Hey everyone! Been a bit since my last review, but today we’re coming back with a major splash: Kuroinu 2 Redux.
Like its predecessor, Kuroinu 2 ~In’yoku ni Somaru Haitoku no Miyako, Futatabi~ is a decently long 2018 nukige from the Nexton brand Liquid. The game was announced for localization by Shiravune shortly after their original Kuroinu Redux release, and officially came out on November 6th of this year.
Before I get into the review, I wish to thank Shiravune for sending us at Fuwanovel a pre-release review copy; it means a lot to be able to play a game like this before it officially releases.
Now then, with the flubber out of the way…. let’s jump in!
Kuroinu 2 is located in the same setting of its predecessor, the wonderful continent of Serenus, and follows the battle between our all too familiar opponents: the Service Nation and the Holy Alliance (basically the successor of the Seven Shields Alliance from the first game).
Just like the first game, the gameplay is very linear apart from the “punish a heroine” screen that appears at the end of the first part of the game. Unlike the first game, Kuroinu 2 opts to tell a full war narrative, one that involves betrayal and actual battles as opposed to minute sieges that reuse the same CG every time. It’s still not amazingly written but it feels a lot more grounded in conflict.
Kuroinu 2 dropped the previous director and instead has the less-known director buntan handling the direction. The scenario features four different scenario writers and Hikage Eiji, best known from the Koihime Musou series, reprises his role as the primary artist for the game.
The art in Kuroinu 2 is yet again absolutely beautiful and displays a variety of different fetishes. From eating bananas out of vaginas to goblins and orcs and… glowing wolf things?, you’re sure to find at least one thing that will satiate your darkest erotic desires.
Most of the reading experience is spent on the flamboyantly written and illustrated H-scenes, of which last a decent bit shorter than the original game’s, but make up for it with the plethora of fetishes their explore.
The rest of the game features world-building with each of the princesses of the kingdoms/conglomerate states that the Service Nation, and by extension the resurrected Black Dogs Mercenaries, will soon invade them.
Most of the heroines are built up better than Kuroinu 1‘s, but only two of them actually feel in any way like they have any kind of payoff to their development, those of course being Mistiora and Luka who actually feel like genuine characters.
Unfortunately, the rest of the heroines and by extension all of the antagonists, including the main character Derek, yet again feel pretty lifeless. I’m not expecting the next Game of Thrones to come out of a fantasy nukige but I still feel like there could’ve been a lot more done for most of the characters. It would add that extra little flair that would make the game just that bit more memorable.
With all of this being said, I do actually prefer Kuroinu 2 to the original Kuroinu, not only for its greater focus on the actual conflict throughout the land of Eos but also for its slightly more interesting heroines and generally more compelling writing. Sure, there’s a bit of a trade-off in the length of the eroticism but I feel like that was a trade worth it to make it feel more like an actual epic story than its predecessor.
So, yes, I would definitely say this game is worth it! The translation is also very good, and I didn’t notice any mistakes throughout my playthrough, though you definitely need the patch that will release on Johren for the Steam edition as it censors a ton of content without it.
Much like the original I’d suggest this one primarily for people into the darker side of promiscuity and general debauchery!
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