The RPG Maker engine has unfortunately got a bit of a stigma attached to it. While it’s a powerful engine that gives creators simple tools to craft their own stories and adventures, it’s also a program that is commonly associated with games made for a quick buck from lazy developers or as the means to justify a game that includes sexual content as its main selling point. Steam is chocked full of games from the engine, and it has sadly marred the image of the engine to the general gaming public. It’s such a shame because some genuinely interesting games have been crafted using it. These include profound psychological horror classics like Ib, or quirky court dramas like Nina Aquila: Legal Eagle. In the right hands, RPG Maker can do some amazing things! But what if you’re interested in a more traditional RPG experience? Well, Didnapper 2 may be the title for you, but with a little twist.
Didnapper 2 is a turn-based RPG developed by DID Games that was created in the RPG Maker engine. If you’re wondering what “DID” stands for, it doesn’t mean they’re a studio that doesn’t understand how verbs work. It’s actually an acronym that stands for Damsel In Distress; a common narrative trope where a female character is put in some kind of peril, usually as the result of a kidnapping. I won’t beat around the bush: Didnapper 2 is a game that regularly features bondage. It’s undeniably a selling point for people interested in that fetish, but is there actually a quality RPG tucked within?
Story
As the name implies, Didnapper 2 is a sequel, with the original being a free RPG Maker game from 2012, though you aren’t required to play it to understand the sequel’s story. You take on the role of a young woman called Seles. She grew up an orphan on a small island, with the only memento of her birth parents being a blue pendant that belonged to her mother. She lives a quiet, but uneventful life, though that quickly changes when she is reunited with a woman from her past, Zhara. This wasn’t a happy reunion though, as she effortlessly captures Seles and makes her a prisoner with plans to escort her via boat. Just why was Seles kidnapped? And just what does Zhara plan to do with her?
I’ve got to give credit where it’s due; Didnapper 2‘s story was actually quite engaging! The game presents the player with a lot of questions about the world and its characters, and it’s written in such a way that makes these mysteries compelling. A large part of that is thanks to the fantastic world-building. Given that this is a world of fantasy, a bunch of new terms are introduced, but the game takes its time to introduce these elements gradually to not overwhelm you with information, allowing you to fully grasp these new concepts. Before long, you’ll understand terms such as Chroma, Aion, and Exceed as if they’re regular human vernacular. It also takes time to set the scene for each new environment, making you aware if it’s an immediate threat or a place of solace. Early into the game, you get a glimpse at how massive the world is, so being able to write a story in a world this large is quite impressive, especially for an indie studio!
But what about the characters? Seles is the perfect representation of the typical RPG hero, or heroine in this case. She’s a bit dim, but has a good heart, is skilled in combat, and can be quite hot-headed. She also lived her life isolated from the rest of the world, making her the perfect means for players to learn all about the world the game is set in. It also helps that she’s quite an adept escape artist; given the number of times she’s tied up in the game, this is a huge asset! She’s not going to set the world on fire, but thanks to a strongly-built mystery surrounding her and because she’s generally a very likable character, you’ll want to see her story through to the end.
The side characters are a little more mixed. That’s not to say any of the characters are bland or shallow, but some just stick out a bit more than others. Your first party member, an inventor called Aden, is truly a highlight! She’s a snarky girl who is very self-centered, rude, and a closeted masochist. Her interactions are a treat every time she’s present and it helps that she can be quite entertaining as a foil to the rest of the party. Another notable member is Kaie; a woman shrouded in mystery who has a burning hatred of Seles. She’s easily one of the most interesting characters in the game and I was very intrigued to learn what her deal was. One other notable character is a girl named Chelsea. She’s introduced fairly early into the game, but she only makes sporadic appearances until she finally fully joins the party near the end of the story. It really felt like a missed opportunity to not have her join the group more often to make her absence feel more pronounced. By the time she’s joined Seles’ cause, it’s too late in the game to deepen her character compared to the rest of the cast, which is a shame.
If there’s one thing I take issue with regarding the writing, it’s got to do with the suspension of disbelief. I get that Seles and the rest of her group getting caught is a regular occurrence in a game where bondage is one of its main selling points, but some of the circumstances that lead to it are very questionable. These include moments such as the party being refused entry onto a ship unless they’re tied up first and a very awkward scene that takes place in a public library. These aren’t isolated examples either, as this issue occurs at numerous points throughout the story. These parts of the game come off as very distracting, as it often works against the stronger moments in the game’s narrative just to satisfy its core audience.
One thing I certainly wasn’t expecting was the humor. The game regularly employs subtle jokes, whether they be humorous character interactions or even some moments of self-awareness that admittedly made me chuckle. As a whole, Didnapper 2 tells an entertaining story with likable characters, even if often works against itself at times in order to inject bondage into the narrative.
Gameplay
Even though Didnapper 2 is mostly a turn-based RPG, the game isn’t just taking part in combat for the majority of its runtime. Though when you are forced to draw a sword, you’ll find some unique spins on the traditional format. While your party of four takes turns to attack, depending on the type of skill you choose, it can take longer to perform. Aside from hit points and magic points, you also have AP that allows you to do more unique combat actions or are used in conjunction with stronger magic attacks. Sounds pretty simple, but the wrinkle in the battle system comes in the form of the Subdue system.
If you’re fighting against a woman, you aren’t able to defeat them by reducing their health to zero. However, there is a notch on their health bar and when their HP goes below it, they’ll have a broken heart icon above their heads. This means they’re susceptible to being subdued, binding them in place and making them unable to attack. Though that doesn’t mean they’re useless in battle afterward; as long as they have another active enemy on the field, they can use certain skills that can only be performed when they’re subdued. They are also able to struggle out of their bonds or one of their allies can rescue them, allowing them to attack again.
This system isn’t just exclusive to enemies though; your entire party also follows these same rules, making sure you stay on your toes before your characters all end up being tied up and losing the battle. It’s quite puzzling that this rule only applies to women, as men can only be taken out by reducing their HP, but the Subdue system is a wonderful addition! It adds a deeper layer of strategy to an otherwise simple combat system and is a genuinely refreshing take on handling inactive party members.
It also helps that the game isn’t a cakewalk either. Enemies regularly inflict massive damage, requiring you to keep tabs on your health before you’re at risk of being restrained, which is especially tough early in the game as potions are quite expensive. And then there is the inclusion of certain status ailments like stun and sleep which allow enemies to restrict you even if you have plenty of health. Adding to the difficulty is the inclusion of manual saving. If you mess up and haven’t saved recently, you’ve just lost a bunch of progress, but at least you can save anywhere from the main menu. You can’t simply upgrade your gear for tough fights either, as weapon stores aren’t that common and outside of accessories and alternate outfits, the game doesn’t include any form of armor for you to equip. Grinding is also tricky to do as the experience points you gain are scaled based on the level of your enemies. If you fight enemies close to or lower than your level, don’t expect to level up quickly. If you’re looking for a challenge from your RPGs, you’ve come to the right place!
Balancing an RPG is an often overlooked process, and sadly, there are regular moments in Didnapper 2 where huge difficulty spikes occur. While the game is generally well-balanced when taking on normal enemies, there will often be brutally difficult bosses in the latter half of the game. These moments can get quite frustrating, such as a boss that constantly inflicts blindness on your whole party, making it next to impossible to hit them. Couple this with the high cost of curative items, and this takes what was once a fair challenge into a frustrating roadblock you’re forced to overcome. At least this isn’t a problem throughout the whole game, but it’s a problem nonetheless.
If you do get stuck or need a quick means to get gold, the game offers a variety of challenges you can access from certain signposts in towns. Enemies are scaled to be around your current level and the better you do in each challenge, you’ll gain more money. The trade-off is that you need to wait 10 minutes before being able to retry a challenge, but you get more the further you get into the game, so this quickly doesn’t become an issue.
As you level up and win in fights, your characters earn skill points to learn a variety of abilities. You don’t have many options at first, but as you progress through the story, you’ll have access to a plethora of abilities that truly makes each party member unique. It’s a shame that some of them are locked behind having rare items in your inventory, but you’ll be thankful to have the option to inflict status ailments while boosting your stats to give yourself a fighting chance.
But what if your entire party gets restrained in a combat encounter or they’re captured at certain points in the story? This is where the next big mechanic of Didnapper 2 comes into play: escaping. During these segments, Seles is tied up and it’s your job to set her free. On paper, this sounds like a simple mini-game to diversify gameplay, but in practice, these segments are deepened with a plethora of mechanics to make it a fully-fledged experience.
The main objective when escaping is to get your wrists free, but that’s easier said than done. Each restraint is labeled and can be inspected to see how difficult it will be to remove them. However, it’s possible to be blindfolded, forcing you to remove it before assessing your current situation. While the goal is always the same, the way you can achieve it can vary drastically. Once you’ve found your bearings, you may find an item you can use or an ally trapped in the same room to help your escape. If that’s not an option, you can try to get a guard’s attention with the hopes they’ll show you some sympathy and loosen your bonds. This can be quite risky though, as they could also choose to tighten their restraints or worse, completely change how Seles is tied up to make it more difficult. More often than not though, Seles will be gagged and you’ll often have to prioritize removing it first before trying this approach.
Even with the help, you’re going to need to struggle to get free, and this is done using directional inputs. During the entire escape, you’re put under a time limit, so your hand-eye coordination has to be on point if you want to avoid a game over. If you happen to make too many mistakes when struggling, a guard will more than likely tighten Seles’ bonds, so you’re put under a decent amount of pressure to not mess up! When all of this is put together, I won’t lie; I greatly enjoyed these escape sequences! There’s a good deal of tension during each of them and you’re required to use strategy to succeed, making completing these sections far more rewarding. In fact, I often found myself getting caught on purpose if a battle proved too difficult, as it serves as a great means to regain your health and magic. Considering how many times you’re forced to break free throughout the game, having that process consistently engaging is definitely a good thing!
Much like with combat, as you successfully free yourself, you’ll gain skill points to unlock abilities exclusively for the escape sections. While some are simple benefits, others come with a useful ability but also a downside to keep it balanced. Later in the game, you’ll be introduced to new types of restrictions to get out of, adding not only a ton of variety but also providing a greater challenge to overcome.
As you might expect from a game made using RPG Maker, the game sees you exploring the world from an isometric perspective. You can explore the world and find treasure chests or enemies to fight. The former often requires you to lockpick them to get rewards; the more challenging the lock, the more valuable the item inside. As for enemy encounters, you could run head-first into them, or you can sneak behind them to either knock them out if they’re men or bind them and put them in a barrel to avoid them respawning if they’re women. Once again, it’s taking something standard and spinning it with unique mechanics to make it stand out, but it helps that these elements aren’t broken. If you’re good enough, you can go through an entire dungeon without ever entering combat, thereby ghosting your way to the boss. Thankfully, you’re unable to cheese this mechanic because you can’t leave an area and come back to sneak attack the same person to farm experience.
The last piece of this puzzle is unfortunately the weakest: interrogations. At certain points in the story, you’ll need to get information from someone you capture; you do this through interrogation. It’s not as cruel as it sounds, as you’re only able to threaten them, seduce them, slap them, or tickle them. For each action, it fills up one of three gauges: anger, fear, and embarrassment, with you needing to fill up all three to get them to spill the beans. You can also add restrictions or remove clothing, though they aren’t required to pass these segments. This entire system is incredibly shallow; there is almost no strategy for completing them, as each action fills a certain gauge, so there’s no stopping you from just mashing through each option until you complete it. While it only shows up a few times across the entire adventure, it’s the one weak chain in the link in an otherwise very well-constructed RPG!
Presentation
The sprite style of the RPG Maker engine is very well known at this point, and it’s also here in Didnapper 2. That’s not to say it’s bad by any means, it’s just familiar. I wouldn’t be surprised if some of the objects in the overworld and the visual effects in combat are from a multitude of asset packs, but given how RPG Maker games are very community-focused, that’s perfectly acceptable, even if it’s not groundbreaking.
What does stand out is the plethora of hand-drawn assets. All the character designs are intricately detailed and quite expressive, which is no small feat considering how many characters get this illustrated treatment! Dialogue segments are often done with two characters talking side-by-side and with how many different emotions they can display in a scene, it helps enhance the game’s storytelling and perfectly showcases a character’s personality.
The art design is generally well above average throughout the whole game! While there’s no proper armor in the game, each character can unlock alternate outfits. The developers took the time to not only draw their combat poses with them but also the previously mentioned dialogue segments also reflect their change in costume. They didn’t have to do this, but this extra attention to detail is something I really appreciated! Enemies are also hand-drawn too, and there are quite a lot of them. They could have done the bare minimum and created simple recolors to bulk the enemy types, but they went the extra mile and drew a huge amount of unique character models. Considering they also drew versions of female enemies tied up as well just goes to show how much effort was put into this project!
One thing I did notice with the enemy designs was an inconsistent art style. The credits list no fewer than ten artists, so you’ll regularly see enemies using a different art style, and that can ruin the visual cohesion at times. But it’s really just a nitpick; drawing all these assets clearly required a lot of work, so expecting one artist to draw unique enemy designs would have been a tough ask.
This level of visual quality is also carried over into the escape sequences. Depending on which part of the body you want Seles to focus on, her struggle animations are done well. Adding to this are other small details that add to these sequences. There are quite a number of gags used to silence Seles to help add some subtle visual variety, though it would have been nice to know what terms like OTM mean. Then there’s the… ahem, “distraction” level. To keep it simple: the higher the bar is filled, the more you can see Seles visually blush. Again, it’s a small addition, but it’s an appreciated one.
As for the audio, it’s a strong showing too! The soundtrack really sells the vibe that this is a classic RPG through and through. Whether it be the calm, yet mysterious tone of a thick forest, the grandeur of a capital city, and even the comforting atmosphere of a town inn. While I won’t be putting these tunes on my audio player, it works perfectly to help set the mood throughout the adventure. Believe it or not, there’s voice acting too! It would have been a tall order to voice most of the game’s dialogue, so you only hear the characters say a few stock phrases or sounds to better convey their emotions. Considering the scale of the project, that’s a compromise I’m able to live with.
It’s not all perfect though, as the biggest problem is the game’s performance. Whenever I played the game in fullscreen, the game regularly stuttered during dialogue segments, which is something that doesn’t occur when playing in windowed mode. I also suffered a single game crash, which forced me to re-do a fair few combat encounters all over again, but this thankfully wasn’t a common issue.
Verdict
Judging it by its own merits, Didnapper 2 is a very well-made RPG, but you have to know what you’re getting into. The game was clearly made by and for fans of bondage, and that could very well be a deal-breaker for some players. Its inclusion often distracts from an otherwise great story and the mature undertones, despite there being no explicit content, could be quite offputting for some. But if you can look past these elements, the unique gameplay mechanics, a well-written story, and a solid presentation make Didnapper 2 an adventure that’s well worth your time!
DIDNAPPER 2 IS RECOMMENDED
If you would like to see more adult games, you may be interested in our review of Dohna Dohna ~ Let’s Do Bad Things Together.
Many thanks go to DID Games for a PC review code for this title.
An anime/gaming aficionado, experienced content creator and lovable goofball. Name a game genre and Seamus has likely played it… yes, even that one. Follow him @TrueStorySeamus
