Atelier Iris 2: The Azoth of Destiny Critic Reviews

If you're looking for a fun 30-40 hour game to play, Atelier Iris 2: The Azoth of Destiny is a clear choice. It's nothing like those state-of-the-art 3D RPGs from Square Enix and the like: this is oldschool glory.

It's the kind of game that made me feel disappointed it was over. If all games that were just polished versions of older games like Atelier Iris 2 is, then I'd never want for an original game again.

This game is a lot of fun, and offers all of the humor, charm, and personality we have come to expect from NIS America. This is the kind of game you won't want to end.

A Japanese console RPG fans wet dream. It manages to incorporate incredibly creative and new ideas into an old formula with amazingly fun results.

Atelier Iris 2: The Azoth of Destiny doesn't break the mold for RPGs but it still contains some very inspired moments.

At times, the slow-paced item-hunting can get boring, but the colourful graphics, good charactes and fast-paced battles more than make up for it.

A fun role-playing game that fans of the original should welcome with open arms.

Atelier Iris 2: Azoth of Destiny may seem out of place on the PS2, but it has a simple charm that will win over anyone with fond memories of the 16-bit RPG era.

Atelier Iris 2’s music, story and cast of characters are a winner. The rest doesn’t quite cut it.

Even though Atelier Iris 2 has undergone enhancements, it's the ultimate loss of complexity in the story and gameplay departments that make it fall short of greatness.

The battle system needs to be tweaked a bit, the map system disappoints, and searching for items to synthesize is a huge chore, but the graphics, story and voice acting make for a wonderful adventure that is worth noting.

A thoroughly decent, if unsurprising, Japanese RPG. Not bad at all.

The break-up of the storyline as you switch from Felt in Belkhyde to Viese in Eden gets incredibly tedious over time, and the storyline – while incredibly naturally told and performed well – is rather uninspiring, but the game itself should give you a good 40 hours of gameplay.

Pushes PS2 about as far as a toast making sim, but Iris 2 is an endearing adventure nevertheless.

The combat system is cool, the alchemy is cool, the voice acting is cool; unfortunately the fetching and errand running is so archaic, you can hear it dying.

Like Arthur and Excalibur, Felt and the Azoth are part of destiny... one that includes becoming part of any tactical-RPG loving gamer's library.

Everything's so crisp and workable that it's hard not to just smile and deal with all the little problems that try to bring the game down.

Atelier Iris 2 carries the same great style and humor of its predecessor, but the tedious quest design spoils some of the fun.

Atelier Iris 2 isn’t going to change your mind about the genre, in fact as far as RPGs go it really doesn’t offer anything new and revolutionary. But if you are simply in the mood for some old-school goodness you can’t go wrong with this solid follow-up.

It's a real shame, because when you're doing almost anything but fighting in AI2, the game is an enjoyable enough experience.