Don’t let its title fool you, Funbag Fantasy 2 is not a sequel of Funbag Fantasy (which I also reviewed), but actually a prequel taking place during an unspecified past. Ruin Dimidium, our protagonist, follows in the style of Lute by being a seemingly obtuse, idiotic, and permanently unlucky fellow. Luckily for him, despite graduating at the bottom of his class at the Royal Abbey, Ruin receives a political appointment where he’s sure to fail, but is instead able to channel his fatalistic attitude and find success.
Unlike Funbag Fantasy, Funbag Fantasy 2 takes place in a world where monsters, demons, and elves co-exist in great numbers with humanity. The plot revolves around the plight of demonkind in a human-dominated country, as well as curses, magical traps, and uncontrollable nymphomania. It is a nukige visual novel after all. Like the first game, there are a number of plot twists, and along with the “plot” and “backstory” there’s a legitimately entertaining story with a good sense of humor. Probably my favorite use of humor is when the protagonist takes part in a series of war games where all participating troops take part by playing games of rock-paper-scissors — supposedly because it has no risk of harm, and has an element of randomness that reflects real-world military risk. It’s hilarious, and well-written, and something you have to experience to properly enjoy.
The main plot of Funbag Fantasy 2 involves an effort to find a successor to the king of Hillsland. The royal advisors above both have youthful candidates they support for the job. The succubus Shaharl, the king’s third advisor, is looking for a candidate of her own. The decisions you make for Ruin determine how involved he becomes in the race for the throne, with plenty of side routes that lead to other happy results. The quest for the throne is the longest route, but I suspect another route is the true ending because of its link to the first game.
Funbag Fantasy 2’s soundtrack does justice to its fantasy universe, fitting perfectly. The voice actors do a great job. Equal parts teasing, breathy, and seductive as necessary to fit the scene, all the heroines are voiced well, although two stand slightly above the rest. The dark elf Zebia’s actress does an excellent job of displaying her irritation, petulance, and other tsundere traits. And the VA for queen Nadine expresses her sexual frustration, domineering playfulness, and a hint of nymphomania very well. The other actresses do extremely well, and the voices for folks like the spoiled prince fit too, but the range those two heroines had to express helps them stand out.
The art of Funbag Fantasy 2 is of the same quality as its predecessor, with the advantage of additional experience with the subject. As a result, the bust-sizes, in particular, are not as insanely gratuitous as they sometimes get in the main-line games, although they’re still potent — that’s the point of the series after all. Details like sweat and motion-blur show the care put into drawing the game’s CGs, even the handful like the above which are not sex scenes.
As a prequel, and with its cast of heroines much more controlled than the side games, I would actually suggest players new to the series start with Funbag Fantasy 2. The heroines include:
The dark elf Zebia is the only heroine included in all the routes, as she meets Ruin as his career is just getting started. She’s a talented mercenary fighter who Ruin converts to his side with the power of his perversion. Very protective of Ruin, she won’t stand for anyone threatening his life.
Pictured center, Lorelia is a mermaid, and is in exactly zero CGs that are safe for work except for this one. As a mermaid, she’s the hyper-specialized paizuri master of Funbag Fantasy 2, and forces one on Ruin pretty much as soon as they meet. She’s the least relevant to the plot as she doesn’t get as much characterization as the others.
Shaharl is a succubus and an advisor to the king, and the highest-ranking demon noble in the land. She takes interest in Ruin after his initial exploits, and is willing to sponsor him for the throne if he proves himself to her. She values intelligence and empathy, but predictably also respects any man who can go for more than one round with her in bed.
Elysia is Shaharl’s elven assistant. A warrior in her own right, she doesn’t get along well with Zebia despite their similar roles. She plays very hard to get, except on a dedicated path that takes you to the elven kingdom.
Queen Nadine is a nymph, which in the series’ rules means she’s also highly sexual. Sadly her husband can’t touch her, or he’ll risk a curse that will kill him on the spot. Ruin ends up involved with her because of outside meddling, but since they’re both lustful that’s hardly an accomplishment. She’s very domineering with Ruin.
Funbag Fantasy 2 is available from Mangagamer (NSFW) along with the rest of the series.
