Lost Kingdoms II

Lost Kingdoms II follows on from the 2002 original and again builds on an unusual combination of dungeon exploration and combat through card collecting. The player takes on the role of young heroine Tara, who makes her way through winding underground corridors and, instead of using a sword or spells directly against enemies, summons monsters based on the cards in her deck. Each card represents a creature with its own type of attack, defense, and special ability, so assembling a functional deck is just as important as the battles themselves. The corridors also hide puzzles for which cards with unconventional properties, such as flying or destroying obstacles, come in handy, and the player often has to decide which card to sacrifice for progress and which to save for the upcoming fight.

Compared to the first game, the developers at FromSoftware deepened the card upgrading and combining system, added new enemy types, and developed the story into a darker and more elaborate shape. The graphics make full use of the GameCube's capabilities — the dungeons are full of detail, fog effects, and lighting that in 2003 was among the best in the genre on the console. There's also a more elaborate musical score that completes the grim atmosphere of a kingdom in decline.

The game remained exclusive to the GameCube and never received a sequel or a remaster, which makes it a somewhat overlooked title to this day. Among fans of unconventional RPGs, however, thanks to its inventive combat system it holds a reputation as a cult title worth discovering, especially for players looking for an alternative to traditional turn-based combat and classic action RPGs without a card-based layer.

Why play it: For the original card-based combat system that turns every battle into a tactical puzzle.