No matter how you slice it, making a sequel to Siralim [Free] was always going to be a tough job. The original game is essentially an overstuffed endless pit of RPG joy, densely packed with enough systems, side content, and additional challenges to keep any genre fan busy for dozens of hours or more. In hindsight, it was almost an impossible achievement. It was developer Thylacine's first stab at the genre, and it was extremely unconventional. Mixing elements of monster-catching, base-building, and roguelikes, it was like someone made a delicious Shin Megami Tensei - Romancing SaGa - Rogue sandwich and somehow pulled that blend off with only a few minor hitches. Excellent post-release support ironed out just about all of the game's issues, leaving one to wonder what exactly a sequel could accomplish.
Well, I think I've learned my lesson about doubting Thylacine's chops. Siralim 2 [$4.99] takes everything great about the first game, adds a few smartly-designed systems to give players even more to do, and tosses a story in there for good measure. It's not a particularly great story, mind you, but it should help give guidance to players who found themselves lost with the lack of direction in the first game. The presentation is considerably more consistent than in the original game, though it still has a fair bit of roughness on the visual end of things. Suffice it to say, if you played the first game and loved it, you can throw down your money without hesitation here. Everyth...