Asgard’s Wrath 2is Sanzaru Games' follow-up to the original made-for-VR RPG, and the sequel has brought more than a few upgrades to many of the original’s gameplay systems that should make its 60-hour-long open-world campaign even more engaging than its already well-regarded predecessor.
In an interview with Game Rant, Sanzaru Games Studio Creative Director Mat Kraemer spoke about how the studio sought to improve upon theVRgameplay of the originalAsgard’s Wrathfor the sequel. He felt that it was critical to revamp the combat system into something that promotes varied playstyles, and the team also paid special attention to the game’s companions and how players interact with them.
Asgard’s Wrath 2 Has A Vastly Improved Combat System
TheoriginalAsgard’s Wrathhad what Kraemer characterized as a lock-and-key combat system: defeating enemies called for a specific series of actions, and players had few other ways to approach an enemy other than the intended solution.Asgard’s Wrath 2has done away with that system entirely and instead plays out much more like a fast-paced action RPG where the player’s preferred playstyle and build determine their approach to combat, rather than arbitrary game rules.
The first game’s combat is very lock-and-key. You’ll come up to areas with enemies, and we’re like, “This is how you need to defeat this enemy: you need to block x amount of attacks to get the opening to kill this guy, and that’s the only way that you’re able to defeat that enemy.”
InAsgard’s Wrath 2, it is open to any playstyle, however you would like to defeat these enemies. If you like kiting enemies and just throwing weapons or if you like going in close and getting those close-range parries and getting those windows to strike those little gems to hit the weak spots, you can play that way.
Players have countless ways to approachcombat inAsgard’s Wrath 2even with a single loadout. For example, the hero Abraxas is armed with a sword that can transform into a grappling hook and a throwable axe that returns to players' hands Thor’s Hammer-style. When confronted by a ranged enemy, players can either dash toward them for a melee strike, opt for a carefully aimed axe throw, deflect the enemy’s projectiles with their sword like a Jedi sending back a blaster bolt, or pull off a combination of each. Skill points account for these playstyles, and players can lean into their preferred forms of violence.
Companions Have Much More Depth In Asgard’s Wrath 2
Another system that saw majorimprovements inAsgard’s Wrath 2is the player’s companions. Although companions were helpful in the first game, there wasn’t much depth in terms of how players interacted with them, and they didn’t have much of a story to speak of. Companions inAsgard’s Wrath 2each have their own developing narratives, allowing players to form emotional attachments to them and be invested in their character arcs.
InAsgard’s Wrath 2, these characters have full-on backstories. You met Sabira the Panther. When you first meet her, she’s in trouble. She’s in a situation and she has her own little story. “How did she get there? Why is she there?” You’re there to help her out. And so after you meet those characters and you convert them to your side, that story continues. You start to form a bond with that follower.
We have a friendship system that works through usage and through stuff that you’re doing with that follower throughout the game. You can increase the friendship which pays out skill points, and all these other things that are totally new toAsgard’s Wrath 2and were something that was very missed in the first game.
The functionality behind companions has been expanded on greatly in the sequel as well. Companions have their owndeep skill treesto spend points on, and this ties into the friendship system that tracks players' relationships with companions. Along with some extra rewards like a talent point for the companion, they might even show their appreciation for the player with a jolly fist bump. Companions help in combat, but they also aid in traversal: some turn into mounts, while another bird-like companion can be sent into the air and treated as a hook point for the grapple. Players who felt that the combat and companion systems in the originalAsgard’s Wrathcould use a little more love should notice some major steps up in the sequel.
Asgard’s Wrath 2releases December 15 on Meta Quest 2, Meta Quest 3, and Meta Quest Pro.
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