Dungeon Travelers 2: The Royal Library & the Monster Seal[a] is a dungeon crawler role-playing video game developed by Sting Entertainment.[2] It is the sequel to To Heart 2: Dungeon Travelers within the To Heart 2 franchise. Dungeon Travelers 2 was released on March 28, 2013, on the PlayStation Portable in Japan;[2] an enhanced remake for the PlayStation Vita was released in Japan on September 25, 2014,[2] and later in North America and Europe in 2015.

Dungeon Travelers 2
North American game cover
Developer(s)Sting Entertainment[2]
Publisher(s)
Director(s)Tsutomu Washimi
Producer(s)Naoya Shimokawa
Programmer(s)Naoki Shimasaku
Artist(s)
  • Misato Mitsumi
  • Hisashi Kawata
  • Tatsuki Amaduyu
Writer(s)Sō Yoda
Composer(s)
  • Shinya Ishikawa
  • Junya Matsuoka
  • Michio Kinugasa
Platform(s)PlayStation Portable, PlayStation Vita
ReleasePlayStation Portable
  • JP: March 28, 2013
PlayStation Vita
Genre(s)Dungeon crawler, role-playing
Mode(s)Single-player

A sequel game for the PlayStation Vita titled Dungeon Travelers 2-2 was released in 2017 in Japan,[5] and an English translation for Windows has since been released on the Johren game service[6].The game was slated to be released on Steam alongside To Heart 2: Dungeon Travelers but failed to pass the service's guidelines.[7]

Gameplay

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The player takes on the role of an adventurer who is tasked with forming a party, navigating through dungeons, gathering treasure, and engaging in combat against monsters.[8] Characters can be improved through learning skills and equipping items. The battle system is turn-based, and dungeon navigation takes place from a first-person perspective on a grid map. Party members can belong to five main classes (namely fighters, magic users, scouts, maids and spielers[9]) which branch into over 30 different subclasses with unique skill sets and outfits as characters progress in specialisation.[4][10] For instance, a fighter can develop into a paladin and a valkyrie, while magic users can transition into enchantresses and witches.[11][12]

Setting

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Monsters have been appearing throughout the Kingdom of Romulea, and have become a threat to humanity. In order to subdue the monsters, an alchemist devised a magic seal able to constrain them. Fried Einhard, an adventurer dispatched by the Royal Library, discovers a damaged shrine on his journey to stop the monster uprising.[4][13]

Development

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An example comparison of in-game imagery censored in the western release due to sexual themes. The bottom image depicts the original Japanese version featuring an enemy boss performing fellatio on a "spirit" while being covered in a mystery fluid, while the top image shows the expurgated western version with the lewd elements removed.

The original PlayStation Portable game was released in March 2013 by Aquaplus, as part of a long line of games and media derived from the erotic visual novel To Heart and its sequel, To Heart 2. Later in June 2014, the PlayStation Vita version was released, which included additional characters, redesigned dungeons, improved user interface, and improved quality illustrations.[14]

The western localisation by Atlus features Japanese voices with English subtitles, and is compatible with the PlayStation TV.[4] In order to ensure that the game remains acceptable for a western audience and meets a "Mature" ESRB rating, Atlus censored a total of four CG images within the game which were deemed to be overtly sexual in nature.[15]

Reception

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The game has a score of 76 on Metacritic.[16]

PlayStation Nation gave the game a review score of 8/10, stating that the game is an accommodating and gentle introduction to the dungeon crawler genre for newcomers.[17] Meanwhile, Gaming Age scored the game B+, noting that while not all players will be able to accept the game's sexual content, it provides an adequate level of challenge and that the RPG mechanics are well detailed and enjoyable.[18]

Gamecritics.com suggests that although the overall storyline is not particularly interesting, the character dialogue is engaging and that the artwork is well done.[19] PlayStation Lifestyle rates the game 7.5 out of 10, praising the game's variety in terms of character upgrades, while similarly finding the story lacklustre.[20] Capsule Computers and BioGamer Girl both gave an 8/10 rating, referring to the game as a satisfying dungeon crawling game with solid mechanics.[21][22]

Sales

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When it released in Japan on the PSP, 32,000 copies of Dungeon Travelers 2 were sold, with 39,000 sold after two weeks,[23][24] while the PS Vita version sold 16,000 copies in its launch week and 20,000 total after its second week.[25][26]

Notes

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  1. ^ Japanese: ダンジョントラベラーズ2 王立図書館とマモノの封印, Hepburn: Danjontoraberāzutsū ōritsu toshokan to mamono no fuuin, "Dungeon Travelers 2: The Royal Library and Mamono's Seal"

References

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  1. ^ Ishaan (July 17, 2015). "Dungeon Travelers 2 Set For August 18th In North America". Siliconera. Crave. Archived from the original on October 20, 2015. Retrieved October 19, 2015.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Spencer (June 17, 2014). "Dungeon Travelers 2, The To Heart 2 DRPG, Travels To Vita In September". Siliconera. Curse. Archived from the original on November 26, 2014. Retrieved October 19, 2015.
  3. ^ Romano, Sal (July 17, 2015). "Dungeon Travelers 2 U.S. release date set". Gematsu. Archived from the original on September 29, 2015. Retrieved October 19, 2015.
  4. ^ a b c d e "Dungeon Travelers 2 coming to North America this summer, Europe this fall". Gematsu. March 14, 2015. Archived from the original on April 27, 2016. Retrieved August 29, 2015.
  5. ^ Sato (June 25, 2015). "Dungeon Travelers 2 Sequel Delayed To 2016 In Japan". Siliconera. Crave. Archived from the original on August 13, 2015. Retrieved October 19, 2015.
  6. ^ "Dungeon Travelers 2-2: The Fallen Maidens & the Book of Beginnings (English) - Premium games|Johren". Johren.net. Retrieved 2023-12-29.
  7. ^ "Dungeon Travelers 2, Dungeon Travelers 2-2 Games' Steam Release Canceled".
  8. ^ "Girls' generation: Dungeon Travelers 2 review". Reno Gazette-Journal. August 21, 2015.
  9. ^ "Dungeon Travelers 2 trailer introduces basic classes". Gematsu. May 21, 2015. Archived from the original on August 20, 2015. Retrieved August 29, 2015.
  10. ^ "Dungeon Travelers 2's five basic classes detailed in a new trailer". RPG Site. May 21, 2015. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved August 29, 2015.
  11. ^ "Dungeon Travelers 2 trailer introduces intermediate classes". Gematsu. June 5, 2015. Archived from the original on August 22, 2015. Retrieved August 29, 2015.
  12. ^ "Dungeon Travelers 2 Release Date, Advanced Classes Revealed". Hardcore Gamer. July 17, 2015. Archived from the original on August 25, 2015. Retrieved August 29, 2015.
  13. ^ "Atlus USA publishing Vita RPG Dungeon Travelers 2". Destructoid. April 14, 2015. Archived from the original on September 8, 2015. Retrieved August 29, 2015.
  14. ^ "『ダンジョントラベラーズ2 王立図書館とマモノの封印』がPS Vitaで発売決定、高画質化したイベントCGをチェック". インサイド (in Japanese). June 25, 2014. Archived from the original on August 19, 2015. Retrieved August 29, 2015.
  15. ^ "Western Dungeon Travelers 2 has four censored images". Gematsu. April 23, 2015. Archived from the original on August 30, 2015. Retrieved August 29, 2015.
  16. ^ "Dungeon Travelers 2: The Royal Library & the Monster Seal for PlayStation Vita Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 2016-09-23. Retrieved 2016-09-20.
  17. ^ "Review: Dungeon Travelers 2: The Royal Library & The Monster Seal (PSV/PSTV)". PlayStation Nation. August 25, 2015. Archived from the original on August 31, 2015. Retrieved August 29, 2015.
  18. ^ "Dungeon Travelers 2: The Royal Library & The Monster Seal review for PS Vita". Gaming Age. August 17, 2015. Archived from the original on August 21, 2015. Retrieved August 29, 2015.
  19. ^ "Dungeon Travelers 2: The Royal Library & The Monster Seal Review". Gamecritics.com. August 17, 2015. Archived from the original on September 5, 2015. Retrieved August 29, 2015.
  20. ^ "Dungeon Travelers 2 Review – Classic Sexual Twist (PS Vita)". PlayStation Lifestyle. August 17, 2015. Archived from the original on September 5, 2015. Retrieved August 29, 2015.
  21. ^ "Dungeon Travelers 2: The Royal Library & The Monster Seal Review". Capsule Computers. August 22, 2015. Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved August 29, 2015.
  22. ^ "Dungeon Travelers 2 (Video Game Review)". BioGamer Girl. August 23, 2015. Archived from the original on August 26, 2015. Retrieved August 29, 2015.
  23. ^ Whitehead, Thomas (April 4, 2013). "Wii U Sales Double in Japanese Charts Following New Releases". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on September 6, 2015. Retrieved October 19, 2015.
  24. ^ Whitehead, Thomas (April 10, 2013). "Animal Crossing: New Leaf Passes Three Million Sales in Japan". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on September 6, 2015. Retrieved October 19, 2015.
  25. ^ Whitehead, Thomas (October 1, 2014). "Super Smash Bros. Slams the Competition Yet Again, 3DS Sales Drop". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on September 5, 2015. Retrieved October 19, 2015.
  26. ^ Olney, Alex (October 8, 2014). "Super Smash Bros. Takes the Lead in Japan Once Again, 3DS Sales Dip Further". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on September 6, 2015. Retrieved October 19, 2015.
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