Princess Maker 2 Regeneration review

Princess Maker 2’s moment-to-moment decisions are as unexceptional as registering for classes or tackling a job for some extra income. But know each of your choices has consequences, making delinquency likely for the young maiden who didn’t find benefit in the study of poetry, theology, or fencing.

Simulations are habitually built around apparent correlations. Increase the population density in a city management game and, predictably – you’ll witness a rise in traffic and a subsequent strain on the power grid. These sims can be daunting at first, but once you recognize the different cause-and-effect relationships, leadership isn’t a complete struggle.

Dragon Dad or Panda Papa?

Cunningly, Princess Maker 2 Regeneration adopts a more complex approach. Although this is the second revision of Gainax’s 1993 child-raising simulation, the game’s reproduction of parenting remains unflinching tough. Every month, you’re faced with creating a schedule, filling in a calendar with classes, work, and even some downtime to fight stress or sickness.

Beyond that, you’re responsible for doling out pocket money, supervising her dietary intake, selecting attire, and even sitting her down for a scolding if she begins to become unruly. Effectively, there’s so many variables in Princess Maker 2 that predictability becomes elusive. Just when you think you have turned the corner on an issue, your daughter can run away, squandering a significant length of time.

Before the game starts, you’ll determine details such as a birthday and blood type for your heir, defining you’re her guardian deity and basic personality. Nearly every decision has both beneficial and harmful consequences. Without a guide, predicting the repercussions of each choice can be puzzling, especially since your daughter gravitates toward disobedience and funds can be scarce if she doesn’t work. Given the game’s age, don’t expect much assistance. Largely, the Princess Maker series rewards learning through experience, and Regeneration is no different.

The Divine Adoption

The game’s premise envisages players as a valiant warrior who defended a medieval-era kingdom against the prince of darkness and his minions. Heralded as a hero by the local townsfolk and given a stipend from the crown, he’s also contacted by a deity. The god bestows an untainted ten-year old for the hero to raise, with the results of your paternal decisions influencing which of the game’s 50+ endings you’ll witness.

Expectedly, there’s a wide variety of outcomes, with your nameable daughter potentially earning a rival, marrying, or finding part- or full-time work. Each playthrough lasts about six hours, with the hundreds of different decisions manipulating the game’s statistics – which ultimately determine your daughter’s life path. Mercifully, all your abilities are displayed on-screen and end-of-event summaries highlight any changes.

A Slight Degeneration?

Regeneration’s CGs were redrawn by original Princess Maker creator, director, and character designer Takami Akai, while Yonago Gainax added a new animated opening cinematic. While there’s a boost in resolution for modern hardware, the game’s miniature animations retain their retro charm. As your daughter follows her schedule, you’ll see her struggle at work, take notes in class, while larger character portraits showcase your apparel choices. But on the day before the game’s official launch, Steam Deck support is spotty, with part of the user interface covered by the stat panel. On the upside, controller support means you can raise your girl without being in front of a keyboard. But ideally, the developers would help newcomers by offering text-based descriptions to accompany the icons used for scheduling.

If developers Bliss Brain and Monkey Craft are able to overcome these issues, Regeneration is poised to nurture a sense of nostalgia. One of the game’s highlights is sending your heir on an adventure (after you’ve properly trained and equipped her, of course). Here, the title recalls the jerky scrolling and abrupt encounters of an early role-playing game, as daddy’s little girl decimates monsters and acquires loot.

Conclusion

For some, the icing on this evocative cake will be the game’s MIDI tunes, which recall the synthesized instrumentation of a bygone era. However, like much of Princess Maker 2 Regeneration, I’d expect many modern gamers to be puzzled by how primitive they seem. But the title’s intended audience just might be delighted by these antiquated fanfares. They bring to mind a time when games didn’t hold your hand and progress was made through experimentation. Sure, this wasn’t a user-friendly approach, but when you finally discover how to exert some control over the simulation, fulfillment feels twofold.

Princess Maker 2 Regeneration was played on PC with review code provided by the publisher.