Vlarion 2 - Darkness Gathering

This review contains some spoilers.

With two out of the way, including the beloved Hirolix, the adventurers continue on their huge journey to get rid of all the Vlarions. Instead of a long introduction, I'll cut straight to the chase this time: we start off in Vlarion 2 listening in on Dask's and Jack's conversation by a fire, with Stacey sleeping. For those who couldn't quite remember what happened in Vlarion 1, one of their next targets is to go after Rosal, while Dask has to find a magic infusion point. Really early on, we are introduced to a new character, Brian, who is rather suspicious-looking indeed. I won't say much more about him, apart from that he is a skilled swordsman and a magic knight, and the fight scene that follows between Dask and Brian is a nice, well-animated treat.

What follows is practically what we've seen in its predecessor: more great, in-depth, thorough story. Every move from the good guys and the enemies is planned out properly, with hardly any ridiculous and confusing jumps between scenes, and time and effort has obviously been spent on the story and wonderful script. Thanks to the script, the characters also do have personalities, good enough to what you see in RPG video games. It's nice to be able to read some of the character's thoughts too, like in Vlarion 1, and it makes it easier to relate to them. The story and characters are the driving force of the early Vlarion movies, and this is no exception. Forgetting a couple of slightly dull explanation scenes, this is certainly compelling to watch, just because of the story and characters alone.

But there is more. Scattered throughout Vlarion 2, again just like its predecessor, are RPG-like battles. These are usually really fun and marvellous to watch, with some decent-enough animations. There are also plenty of RPG-elements noticeable and neatly done. For example, there is a map, and the music, which are MIDIs, certainly feels like that this could have easily been an actual RPG. Moving away from these nice touches, let's go back to the story. Rosal is the traditional bad guy in this movie: evil, heartless, and with a team of henchmen, and one of these henchmen is Kramer, who wants to prove himself. Both of these bad guys also have thorough characters to follow, but instead of urging them to do well, I wanted them to, well, screw up and die. This resembles my feelings when I watched the 2004 hit SATANIK. Rosal and Kramer may not have been as cold-hearted as Satanik, and I might have hated Satanik and wanted him to be rid of even more, but their evil is still portrayed well, especially using hardly any modern techniques.

Apart from Brian, we also get introduced to another new character: Trevor. He's the comedic one, the care-free and the I-don't-give-a-toss guy. His role does not seem anywhere near as important as Brian, but he is still a welcome addition. Furthermore, we see more of Gelst, which is also nice. If you think their journey is plain-sailing, you think wrong. There are many twists in Vlarion 2 which should get you tense, including another kidnap and one's dangerous and story-changing encounter with Kramer. To put it simply, the story is brilliant. And what about the ending? Well, after the strong build-up, thanks to the story, I am pleased to say that the ending of Vlarion 2 does not disappoint. It is a finale worth remembering, which raises many questions to be answered in the next Vlarion. Superb stuff.

As a whole, the movie doesn't quite live up to a lot of the movies released in an era where custom scenery is a must in nearly every single movie released. Camera angles aren't anything special, and you tend to be looking at pretty straight and uninteresting views. Some of the scenes which require plenty of reading are a little boring too. They're basically faults from Vlarion 1 which are not fixed in this sequel, something which you should be able to get through if you enjoyed the first. That said, if you can do that, its rewards are big; you are treated to a strong and intricate story which is hardly seen today. Basically, Vlarion 2 is the next stage of the story. It is nearly identical to Vlarion 1, and if you did not like the first one, there is no reason why you should like the follow-up. Neither animation improvements, nor story advancement will change your mind. But to those who loved Vlarion 1, there are many reasons to watch this, with genius story development, further character developments, and new characters. The custom scenery and lack of voices can be easily ignored and forgiven, even if you have 2005 expectations. After all, you're only watching this for the story, aren't you? Be sure to check this out.

Score: 75/100