Girls Frontline 2: Exilium - Four reasons you should try this action-packed, strategy RPG

Girls' Frontline 2: Exilium is the highly anticipated sequel in the strategy RPG series, recently launched worldwide for iOS and Android.

It transports players into a futuristic world where you’ll take command of battle-ready, anime-inspired androids, arm them to the teeth with real-world weaponry, and lead them to victory against forces that threaten the world.

Having made its way on to our best mobile games of 2024 list, Girls’ Frontline 2: Exilium is one that you definitely won’t want to sleep on - and here’s why.

A brand new chapter in the series

Set 10 years after the first game, Girls’ Frontline 2: Exilium lets players unearth a whole new chapter in the series. It continues the franchises’ familiar themes of conspiracy and intrigue as the Commander, now retired and making their living as a bounty hunter, finds themselves ensnared once again in a plot involving the ancient “relics”.

Fans of the first game, as well as the manga and anime-adaptations, will enjoy the odd nostalgia trip when familiar characters make an appearance, but Girls’ Frontline 2 is for the most part a standalone game. The only thing you really need to know about GFL2 is that you’ll be assembling and leading teams of female androids (known as Tactical Dolls) into exhilarating, turn-based battles to bring bad-guys to justice. A nice simple premise that any new player can jump into and enjoy. 

That being said, if you are a lore-junkie then there is an enormous backstory waiting to be explored, a good deal of which you can discover via the game’s official Discord.

Fast-paced battles for PC and mobile

Gameplay-wise, GFL2 is a turn-based, tactical RPG in which you’ll navigate your squad of T-Dolls to strategic points on grid-based maps to outmaneuver, and outgun your enemies.

In terms of presentation, GFL2 has a very similar vibe to X-Com, but the strategic systems aren’t nearly as frustrating. Cover systems and range effects will come into play depending on where you position your squad members, but you won’t have to worry about hit and miss mechanics; if your T-Doll is in range to hit an enemy then they will always do damage. Moreover, the playback function allows you to undo any mistakes you make over the course of the battle, which all-in-all makes for a fast-paced combat experience that’s easily accessible, even for inexperienced strategy players.

You’ll also find that most quest battles will take between 5-15 minutes to complete which, given GFL2’s cross-platform functionality for PC and mobile, means you can easily pick-up and progress through the game at your leisure.

Incredible  interactive 3D visuals

Whilst the narrative tropes and character profiles are very much in-keeping with the first game, the visual presentation of Girls’ Frontline 2 represents a massive evolution in the series. 

The non-photorealistic, cutesy anime design is still present, but the major difference is that GFL2 is the first fully 3D game that enables players to rotate and zoom in on their T-Dolls for a closer look. This feature will no doubt appeal to some players more than others, but the imagination and attention to detail in each character's costume and weapon design is truly impressive.

Pitch perfect audio

As George Lucas once said, sound is 50% of the movie-going experience, and games (at least in the case of RPGs) are certainly no different. In GFL2, the soundtrack delivers dramatic symphonic accompaniments to every cutscene and level, complemented by a dynamic range of weapon blasts and explosions that keep players immersed in the heat of battle.

Away from the combat, gorgeous ambient compositions help progress and bring to life the futuristic narrative, which is further enhanced by the stellar voice-acting.

That’s not entirely surprising of course; Girls’ Frontline 2 features some of the best voice-actors in anime, such as Marina Inoue (Attack on Titan, My Hero Academia) and Naomi ?zora (Valkyria Chronicles, Shin Megami Tensei) so that every note you hear in GFL2 perfectly matches the splendour of its visuals. 

Overall, Girls’ Frontline 2 delivers an action-packed, cinematic experience that’s well worth checking out, whether you’re a newbie or veteran of the strategy RPG genre.

If you’d like to give it a try for yourself then you can find Girls’ Frontline 2 available to download for free from the App Store and Google Play.