for essentially the most half, the gameplay is untouched. Which is unbelievable, since it’s so uncommon and entertaining. You wander by means of the world, digging by means of extra inclined items of floor and testing partitions to see in the event that they’re strong, to chart what the brand new world seems to be like. As you do, you might discover dependable search spots to doubtlessly discover meals or assets. Perhaps you’ll even be fortunate sufficient to search out new gear, an additional ally, or one other campsite. Whereas your general purpose is to discover all of it, your weekly one is to search out 100 meals so you may truly preserve taking part in and keep alive. (Although if you wish to transfer campsites, you want a further 30 meals to cowl that transfer.) Because the areas are corrupted and polluted, you may solely carry out so many actions per every tour and day. This prevents you from clearing all the area in a run. Nicely that, and the monsters and monster nests may seem each on land and, whenever you head in a canoe, within the waters round you.

Mentioned fights don’t proceed like a typical turn-based KEMCO RPG, although there are these types of components in Metro Quester: Osaka. You set your occasion of 5’s actions earlier than beginning the battle. You have to take into consideration assets and the quantity of actions each can carry out. Then, you decide to start out a battle and it performs out robotically in entrance of you. All the things you dictated folks do? They do it! Simply monsters additionally act between them, there are not any cease gaps, and it’s a must to hope your alternatives are sound and assets don’t run out. I did discover that between the preliminary entry and this one, each some extraordinary enemies and managers within the final third of the sport may really feel slightly unreasonable because of the scale of assaults they’ll use. The gear choices you may purchase really feel fairly sturdy and beginning with the default “balanced” occasion does put you in a reasonably sturdy beginning place, from what I discovered. 

Whereas attending to undergo a brand new space with new class updates and additions with extra gear and enemies are all nice issues, there may be one component that acquired to me as soon as I used to be extra established within the journey. Metro Quester: Osaka improves on the unique KEMCO and Thousand Video games RPG in some ways, however I felt just like the setting possibly wasn’t one among them. It’s attention-grabbing to make watery sections such a precedence and so prolific! Nonetheless, I feel maybe it’s extra attention-grabbing in idea than execution. Once I was confronted with a lot water, I didn’t discover it as thrilling as my adventures on land. It simply doesn’t find yourself being as attention-grabbing mechanically or visually. 

Nonetheless, Metro Quester: Osaka is a completely nice recreation and follow-up to the unique KEMCO and Thousand Video games RPG. It maintains the identical feeling of desperation as you attempt to search out assets. There’s the identical thrill as you uncover new paths or useful gadgets. The battle system nonetheless feels actually completely different and environment friendly. I extremely suggest it and, if somebody hasn’t performed the unique, may even say to play this entry in case you solely can choose up one among them.

Metro Quester: Osaka is accessible on the Nintendo Swap, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Collection X, and PC.