White Knight Chronicles 2 reviewed for PlayStation 3 by Jack Matthewson. Game supplied for review by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe

The original White Knight Chronicles is a memorable title for many PlayStation 3 owners. Firstly because it was highly anticipated as being an original JRPG announced for a system that had slim pickings in the genre that cemented its predecessor into gaming history and secondly for having a lukewarm reception in the west with review scores and sales numbers that didn’t really back up the hype. A large part of that disappointment was placed at the feet of a lacklustre multiplayer experience which didn’t really follow through on a lot of promised features. These days you’d be hard pressed to find a copy on store shelves.

For this stumbling new IP, however, there is still hope. White Knight Chronicles 2 starts things off on the right foot by delivering the entire first game on the disc along with the second. This mitigates the worry that new players would find it difficult to break in to the series due to lack of popularity of the first title. Proceedings begin with character creation on a scale that rivals a Bethesda game. Literally everything can be customised and changed about your character’s appearance. Pleasingly, this means it’s perfectly possible to create realistic looking short, old, fat or ugly characters that don’t look ridiculous. Of course, the plethora of androgynous teenagers with bad bed-hair are still present for the traditionalist.

Jumping right in to WKC2, it is clear that the inclusion of the entire first game on the same disc was not just a thoughtful way to fill up Blu-ray space. There really is no real reason for a new player to start their adventure here. After a brief “the story so far” sequence, we are dropped right in to the middle of a war we may have no knowledge of with characters whose motivations are sketchy at best. There is a lot here that could go over a new player’s head. The initial opponents are not challenging, but it’s worth noting there are no tutorials are offered at this juncture. It is fully assumed that players are up to date on the control scheme and convoluted combo system.

Convoluted, because at times it feels like you are spending more time in a menu configuring attacks, combos, equipment, spells, AI and constantly tweaking dozens of different settings than you do actually playing the game. I understand that some players may find this appealing, but when you spend tenminutes putting together your characters Spear combo settings, then you gain a level and unlock a much better ability you’d want to use instead, you’ll have to start the whole process over again. God forbid you’d want to swap weapons at some point. Each weapon type uses a different skill tree, so you’d better have a decent idea of the direction you want to take you character in early on or you’ll put yourself out of reach of some of the more powerful abilities. It’s easy to get overwhelmed with the amount of customisation available.

That’s not to say a fledgling would be missing out on anything by starting afresh. It’s clear right away that this is merely an expansion to the first title. Everything is the same, from the UI, skill trees, combo system, etcetera. It must be stressed that this game is more of a story extension with more content and not a full blown overhaul. Familiar party members return and attempt to unite the kingdoms of the world against the big bad you let escape in the first title.

It’s not a particularly compelling continuation to the story, and the titular Knights (huge mecha-like suits of armour that certain characters can summon in tough fights) feels like nothing more than Gundam-Meets-Power-Rangers-With-Swords. The voice acting is passable, with only Leonard remaining as risible as ever. Disappointingly, the avatar that you placed so much effort into making is as mute and passive as he always has been. One of the major let downs from the first game was that your creation lost all personality once you began your adventure, content to remain silent in the background as the Leonard and his band of familiar protagonists take the stage.

But what a stage. One of the things that struck the player from the original WKC was the expansive and lush environments which did not seem as sparse as similar attempts in the genre. The same is true here with literally acres of open world for the diligent player to explore. The guild and hunting quests will once again give you an excuse to roam all over the land seeing the sights. WKC2 does not shy away from the spectacle, but I felt a little underwhelmed to begin with. The first few town and forest locations that are visited seem rather dreary despite their openness. It doesn’t help matters that you will soon find yourself in familiar territory as you journey through the same zones you saw in the first game. This does change, but doesn’t lead to a good first impression.

White Knight Chronicles 2 is not a bad game. If you’ve never touched the first before and are a fan of JRPGs with real-time combat, then there is a lot of value for money here despite the obvious shortcomings. For players that were not enthused by the first offering, then here you will simply find more of the same. This is by all definitions an expansion pack rather than a concerted attempt to improve on the flaws of the original and does nothing to win over the sceptic. It is worth noting that the review build did not include an access code for the multiplayer content. If you consider buying this second hand, bear in mind that you will probably end up having to purchase a license to use the online features if your code has already been used.

White Knight Chronicles 2 is out now for PlayStation 3 and is available from Amazon.