Thea 2: The Shattering

Thea 2 is interesting in a ‘may you live in interesting times’ sense. An imperfect thing that I can’t help but feel affectionate towards.

Thea 2: The Shattering is an incredibly entertaining turn-based survival strategy game that will make you feel like you’re losing not only your nerves but also your dignity. The game offers an incredible array of tactical combinations and options as you fight tooth and nail to survive. Sometimes it’s harder, sometimes it’s easier, but unfortunately, it’s still complex enough to unnecessarily deter many players. This is especially true for the beginning, which will essentially determine almost your entire future. And the worst part is that the game is extremely addictive—after all, one more turn can’t hurt, right?

Thea 2: The Shattering shares that DNA from the first game, but has evolved into something different – and something with higher expectations. It’s hard to say whether or not those expectations will be fully met by fans, but at the same time? Like the original, Thea 2: The Shattering has an addictive quality that tugs at me in a variety of different ways that kept me engaged for hours at a time.

It's actually pretty disappointing that Thea 2: The Shattering shoots itself in the foot on Switch. The world is unique and mysterious to me. There's a ton of things to tinker with in the overworld sections, and the combat is engaging enough to mix things up. But this game proved to me what I didn't want to hear - to me the inherent sluggishness of Thea 2 was enough to sink it.

While I considered the original Thea to be more of a middling hybrid deckbuilder and strategy game (though with a fair amount of story to go with it as a plus), hearing that it had a sequel coming I had hoped things would turn around...

The Shattering tells a common story of a man with an unhappy past, but fails to properly explore the delicate psychological themes related to John.