Zwei II
Encyclopedia
is an action role-playing game
developed by Nihon Falcom Corporation. It is a direct sequel to Zwei!!
and is one of the latest next generation titles created by Falcom. Currently the game is only available for Windows
. A new Windows 7-compatible version called Zwei II Plus, containing additional features, will be released on 24 December 2009.
Players alternate between two main characters Ragna and Alwen, with two other supporting characters replacing Alwen at certain points in the game. Ragna is adept in physical attacks, fighting with his unique Anchor Gear weapon, which receives numerous technical upgrades as the game progresses. Alwen is proficient in magic and is able to harness powerful elemental spells. The game starts with Ragna delivering cargo to the floating continent of Irrbard, when he is shot down from his airplane. Alwen, a vampire
princess
bonds with him to save his life and Ragna promises to reclaim Alwen's stolen castle
to repay her.
The game features a variety of villages, where players can converse with NPC
characters in typical RPG
fashion. Travel between locations occurs via Irrbard's overworld
map. The majority of the game takes place in dungeons filled with traps and monsters. A dungeon is composed of a few stages, which are split into three floors each. Each stage contains many small puzzle elements, which need to be solved to earn rare treasures or to simply progress. There are many mini-bosses and a dungeon boss, with the dungeon bosses requiring specific strategies to defeat, such as waiting for their weak spot to open.
One of the unique aspects of the Zwei!! series is that defeating enemies does not award experience points, needed to level up
, unlike in other RPG
s. Instead enemies may drop food or coins when defeated. Food is very important as not only does it restore health, but it is the only commodity that awards experience points. Ten types of the same food can also be combined in the restaurant
, found at the main village, to create a higher tier food item that awards more experience in comparison to the individual items.
To assist with item collection, players can buy pets from a pet store, such as a cat
and dog
. Pets automatically collect spoils, do minor damage to foes and can learn special abilities as they level up. There are also numerous gadget items, bought from shops or found in dungeons, which are applied as attachments to the game screen. These include tools to aid dungeon exploration such as a dungeon map navigator, and more obscure items, such as a text notifier and a music player
.
s who betrayed the twin goddesses Aplyes and Espina, attacked Granvallen and caused much destruction. Eventually they were defeated by the Holy Kingdom of Valence, who allied with the fairies and the great dragon
s. Afterwards magic was sealed; the magic gates linking the floating continents no longer worked and the continents lost contact with each other. In recent years, machinery has prospered and now the people of Granvallen can move freely using aircraft.
Ragna Valentine is a treasure hunter
who journeys to the north-western continent of Irrbard to fulfil a job contract. As he enters Irrbard's airspace, he is shot down by a mysterious group and plunges to an imminent death. Fortunately he is rescued by Alwen, a vampire princess who performs a blood contract with him. Ragna becomes Alwen's Blood Warrior and instantly recovers from his fatal injuries due to his newly gained supernatural strength. When they meet again, Alwen explains that her home castle and magic were stolen from her by an unknown enemy and requests Ragna to help her reclaim them.
OS
) and introduces some new items and features:
Action role-playing game
Action role-playing games form a loosely defined sub-genre of role-playing video games that incorporate elements of action or action-adventure games, emphasizing real-time action where the player has direct control over characters, instead of turn-based or menu-based combat...
developed by Nihon Falcom Corporation. It is a direct sequel to Zwei!!
Zwei!!
is an action role-playing game developed by Nihon Falcom Corporation. It has been released on three platforms so far: Windows, PS2 and the PSP. The title itself is derived from the German word "zwei" meaning "two". An online version called Zwei!! Online, developed by Korean developer Neonsoft...
and is one of the latest next generation titles created by Falcom. Currently the game is only available for Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
. A new Windows 7-compatible version called Zwei II Plus, containing additional features, will be released on 24 December 2009.
Players alternate between two main characters Ragna and Alwen, with two other supporting characters replacing Alwen at certain points in the game. Ragna is adept in physical attacks, fighting with his unique Anchor Gear weapon, which receives numerous technical upgrades as the game progresses. Alwen is proficient in magic and is able to harness powerful elemental spells. The game starts with Ragna delivering cargo to the floating continent of Irrbard, when he is shot down from his airplane. Alwen, a vampire
Vampire
Vampires are mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence of living creatures, regardless of whether they are undead or a living person...
princess
Princess
Princess is the feminine form of prince . Most often, the term has been used for the consort of a prince, or his daughters....
bonds with him to save his life and Ragna promises to reclaim Alwen's stolen castle
Castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
to repay her.
Gameplay
The game plays similar to the 3D Ys series games, also produced by Falcom, with real time battles and a fixed camera that follows the main character from a medium distance. One major difference is the presence of an inactive secondary character who follows the player's character for most of the game, usually either Alwen or Ragna, depending on who the player isn't controlling at that point in time. Initialising a physical attack forces the player to control Ragna, while initialising a magical attack causes Alwen to fight. Both characters are controlled in the same way, although they have different offensive and defensive stats.The game features a variety of villages, where players can converse with NPC
Non-player character
A non-player character , sometimes known as a non-person character or non-playable character, in a game is any fictional character not controlled by a player. In electronic games, this usually means a character controlled by the computer through artificial intelligence...
characters in typical RPG
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
fashion. Travel between locations occurs via Irrbard's overworld
Overworld
An overworld is, in a broad sense, an area within a video game that interconnects all its levels or locations. They are mostly common in role-playing games, though this does not exclude other video game genres....
map. The majority of the game takes place in dungeons filled with traps and monsters. A dungeon is composed of a few stages, which are split into three floors each. Each stage contains many small puzzle elements, which need to be solved to earn rare treasures or to simply progress. There are many mini-bosses and a dungeon boss, with the dungeon bosses requiring specific strategies to defeat, such as waiting for their weak spot to open.
One of the unique aspects of the Zwei!! series is that defeating enemies does not award experience points, needed to level up
Level Up
Level Up was a UK children's TV programme that was broadcast on CBBC. It was launched on the 3rd April 2006, replacing Xchange. The show was an hour long and during the school year broadcasting from 7:30am until 8:30am...
, unlike in other RPG
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
s. Instead enemies may drop food or coins when defeated. Food is very important as not only does it restore health, but it is the only commodity that awards experience points. Ten types of the same food can also be combined in the restaurant
Restaurant
A restaurant is an establishment which prepares and serves food and drink to customers in return for money. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services...
, found at the main village, to create a higher tier food item that awards more experience in comparison to the individual items.
To assist with item collection, players can buy pets from a pet store, such as a cat
Cat
The cat , also known as the domestic cat or housecat to distinguish it from other felids and felines, is a small, usually furry, domesticated, carnivorous mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and for its ability to hunt vermin and household pests...
and dog
Dog
The domestic dog is a domesticated form of the gray wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties. The dog may have been the first animal to be domesticated, and has been the most widely kept working, hunting, and companion animal in...
. Pets automatically collect spoils, do minor damage to foes and can learn special abilities as they level up. There are also numerous gadget items, bought from shops or found in dungeons, which are applied as attachments to the game screen. These include tools to aid dungeon exploration such as a dungeon map navigator, and more obscure items, such as a text notifier and a music player
Music player
Music player can refer to:*audio player , music playing software running on a computer.*digital audio player, hardware device for playing back music.-See also:* Various types of musicians...
.
Plot
Five hundred years ago, the world of Granvallen was rocked by the Great Sorcery War. The Six Demon Lords, fallen angelFallen angel
Fallen angel is a concept developed in Jewish mythology from interpretation of the Book of Enoch. The actual term fallen angel is not found in either the Hebrew Bible or the New Testament. Christians adopted the concept of fallen angels mainly based on their interpretations of the Book of...
s who betrayed the twin goddesses Aplyes and Espina, attacked Granvallen and caused much destruction. Eventually they were defeated by the Holy Kingdom of Valence, who allied with the fairies and the great dragon
Dragon
A dragon is a legendary creature, typically with serpentine or reptilian traits, that feature in the myths of many cultures. There are two distinct cultural traditions of dragons: the European dragon, derived from European folk traditions and ultimately related to Greek and Middle Eastern...
s. Afterwards magic was sealed; the magic gates linking the floating continents no longer worked and the continents lost contact with each other. In recent years, machinery has prospered and now the people of Granvallen can move freely using aircraft.
Ragna Valentine is a treasure hunter
Treasure hunter
Treasure hunters are people who search for treasure.Treasure hunters may also refer to:* Treasure Hunters , a graphic novel* Treasure Hunters , a Hong Kong kung fu film...
who journeys to the north-western continent of Irrbard to fulfil a job contract. As he enters Irrbard's airspace, he is shot down by a mysterious group and plunges to an imminent death. Fortunately he is rescued by Alwen, a vampire princess who performs a blood contract with him. Ragna becomes Alwen's Blood Warrior and instantly recovers from his fatal injuries due to his newly gained supernatural strength. When they meet again, Alwen explains that her home castle and magic were stolen from her by an unknown enemy and requests Ragna to help her reclaim them.
Characters
- Ragna Valentine - The main hero of the game. He is a treasure hunter who travels the world aboard his beloved airplace, the Tristan. He is forced to become Alwen's Blood Warrior, when he suffers fatal injuries from crashing his airplane, and travels around Irrbard to help her. He has a strong passion for aircraft, which earns him the nickname "aeromaniac".
- Alwen Du Moonbria - The main heroine of the game. She is a princess of the vampires, the mightiest of the demon tribe, and the owner of Moonbria Castle. She has a proud and almighty personality, but is not narrow-minded at all. She saves Ragna's life by signing a Blood Contract with him. Originally a powerful user of magic, she lost over half of her magical power when her castle was attacked. After spending all her life in the castle, she is largely unaware of the outside world.
- Ruu - Alwen's servant. Worships Alwen and hates Ragna for traveling along with Alwen because of the Blood Contract. A dark fairy who can utilise teleportationTeleportationTeleportation is the fictional or imagined process by which matter is instantaneously transferred from one place to another.Teleportation may also refer to:*Quantum teleportation, a method of transmitting quantum data...
magic and also strengthen weapons. - Subaru - A little boy (or so it seems) ninjaNinjaA or was a covert agent or mercenary of feudal Japan specializing in unorthodox arts of war. The functions of the ninja included espionage, sabotage, infiltration, and assassination, as well as open combat in certain situations...
who Ragna befriends along his travels. He was impressed by Ragna's treasure hunting skills and persuaded Ragna to accept him as his pupil. Cheery and vigorous, he follows Ragna almost like a puppyPuppyA puppy is a juvenile dog. Some puppies may weigh , while larger ones can weigh up to . All healthy puppies grow quickly after birth. A puppy's coat color may change as the puppy grows older, as is commonly seen in breeds such as the Yorkshire Terrier...
. He is skilled with shurikens and moves around swiftly and stealthily. It seems he is also good with cooking. - Montblanc - A cat demon plotting mayhem across Irrbard. A cunning villain who attempts to put an end to Ragna several times. He possesses powerful magic, but doesn't fight himself, instead relying on friendly demons and humongous summons. It seems he serves a strong master and is just a mere underling.
- Exmachina - One of Montblanc's companions, a young female magician who appears as an enemy. She normally hides her face with her hood and doesn't show any signs of emotion. With the mystical "Rainbow Orb" in hand, she travels across Irrbard performing various rituals. She refers to herself as a "puppet".
- Odessa - A female treasure hunter who Ragna encounters during his adventure. She is also known as the "Hungry Wolf Hunter", a bounty hunterBounty hunterA bounty hunter captures fugitives for a monetary reward . Other names, mainly used in the United States, include bail enforcement agent and fugitive recovery agent.-Laws in the U.S.:...
feared by many criminals. She fights with a large boomerangBoomerangA boomerang is a flying tool with a curved shape used as a weapon or for sport.-Description:A boomerang is usually thought of as a wooden device, although historically boomerang-like devices have also been made from bones. Modern boomerangs used for sport are often made from carbon fibre-reinforced...
, but since she is incredibly agile, she is good at dog fights. News of a huge bounty leads her to Irrbard. - Fiona El Valence - A young lady who travels to Irrbard to vanquish the vampires. She is a descendant of the Valence royal familyRoyal familyA royal family is the extended family of a king or queen regnant. The term imperial family appropriately describes the extended family of an emperor or empress, while the terms "ducal family", "grand ducal family" or "princely family" are more appropriate to describe the relatives of a reigning...
and acts to uphold her family's mission of protecting Granvallen. Usually lovely and graceful, she dons her family's holy sword and armour during battle and fights furiously. - Claude - Fiona's caretaker, a youthful male who wears glasses. Honest and polite, he is a skilled martial artist, serving as Fiona's bodyguard, as well as acting as her general support. Privy to various sources of information, he notices Ragna and Alwen's suspicious activities and immediately begins investigating them.
Zwei II Plus
Zwei II Plus is a re-release of the original game that is compatible with Windows 7 (also compatible with 64-bit64-bit
64-bit is a word size that defines certain classes of computer architecture, buses, memory and CPUs, and by extension the software that runs on them. 64-bit CPUs have existed in supercomputers since the 1970s and in RISC-based workstations and servers since the early 1990s...
OS
Operating system
An operating system is a set of programs that manage computer hardware resources and provide common services for application software. The operating system is the most important type of system software in a computer system...
) and introduces some new items and features:
- New costumeCostumeThe term costume can refer to wardrobe and dress in general, or to the distinctive style of dress of a particular people, class, or period. Costume may also refer to the artistic arrangement of accessories in a picture, statue, poem, or play, appropriate to the time, place, or other circumstances...
s for Ragna (Punk RockPunk rockPunk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
) and Alwen (Bunny). - New Anchor Gear weapon, the Muscle Gear, which fires Gallandou to attack.
- The Penguin character from the G Colosseo can now become a pet.
- The G Colosseo includes a survival mode that lets you consecutively battle opponents.
- New high difficulty dungeon, "Dream Maze II".
- Paid service to make the Kappa skiingSkiingSkiing is a recreational activity using skis as equipment for traveling over snow. Skis are used in conjunction with boots that connect to the ski with use of a binding....
mini-game easier. - Vending machines now stock trading figures and there are more reward items.
- Fast-forwarding of events (accessible from the 2nd playthrough) and ability to skip movies.
- Dungeon level plates are re-adjusted and enemies rebalanced.
- More efficient food exchange.