Under Night In-Birth II Sys:Celes, often referred to as UNI 2, is a 2D anime fighting game released by French Bread. Read our review to see what it did well, what it didn't do well, and if it's worth buying.
UNI 2 Review Overview
UNI 2 Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
 Godlike Soundtrack Great Variety of Characters Sizable Tutorial and Mission Mode |
PC Port Has Some Issues Mechanics Are Pretty Daunting |
UNI 2 Overall - 76/100
Under Night In-Birth II Sys:Celes, more often known as UNI 2, scratches that itch when you want to play an anime fighter. It’s unapologetic in its identity and doesn’t hold your hand despite having a pretty lengthy tutorial explaining all the systems. It’s a game that’s meant to be enjoyed if you like the genre and the series, but will be hard to get into as a new player due to its numerous gameplay mechanics and systems.
UNI 2 Story - 6/10
Truth be told, the story is not exactly easy to understand. It picks up 3 months after the events of the first Hollow Night leading up to the fight between Hyde and Kuon. There’s a lot of lore regarding every character’s powers, other factions, and many more, but it’s gonna be up to you to look for that. They also removed Chronicle Mode from the older games which explained a lot of the backstory of each character in a visual novel type of way, so if you’re interested you should probably go to YouTube instead.
UNI 2 Gameplay - 8/10
Systems on systems on systems. UNI 2 is a loaded game when it comes to universal mechanics. There’s the GRD meter, Assault, Creeping Edge, Shield, and many more. From the perspective of a new player, it will be very daunting to pick this game up. It’ll take time before you get comfortable with the new and existing mechanics, but essentially that’s true for all fighting games.
UNI 2 Visuals - 8/10
UNI 2’s visuals are pretty great! To be more accurate, it’s the same feeling as knowing and appreciating a niche anime, which suddenly gets an HD remake or sequel to finally conclude the story. French Bread was able to polish the already great sprite work and visual effects they’ve had in their previous games even more in this release.
UNI 2 Audio -10/10
One of the main reasons UNI 2 has an enduring fanbase is its stellar soundtrack. With Raito coming back to improve on his already great music in the previous game, the soundtrack in this game makes it feel like you paid for a full album with a bonus fighting game in the package.
UNI 2 Value for Money - 6/10
The game is pretty hard to market to a bigger audience due to both the genre and the series, but I would say that this game is worth a shot later. The 3 upcoming DLC characters are also free if you purchase the game now till March 31, 2024, so you have until then to have added value to your early purchase. If you're not super into it, I would suggest waiting for a sale.
UNI 2 Review: Back to the Hollow Night
I must admit that I was more of a fan of the UNI soundtrack than the games themselves mainly because I didn’t have too many people to play with. While my experience of fighting games may be quite decent, it was hard to give the series a go. With the latest release, however, I finally got a chance to give the game a shot.
Simply put, I had a lot of fun. At the start, it captures the signature anime fighter feeling of just staring at the character select screen wondering who in the world should I choose. I’m a big fan of the character designs and the art style of the game, even if frankly I don’t watch a huge amount of anime. It all supports the aesthetic of a bunch of people with superpowers and superhuman abilities just fighting at night.
It has a lot of mechanics that are unique to the series. I won’t go through all of them, but I’ll mainly talk about the game’s main mechanics revolving around the GRD gauge and how it changes the game a lot. The GRD gauge is kind of like a glorified tug-of-war meter with a timer WHILE the game is going on. When the GRD timer runs out, the player with the most diamonds or grids will get a timed damage buff called "Vorpal.," More importantly, this tug-of-war mini-game will constantly happen throughout the match, which means just because you win the first, doesn’t mean you’re gonna win the second tug-of-war.
With this in mind, you’re going to want this buff as it can swing the fight in your favor. Landing, blocking, and shielding attacks will increase your GRD gauge, as well as simply walking forward. It essentially rewards you for being able to go in on your opponent as well as being able to land hits. However, you still have to be careful as solely trying to go for the GRD buff can lead to you taking a lot of risks and consequently taking a lot of damage.
Other than that, you can use your GRD gauge in multiple ways. You can execute a "Chain Shift" which can be used to convert your GRD gauge to your EXS or Super meter. Not only this, but Chain Shift can be used offensively and defensively to cancel attacks to be able to chain combos and keep yourself safe respectively. Last but not least, each character has their own unique gimmick in the form of "Force Functions" which use some of the character’s GRD gauge to execute a character-exclusive attack or mechanic.
It’s a fighting game that has systems upon its systems, and it adds a lot of depth to it in the process. The game keeps you on your toes to manage all the resources that you have AND everything else happening in the heat of battle. Finally, the soundtrack is a certified banger. Most, if not all of the character tracks got a rework courtesy of Raito, who already has a cult following due to his awesome music. I even left the game on standby just to listen to the tracks in the game while writing the review.
Pros of UNI 2
| Things UNI 2 Got Right |
|---|
|
Godlike Soundtrack Great Variety of Characters Sizable Tutorial and Mission Mode |
Godlike Soundtrack
As a fan of the soundtrack in the past games, it’s no surprise that this game’s soundtrack is a certified banger. Raito, the music producer of the game, has made new renditions of ALL of the character themes in the game. To be honest, the music is just way too good. Do yourself a favor and listen to Eltnum's theme, Blood Drain Again II, which is probably Raito's magnum opus. The soundtrack of this game won't disappoint you at all.
Great Variety of Characters
With a 24-man roster, the game boasts a pretty good number of distinct characters. Each of them has their own unique weapons and powers and it may take a lot of time for you to get used to even just one of them. I suggest choosing the character that you find cool (as with most fighting games) as learning the ins and outs of a character and the universal mechanics is a long journey – one that should be enjoyed for the long run.
Sizable Tutorial and Mission Mode
The game has a tutorial mode that aims to teach you the game mechanics as well as basic fighting game knowledge, but it’s at the cost of reading a lot of text as well as the amount of time you’re going to spend just looking at it. This, alongside the massive amount of combo trials to familiarize yourself with your character’s combo routes and game plan is a massive plus in my book.
Cons of UNI 2
| Things That UNI 2 Can Improve |
|---|
|
PC Port Has Some Issues Mechanics Are Pretty Daunting |
PC Port Has Some Issues
The PC version of the game currently has issues with certain online network modes, but rest assured that the devs are aware and on the case already. As a workaround, use the "Custom Search" function to be able to find opponents in Ranked. For Custom Lobbies, simply create and invite people into the lobby and not use the "Search Lobby" function.
Mechanics Are Pretty Daunting
I won’t sugarcoat it, this game is not easy and you'll need to sink your time to get better at it. While it has "Smart Steer" for auto combos, it’s not gonna make you win matches. It’s gonna take some time to do your bread-and-butter combos and optimize your answers to situations, and that can be a deal breaker.
Is UNI 2 Worth It?
Not for the Faint of Heart
The price point is pretty steep at $50, which is a pretty sizable investment especially when you compare it to the games releasing tomorrow (January 26, 2024). It’s mainly a game for the fans of the genre and the series. If you’re interested in giving it a go but have reservations, I suggest waiting for a sale instead. Fighting games are always pretty hard to learn, and the learning process is honestly the most fun part of the genre. If you don’t vibe with that, then the genre and most especially this game isn’t for you.
| Digital Storefronts | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Steam |
 Playstation |
 Switch |
|||
| $49.99 | |||||
UNI 2 Overview & Premise
The newest riveting installment in the epic Under Night In-Birth saga rises from the Abyss! Improved visuals and battle system! Witness the curtain fall on the tale of the Hollow Night. Vie for supremacy through exhilarating combat and a deep, robust battle system!
UNI 2 FAQ
Will UNI 2 have cross-play?
At the moment, no. The game doesn’t support cross-play similar to their older titles. This may change in the future as French Bread is pretty involved with their community when it comes to updates and post-launch patches.
What platforms will UNI 2 be available?
The game will be available for the PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, PC (Steam), and the Nintendo Switch. For more details and exact information, please refer to our UNI 2 Release Date and Time article.
UNI 2 Product Information
 | |
| Title | UNDER NIGHT IN-BIRTH II SYS:CELES |
|---|---|
| Release Date | January 25, 2024 |
| Developer | FRENCH-BREAD, Arc System Works |
| Publisher | Arc System Works |
| Supported Platforms | PC (Steam), PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch |
| Genre | Action, Fighting |
| Number of Players | Single-System (1-2), Online (1-9) |
| ESRB Rating | ESRB Teen |
| Official Website | Under Night In-Birth II Sys:Celes Official Website |
