PC Critic Reviews

AION 2 has the foundation of a substantial MMO, with smooth class-based combat, layered progression, a large world to explore, and plenty of activities that gradually encourage players to interact with both the world and each other. However, that foundation is held back by a story that struggles to make its protagonist feel involved, movement and flight that don't always live up to their potential, limited social systems, and monetization that become more intrusive the deeper you get into the game. There's a lot here to enjoy, especially for players looking for an old-school inspired MMO experience, but its weak storytelling, demanding progression, and aggressive monetization keep it from reaching its potential.

With AION 2, NCSoft delivers a solid MMORPG that manages to impress with its world and exploration. It offers a generous and enjoyable experience, but its strengths are held back by a somewhat conventional formula and, above all, a monetization model that is hard to overlook in its current state, far removed from what we were originally promised.

Aion 2 isn’t the only MMORPG infested by the pay-to-win parasite. It’s a shame, because while the campaign is full of uninspired quests, the game looks fantastic and the combat has some depth under its shiny surface. If you were a fan of the original Aion, you’ll appreciate its evolution. If you enjoy action RPGs, the first dozen hours or so might be worth your time as the serious monetization doesn’t kick in until later. After that, Aion 2 becomes a game for those willing to invest some coin to keep winning.

Aion 2 boasts beautiful graphics and a vast world, yet it struggles to deliver a solid gameplay experience. The game prioritizes aesthetics and large numbers over engaging mechanics, leading to a strong sense of automation that negates exploration. While there are numerous progression systems, their opaque nature makes optimization difficult without external guides. The early game is overly easy, and the core MMO elements of teamwork and challenging content only emerge much later. Ultimately, Aion 2 offers a visually appealing but uninspired experience, relying on outdated mechanics that fail to incentivize player engagement or cooperation.

Aion 2 is a mixed bag. It’s visually stunning, maybe one of the prettiest games in the genre, with gorgeous animations, characters and areas, and exactly as much cleavage and bulging biceps as you’d expect from this kind of MMO. The story is messy and not particularly well written, but it does its job of shuttling you to the next area until you hit level 45, where the real grind begins.

Aion 2 is filled to the brim with flashy gameplay, but it’s surrounded by a bland story, a lot of systems to juggle, and a massive amount of grind.

Aion 2 has its fun moments, and visually it’s one of the most impressive MMOs on the market. Yet at times it cannot get out of its own way to find the fun, which brings it down overall for me.

Right now, Aion 2’s combat, while fun, feels floaty and disconnected from what I’m physically doing on my side of things. I hope the team can add that weightiness to the experience, or at least make each attack routine feel more impactful as it crashes into an enemy body or wave of enemies. It’s still fun to slice through groups of targets, and there is a depth here that I do like. Boss fights, at least early on, haven’t been too tough, but they do keep my on my toes, which I like. [Review-in-Progress]