Overview
GIRLS’ FRONTLINE 2: EXILIUM is a free strategy Gatcha game. You recruit dolls and use them in battle. Let’s find out as I take a look at what this game has to offer and answer the question. Should You Play?
Released on December 3, 2024 for Android, ios and PC. February 11, 2025 for steam
Developed by SUNBORN Information Co., Ltd.
Published by Darkwinter Software Limited
Available on:
Android
ios
Steam
PC
Let’s take a look at the game
In GIRLS’ FRONTLINE 2: EXILIUM you are a commander who issues commands to dolls in battle. There is a story. However, I will not be talking about that. I feel you should experience the story by playing. That being said the game does not have English voice acting so you will have to read. You recruit dolls through a Gatcha. There are also event Gatcha or targeted Gatcha as they call it.
For the gatcha there is the standard banner you can pull from. You can put a target on the banner it can be a doll or weapon. It makes the elite or orange pull a 50/50 for the target.
There are also the targeted banners. These have one for the doll and one for the weapon the doll uses.
All banners have a guaranteed elite pull after a number of pulls.
This game is full of amazing character models. There is also a good amount of fan service. There is a dormitory where you look at the dolls and get to put them in different outfits you get. You also have access to a free Cam for your viewing needs. The main point of the dormitory is the gift giving system. You give the dolls gifts and the like you more once they like you enough their affinity for you grows. once their affinity reaches level 5 you can give them a ring. The ring increases their stats and projects a hologram of the commander. The game also tells you once you reach max affinity the ring will transform. As you level up the affinity you also unlock lore for the doll. Affinity level is also important for the dispatch room. The more affinity levels you have the more you can do in the dispatch room.
There are a good number of outfits in the game some you get for free by playing the game. The more special ones cost real money to get these ones are swimsuits as well as dresses. The Elite rarity outfits have extra features like a new pose and interactions for the dormitory. As well as new effects in battle.
The weapons also have skins you can buy with real money. You can also get some from events and the dormitory. The skins system for the weapons is cool. Let’s talk about sniper rifles for example every time you get a new sniper rifle you also get that skin. You might get a better stat sniper rifle. You can still make it look like any sniper rifle you have gotten. There is also the same system for the attachments that go on the gun. This makes customizing really cool in this game.
Let’s talk about ways to enhance the dolls. You can level them up to your commander level. There is a cool animation that plays and its different for each doll. There is also a Neural Helix you can upgrade that gives stat boost and keys. You can equip 6 keys 3 exclusive and 3 neutral keys these keys give stat boosts and ability modifiers. There is also fortification this is for when you pull the doll again you get materials to fortify. This gives a boost to the doll’s abilities.
Now for the guns you can enhance your guns this increases your gun level. You can calibrate your guns this increases the guns abilities. You do this by using consuming duplicates.
Each weapon can have 4 attachments on it. The attachments come in different rarity’s the purple and orange ones can be calibrated. You do this by consuming any attachment. This increases its stats.
The lower rarity attachments have rust on them. I thought this was a cool touch.
You can get attachments that have a set bonus. Equip the required 3 of the same set and you get the bonus. There are 12 different set in the game so far.
At commander level 20 you can join or create a platoon. In the platoon you do a mission daily for the platoon, and you get reputation. You can use this reputation in the platoon’s store. The store resets every week. As the platoon levels up more gets added to the store. There are also chest that anyone can claim. There is also the Gunsmoke Frontline where you can do more missions for the platoon.
The events are nice. They give you plenty to do. There are ones that have you complete a challenge. The cool ones are for the new dolls. These have a story as well as challenges and supply missions. The one I did had a store as well that you used the currency you earned from the event in. The store had weapons skins and tickets to pull more dolls and more. There was so much great stuff you can get from the event it was so well done.
One if not the coolest part of the event was the vampire survivor style mini game called frontline survivors. I loved playing this and you got really helpful rewards as well.
The combat is strategy style think Xcom or final fantasy tactics without the % to hit. You take turns moving and attacking. You get to use all your dolls on your turn and the enemy uses all there unites on their turn. The basics are move and use a skill or basic attack. There are some environments intractable like a turret you can turn on. Or a switch that lowers or rises a wall. There are some skills that allow you to move after attacking. One of my favorites is the sword wielding doll Krolik. She has a skill that returns her to the spot where she started the turn. Allowing her to dive at the enemy attack and return back to safety it’s so cool.
Each doll has an “ultimate” ability that has a cutscene. The cool part is your weapon will show up in the cutscene just like you have it customized.
There is a shield Icon next to the health that is your stability. When that reaches zero you or the enemy no longer have cover and become vulnerable. You want to keep this in mind when taking down elites or enemies that are giving you a hard time.
There is also an auto battle feature. This might play different than you play. Where you might finish the fight in one turn. That always feels good by the way. The AI will play more defensively taking more turns. I have tried this feature a couple of times. Every time, I won and fulfilled all the conditions for the mission.
Each mission has 3 conditions for you to meet. Some are simple like win or have less than 1 doll be defeated. Others have you take out a number of enemies in one turn. There is a good reason for doing all 3 conditions you get rewarded. When you’re in a chapter in the bottom left there is a number ??/?? these are all the conditions you have completed and the total amount of conditions. You get rewards for completing all of them. It also gives you more to do in the chapters to 100% them.
In the chapters there is a main path you will need to follow to complete the chapter. There are branching paths that will give you more conditions to complete. They give you materials that unlock lore for you to read. You also get a little bit of the material that is used to recruit for looking at the lore.
I must say the cutscenes in this game are so cool. They have over the top action, gun fire with explosions. They are also beautifully animated, and I always get excited when one starts. Just wish there was English voice acting so I don’t have to read while trying to enjoy the cool cutscene.
Should You Play?
If you like the tactics style combat, then big time YES. The characters are cool with different skills to create some fun teams. The dolls look fantastic. There seems like there is plenty to do. I know as I’m playing through the current story, I always have something to do. The one event I got to do so far was so well done. I was amazed at how well it was executed.
The game is a free to play game. That being said, there is plenty of places to spend money. I have not and I have recruited a lot so far. I’m sure once I’m caught up with the story. The grind for the material used to recruit will slow way down.
Keep in mind this is a Gatcha game. There is some RNG in getting what you want. This also applies to getting good dolls and weapons.
Overall, this is a free game with great looking character models. Exciting cutscenes with great animation. With a fun tactics style gameplay that is not too hard and can be very satisfying at times.
Thank you so much for reading this post if you would like to read more click here. If you want to be notified when I publish a new post, sign up for the newsletter. You can do this by entering your email down below.
Newsletter
Enter email to be notified when I publish a new post.
ApexReaper Reviews 