Format – PC

Version – 1.01

Just in time for Halloween, Costume Quest 2 arrives on Steam with its would-be friendly appearance, and over the top enemies, all dashed off with some adult humour. But does it gel as well together as it did the first time around?

Graphics

With a nice cartoon-style look to our characters and the enemies as they wander down the streets, the game looks like it should be on Nickelodeon as a daily cartoon show. If you’ve seen the original Costume Quest, then you should know what to expect. This time around, there’s just a little bit more shine to the toons and locations, but you’ll know that if you’ve already taken a quick look at the screenshot below. This is the direction Double Fine have continued to head in, after all, it worked so well the first time. However, the issue for me is that, this time, it feels as if it’s aimed too much at a younger-generation.

Playability

Starting off well with a vibrant introduction to the game, you’re given a minor quest and a basic battle to show you the fighting style in Costume Quest 2. But shortly after, the game soon becomes stuck in the same tired loop. The battles seem to lack a spark, and quickly become very repetitive. You’ll soon find yourself battling the same mobs again and again, and the volume of battles just keeps getting larger. They follow a turn-based formula, ala Final Fantasy, and are entertaining to watch, but after the fifth in a row with what seems like the same mob, as well as using the same combination of moves, even for a child, interest will start to wane.

Age Range

Sure, i’m a 39 year old reviewer, but I didn’t even enter the “Hey this is cute/cool!” state of mind during play. For this, I enlisted my two youngest daughters and got them to play alongside me. They’re aged 10 & 12 respectively and as expected, they lasted longer than I did as they played. But even they soon became bored with the repetitive fights and asked if they could stop playing after a string of what appeared to be the same battle scenes.

All in all, the end result is rather disappointing.

The Good Stuff

The appearance of the game looks brilliant
Safe for kids to play

The Bad Stuff

Repetitive Battles
Becomes boring for both adults and kids rather early into the game

Final Analysis

Perhaps an age range attached, along with a better Random Monster Battle Generator could have made this game flow better than it does. Instead, however, both I and my children became stuck in a relentless loop of killing the same mob every few feet. Still, it all looks rather fantastic and oozes beauty wherever you dare to look. If you have far more patience than my house – perhaps you’re his Holiness the 14^th Dalai Lama – you can see past the battles and beyond, however as with most children and adults in the age of the internet and fast TV, both boredom and tedium are high on the list of things you don’t want in a computer game.