Jade Cocoon 2

PlayStation exclusive

Presenting a combination of monster breeding and RPG elements, Jade Cocoon 2 expands upon Genki's original title in a number of significant ways. Gameplay comprises a familiar mix of storytelling and monster raising, with significant tweaks implemented for good measure. The town acts as your base of operations and it's here you can stock up on supplies, or take jobs for which you can earn money and build a reputation. The latter proves vital as it's directly related to the number of monsters you can use in battle. The successful completion of certain tests rewards you with the ability to command more beasts -- up to a maximum of 12 at once, however, you can only take these tests when your reputation is high enough.

Released: 30 August 2001
Platforms: PlayStation 2 PlayStation 3
Genres: Adventure Role-playing
Developers: Genki
Publishers: —
Series: Jade Cocoon
Modes: Multiplayer Single-player
Perspective: Third person
Themes: Action Fantasy
Country: Japan
Age ratings: CERO A ESRB T USK 6
Languages: English, English (UK), Japanese, Korean
Entry: #2 in Jade Cocoon
Composers: Manami Matsumae

About

Jade Cocoon 2 (玉繭物語2 ～滅びの蟲～, Tamamayu Monogatari Tsū ～Horobi no Mushi～; literally "The Story of the Jade Cocoon 2: Insect of Destruction") is a role-playing video game developed by Genki exclusively for PlayStation 2. It is the sequel to Jade Cocoon: Story of the Tamamayu. The game features a full 3D polygonal world, 200 cutscenes, and full voice-overs.

Keywords

anime
evolution
turn-based
summoning support
breeding
procedural generation
playstation network
digital distribution
leveling up
non-player character
potion
pocketstation support

Media

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Gameplay

Jade Cocoon 2 centers its gameplay around monster collection, breeding, and strategic combat. Players take on the role of Kahu, a young aspirant Cocoon Master, navigating elemental forest lairs in search of orbs that will save him from a parasitic curse. The game features an intricate breeding system and battle mechanics. With over 200 monster species and billions of possible combinations, players fuse Divine Beasts aligned to elemental types—Fire, Water, Earth, and Wind—each offering distinct traits like healing, protection, or status effects.

Combat unfolds on a circular grid where Kahu commands up to eight monsters, strategically positioned across elemental quadrants. Attacks are determined by the alignment and skills of beasts in each sector.

Story

Jade Cocoon 2's plot occurs 100 years after the events in the original Jade Cocoon. The time of the Nagi people and "cocoon masters" has passed. New "cocoon masters" are now cited as "beasthunters" and are the prominent force of monster raising, with the player playing one named Kahu who visits the Temple of Kemuel in the hopes of becoming a beasthunter and having adventures like the old cocoon masters he's idolized. However, Kahu encounters trouble during his license exam required to become a full-fledged beast-hunter.

He encounters a young fairy named Nico, who leaves Kahu cursed, and he's given a very short time to live before his body is consumed by evil. Kemuel Temple's resident guardian, Levant - the hero of the original Jade Cocoon - offers Kahu a chance to heal himself. By utilizing the four magical orbs found in the heart of the elemental forests and a dark lute, Levant will be able to save Kahu's life. Kahu now sets off on his adventure, to save himself and eventually the world.

Development

The game was developed in more than 2 years with a team of 40 people. It was one of the first games on the PlayStation 2 to use the console's hard drive for faster load times.

Reception

The game received "generally favorable reviews", a bit more positive than the first Jade Cocoon, according to the review aggregation website Metacritic. In Japan, Famitsu gave it a score of 31 out of 40.