INTRODUCTION

Just about a year
ago, we were introduced to the world of Arvale.
Now the adventures continue, but with a new character
and a new plot in Arvale II: Ocean of Time. More
of an Indiana Jones feel this time, but with
essentially the same feel as the previous adventure.
Can this PDAmill sequel continue to impress,
or will it just be another part two, ‘Dumb and
Dumberer’ disaster, failing to impress on the
grand scale. Read on for the review.

BE
WARNED – POSSIBLE SPOILERS CONTAINED WITHIN!

IF
IT LOOKS LIKE A ROSE, AND SMELLS LIKE A ROSE…

Thankfully,
the interface from Arvale to Arvale II: Ocean of Time really hasn’t changed
much at all (Figure 1 and 2). The font is easier to read, and
overall, the interface has been cleaned up quite a bit (you can find
our previous review of Arvale here).

Figure
1: The character statistics page, while slightly
changed, is almost identical to the original
Arvale.

Figure
2: An example Arvale II inventory screen.

Even
the battle configuration has maintained its easy
to understand layout and ‘+ / – / =’ system (Figure
3). Nothing worse than trying to figure
out how to play a game you thought you knew when
in a crunch, and PDAmill has
insured that you won’t ever have to worry with
Arvale II.

Figure
3: An example battle inside of Arvale II.

NEW
AND NOTABLE

Not that everything has remained the same
by any means. There are new weather effects (Figure 4), and
new places to go (Figure 5) and even new times (Figure 6)
and ways (land, sea, and air). Multiple endings, loads of side quests,
and even three difficulty levels make Arvale II: Ocean of Time a very
intriguing RPG.

Figure
4:New weather effects abound in Arvale II.

Figure
5:Explore Serpent Pass via ship.

Figure
6: Travel in the past, present, and future.

Also new is the
map feature (Figure 7), giving you a
quick overview of the places you’ve been (including
the dungeons).

Figure
7: Travel in the past, present, and future.

EYE
CANDY

As
with the original Arvale, Arvale II: Ocean of
Time gives the eye a lot to take in and enjoy.
Whether it be the weather or even some of the
battle effects (Figure 8 and 9), PDAmill
has shown its mettle as far as handheld RPGs
are concerned. I actually encountered a few
graphical bugs during testing, and have informed
PDAmill about the issues – they should have them
remedied for the final release.

Figure
8:Eye candy abounds in this sequel (such as the
Final Potion effect).

Figure
9:Flames arc from the Ultiven sword as you smash
your enemies.

PURCHASING

Arvale II: Ocean
of Time is available for $19.95, over at the
PDAmill website.

PROS

• New
  and interesting storyline
• Over
  40 hours of gameplay
• Lots
  of eye candy and enhancements

CONS

• Still
  some bugs (in pre-release version)
• No
  prior character (Arvale) transfer
• Soundtrack
  could use some work

OVERALL
IMPRESSION

Overall,
I found Arvale II: Ocean of Time to be a great sequel – even without
the ability to bring your original Arvale character over (which would
probably made the storyline a little more difficult to manage). The increased
playtime, items, and puzzles give you a new world feeling while still
providing a familiar interface to work with. That said, I give PDAmill’s Arvale
II: Ocean of Time the following score: