Shining Soul II

Shining Soul II continued the first action RPG of the Shining Soul brand by Nex Entertainment, and just like its predecessor it was published in the West by Atlus for the Game Boy Advance. The game again builds on simple dungeon crawling, where the player picks a character from the available classes and heads into a series of dangerous locations to defend the world against dark forces, while the story once more serves mainly as a framework for gradually deepening the game.

Compared to the first game, the sequel brings improved graphics, an expanded selection of classes and abilities, and more dungeons and enemies, extending and enriching the overall play experience compared to the previous title. Combat remains action-oriented, played out in real time from an isometric view, with an emphasis on collecting randomly generated gear and gradually strengthening the character, and the game again supports cooperative multiplayer for four players via link cable, which made it a popular choice for playing together on the go or with friends. The visuals and music follow the first game, just with small improvements reflecting more advanced development for the platform.

The second game was received as a solid, improved sequel that retained a loyal audience of cooperative hack-and-slash fans on the GBA. Today, Shining Soul II is often recommended as an entry point into the series thanks to its more balanced difficulty and expanded content compared to the first game, as well as a reminder of a time when a link cable enabled genuinely shared gaming experiences in a pocket-sized format. The expanded selection of classes and dungeons also extended the game's longevity for solo players, so the second game also works as a full-fledged single-player dungeon-crawler RPG without needing to play with others. Its connection to the first game is loose, so even players who never played the first Shining Soul can comfortably start right with the second game and jump into its improved character system.

Why play: Thanks to its more balanced difficulty and expanded content, it's a recommended entry point into the series and a full-fledged solo dungeon-crawler RPG that doesn't require playing with others.