Mary Skelter 2

Genre: Compilation / First-Person Dungeon Crawler / Turn-Based JRPG

Players: 1

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Review:

The Mary Skelter series is a series of First-Person Dungeon Crawler / Turn-Based JRPG titles that take place in an unnamed Japanese city that has been subsumed into some sort of otherworldly hellish “Jail”, warped into a monstrous maze of grotesque architecture, and sadistic torture-loving monsters. The original Mary Skelter game, Mary Skelter: Nightmares, released on the PlayStation Vita in 2017, and for its 2019 sequel (only released on the Nintendo Switch in the US), the folks at Compile Heart and Idea Factory have done non-Vita owners a solid and included the entire first game along with its sequel, either unlockable upon completion or unlockable from the start via a free downloadable update.

Both games feature the same setting and similar gameplay, albeit with a few differences. However, rather than being a direct sequel to the events of the first game, Mary Skelter reimagines the first game’s plot entirely, not only taking the perspective of a different set of characters, but drastically diverging from the events of the first game, seeming to take place in a different timeline entirely. As such, you could very well play the games in either order, although it’s still probably best to play the two in order as the second game introduces a few new mechanics on top of what was in the original.

Having said that, I can’t exactly say that the plot will make more sense if you play them in either order, because that would imply there’s some sense to be found here. This game’s anime-esque plot seems outright nonsensical at times, and while the localization is mostly fine, there seems to be something lost in translation as the dialogue can seem a bit stilted in places. The first game follows the perspectives of Jack and Alice as the two gets rescued from a torture chamber so Alice can be inducted into a group known as the Blood Maidens – so named because they are young women with the unique ability to grow stronger by bathing in or consuming the blood of the freakish monsters that players fight throughout the games.

The second game, meanwhile, follows Blood Maidens Otsuu and Little Mermaid on their mission to induct Alice into their group, until things go awry and Otsuu, Little Mermaid, and Jack get separated from the others. Shortly after this, Jack transforms into one of the monstrous nightmares yet remains friendly, apparently due to a bond he formed with the pair of heroines. And yeah, by now you’ve probably noticed the naming scheme here. Jack, Alice, Little Mermaid, Little Red Riding Hood, Thumbelina… this series clearly has a thing for a fairy tale aesthetic, though some of the characters’ origins are undoubtedly less well-known to Western audiences.

The presentation here is good, but it is odd in a way that may be off-putting to some. The game uses nicely-drawn 2D anime-style character portraits and 3D dungeons and enemies, with the dungeons and enemies being pretty freaky-looking, the dungeons featuring animated mouths and eyes and the enemies looking like grotesque exaggerations of fairy tale creatures as well as creatures that are just an odd assortment of body parts, mechanical pieces, and circus costuming jumbled together. This is backed by some good voice acting (though sadly not on all lines) and a soundtrack that seems to jump from decent anime-esque songs to aggressively annoying fare that had me reaching for the mute button.

There is one other element of the presentation here that deserves special mention, and that is this game’s clashing themes. On the one hand, I’ve already mentioned this game’s grotesque imagery, and this is paired with a lot of death, despair, and body horror in its plot. In addition to this, the game occasionally fetishizes its female characters in ways that can be awkward or even what some might consider a bit creepy. These disparate themes are not separate either – because these girls are powered by getting the bright pink blood of their enemies on them, they are frequently talking about covering themselves with it, enjoying the way it feels, and even licking it off one another. That’s not a minor thing either – there’s actually a move your characters can do where they literally lick the blood off of one of their comrades to get a boost. This sort of stuff isn’t usually depicted visually, but it’s discussed with such a casual and light-hearted tone in the game’s story that it can seem outright ridiculous, and will undoubtedly be unsettling to some players.

When it comes to the gameplay, this is a pretty good First-Person Dungeon Crawler, though it can be a bit on the challenging side, and there were definitely occasions where it was unclear just where I was supposed to go next. Partly this is due to the game’s map, which doesn’t clearly indicate what’s needed to cross some of the impassable barriers, and doesn’t allow you to see it full-screen without a transparency that obscures its features.

It doesn’t help that this game introduces a lot of unusual game systems, and it’s not always clear the best way to make use of these. In the first game, Jack is one of the few characters in your early-game party, and it takes some getting used to the fact that his only utility in combat seems to be to act as a human shield for his female companions. In the second game, Jack attaches to Otsuu as a helper character who can swap with Otsuu to do greater damage to enemies, but at the risk of sending him into a potentially game-wrecking rage state. Meanwhile, the game’s dungeons have moods that you are meant to satisfy with your actions, there are “dating” elements to enhance character relationships, there’s a combat mechanic where you have to essentially weigh the value of a brief Massacre Mode (think Final Fantasy’s limit breaks) against the “lick” move that gives a smaller enhancement to an ally at the expense of a turn… but going into Massacre Mode too often can lead to the combat-crazy Blood Skelter state…

… and I haven’t even finished describing half of the mechanics this game throws at you within its first few hours. I’m not saying any of this is necessarily bad, there’s absolutely a lot of creativity that went into this game’s mechanics and systems. I’m just saying it’s a lot to take in, and it’s not as well-paced as I’d like. What’s more, both games start out pretty poorly, and not just due to all this information the game asks you to process, but the high difficulty, low number of characters in your party, the infrequent occurrence of save points in dungeons, and in Mary Skelter 2 there’s also the inability to make use of a town to rest, heal, and save for at least a few hours.

Just to give you an idea of where my feelings are regarding this game, I’ve been aching for a First-Person Dungeon Crawler to come along and fill the void of the lack of Etrian Odyssey on the Nintendo Switch, and there are times when Mary Skelter 2 almost does this. There’s plenty of depth and nuance to its game systems that I feel like I’d have plenty to dig into if this game latched onto me the way the Etrian games did. Unfortunately, I can’t help but be put off by the poor pacing (particularly in the game’s opening), high difficulty, and a presentation that feels all over the place in its tone.

Still, for players who have the patience to bear with this game’s eccentricities, there’s a lot to love here, and the fact that the first game was tossed into the package with its sequel as a bonus makes this a great value too. If you’re a fan of First-Person Dungeon-Crawlers like Etrian Odyssey, this may not quite fill the void that game’s absence leaves, but it comes close enough that it may be worth a look.

tl;dr – Mary Skelter 2 is a First-Person Dungeon-Crawler that’s similar to Etrian Odyssey, and it’s a great value because the first game has generously been included here as a bonus. However, this game isn’t for everyone – its complex systems, poor pacing, lacking map, odd story, and its clashing and potentially off-putting themes will all add up to an experience that will frustrate or disgust many players. However, those who have the stomach to get through this game’s rough edges will find that it’s deep and rewarding, and at least some of its odd mechanics are inventive. On balance, it’s worth a look, but know what you’re getting into.

Grade: B-

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