I’m relieved to see that I’m not the only one who feels a bit of disappointment. I, too, originally thought this game would be focused entirely on a new character, with no import option - and perhaps that’s the way it should have been, because playing as an imported character really didn’t match my expectations (which admittedly may have been too lofty, because the first game was just so good).
Losing my MC’s powers was a kick, but I accepted it, because Aetherfall’s endings branched so much that a drastic move was necessary to level out the playing field. Ditto for not being able to work alongside the Society. I missed them, and enjoyed their cameos greatly, however considering that Aetherfall could have ended with them dead or disbanded, I get that making them major parts of the plot would have been unfeasible (not without significantly upping the game’s total word count, anyway). So I swallowed those pills and faithfully persevered.
What bothered me most, though, was the lack of RO development. Dusk was one of my favourite CoG romances of all time, the drama and passion of the first game was an absolute delight, but in the sequel he was just…there. He showed up a couple of times for moral support, wrung his hands that he couldn’t intervene because the government said so, and was completely absent during the final chapter’s showdown. Never mind the fact that a) the Conclave had previously tried to recruit him, and b) if MC failed to close the rifts then there’d be no government, or London, or England, or Earth, so why would anyone refuse this incredibly powerful Superlative who was incredibly eager to assist? Yes, it might have created an uneven playing field, and necessitated a higher word count, but it would at least have made better narrative sense.
In the first game, Dusk was a complex character with a difficult past, and I’d thought maybe there would be some deep conversations to help him work through things and grow closer. I wanted to see him interact with Orchid, to see her try and befriend him, and tease her brother about falling for the mysterious shadowy stranger they fought in an abandoned lab. I wanted to laugh at Basil’s horror that another Superlative - and a decidedly dubious one - was going to be marrying into the family. I wanted to see Dusk and my MC stand side by side in battles and be a fantastic power couple! And I didn’t get any of that, at all.
Just so this post isn’t all complaints, here are some of the things I liked: It was fun to learn more about the Jovians, as well as Martians and Venusians. I adored the cats, and also the weird plant-puppy. The new allies were charismatic and easy to like. The plot was generally good, and it’s nice that different player styles were catered to, even one where you never had to fight if you didn’t want to (I did, though).
Shattered Worlds isn’t a bad game overall, but it’s far more satisfying when played as the original Arbiter.
