Like the game description says, the game is best played after going through Mask of Arcadius, don't skip it when it's free. Story-wise, this game picks up right after MOA ends and features the same crew as before as they struggle to bring about the liberation of the ship's planet. There are some new players on the stage though and a few plot twists that you saw coming and one in particular you didn't. Many people feel this game has a "railroaded romance" and sure this game appears to be far more linear than the last one. However, the binary choices in the last game only decided the personality of the player character, the story would largely happen the same regardless of how you chose. I did not like the removal of those little choices, but I don't feel this game has suffered for it. The so-called "railroaded romance" is present, but whether or not it survives the events of the game is up to the player. In fact this game features two epilogues and in one of which, the player is able to pursue multiple paths with crewmates to decide which one to romance. I do have to question though if anything in that second epilogue will be canon when game 3 comes out. It's still well executed though and features a ton of character development, so even if the second epilogue is non canon it's worth playing. The tactical combat of Liberation Day is thankfully more accesible and forgiving than last time around and even beginners shouldn't have as much difficulty as they did in MOA. If you've experience in the Fire Emblem series of games, then perhaps you can play at "Captain" difficulty. Luckily any upgrades you buy for your ships can be undone and fully refunded unlike last time. The battles themselves are more straightforward and winnable, especially because now you can stack multiple buffs on the same unit and issue multiple orders a turn. Do yourself a favor and buy this game already. Lets make the series more popular so we get a proper part 3 of Sunrider!
Sunrider: Mask of Arcadius is a game that blew me away from my expectations based upon the price and artwork. Call it a case of "Don't judge a book by it's cover", but this is an impressive game that could of come from a "Triple A Gaming Studio". From the moment you start up the game until you see the end credits, you will be hooked if you have any interest in Sci-Fi or animes. The story and characters feel very grounded and human for taking place in such a world. The artwork isn't the best, sure, but it grows on you the longer you play and by the time you make it to the sequel, you will actually miss the old style a little bit, as the new looks like a lot of other things you may have seen. The player assumes the role of Kayto Shields, a newly enstated captain of a vessel, the eponymous Sunrider. Throughout his journey you experience a roller coaster of drama and decide how many events in the story wil play out. Kayto is joined by a colorful cast of seemingly tropish beautiful women who like him because he's a hero. Don't dismiss them right away as the women have solid character development later on, especially in the sequel. The turn based battles you play are instantly familar to anybody who has played Fire Emblem and to a lesser extent X-COM. The difficulty varies largely on the setting you play on and I highly recommend new players start on "Lieutenant" because "Captain" gets very difficult if the player doesn't pick the ideal upgrades for your ships. You can undo upgrades, but it will cost you a 20% money loss each time, so it's best you save before you allocate your R&D funds. I could go on much longer, but I fear that would be spoiling this hidden gem of a game. Play it! Tell your friends about it and get this series some more visibility so we get a proper part 3 one day.
