Tara's backstory is more interesting than Katia's. Her childhood was pretty messed up, making her more sympathetic. You wouldn't wish her childhood on anyone, though it was done . Of course this results in Tara not being particularly friendly or trusting of others. But she's not walking around being an asshole either, so you can still sympathize with her.
Also, her voice isn't as irritating as Katia's. The banshee-like screeches and squeals Katia belted out made me want to strangle a cat. Tara actually sounds like someone who can take a hit. I suppose that makes sense, though. Katia was a princess who'd never been in combat before the events of the original Lost Kingdom, whereas as Tara starts off as a seasoned veteran traveling with a band of thieves. Anyway, Tara is less annoying. With the character comparison done, let's move on.
Lost Kingdoms 2 plays similar to the original, with some game-changing differences. First, there are two new types of cards (helper and transform) to go with the original three (weapon, summon, and independent). Helper cards are like independent cards in the fact that they allow a creature to join you on the battlefield. However, where independents are committed solely to fighting, helpers may not may not fight. The value of helpers is in what else they do. Some are solely healers, some dig up crystals (yes, they're back), while other enchant the battlefield with an effect to turn the tide of the battle. Transform cards allow Tara to turn into a monster and go places she otherwise couldn't reach. Summon cards behave a little differently, allowing you to choose what the summoned creature will do. Weapon and independent cards are exactly the way they were in the first game. Some card have changed their type from the original game, so there is a small readjustment period.
Second, there are no longer random battles. You can see the monsters roaming around the battlefield, fighting or avoiding them at your leisure. This makes deck management easier than in the previous game because you simply don't have to waste cards.
Speaking of deck management, it's a lot better in this game. The biggest difference is that when you skip a card, you can use it again later. In the original game, a skipped card was treated like a used card, which meant you couldn't use it again until the battle was over or you aborted the mission. That was total BS and I'm glad they changed this.
Combat is still largely the same. Tara can't fight without cards, so make sure you put together a good deck before trotting her out onto the battlefield. As mentioned before, some cards have changed their type, so make sure you practice. There is ample opportunity to practice now, because you can replay missions anytime you want.
Tara is different from Katia in the fact that she can level up (like in a normal RPG). Katia could only get stronger at certain story points in the original game, but Tara can get stronger by fighting battles. Also, Tara herself can have an elemental alignment, which reduces the crystal cost of using cards of that element. Beware though, because if there's an element you're not proficient in, it cost extra crystals to use cards of that element. There is a balancing act between the elements, so you'll never be able to master them all (or have difficulty doing so). Tara can supercharge cards as well, doubling the crystal cost, but also doubling their effectiveness. All this is to say that Tara is more fun to play as than Katia.
The problems that plagued the first game have been cut back, though they aren't completely gone. The camera is better as you can now position it and move it freely. This means obstacles you can't see don't block your movements. The camera will, however, sometimes get too close to Tara, making it hard to see anything except her. She's cute, but I'd like to see what the heck I'm doing.
Also, the controls are more responsive, making Tara much easier and quicker to move. The cheap hits aren't as prevalent, but you'll still take some. The one big flaw that's still there in full is that Tara still takes as much time to get up from being knocked down as Katia. If you're not quick, you could wind up in an endless cycle of getting your ass kicked until you die.
The graphics and music are much improved. Stages and themes from the previous game have been brought back and are better than ever. As mentioned before, Tara's grunts and screams aren't as annoying as Katia's and she even has a spoken line at the end. Its fun and funny to watch monsters walking around freely, making their distinctive sounds. The music from the new stages is nice. Nothing wrong in either of these department.
There is a stage that takes place in a battle arena, that affords you the chance to beat on monsters in one-on-one combat. The most interesting part is that Helena is back...and she's easy. She's the source is so many headaches in the first game, but she's Tara's bitch in this game. Perhaps you'd prefer to beat the crap out of Katia (Yes, that Katia). Well, you can do that, too. Words can't explain how badly I beat the tar out of her and this game made that dream come true. Just beautiful.
Lost Kingdoms 2 is a marvelous game and great improvement over the first. Literally everything that was a problem in the first game has been fixed and overhauled. Of course, the game isn't without flaws, but none of them break the game (like Helena in the first game). Better graphics, better music, better gameplay, better controls, and yes, a better heroine make this a nice experience. If you have a Wii or Wii U, take advantage of the backwards compatibility and give it a shot. Don't miss this one.
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