Death end re;Quest 2

Story was nice.
Characters were nice.
Combat was nice.
Playing with mouse + keyboard was time consuming and felt bad - poor port with controls not really made for M+K.
Playing with xbox controller was smooth, but during every cut scene cursor was visible in the middle of the screen and that was annoying xD
Recommend only if you will play with controller.

Death end re;Quest 2 Review – A Dark, Gripping Tale with Unique Combat
Death end re;Quest 2 delivers a hauntingly atmospheric experience that blends visual novel storytelling with JRPG mechanics, creating a sequel that stands strong on its own while refining the foundation set by its predecessor. Set in the eerie town of Le Choara, the game follows Mai Toyama, a troubled young woman searching for her missing sister in a boarding school shrouded in mystery and supernatural horrors.
A Compelling, Dark Narrative
The game’s greatest strength lies in its storytelling. From the opening moments, Death end re;Quest 2 doesn’t shy away from heavy themes, weaving a tale of trauma, survival, and otherworldly terror. The visual novel segments are richly detailed, with expressive character portraits and well-delivered voice acting (both English and Japanese) that bring the cast to life. Mai’s journey is gripping, and her interactions with the supporting cast—particularly her roommate, Rotten Dollhart—add emotional depth and occasional levity to the grim atmosphere.
While the pacing can feel uneven at times, with some side characters falling into familiar tropes, the main plot remains engaging throughout, packed with twists and unsettling revelations. The horror elements are handled with striking imagery and tension, making exploration of Le Choara’s corrupted streets a consistently immersive experience.
Strategic, Physics-Based Combat
The battle system retains the first game’s unique “knockback” mechanic, where sending enemies careening into walls or allies deals bonus damage. This pinball-like approach adds a layer of strategy, encouraging players to position attacks for maximum impact. The Glitch Mode transformation—which powers up characters while trading modesty for firepower—remains a flashy and satisfying way to turn the tide in tough fights.
That said, the combat can occasionally feel repetitive, especially against HP-spongey bosses, and the removal of some mechanics from the first game (like Battle Jack) simplifies the system more than expected. Still, experimenting with skill combos and elemental weaknesses keeps battles engaging for most of the runtime.
Stylish Presentation with Flair
Visually, Death end re;Quest 2 shines in its 2D artwork and eerie monster designs, which blend body horror and surrealism effectively. The soundtrack, while borrowing heavily from the first game, sets a fittingly ominous tone. Dungeon environments, however, can feel samey over time, relying on recycled assets that dull the sense of discovery.
Final Thoughts
Death end re;Quest 2 is a worthy follow-up that excels in storytelling and atmosphere, even if some gameplay elements feel streamlined compared to its predecessor. The dark narrative, strong character writing, and inventive combat make it a standout for fans of horror JRPGs. While not without its flaws, it’s a memorable experience that leaves a lasting impression—and one that will surely satisfy those who appreciate Compile Heart’s signature blend of charm and chills.
Score: 8/10
Pros:
- Engrossing, dark storyline with excellent voice acting
- Unique and satisfying combat mechanics
- Striking 2D art and monster designs
- Strong protagonist and emotional character arcs
Cons:
- Dungeon environments lack variety
- Some combat mechanics feel simplified
- Pacing hiccups in side stories
For players who enjoy narrative-driven JRPGs with a horror twist, Death end re;Quest 2 is a compelling adventure—one that proves the series still has plenty of creative potential.

Gameplay:
The gameplay revolves around the exploration of a town, which I must say. For what it is, is pretty large. There is backtracking to do as well. The equipment system in the game is pretty basic, such as finding your gear, or purchasing something to increase it. To be honest, your major upgrades will come from finding gears. There is also 999 levels, this is more for a post game kinda thing.
Battle System:
The battle system, it uses more of a pinball kind of thing if you know what I mean. Aligning the targets correctly, so you can take advantage of launch chains. This is the basics, but it gets a bit more complex. Such as there are nodes on the field, and with them comes boosts but health cost penalty.
Once the character corrupts, they enter into a transformation state. This is where the real battles begin, as it is a combination of maintaining, knowing when to use it up with an ultimate to gain a buff, and calculating the amount of damage you’d take. Knowing if your corruption gauge would fill back up. Despite it being basic, it does its job quite well. It is also a turn based game, but gives freedom of movement.
Story:
This is the high point. The wonderful cast of character, it starting with Mai Toyama living in an abusive life, forced out of normalcy. So, she develops more of a defensive side. Putting up a wall against people when she is freed. She goes to search for her sister, and finds herself at an all girls school.
It is here she gets acquainted into a more normal setting, that is until night falls, and everything turns to ruin.
It is here dangers are faced, her determination to find her sister. Along the way in this, she grows closer to another Rottie, who is very assertive to say.
So, a bit of coldness sets the line. However, as it goes along, you see how the relationship of the two is developed. Then how the classmates, and others play into this all. The game flips between a nice Slice of Life, to an unsettling horror. Your decisions in the game affects who live, but to an extent. You’ll see what I mean if you play it.
Anyway, as she tries and finds answers about her sister. Around every corner, things do not look good. Then on top of this, the strange happenings at the school, the state of the town. It all gloriously plays out, and kept me hooked in.
Different Endings:
The game has many bad endings, one true ending, and one EX ending. The bad endings, simply pick the choice that doesn’t sound smart. In short, think behaving coldly, and potentially selfishly. It might seem this way, but you are in the role of a leader.
The True Ending, do not lose the first round of the final battle, then win the rest. For a special bad ending, lose the first round, then continue to see. For the EX True Ending, do all of the Side Quests, complete all interactions in the day, then complete the game(NG+ only for EX True End).
Graphics:
Much better on PC than switch.
Music:
Very good.
Party composition:
You have three characters for the game, a fourth optional through some other means, then a bunch of others. Depending on their abilities, it can be useful in situations. For instance, Shina helps with item drop rate if I remember right. However, Mai is brutal on the battlefield.
Given her invincibility state, and capability to counter ailments as well, and her very high damage output. She fills the role of a damage dealer excellently, while covering herself. Lilliana, if I am remembering this correctly. She can shield all of your party members, so in tough situations, you can protect your party. And Rottie is a very good AOE user, that really acts as more of full on damage dealer. I think you get the point.
Replay Value:
Simply for the story itself, it gives incentive to replay. A second play through opens up new interactions in the day, this is to get the EX True Ending, which you should complete your Side Quests as soon as you can as to not risk losing the interactions.
Then a mode is offered to the Post Game Dungeon, where the difficulty really spikes up. It is here you will want to make use of your characters well. Mai, Rottie, and Liliana are exceptionally equipped to deal with this entire mode. You also get save points now and then. And even if you did all of this, just playing the game, to experience its story is more than enough.
Overall:
Death End ReQuest 2 is an excellent game. The focus is the story, and they fixed all the problems Death End ReQuest 1 had. While I did like the characters in one, they did not get proper development. Two properly developed its characters. Mai goes from someone who is more hostile and cold, to someone more happy. All the while, you see her strong devotion to find her sister.
Rottie gets her development as well into someone who learn more about the world, but still maintains her cheery self.
Lilianna was more passive, but becomes strong enough to pursue her goal due to her experiences with Mai. The smaller characters as well got their time as well, and you learn about and appreciate them. This game really over performs and does what it is supposed to do very well. Which is to tell a story.
Problems fixed from Death End ReQuest:
1. Poor Direction.
--> I complained about this for the first game, and this game completely corrects it. It respects your time, and allow you to save at any point during a scene. The game is no longer vague on directions as well.
2. Battle System.
--> It is no longer slow, and makes glitch more accessible while also making the later battles require you to loop around it. This is where synergy comes into place. If anything, I wished they kept the summon system and the genre change, these were fun for Death End ReQuest 1, but it doesn't matter.
3. Balance.
--> The game is much better balanced, and steadily progresses with its difficultly. It doesn't feel like a chore anymore.
4. Sexual Content.
--> I complained how some is fine now and then, but the over usage and downright questionable scenes made the first game off putting. It was to the point where it distracted from the story, rather than focusing, causing the game to be bloated. This ended up dragging down the first game. In the second, it was less focus on the sexual content, far less. And it focused in on the story.
5. Don't have to playthrough the game tediously.
--> Meaning for additional character scenes, just save and reload from a certain point. They also focused more on the story rather than wasting your time with the Side Quests. Which in NG+, when you do them, you are actually rewarded with something of worth with new events towards the EX True End.
6. Didn't spot any bugs. Whatever was there? Not noticeable. Death End ReQuest bugged on me quite a bit. 2? Not once.
Some Added Things:
1. Certain dialogues in battle.
--> In certain battles, using certain characters also tells more about the story. Such as the degrade function.
2. NG+.
--> New Game plus has more worth, given that it changes the intro movie and adds a lot of new scenes that connects to Death End ReQuest.
3. Level Up skills.
--> You level up to learn skills, but then have to use the level up skills to learn other ones.
4. Character interactions in battle.
--> There are a few dialogues that play when a character enters glitch mode.
5. Pain Area story section.
6. Oni challenge NG+.
--> I don't recommend it, it is as bad as the Chocobo Challenge from FFX.
Etc.
These are some of the smaller things that makes the game even better. Death End ReQuest 2 is 9/10 I'd give it. First run is contained, second one massively expands getting into the Endbirth Project as well as Lydia.
--> Now, I understand people are having trouble with the mouse appearing on screen. A patch that never came, here is a workaround.
Download AutoHideMouseCursor. You can set this to make the mouse hide itself within two seconds, and it works wonderfully. So you won't be bothered by the mouse again.

While I do understand that this game is seen as a rather bad sequel to the first title, looking past the repetitive gameplay loop, the story has a really interesting premise. The right presentation of a good plot has always been a problem for a lot of JRPGs so that isn't something I wanna judge here.
To set the right tone, I have to admit, that this game felt more like a Visual Novel with relatively poor gameplay aspects in it and is even bold enough to skip a few necessities every good JRPG needs.
The scenes can be quite grotesque at times, which is a little bit different from the first title but a welcoming change for people who enjoy bloody mysteries.
The cast of characters isn't bad but there aren't enough options to get creative, which is probably due to the game's theme in general, so this one can be forgiven - but it certainly eliminates a huge aspect about JRPGs in general because there is no reason to ever improve on your tactics or gameplay.
The gearing system isn't particularly exciting and the success in combat comes down to very little knowledge about the game's mechanics and the level/gear of the playable characters.
Unfortunately the story is only slightly connecting to the prequel, which is a shame, because it has a lot of potential.
All in all I could enjoy this title a lot due to its theme, but it's nothing too fancy talking about the presentation and gameplay. If you're not too invested in the story and really enjoy reading, then this is probably not a game for you.
Shoutout to the prequel and first entry to the series because in my opinion a lot of badly handled aspects of this game were done quite well there.

Played the first game on Switch, decided to try this one on PC.
This game is completely different from the first one, but in my opinion, is still special. There's a lot of complaints about Rottie, but I kind of love her, tbh. She's a highly competent lesbian with a gun, what's not to love?
The story is a bit wackier than the first game, yet a bit more cohesive this time. I recall being confused at points playing the first game, I feel like the story points connected a bit better in this one. Although, I am unsure if the plot would make sense if the first game isn't played, as there is a character related to another from the first game. I have no idea what playing this game is like if you didn't play the first game--maybe a bit confusing towards the end of the game.
The artwork and menus are GORGEOUS. Drop dead gorgeous. The main character's glitch form isn't as scandalous in this one, which I appreciate, because damn...this MC has it rough.
Story-wise, the plot is darker, but the death ends seem less brutal than the first game, imo.

After playing and beating it twice I can say the base game story isn't as good until you play the game for a second round, but most people won't do that so they miss the ng+ new stuff that I would heavily recommend you play Death End re;quest 1 before doing ng+ as you will be spoiled on certain things if you don't.
Rating before ng+ 5/10, after ng+ 8/10 for the story hook-in with death end 1 elaborating on some things which were left unanswered in both death end 1 and the end of death end 2.

standard compile heart
+chaos on loop boss theme
+Ao Oni mode
-budget
hope the third game has a bigger budget