Bunny Black 2 Early Impressions and Helpful Info

[EcchiOujisama]

Note to new readers: I changed the title of the thread as it morphs from an early review to a source of information on how to 100% the game over time.

I saw XReaper say the full patch was going to be out on 1/26 so I decided to start giving this one a go with the partial patch yesterday.  I'm about 7 hours in so I've been through enough to contrast it with Bunny Black.

The good:

-If you liked the story in the first one, there's a lot to like here so far.  It maintains the style of the original by giving you the story in small pieces so there is always more story to anticipate.

-The on-screen map now comes in multiple sizes.  You can change the size of the map with the shift key.  Once you step on a trap Darx is actually smart enough to mark it on the map.

-YOU CAN NOW SAVE ANYWHERE IN THE DUNGEONS!!!  It would have been nice if I realized that before getting wiped out several times.

 

The neutral:

-Treasure no longer infinitely spawns, unless I missed out on how to make it respawn.

-You are now given the opportunity to "invest" in the city after you see enough events, and by "invest" I mean personally foot the bill from your save the demon world budget.  Right after it is established that Maou-sama's government has put a ton of money into these projects, because that's not good enough apparently.  I give this a neutral because doing so increases your renown by 1 or 2 each time you "invest" in these -100% interest bearing bonds.  Ah, how I long for the good old days of picking up 30 or 40 renown just for cleaning up graffiti.  In BB2 raising your renown also raises your command and some of these unlock new units, so in practice it's fine.  The story reason behind it is just ridiculous.  Seriously, SHTF to the point that your king is out there fighting himself and you think THIS is the time to hit him up for his weapon money?  Fortunately this is Bunny Black so there's no need for a hookers and blow budget.  It's a built in fringe benefit.  \(^o^)/

 

The bad:

-The game gets WAY TOO HARD and WAY TOO FAST.  If you're old enough to remember playing NES RPGs you'll remember that walking too far could quickly see you die if you don't gain a few levels first.  Not in this one.  You get random encounters capable of wiping you out on the very first floor of the game.    

-All dungeons have multiple floors.  One of the things that kept the pace feeling brisk in the original was that most of the missions you did were on one floor, so you never spent too much time in one place.  Even if you were just doing patrols or cleaning up graffiti it felt like you making progress at every turn.   They get around it being "multiple floors" by calling it floor 9, 9A, 9B, etc. but if I'm going up and down stairs to a different map, it's a different floor.

-RANDOM FUCKING ENCOUNTERS!  Everyone's favorite part of RPGs right?  That whole awesome aspect of the first game about being able to see your enemies on the map so you could seek them out or avoid them?  Yeah, that's gone.  Apparently they decided it was too great and had to get rid of it after the first dungeon.  Which leads to another problem...

-THE PACING SUCKS ASS!!!  Based on who the enemies are, I could see a storyline reason for it not being on the map's radar if they bothered to explain it.  But why in the name of fuck would you take away something as great as knowing where the enemies are so you can kill them in a game that requires a metric shitton of level building?!?!?  Most of the time I have in the game so far is walking back and forth looking for random encounters to kill so I could finally beat the last fight in the second dungeon of the game.  If you've played Digital Devil Saga on PS2 you understand the difference between a satisfying challenge and wasting my time.  DDS is the former, this feels like the latter. 

-Your party has been "streamlined" down to 6 characters, while your enemies still get 9 plus backup units.  Because that' s fair.  

-Apparently reigning as Maou has greatly decreased Darx' ability to control his underlings, as he now only has half the command ability needed to boss Meryl around, despite doing so in the scene before you discover this fact.

-The speed up battles button has been changed from CTRL to CTRL+SHIFT.  Because holding down only one button for hours doesn't hurt enough.  Fuck that, get yourself a gaming mouse.  I just posted about this and it's even more recommended for BB2.

 

-Per the opening video, in Japanese logic Daakusu = Dirks.  That's putting those 6 years of English you guys took in school to good use.  Had they given him the last name of Digglers I would have moved this neutral.

 

Looking at all of that, you're probably thinking the game is terrible, and it's not.  However, most of the changes that really stick out are negative.  The Wiki that noted "not all of the changes were positive" put it gently.  Still, if you enjoyed the first one, you'll enjoy this one, and I suspect NG+ will cancel out most of the BS associated with this one.  It should also be noted that I carried over my save from BB1 so I actually started with 2 characters that are better than what you can buy on top of it.

If you're not going to wait for the full patch, there are two files to get from the thread on Seiha.  There is the patch which translates the game text, and a separate patch that translates the buttons.  Make sure you grab both of them.

http://games.seiha.org/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=1095&sid=63061fb69d749fb186264196defafb1e

[XReaper]

should be noted that the partial one is by no means fully functional/ polished/ edited, as its still quite possible to encounter various bugs etc & has been only íntended to help sort out those before its full pendant getting released. nevertheless have fun

[CeruleanGamer]

I beat the first Bunny Black on the Abandon All Hope difficulty (it was the hardest one). I played 3 but never touched 2. It's great news that 2 is finally getting translated. The gameplay imo isn't as smooth as Rance or E*S but the skill tree system in Bunny Black is great and allows you to build Darx in more ways than one so there's plenty of replayability there. 

The ability to save in dungeons is a huge boon to this game. Because random encounters can be a bitch sometimes and put you on a really bad spot....

Btw are the random encounters stepped based? As in if you save, and random encounter pops up after 5 steps, will that always be the same every time you reload the save?

[Abyssal Monkey]

The first Bunny Black was easy balls once you figured out how the systems worked and interacted with eachother.  Like Cerualean did, I played on Abandon All Hope and still crushed the game. Albeit it was after playing for about an hour on the easiest difficulty to steamroll the early parts to see the mechanisms, after restarting on AAH, crushing the game is simple with the right starting prep.  I don't expect this game to be all that different.

As for the treasure, I don't think it spawned infinitely in the first game either, once you went through a map of a certain floor and picked up the treasure in that specific spot, returning to that floor later, the treasure would still be gone. 

As a side note, where were the save files for the first game. I have a sneaking suspicion I might have deleted them when I formatted my hard drive.

[CeruleanGamer]

should be inside Bunny.sav folder in the game folder itself. 

[Abyssal Monkey]

21 minutes ago, CeruleanGamer said:

should be inside Bunny.sav folder in the game folder itself. 

Yup rip. I actually deleted the game folder it seems.  That's a bit sad.  Guess I get to start from scratch.  I wonder if it would be worth to go back and level really quick on easy mode.  I miss my Oni and a diff character.

[EcchiOujisama]

When you open up BB2 it says an install of the BB is detected and gives you the extra characters from that, so I believe you need to have it installed.  I would think you'd also need a save from a complete game, but if installing it isn't enough I'm sure we can hook you up with a save file so you don't have to go through the whole game again. 

They require 5 and 6 command respectively, so you can't even use both of them at the beginning.

FYI, from everything I've read the grinding was an intentional design choice from SHChara.  The first one wasn't built to be difficult, this one was built to take up your time.  The AI being redesigned to make less efficient choices in dealing with enemies doesn't help either.  

[Abyssal Monkey]

8 minutes ago, EcchiOujisama said:

When you open up BB2 it says an install of the BB is detected and gives you the extra characters from that, so I believe you need to have it installed.  I would think you'd also need a save from a complete game, but if installing it isn't enough I'm sure we can hook you up with a save file so you don't have to go through the whole game again. 

They require 5 and 6 command respectively, so you can't even use both of them at the beginning.

FYI, from everything I've read the grinding was an intentional design choice from SHChara.  The first one wasn't built to be difficult, this one was built to take up your time.  The AI being redesigned to make less efficient choices in dealing with enemies doesn't help either.  

Oh, do you not get to migrate selected characters like you did in NG+ then, it's just predetermined ones? That's saddening.

[EcchiOujisama]

9 minutes ago, Abyssal Monkey said:

Oh, do you not get to migrate selected characters like you did in NG+ then, it's just predetermined ones? That's saddening.

Oh no no no no no.  When you said Oni and a different girl I thought you knew what the deal was.  You get Liz and Maki (the Tifur and Oni you banged in BB1) at level 1.  That's it.  If you don't get them through importing a BB1 save you'll get them in BB2's NG+.  If I could bring my BB1 team with me I'd be stomping everything right now.    

The nice thing about Liz and Maki is that if they are beaten in battle, and you don't get completely wiped out, they're still there with 1HP.  All other characters need to be repurchased ala BB1, and you have better things to do with your money.  

[yetisphere]

Seems like the patch is out.Well I'll just go replay some of the bunny black 1's scenes, barely remember a thing.

[CeruleanGamer]

Confirmed! Now to put what I am currently playing on hold and start playing this bad boy!

[Jade]

Oh the patch out already? 

Welp time to replay this and meet one of the cutest daughter in all of VNs then

[EcchiOujisama]

I have a few tips for you guys getting started.

I found out that if you import your save from BB1, you are automatically given the highest difficulty level.  That explains why these guys remain strong no matter how many levels I gain.  It's something to consider.  My observation is that it isn't difficult so much as time consuming so you may not want to do it your first time through.  You'll get Liz and Maki after you beat the game, and keep the monsters you use anyway.

You'll start finding all kinds of treasure for selling that doesn't sell for a lot.  Don't sell it to Rakia right away.  After enough events take place she will buy these in quantity for much higher prices and give you quality items as well.  This is going to become your primary source of income for donations and monsters as you don't get much from random encounters.

Don't be afraid to abuse the crap out of the save anywhere feature.  I already have more saves than I did through nearly 5 runs of BB1.   

You will always have access to the dungeons, so don't be afraid to retreat back home to heal.  Actually, you should err on the side of doing so as much as you can.  So far it seems like there are more events and H scenes relative to the progression of the game than there were in the first one.

[CeruleanGamer]

13 minutes ago, EcchiOujisama said:

I have a few tips for you guys getting started.

I found out that if you import your save from BB1, you are automatically given the highest difficulty level.  That explains why these guys remain strong no matter how many levels I gain.  It's something to consider.  My observation is that it isn't difficult so much as time consuming so you may not want to do it your first time through.  You'll get Liz and Maki after you beat the game, and keep the monsters you use anyway.

You'll start finding all kinds of treasure for selling that doesn't sell for a lot.  Don't sell it to Rakia right away.  After enough events take place she will buy these in quantity for much higher prices and give you quality items as well.  This is going to become your primary source of income for donations and monsters as you don't get much from random encounters.

Challenge accepted. Btw are there missable CG events like with Shia in the first game?

[EcchiOujisama]

There are definitely missable events, but I won't know how many or if I missed them until I clear the game.  So far I've noticed a lot of events using the same CGs, and some of the H scenes are based around events in the story, so if you move too fast it would be theoretically possible to miss them.  There was a good stretch where I got at least one event every time I came back from fighting random monsters, and I'd assume they would be missable if I moved too fast.  I'm in Flame of Valor and you will definitely miss events if you don't kill the yellow enemies here. 

[Mugi]

Are there any Cheat Engine tables for it yet? Or maybe it's hackable with SpoilerAL?

[yetisphere]

So how are you guys building Darx here.Different from BB1 it seems he can't be an op monster anymore.I'm still early in the game but mainly just have him focus on slashing.

[CeruleanGamer]

22 minutes ago, yetisphere said:

So how are you guys building Darx here.Different from BB1 it seems he can't be an op monster anymore.I'm still early in the game but mainly just have him focus on slashing.

I built him as a Shuriken in BB1 because Hailstorm and Barrage are OP as heck for wiping out groups and Volley and Assassinate are the best moves for killing single targets and I still retain slashing moves with this weapon but I might try mage build in this one. I like AOEs.  

[EcchiOujisama]

A quick Google search doesn't return anything for CheatEngine yet.

A note on customizing your characters I got more than halfway through the game before I realized.  Go to Rakia's Store -> Manage Units -> (Select character) -> Train.  ALL units are now customizable with added HP, SP, attack, defense, party bonuses and  can learn just about every spell.  It's amazing how much more beatable enemies suddenly got after pouring 20+ strength into Darx, Hydragon and Goliath (hamma no shori!).  

Picking up a Hydragon when they become available is recommended.  They can see hidden doors without wasting an item slot and this becomes more useful as time goes on.  Succubi can too, but you can't hire them as quickly.

Special Gunguskar Services are not explained very well in the game.  The number of Special Gunguskar Points you have in any dungeon is equal the amount of renown/command you have when you enter the dungeon for the first time.  Each time you leave the dungeon these are reset to your maximum for that dungeon.  This lets you revive monsters for free, something you should abuse as money is scarce.  Loading up on stat boosters before a 15 plus backup units on 6 fight isn't a bad indea either.  It has taken fights from borderline unwinnable to not so bad.     

Other useful information here:

http://softhousechara.wikia.com/wiki/Bunny_Black_2

[yetisphere]

3 minutes ago, CeruleanGamer said:

I built him as a Shuriken in BB1 because Hailstorm and Barrage are OP as heck, but I might try mage build in this one.

They sure were, add illusion and other ridiculous skills.Really miss those.

I wanted mage at first too but kinda got invested in slashing, besides I have like 4 slashing equipment and only 1 magic boost staff(BTW the equipment should work on everyone in the party right?)

[yetisphere]

2 minutes ago, EcchiOujisama said:

Picking up a Hydragon when they become available is recommended.  They can see hidden doors without wasting an item slot and this becomes more useful as time goes on.  Succubi can too, but you can't hire them as quickly.

 

I really want one if it didn't cost 7 command.But there are A lot of hidden doors so I might compromise. My team so far with 16 command is: Cyclop girl(Tri?) mage,Fairy,Demon Sword(Dat slash damage) and Filliane

[EcchiOujisama]

Focusing on collecting items to get money to make donations isn't a bad way to go for a few hours.  The cost of the donations continue to escalate, but your progress transfers in NG+ so it's a one time deal.  I'm at 27 and that's the point where it no longer pays to run around and kill enemies at that level looking for items.  You should be able to get to 23 command without too much time invested, and that will get you the Hydragon.  Don't be afraid to put points into his defense either, mine has been killed more than a few times in the front row from everyone ganging up on him.  

[EcchiOujisama]

With my evil necromancer powers I return from the abyss of death...MAPS FOR BUNNY BLACK 2!

http://web.archive.org/web/20120704231906/http://chaosmemo.net/bunnyblack2/index.html

If you can't muddle through enough of the kanji to figure out which dungeon is which, this should approximate it enough:

https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&js=y&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fweb.archive.org%2Fweb%2F20120704231906%2Fhttp%3A%2F%2Fchaosmemo.net%2Fbunnyblack2%2Findex.html&edit-text=&act=url

[yetisphere]

2 hours ago, EcchiOujisama said:

Focusing on collecting items to get money to make donations isn't a bad way to go for a few hours.  The cost of the donations continue to escalate, but your progress transfers in NG+ so it's a one time deal.  I'm at 27 and that's the point where it no longer pays to run around and kill enemies at that level looking for items.  You should be able to get to 23 command without too much time invested, and that will get you the Hydragon.  Don't be afraid to put points into his defense either, mine has been killed more than a few times in the front row from everyone ganging up on him.  

Yeh guess I'll do that a little.It helps I can control it directly too.

Really liking the discipline/control functions and many other things they added this game,but still kinda sucks they removed Darx's leveling system and some other stuff.

 

1 hour ago, EcchiOujisama said:

With my evil necromancer powers I return from the abyss of death...MAPS FOR BUNNY BLACK 2!

http://web.archive.org/web/20120704231906/http://chaosmemo.net/bunnyblack2/index.html

If you can't muddle through enough of the kanji to figure out which dungeon is which, this should approximate it enough:

https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&js=y&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fweb.archive.org%2Fweb%2F20120704231906%2Fhttp%3A%2F%2Fchaosmemo.net%2Fbunnyblack2%2Findex.html&edit-text=&act=url

Nice! That'll really help.

Ty for the translation too(Though rikaikun's got me covered  )

[CeruleanGamer]

7 hours ago, Mugi said:

Are there any Cheat Engine tables for it yet? Or maybe it's hackable with SpoilerAL?

Nothing yet but both are easily hackable yourself if you know the addresses or have experience with Hex Editing. The money is pretty simple to hack with a simple scan and buy/sell to change its value.

I am playing the game without hacks for the first playthrough like I did in the first game and then go full blast with the hacks on subsequent playthroughs to see what I missed.