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INTRODUCTION (From the manual):
Two years after the defeat of the evil sorcerer Yojar, the small Autonomous Principality of Xixerella, administrated in the name of the Emperor by princess-magician Sophia, is one of the most prosperous parts of the Empire. Thanks to the policy of peace and tolerance promoted by Sophia, several philosophical and religious creeds coexist in Xixerella.

One group in particular, the Society of the Inner Light, is widespread. It ostensibly aims to strenghten individual well-being through group meditation practices. After some time however strange rumors begin to circulate about what goes on in the tall tower, built by the members of the Society as their seat. Word has it that occult rites are performed there, with human beings turned into monsters, and that lethal machinery watches the place against intruders. Besides, cases of people mysteriously disappeared some time after joining the Society are reported.

One night, a guard patrol stumbles upon a horrendous and hostile creature, a sort of enormous red spider. Reinforcements are called and the soldiers, not without effort, manage to capture the beast and bring it before Sophia. She immediately senses an evil aura coming from the creature. Getting to work at once, she creates a spell that, once cast upon the monster, turns it into its original shape: a Society member who had disappeared that night.

Questioned by Sophia, the man reports that he does not remember anything, except taking part to a collective rite performed by the Society in the tower.

Further investigations carried out by secret agents infiltrated by Sophia inside the Society reveal the truth. The Society is nothing but a gigantic front, behind which an obscure entity known as Grim Reaper hides. He exploits the life force of people, to boost his might, as well as to build and supply energy to deadly fighting machines, which he plans to unleash in order to take over the whole Empire. Under his influence, Society members lose their humanity and are consumed, sometimes up to their death.

Sophia then decides to wear her robes again and turn to action. An all-out attack is out of the question – Imperial forces would risk to be annihilated. Sophia will have to penetrate the tower crossing a dungeon and an underwater passage, finally confronting the Grim Reaper face to face. Once again, the fate of Xixerella and the Empire falls upon her shoulders.

REVIEW:
Have you played Sophia I ?? If not, then you have missed something. Check out Sophia I here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQCtfsrFsBo&t=91s

Sophia II is off course the sequel to the first game, but it is also an advanced remake of Matthew Smith's Styx. In Styx the screen was divided into three different parts with different gameplay (it was a 16k game so there was only the one screen), and in Sophia II there is three huge levels based on the screen layout in Styx.

Level 1 is quite similar to how Sophia I was made, and the objective is to find: a parchment, a chalice, an ankh and a hourglass. Those things is needed to open the door to the room where the Spider Queen is, but you will also need to find objects looking like triangles, circles and squares which is needed to open doors with similar marks.

After defeating the Spider Queen you enter level 2 that is an underwater passage, and except that you are now swimming this level has similar gameplay like the first level; you have to find four things – four amulets, and these have to be dropped into a volcano one by one (Sophia can only carry one at a time) to open the door to the room where a big Seahorse needs to be defeated to enter the next level. Besides this you will also need to find different objects to unlock other doors, and as you are underwater you also have to get air from air bubbles from time to time.

Level 3 offers a huge platform level where you have to jump from platform to platform and climb ladders in a huge tower to get to Grim Reaper at the top. You need to find some hidden levers that will open up for inaccessible areas.

You can gain extra mana in more than one way, but don’t waste your shots because they are much more limited and harder to get.

Sophia II offers a huge variety of different gameplay, and while being challenging but not too tough, it ends up being a pretty solid game! The control system is good and works flawless, and the AY is pumping out some different classical music for each level, which fits a game going on in present time fine. Nice detailed and colorful graphics with a minimum of color clash, so definitely worth checking out!

Rating = 90%

The Sophia games is made by Alessandro Grussu and you can read more about them and get the download links from his website: http://www.alessandrogrussu.it/Sophia2.html