In today’s market of free-to-play anime-inspired RPGs, it’s easy for some hidden gems to fly under the radar. While over two million players have downloaded Girls’ Frontline 2 since its global release, there's still plenty of you who are yet to get in on the action – and it may just be the fresh take on tactical RPG gameplay you didn’t know you needed. And there's never been a better time to check out Girls' Frontline 2 because it's getting a major free update today.
To catch up those who haven’t come across this surprisingly deep franchise, Girls’ Frontline 2 is a sequel to a popular tactical RPG that also has an adapted serialized manga. The lore stretches into spin-off games and anime adaptions too, and the free-to-play sequel’s latest update is continuing the new “Exilium” storyline.
It follows a post-apocalyptic world in which players take on the role of Commander, a bounty hunter who teams up with other android “Dolls” to explore Contaminated Zones. These Dolls are fully customizable anime characters that take on roles within your turn-based combat squads. Not only can you interact with them and change their outfits for a true cozy gaming twist, but you can fully inspect their weaponry and choose loadouts.
For anyone who read the words “turn-based combat” and immediately had the urge to click away, you might want to know more about the new Aphelion update. One new game mode called Assault Simulation will task players with manually aiming and shooting at enemies, which isn’t your average turn-based tactical RPG experience. Another new game mode called Boundary Push sounds more like an extraction shooting experience like Escape From Tarkov, as you’re incentivized to go deeper and deeper into new Contaminated Zones to secure better loot. All the while, you’ll face greater challenges the further in you explore, and the game mode resets weekly.
Bringing the cozy gaming vibes is a Refitting Room that will allow you to dive deeper into character customization. This space allows you to swap outfits and fully interact with your virtual character models. Speaking of outfits, the update brings various new skins and weapons for you to unlock too, and increased unlock rates will drop at certain points too. You can also unlock two new characters, one called Klukai, a Sentinel-class Doll who unlocks with the update, and Mechty, a new support class that will be available as of April 10.
This is definitely one to watch if you’re looking for your next deep anime-inspired franchise to deep dive into. With an established, rich lore, as well as a free-to-play game that’s being serviced by dedicated developers, there’s a lot to get stuck into.
