Platform: PlayStation VITA
Developer: Experience Inc.
Publisher: NIS America
Disclaimer: The code for this VITA game was obtained for free, from a source that had obtained if for free from the developer.
It has been almost 2 years since I reviewed Operation Abyss on the PS Vita and now the sequel Operation Babel has been brought to the platform where JRPGS are seemingly at home. But what has changed? Well, To be honest upfront, not a massive amount!
Babel follows similar story beats to the previous game , albeit slightly less dark from the outset, following a quick tutorial mission as a more established character, our character is thrust into the midst of a supernatural battle before being saved by a member of a mysterious special ops school which you are then enrolled too. Again, pretty much what happened in the previous game.
You then are given an initial low level group of characters and sent out on missions to evolve your party, solve mysteries and move the plot forward. As I said in the previous review this is all pretty standard fare for players of DRGP's but to a new player Operation Babel can be damn well confusing to begin with, with lots of jargon and text thrown at you constantly.
On a much more positive note, the game looks fantastic, with animations, cut scenes and general character designs a step up from Operation Abyss. The story is also a lot stronger too, giving you a good reason to seek out side missions and really max out your party. As with the last game customization is a big plus too, if you want to invest the time then the game certainly gives you the tools you need to do so.
Gameplay is similar to other games in the genre with a first person view in both dungeon crawling mode and in the turn based battles. Both of which are very easy to understand what is going on and what to do but the dungeon crawling does still suffer if you aren't accustomed to the patience required to navigate them correctly. Too often I found myself moving back and forth because I was trying to turn, forgetting that really you move on a 4 direction axis. In 2017 this can be abit disorienting for players new to the genre.
Overall this is one of the strangest reviews i've ever had to write because ultimately its the same as the previous game in the series. That isn't a negative really but if you didn't like the previous game, you wont like this either and if you do like it then you probably don't need to read this review!
Final Verdict: Operation Babel does a good job of giving you the tools and letting you experiment with a huge array of customization, the story is an improvement over Abyss and the amount of content certainly justifies the price you pay. If you like other Dungeon Crawling RPG's or previous games in the series then this is something more than worth your time.
7/10