Harukanaru Toki no Naka de 2 – More Details

After reading a bunch of comments on 2channel (yes, without new games I had some time on my hands!), and playing Harutoki Ukihashi, I got interested in Harutoki 2 again, and I’m surprised how much I’m enjoying it. And since you guys actually seem interested in Harutoki 1 and 2 (yay! I didn’t know if it was old news or interesting at all), I thought I’d go into some more detail about #2, since I’m playing that right now.

The first time I played #2 all I noticed was the very similar setup and character designs to Harutoki 1 – just look at the hachiyou side by side (left is #2, right is #1):

Also, several of the locations in Kyou are the same (though the pics are different, as #2 takes place in fall and winter, while #1 is in spring and summer), as well as the game’s overall flow: Learn about Kyou, get each holy beast seal (seijuu), then each myouou seal, then fight the end boss. Even the villains are re-used – both Akram and Shirin have pretty big parts in this game.

However, after playing it through again without having a fresh memory of #1, as well as paying more attention to the plot and dialogue, I’ve realized some key differences.

The biggest difference, I think, is that the heroine, Karin, isn’t acknowledged as the Ryuujin no Miko by the hachiyou at the beginning of the game. Though Yukari, the young ‘assistant’ from the Hoshi no Ichizoku, recognizes her right away and supports her through thick and thin, Karin has to find and convince the hachiyou on her own. In the beginning, even though Karin searches Kyou with one hachiyou whom she met when she first appeared in Kyou, that one doesn’t believe her either. And you can only choose daily companions from four of the total eight hachiyou for about a third of the game.

The reason for this is that the people and government of Kyou are in a state of unrest. The old emperor recently gave up his throne to his son, but the process didn’t go smoothly. Many nobles still pay more attention to the ‘retired’ emperor (called the ‘in’) than the new, and overall Kyou is split into two factions. Depending on your choice in the beginning, you start out on the current emperor’s or the retired emperor’s side, and only ‘get’ the four corresponding hachiyou until partway through.

Compared to Harutoki 1, where Akane was summoned with all the hachiyou ready and she also had two friends from home coming with her (Karin comes alone), Karin has it way harder – and this makes the story more interesting, in my opinion. It also lends more credence to the fights between hachiyou, since (of course) all the Heaven hachiyou are on the retired emperor’s side while all the Earth hachiyou side with the current emperor. This time, it’s not just personality clashes, but real mistrust that they have to overcome.

I also like Karin better as a heroine, mostly because she has to face a lot more adversity. When each hachiyou finally tells her they believe she’s the true Ryuujin no Miko and vows to help her, it feels very satisfying.

If you’ve recently played Harutoki 1, the elements common to both will be really obvious, and you’ll probably have to be patient to start appreciating what’s good about Harutoki 2, and what makes it worthwhile in its own right compared to Harutoki 1. I’d recommend waiting a while between playing the two games. But I do recommend getting it if you’re interested – like Harutoki 1, it’s a lot of fun, but it has a charm and atmosphere all its own.

Oh, and someone asked about minigames! Yes, there are several types of minigames in #2 (I think only a memory game in #1), none very complex. One is a memory game using clams, one is kind of a reflex game where there are items to win and you have to stop the gauge at the right spot to get them, one is like whack-a-mole (I find that one the hardest), and one is like Pong. If you succesfully ‘beat’ the game, you get both affection and belief stars for the hachiyou you’re with, so it’s worth it to give it a try.

4 Responses to “Harukanaru Toki no Naka de 2 – More Details”

1. Rita says:

   March 11, 2009 at 7:12 pm

   XDD The minigames made me crack up for no apparent reason. Probably because they’re old-time favorites dolled up

   Well, either way, I think I have number 2 for the PSP sitting somewhere…in a corner…in the attic? >_> I don’t remember if I played it, but probably not very far even if I did start. My main problem was, like you mentioned, there seemed like way too much similarity XD
2. admin says:

   March 12, 2009 at 1:09 am

   LOL, yes, the minigames are really simple. But hey, that’s not a bad thing, better something that works than a new type of game that drives you crazy!
3. Sharakael says:

   March 12, 2009 at 11:33 pm

   I wonder if the similarity is the reason 2 isn’t as popular as 1 or 3? I mean, even 1 got a remake/re-release of some sort (Hachiyousou) and anime, and 3 got expansions… but 2 never got anything else except a re-release on PSP.

   I wonder if 2 was the reason they decided to radically change 3…
4. admin says:

   March 18, 2009 at 10:19 am

   I wouldn’t be surprised at all – and though I think it’s good that they changed it up (3 and 4 are amazing), I kind of feel sorry for #2, I think it gets a bad rap

   I also heard, though I don’t know if it’s true, that people didn’t like Karin’s short hair! Which is weird to me, as I like her more than Akane and I think her hair is cute