| “ | A sequel that asks, "What does it take to escape from fate?" | ” |
—-Line from Idea Factory's official Mary Skelter 2 website | ||
Mary Skelter 2 (神獄塔 メアリスケルター2, Kami Gokutō Mearisukerutā 2) is a dungeon-crawling role-playing video game developed by Compile Heart for the Playstation 4 and later, the Nintendo Switch. It is an alternate story to the original Mary Skelter: Nightmares, which was remade on the Switch as free DLC. The game saw a North American release on October 22nd of 2019, with the European release only a day later. The game itself is only available for digital distribution on the eShop, though physical copies were sold on the website Limited Run Games. On January 13th 2022 it was released via Steam for the PC.
A prologue short story was released and translated from Idea Factory and fills in some of the gaps and references in the game, starting from when Little Mermaid met Otsuu until five years before Alice and Jack are discovered. The English version can be read and downloaded here.
Plot[]
Mary Skelter 2 holds an odd relationship with its predecessor in that it's recommended to play Mary Skelter 2 before playing Mary Skelter: Nightmares.
The Jail - a living prison that feeds on the humans trapped within its confines.
The Jail appeared a number of years ago with the caving of the city around it. Now twisted creatures known as Marchens and Nightmares roam its halls.
Otsuu and Little Mermaid are a part of a group of humans known as "Dawn" attempting to survive these horrors. They succeed in saving Alice and a young man named Jack on one mission.
However, on their return back to base, Alice goes mad and begins attacking those around her.
Alice strikes Jack, who was trying to protect Otsuu and Little Mermaid, knocking them down a chasm.
Later, Otsuu and Little Mermaid awaken from the fall only to find Jack on the verge of death...
And so begins the tale of escaping from fate.
| “ | Unable to confirm. Everyone has now forgotten. I apologize, I was mistaken. Only you can still remember. The past cannot be changed. But the future may change the past. I am not lying. I was created to only tell the truth. It is your turn to steal away her future. I will see you at the next tower. I was created to only tell the truth. | ” |
—Last message of the game | ||
Gameplay[]
For the most part, Mary Skelter 2 holds the same basic gameplay that defined Mary Skelter: Nightmares. Dungeon-crawling and the timing of dungeon features work on a turn-based system similar to the likes of Etrian Odyssey. Blood Maidens have special field abilities used to solve puzzles and navigate dungeons. By attacking the weaknesses of enemies and/or overkilling them, the player could accumulate Blood, allowing Blood Maidens to access the powerful Massacre or Blood Skelter states depending on their Corruption. Nightmares make a return as an unkillable boss requiring quick thinking to escape rather than by brute-forcing the solution.
New Features[]
- Kagome-Kagome Effect: By attacking enemies with a weapon with the "Bloodshot" effect, you can accrue a lot of Blood and force the enemy to turn their back on you. Backstabbing enemies deals more damage and garners more Blood, and they must waste a turn to face you once more.
- Battle Gimmicks: Starting a battle near a gimmick such as spikes can trigger them mid-battle. Gimmicks cannot be destroyed in battle
- Critical Notice: A system where you are told when a character's next attack will be a critical hit. It comes in three tiers, with increasing power the flashier the notice is. Combos and weapons with the "Strike" property are more likely to trigger Critical Notice.
- Nightmare Jack: Jack is turned into a Nightmare early on in the story, but miraculously retains his sanity. He'll fight alongside Otsuu to escape the Jail with his unique brand of Nightmare powers.
- Using Jack's abilities will deplete his mind gauge. If his mind falls too low, he may become Ripper Jack, which is essentially Jack's version of Blood Skelter, wherein he uncontrollably attacks allies and enemies.
- Embrace Command: A Blood Maiden can use the Embrace command on any Maiden in Blood Skelter or Ripper Jack. This will cause all of the targeted character's attacks to be directed either towards the enemy or the Embrace user. It can be both a gamble to try and make use of a berserk combatant or a sacrifice to protect a critical party member.
Concept Art[]
External Links[]
- Japanese Website: Official Site
- Japanese Website for Switch: Official Site
- English Website: Official Site
- Steam Page: Official site