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{{Short description|1997 video game}}
{{Infobox video game
| title = Ecstatica II
| image = File:Ecstatica_II_Cover_Art.jpg
| caption =
| developer = Andrew Spencer Studios
| publisher = [[Psygnosis]]
| designer =
| released = {{vgrelease|NA|June 10, 1997<ref>{{Cite web |date=1997-06-19 |title=Wayback Machine |url=http://www.psygnosis.com/newslink/index.html |access-date=2023-04-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19970619014540/http://www.psygnosis.com/newslink/index.html |archive-date=1997-06-19 }}</ref>|EU|1997}}
| genre = [[Action-adventure game|Action-adventure]]
| modes = [[Single player]]
| platforms = [[MS-DOS]], [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]]
}}

'''''Ecstatica II''''' is an [[action-adventure game]] developed by British team Andrew Spencer Studios and released for [[DOS]]/[[Microsoft Windows|Windows]] by [[Psygnosis]] in 1997. It is a sequel to ''[[Ecstatica]]''.

== Gameplay ==
The game play remains similar to ''Ecstatica'', with improvements to the game's controls and more detailed [[ellipsoid]] graphics. The play area is much larger than the first title and offers free-roaming gameplay involving exploration of the castle. Enemies also respawn after a certain period. The protagonist can pick up various swords with different strength and reach. He can also use magic attacks against his foes by either equipping a staff or learning spells from scrolls.

== Plot ==
The story starts right where the first game ended, when the Nameless Traveller, who turns out to be a Prince in an unnamed country, rescued Ecstatica from the doomed town of Tirich. The Prince returns to his kingdom with Ecstatica, planning to get married, only to find out that his castle has been savagely pillaged and plundered and his people have been brutally massacred by demons, goblins, and human barbarians. Just as they arrive at the drawbridge, a winged demon flies by and kidnaps Ecstatica while the Prince is knocked unconscious by another winged demon, only to wake up and realize he has been put into the castle's [[pillory]]. However, the Prince is revitalized and set free by a mysterious female voice that urges him to defeat the evil Archmage to restore the balance of the world by restoring the 7 Elder sign and at the same time to rescue his beloved Ecstatica from the Archmage before she is used as a sacrifice.

==Development==
''Ecstatica II'' uses ellipsoid graphics in order to give polygonal objects smooth edges instead of sharp ones.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=PC GamePro Previews: Ecstatica 2|magazine=[[GamePro]] |issue=3|volume=9 |publisher=[[International Data Group|IDG Communications]] |date=March 1997|page=61|issn=1042-8658|url=https://archive.org/details/GamePro_Issue_092_March_1997/page/n63/mode/2up}}</ref> Andrew Spencer explained how the programming for the ellipsoid graphics works: "All the objects are algorithmic, which means there's a little bit of programming in each one. Trees and plants, for example, are fractals with a bit of randomness built in and a few rules to follow. Ferns are told to get lighter toward the end; plants are told to develop stalks and then sprout into flowers. In a sense, the program, written in [[C (programming language)|C]], grows the object rather than builds it."<ref name="NGen24">{{cite magazine|title=NG Alphas: Ecstatica 2|magazine=[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]]|issue=24 |publisher=[[Imagine Media|Imagine Publishing]]|date=December 1996|pages=183–186|issn=1078-9693|url=https://archive.org/details/NextGeneration24Dec1996/page/n183/mode/2up}}</ref> The enemies were designed so that no two individuals would have exactly the same stats.<ref name="NGen24"/>

The game was originally set to release in March 1997.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ebworld.com/news/in-jan97.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19970531000101/http://www.ebworld.com/news/in-jan97.html|title=Ecstatica 2 by Psygnosis|website=ebworld.com|archive-date=May 31, 1997|date=January 23, 1997|access-date=November 14, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Reception==
{{Video game reviews
| GSpot = 7.9/10<ref name=GSrev>{{cite web |last=Soete |first=Tim |title=Ecstatica II|url=http://www.gamespot.com/action/ecstat2/review.html |website=[[GameSpot]]|date=July 11, 1997|url-status=unfit|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19981205082241/http://www.gamespot.com/action/ecstat2/review.html|archive-date=December 5, 1998|publisher=GameSpot, Inc}}</ref>
| Hyper = 87%<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Toose|first=Dan|date=May 1997|title=Ecstatica 2|issue=43|magazine=[[Hyper (magazine)|Hyper]]|pages=64–65|url=https://archive.org/details/hyper-043/page/64/mode/2up|publisher=[[nextmedia|Next Publishing]]|issn=1320-7458}}</ref>
| NGen = {{rating|4|5}}<ref name=NGen30>{{cite magazine|title=Well Rounded |magazine=[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]]|issue=30 |publisher=[[Imagine Media|Imagine Publishing]] |date=June 1997|page=128|url=https://archive.org/stream/NextGeneration30Jun1997/Next_Generation_30_Jun_1997#page/n129|issn=1078-9693}}</ref>
|PCPP=86%<ref name=PCPP>{{Cite journal|last=Wildgoose|first=David|date=May 1997|title=Ecstatica II|url=https://archive.org/details/PCPowerplay-012-1997-05/mode/2up|journal=PC PowerPlay|issue=12|pages=38–39}}</ref>
}}
A reviewer for ''[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]]'' praised the high quality of the ellipsoid graphics engine, the smoothness of the character animations, and the wide variety of moves available to the player character, but criticized the use of prerendered scenery, noting that it results in load times as the character moves between camera shots and often obscures items, enemies, and traps.<ref name=NGen30/> Tim Soete of ''[[GameSpot]]'' likewise found the prerendered scenery often makes the game confusing and frustrating, and that the effective use of ellipsoids and wide variety of combat moves are strong points. He also praised the massive length of the game. He concluded, "What's important is that, because it's so graphically rich and varied in its gameplay, ''Ecstatica II'' is a game you can really get lost in."<ref name=GSrev/> ''[[GamePro]]''{{'}}s Art Angel assessed that "With much improved graphics, an expanded map, increased character movements, and a larger variety of enemies, ''Ecstatica II'' has surpassed its predecessor in almost every way." However, he found the controls overly complex and too slow to respond in the heat of battle. He gave the game a 4.5 out of 5 for graphics, particularly noting the "beautifully rendered" ellipsoids and strong use of color, and a 4.0 out of 5 for sound, control, and funfactor.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=PC GamePro Review: Ecstatica II|magazine=[[GamePro]]|issue=5|volume=9|publisher=[[International Data Group|IDG]]|date=May 1997|page=56|issn=1042-8658}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*{{moby game|id=/ecstatica-ii}}

[[Category:1997 video games]]
[[Category:Action-adventure games]]
[[Category:DOS games]]
[[Category:Psygnosis games]]
[[Category:Single-player video games]]
[[Category:Video game sequels]]
[[Category:Video games developed in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Video games with pre-rendered 3D graphics]]
[[Category:Windows games]]

Ecstatica II - Revision history

imported>Waxworker: added short description