It’s been nearly a year since the release of the first episode of World End Economica. It would have been out earlier, but was pushed back for a number of reasons. However, the wait was well worth it, as the story has been significantly improved.

The first episode’s largest issues were the insufferable protagonist, weak artwork, and failed attempts to make the stock market trading in space seem interesting through text. Because of Haru’s cockiness, he fell hard at the conclusion of the first episode. That was pretty much the only time the story had any impact. Now in episode 2, four years have past. Haru’s dream of making a ton of capital and going to Mars went up in flames. And the person he had come to care for wound up disappearing. Haru has taken up an internship in law, aiming for a seemingly more realistic dream. However, it’s really just an excuse to run from his past failings. He’s only confronted with this fact when he is approached by a young woman with a dream of her own. Seeing her determination to uncover a fraudulent company by attaining capital for her business to pay legal fees for a chance in court, Haru seeks to confront his demons and move forward with his life. As well as trying to exact justice in a corrupt economy.

The game’s story is more engaging than the previous episode for this reason alone. Haru is 19 now, and since he fell hard, now the story focuses on his self-reflection and how he is dealing with the inter-personal relationships with the people that are still close to him. It’s also a tale about his own chance at self-redemption. The second act is mostly a transitory gap in the overall story, but largely necessary. The third and final act seems that it will be even greater in scope if the finale of episode is anything to go by. One of the biggest improvements is the pacing. While the first part was about 15 hours, this episode is around 10. The other improvements would be a slight but notable upgrade in visual and audio quality. The backgrounds and character designs look like more time was put into them, and the music is much catchier this time. The visual novel really feels like it’s worth the price this time around. The game still lacks voice acting, but it’s still a solid read for any fan of the genre. If you can get through the first episode and feel letdown, by all means you owe it to yourself to move onto part 2. It’s that much better.

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