PoPoLoCrois Monogatari II (2000)

The direct sequel to 1996's PoPoLoCrois Monogatari. Picking up two years after the events of the first game, the game sees series protagonist Prince Pietro tasked with retrieving a crown from a nearby cave as part of his rite of succession. But after finding the crown, he encounters a mysterious figure. Identifying himself as Baskal, the figure delivers a strange prophecy to Pietro, and asks the prince a question. "What do you think the true treasure of kings is?" With this question begins a touching, romantic, and sometimes tragic journey that will reunite Pietro with familiar faces, introduce him to new companions, and forever change the boy prince of the Kingdom of PoPoLoCrois. A much beloved sequel that many fans remember as the high point of the series, PoPoLoCrois Monogatari II builds on the already beautiful pixel art graphics of the first game, with detailed, lovingly crafted environments and some outstanding sprite animation. Spread across three discs, the game also features full voice acting for its story sequences, which was a series first, and a relative rarity for RPGs of the era. The battle system broadly resembles that of its prequel, with combat taking place directly within the game's environments, and movement and positioning playing a key role in battles. But certain features have been simplified and streamlined compared to the first game, and the level of difficulty is generally a lot lower. Many of the game's events were loosely adapted in the third chapter of the 2005 PSP title PoPoLoCrois. The opening segments also appear as part of the same title's second chapter.