Soda Dungeon 2 | a Review
originally published on 10/12/2023;
Hello everyone, I am the recovering soda addict, G.E.M.Simov, a shrewd adventure-goons manager, here to tell you about the game “Soda Dungeon 2”.
Simple review details - I rank games on an out of 10 basis, granting up to 3 points in 3 categories, as well as a last, single point from my own self, depending on my experience with it.
In addition to that, this is an IDLE game. Those are barely proper games and so I will put in less effort with reviewing them than I would otherwise.
Gameplay
Soda Dungeon 2 takes what Soda Dungeon was and improves it. It maintains the same mechanics and adds a few more on top of them. Much like its predecessor, Soda Dungeon 2 features a number of party slots, six instead of five, which can be filled with Characters, which Characters will then fight Enemies (in a Dungeon), which Enemies, once defeated, drop Gold, Items and (a new addition) Resources.
Those are used to unlock Upgrades, make new Items and empower the Characters, so that they may make it further into the Dungeon. Defeat for Enemies comes in the form of damage dealt by the attacks of the Player's Characters, and it can also come for the Player's Characters, as Enemies attack and do damage to them. Whoever runs out of Health Points(which are what is lost whenever an entity, be it a Character or an Enemy, takes damage) first is defeated.
In the case of the Player's Characters, they drop their loot and flee, returning the Player back to the town(main) screen.
At the town screen, the Player has access to a plethora of options - they can unlock new buildings, access the dungeon, make use of the blacksmith's services, access the Wizard's services, make use of the Mailbox, mess around with Pets or enter the Tavern.
The Mailbox serves as a means of furthering the story, so it is of no mechanical internet for us. The way buildings are unlocked is also very simple and does not need to be repeated, so it can simply be chalked up to upgrades.
The Wizard functions in a similar way to what Soda Dungeon 1 does - he will offer the Player the ability to enter the Dungeon on a particular floor, rather than floor 1.
The Blacksmith features the ability to use materials and craft special items that are only obtainable through crafting, whilst also presenting the ability to craft other items that can be found in the Dungeon. In addition to that, the Player can Upgrade items to higher levels, this making them stronger and more efficient.
There is also an opportunity for the sale of items, in exchange of some Gold. Gold is the main currency in Soda Dungeon 2, much like it was in Soda Dungeon 1, and is used for almost everything, safe for Relic enhancement and a few other things.
The Tavern is where most of the good stuff happens, much like in Soda Dungeon 1. There are Upgrades to be obtained, ones that increase the likelihood of a Character appearing, there are others that increase the types of characters that can appear, there are others that provide utility, others that provide statistical bonuses - there are a lot of upgrades. In addition to that, the types of Characters on offer are different - many return from the previous installment, but there are replacements - such as the Builder instead of the Ruffian or the Nurse instead of the Healer (though the latter two are functionally identical).
There are some improvements that affect quality of life - such as the option to set up a group of Characters that can be hired instantly, regardless of what type of Character is available. There are also changes that affect Items - such as sockets, which allow for a new type of Item to be introduced into the game, further "increasing" complexity and allowing for more build variety and specialization.
The pet system is the same - uninspired and somewhat lazy - as is what the Wizard does. There are a few neat additions, such as a reason to play the game past floor 1000. There are special collectibles that can be purchased in exchange for ludicrous sums of money, and those act as the reason to do end-game content. However, they are not as appealing as the developers intended.
Overall, these improvements might make the game slightly more interesting, and they do that - the Player is presented with more things that could, potentially, grow into neat things. There is more intrigue and more mystery to be unveiled - be it the story or the many mechanics that are only hinted at being available later on, or the potential opportunity to craft a neat set of items, or to make that obscenely powerful item and upgrade it.
While those are decent additions, they are very peripheral. The game is the same. The Player clicks the button to start a dungeon run, the Player waits for their hirelings to die, and then that is repeated until the end of time. I can not, in good conscience, give a game that has done its best to avoid being a game - literally requiring that the Player not interact with it at all for large swathes of time - a better score. 1/3
Presentation
Soda Dungeon 2, much like Soda Dungeon 1, is LOUD. The music, the sound-effects - it is all tremendously loud, which is problematic. Fortunately, that can be fixed by making use of the options menu, yet it should not be that loud by default.
Either way, there’s a far greater variety when it comes to sound-effects and musical tracks in this game, which is to be expected out of a sequel. They aren’t anything outstanding, but they are decent.
This game does two more things better than its predecessor. Both its tutorial and its visuals are more refined. Not only that, but the presentation of the Story is also vastly improved through the addition of Quests. Overall, in relation to Presentation, this game is a great improvement over what came before it. 3/3
Story
The story in Soda Dungeon 2, much like everything else in the game, is far more polished than what was found in Soda Dungeon. It features a goon (the Player) being sent to an alternate dimension after a series of failures to defeat the Darkest Lord. The Player winds up in a dimension troubled by a Dark Lord, but he is.. Well, he isn’t really that dark a dark lord.
Regardless, he is bothering the townsfolk, and things are quite run-down, so the Player establishes a deal with the tavern keeper (much like what was done in Soda Dungeon), with the main difference here being that there is a lot more character to things. Regardless, what follows is a weird dynamic between the Player and the Dark Lord, who winds up being pursued through many dimensions.
This rivalry flourishes into a pseudo friendship, as many more Dark (and Light) Lords are met and defeated. There’s also a janitor, and a weird trip to the past featuring a battle with a goddess at floor 1000.
Although a lot more fleshed out than what Soda Dungeon (the first) had to offer, it is still not enough to really warrant the highest possible grade. Still, the characters encountered are neat and unique enough, some might even be a bit memorable, and the most important thing - the tone is maintained. The whole thing is a light-hearted joke that does not take itself too seriously, as some other games in the idle “genre” do. 2/3
Legendary Point
Does this game get the legendary point, so craved and wanted by all and none at the same time? Unfortunately, even though it is an upgrade in every conceivable way, even though it is an astoundingly good sequel, it is still, largely, the same game that relies on the Player not playing it for long swathes of time. Thus, no, Soda Dungeon 2 does not get the Legendary Point. 0/1
Conclusion
6/10. It appears as though this game is slightly above average, and I am inclined to admit that it is a massive improvement. Still, that does not mean it is a game that should be played by almost anyone - except, maybe, for rabid fans of idle games. If you suffer from such afflictions, this game is a decent offering. For anyone else, I would not recommend it.
In the bag of mediocrity. It has a few neat quirks, but the vast majority of it is underwhelming.