Kagero: Deception II (1998)

Developer: Tecmo
Publisher: Virgin Interactive Entertainment (Europe) Ltd., Tecmo
Platforms: PlayStation 3, PlayStation, PlayStation Portable
Genres: Role-playing (RPG), Strategy, Adventure
Rating: 3.5 of 5, 7 player ratings
Where to get it: Website

The 3D catalog: game boxes on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalog in 3D

The same catalog has a room you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real games from it when you tell them what you feel like playing. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this game is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

A cold, calculating experience where you patiently lure hapless intruders into elaborate trap combinations inside a grim castle, feeling less like a hero and more like a predator.

darkmethodicalsinisterpuzzle-liketensegothicstrategicslow-burn

About

Kagero: Deception II is the sequel to Tecmo's Deception. It follows a similar, hard-to-classify gameplay style, which can be perhaps defined as a real-time strategy game with RPG elements. Instead of commanding troops and units, Millennia has to place traps and activate them to prevent the intruders from conquering the castle. Unlike the first game, Kagero: Deception II is played from a third-person perspective. A major addition to the gameplay is the introduction of "trap combos": traps can be positioned in such a way that they will trigger each other, leading to powerful combinations that would harm the invaders more. The game also allows to customize traps and use various materials to build new ones. As before, the main character and her traps grow in power in correspondence with the amount of enemies killed, lending the game a RPG flavor. The morality system also present in this sequel, as the player can decide for Millennia whom to kill and whom to spare. Eventually, the player will be able to choose to join either the Timenoids or the humans.

Screenshots

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This page is from Underplayed Gems, a catalog of older and overlooked games. Not quite it? You can browse by platform and genre, or take this one into the 3D catalog and ask the Catbot for something closer.