NIS America has decided Badman’s reign must live on, and has brought What Did I Do To Deserve This, My Lord!? 2 to North America to continue his story. Once again, successful dungeon management skills are key to creating the perfect underground lair for heroes to get lost in.
What Did I Do To Deserve This, My Lord!? 2 picks up where What Did I Do To Deserve This, My Lord!? left off. Badman is still continuing to conquer the world (it turns out he only took over a small part of it in the first game) and he has resurrected you to help him achieve his dream. There are six new regions to conquer so Badman’s massive castle will appear and he can take his place as rightful ruler of the world.
The gameplay of What Did I Do To Deserve This, My Lord!? 2 is identical to What Did I Do To Deserve This, My Lord!?. Each area starts with Overlord Badman in a barren underground area. You are armed with a trusty pickaxe and must dig out a maze and monsters to protect him from upstart heroes who think they’re all that (they’re not!). You have a short period of time where you’re free to dig as you please, constructing a preliminary dungeon area and unearthing monsters at the bottom of the food chain.
This peaceful interlude doesn’t last long. Soon Badman will warn you that heroes are approaching the dungeon. You then have 15 seconds to do some last minute preparation. Once the hero is at the gate, you choose where to place Badman’s throne in the fresh dungeon. Pick wisely – you can’t move him again until the hero is defeated. Then the hero comes in and searches for Badman. You can’t directly interact with the hero(es) or Badman, but you can continue to effect the dungeon. You can mine new monsters, or dig at mushrooms to enrich surrounding soil so new monsters can be cultivated.
In a way, you could almost consider it part simulation and part tower-defense game. You have to make sure the monsters are thriving and surviving to ensure the invading heroes fall and Badman wins. This means keeping an eye on the dungeon, watching what kinds of monsters are running rampant and checking for unusually colored patches of dirt that can be dug out to bring higher level monsters to the area. What Did I Do To Deserve This, My Lord!? 2 helps you out a little with this, alerting you when monsters could start changing and notifying you when mutations have occurred.
All of the world domination is conducted in a humorous and tongue-in-cheek manner in What Did I Do To Deserve This, My Lord!? 2. Badman is prone to funny quips, and his outlook on the world is wonderful as well. Even when you respond to his questions about the world and environment (with an "Aye" or a "Nay"), Badman will come up with a funny retort. One of my favorites is the conversation that takes place upon arriving in the world’s second area. If you state that you thought the underground would look different in different areas, Badman suggests putting colored plastic wrap over the screen if you want more variety. Also, once again the heroes and heroines are often named after popular personalities or are parodies of other games. It’s like each reference you notice is a reward for paying close attention.
Another great source of humor is to check out the Almanac section. It’s available from the main menu and lets you find out information on anything in the dungeon. Badman, the monsters, the heroes and even minor items like dragon guano all have wonderfully written descriptions that I highly recommend perusing.
I also found that What Did I Do To Deserve This, My Lord!? 2 is the sort of game that eats away at you. But in a good way, I assure you. See, I went in not knowing too much about dungeon ecosystem management, and was pretty much learning successful maze creation and maintenance while playing. So, at times, I’d get frustrated, turn off the PSP and step away to take a break. But, it was as though What Did I Do to Deserve This, My Lord!? 2 wouldn’t let me go.
Before I knew it, I was plotting dungeon layouts in my spare time. Crafting labyrinths absentmindedly while talking on the phone or waiting for food to arrive in a restaurant. (The latter resulted in my saving a particularly ingenious layout on a napkin.) I’d lie awake in bed, cursing the heroes Ami and Yumi (named for Puffy Ami Yumi) after they’d bested me and dragged Badman out to face justice five times in a row. In a row!
Thankfully, What Did I Do To Deserve This, My Lord!? 2 keeps from being repetitive as each underground area will have a different makeup at the start of each attempt and, unless you’re consciously keeping track of each dungeon crafted, each of your dungeons will be different. Also, the fact that your monsters can mutate depending on various environmental factors keeps things fresh.
Plus, if the challenge is starting to eat away at you, you can always take a break from the structured Story Mode, where you help Overlord Badman continue taking over the world bit by bit. There’s a Training Mode where you can learn the basics of successful dungeon building and management. There’s also a surprisingly entertaining mode called Badman’s Chamber. Here, you’re given a dungeon where you define all the conditions and can have infinite dig power (if you want). You can then practice creating dungeons, or experiment to see how various monster mutate. It’s surprisingly soothing, and educational as well.
There’s another great thing that What Did I Do To Deserve This, My Lord!? 2 has going for it – if you buy the UMD, you also get What Did I Do To Deserve This, My Lord!? free! So you won’t feel left out or behind for never having played the original, because the original comes with it! Also, if you play the first game before the second, the cleared data unlocks extra stages in What Did I Do To Deserve This, My Lord!? 2.
What Did I Do To Deserve This, My Lord!? 2 is challenging, but it’s a good sort of challenge. It helps foster a sense of accomplishment and growth on the part of a player. There’s nothing more satisfying than finally outsmarting some smug heroes with successful dungeon management, especially if said heroes already bested you two, or three, or eight times before. It looks stylish, plays well and has a timeless quality that will make you want to replay over and over to prove you can make the best dungeons.
Food for Thought:
- While there’s something to be said for following the tutorial’s directions, I sometimes found I did better in levels if I went on instinct.
- It’s nice that the ecosystem bar, which shows up if you zoom out or if mutations are happening, is usually hidden. There were times though when I wished it was displayed at all times. It’s quite handy!
- I had the most fun with Badman’s Chamber, just creating random dungeons to see if I could create a successful and self sufficient dungeon eco-system. It’s almost like having an extra little simulation mini-game.
