The term media convergence has been kicked around like a soccer ball a lot in the last decade or so, but the ".hack" (pronounced dot-hack) team is one of the first to start scoring some serious gaming goals with it. This virtual online game pools some of Japan's best talents, including the character designer for "Neon Genesis Evangelion" and the scriptwriter for "Ghost in the Shell." The ".hack" universe is a multi-front project embracing gaming, manga, and anime. This week on "X-Play" we find that ".hack Part 2: Mutation" is more of the same. In this case, that's good news...
The downward spiral
...or very, very bad news, depending upon how you look at things. The situation in the virtual online realm, known simply as The World, has gone seriously south for our heroes. They've drawn the eye (and ire) of SysAdmin, who they really don't want to mess with. All kinds of new characters are being introduced and the conflict between SysAdmin's minions and the players is radically gearing up.
Being merely debriefed about the state of The World and spending time shaping it yourself are very different things. The good news is that players who completed the first ".hack" can bring their saved character data forward into the new adventure and hit the ground running. The bad news is that players who haven't completed the first game and jump right into Mutation are more likely to just hit the ground. You really need to have played the first game. Aside from the practical matter of having a chance or clue, it'll be a more enjoyable experience.
It won't give up, it wants me dead
"Infection" had a sort of dramatic timidity about it. After all, players were asked to cope with a lot at once, including a fairly sprawling game system and a lurking back story of paranoia and conspiracy. This time around, the player's familiarity with The World is assumed, and the virtual gloves come off.
In general, the enemies are a lot nastier and there are a lot more of them. It's a welcome challenge from the sometimes too easy combat of the original, but it's alarming in the big, serialized picture. If the opponents have ramped up this much only halfway through the four-part series, the third chapter is going to be vicious.
I want to know everything
The overarching fiction of The World, presented as a simulated massively multiplayer online RPG, continues. The story continues to unfold with rewarding subtlety and lots of little details that will have you second-guessing what you might have missed in the first game. You can also improve your relationships with other players by giving them occasional gifts (good stuff mind you, no junk) or simply by spending more time with them.
"Mutation" also continues the first game's excellent Japanese-language options, which is a great touch. If you feel like taking a break from The World, you can pop on over to the additional DVD containing the anime episode "Liminality Part 2: In the case of Yuki Aihara." Three cheers for Bandai! At 30 minutes, it's shorter than the one included with the first game (jeers for Bandai), but the story and voice acting are more than adequate, and the tale adds to the mystique of the ".hack" universe by raising new questions. Moreover, it's just a great added-value practice and one more developers everywhere should adopt.
Bigger, stronger, deeper
"Mutation" is precisely more of the same. It's bigger, stronger, and deeper. Even the flaws are repeated, as party members still need a lot of hand-holding. Another drawback is that there's only a handful of dungeon themes, although the towns and fields are great. There's also an awful lot of item juggling to do. Even so, "Mutation" vindicates Bandai's gamble on serialized gaming and the direction of the series looks promising in the extreme. If you're tired of cookie-cutter RPGs, be sure to check out The World.
