I was excited for this, especially since I was going in blind for this game. And mostly, it continues and surpasses the strengths of before.
The story expands the world and deepens the mystery. Something is very deeply wrong with this universe, and the new motif of televisions driving people to obsession and death is suitably disturbing and we see a tower creating an evil broadcast. We get hints of where the monsters may have come from metaphysically, but not enough to make things clear or okay. The previous protagonist Six and her dubious morality both return and fuel a lot of the questions in the game.
The main player, though, is Mono. He's a boy driven to find the answer to the images he sees in his television and dreams and teams up with Six, controlled by AI. Six helps with puzzles and watching her actions will give the player a better idea how to handle a situation, which is nice. At times, Mono is kept apart from her to make things less cozy. Mono has no permanent light source, but he can pick up weapons to fight small enemies and break things. It's sluggish so the player is kept from feeling confident, but I like the mechanic. He can also find hats in the levels, which I love.
The horror is great. I don't find all of the big monsters terrifying, but they all bring something to the table and there are some real hits. I really like that there are more enemy types and that the big guys aren't the only threats in their levels. The upsetting surreal vignettes continue and intensify from the last game, too.
I did find the third chapter to be nearly prohibitive in its design. It's the scariest section, with enemies that you fend off with a flashlight, but that has the same issues as it did in the first game's DLC. Finding a way to get past groups is very difficult and horror fails when it becomes frustration. There are easier methods, but for your sanity, I'd recommend playing the chapter with a guide so you don't have to replay it for secrets. Load times on Switch were swift, though, making it less brutal to die. Had this game had the first one's load issues, I may not have completed it.
As a piece of art, this game is a fascinating, scary continuation, but as a game, I think it falters for a bit.
Recommended. With a warning.
A good bad dream that's at one point a nightmare.
I was excited for this, especially since I was going in blind for this game. And mostly, it continues and surpasses the strengths of before.
The story expands the world and deepens the mystery. Something is very deeply wrong with this universe, and the new motif of televisions driving people to obsession and death is suitably disturbing and we see a tower creating an evil broadcast. We get hints of where the monsters may have come from metaphysically, but not enough to make things clear or okay. The previous protagonist Six and her dubious morality both return and fuel a lot of the questions in the game.
The main player, though, is Mono. He's a boy driven to find the answer to the images he sees in his television and dreams and teams up with Six, controlled by AI. Six helps with puzzles and watching her actions will give the player a better idea how to handle a situation, which is nice. At times, Mono is kept apart from her to make things less cozy. Mono has no permanent light source, but he can pick up weapons to fight small enemies and break things. It's sluggish so the player is kept from feeling confident, but I like the mechanic. He can also find hats in the levels, which I love.
The horror is great. I don't find all of the big monsters terrifying, but they all bring something to the table and there are some real hits. I really like that there are more enemy types and that the big guys aren't the only threats in their levels. The upsetting surreal vignettes continue and intensify from the last game, too.
I did find the third chapter to be nearly prohibitive in its design. It's the scariest section, with enemies that you fend off with a flashlight, but that has the same issues as it did in the first game's DLC. Finding a way to get past groups is very difficult and horror fails when it becomes frustration. There are easier methods, but for your sanity, I'd recommend playing the chapter with a guide so you don't have to replay it for secrets. Load times on Switch were swift, though, making it less brutal to die. Had this game had the first one's load issues, I may not have completed it.
As a piece of art, this game is a fascinating, scary continuation, but as a game, I think it falters for a bit. Recommended. With a warning.