Costume Quest 2 Review (PC)

good
key review info
  • Game: Costume Quest 2
  • Platform: PC
  • Show system requirements
  • Gamepad support: Yes  
  • Reviewed on:
Costume Quest 2 review on PC

Costume Quest was the first title in the new small game series from independent developer Double Fine, as after the studio finished working on Brutal Legend, it decided to go the less risky route and just bring out smaller experiences with quirky ideas.

Costume Quest 2 continues the stories seen in the original and its Grubbins on Ice expansion, as the gang of kids led by brother and sister duo Wren and Reynold are transported back home where a new danger lurks.

With the promise of new costumes, new environments, and fresh adventures, Costume Quest 2 is looking like a welcome sequel. Does it manage to deliver a treat-filled experience or should it perform its trick somewhere else this Halloween? Let's find out.

Story

Costume Quest 1 and its expansion delivered some pretty fun adventures that appealed not just to adults, but also kids. A group of children use their super-powered costumes to take on monsters and rescue their loved ones and even the world.

In the sequel, Wren and Reynold are once again faced with an imposing foe, this time in the form of the local dentist, who uses time traveling tricks to forge a future in which candy is outlawed, Halloween is illegal, and giant denture-shaped robots bully the population.

The only course of action is to also travel through time and foil the plans of the nefarious dentist. The whole plot is pretty straightforward, despite the time-bending theme, and all major characters have distinct personalities and desires.

You also get to admire some of the original neighborhood kids all grown up and there are plenty of references to the events from the first two experiences, so playing them first is very encouraged if you want to make sense of what's going on.

Overall, the story has quite a few amusing moments and it's certainly great to see the old gang back together. As such, those who wanted to see Wren, Reynold, and company back in action will find some top-notch moments here.

Engage in battles
Engage in battles

Gameplay

While in terms of story Costume Quest 2 performs quite well, the gameplay isn't all that great, offering very few changes over the original recipe and some rather annoying additions.

You once again explore different neighborhoods, solving quests and going trick-or-treating, while engaging in turn-based battles against enemies.

The neighborhoods now span from sections of New Orleans to portions of a futuristic dystopia or the lair of the evil dentist. Quests range from the basic main one to secondary activities that see players interact with others or go on errands around the environments.

There are a few moments where you once again have to go trick-or-treating, only this time around, instead of the grubbins from the original game, you can go up against different time beasts. They are split in various categories, from your regular monster class to tech and magic ones. Your various costumes have advantages and disadvantages against different enemy types but the battles aren't that challenging overall, so it shouldn't matter what sort of gear you have equipped.

As always, during combat, your party members become quite powerful thanks to their costumes, ranging from a regular super-hero that can throw buses around to a clown that can heal through the power of laughter, or even the now trademark piece of candy corn that does nothing besides drawing the attention of foes.

Of course, plenty of costumes can be found along the way, provided you scour the environments for treasure chests and make sure to visit the ever-present merchant called Shady, who can provide upgrades for costumes, maps, and trading cards.

Said trading cards have a limited number of uses and can be employed in combat to provide different advantages for your party members or disadvantages for your enemies. They aren't mandatory, however, and most of the times you'll even forget about them in your inventory.

Environments are relatively well designed, but some are way too convoluted for their own good. Many paths are hidden by buildings, and seeing as how you can't change the camera angle, you'll usually just have to wander around aimlessly, pushing into walls and hoping for the best.

The combat is more of the same, as you can unleash attacks in turn order, while augmenting their output via precisely-timed button presses. Nailing the best timing is pretty difficult, especially since some attacks have different animations.

One annoying aspect is the fact that health isn't replenished upon exiting combat. As such, you need to either go back to the nearest fountain to replenish your health and save, or spend candy to get healed. Backtracking is mandatory in many cases and a few actions aren't that obvious, so you'll still have to wander around.

Visuals and Sound

Costume Quest 2 retains the stylized visuals seen in previous experiences, only this time around things are a bit more detailed. The varied environments also look relatively good but expect quite a few jagged edges, even with high anti-aliasing settings, not to mention some low-quality textures or blurry character models.

The soundtrack is pretty decent and there are some nice audio cues every now and then. However, in extended play sessions, expect things to become repetitive. There's no voice acting, but the themes during cut scenes match the action rather well.


The Good

  • Fun story
  • Imaginative costumes
  • Some hilarious moments

The Bad

  • Repetitive fights
  • Confusing level design
  • Low-quality textures and character models

Conclusion

Costume Quest 2 is a decent sequel in terms of story but lacks the necessary gameplay innovations. Environments are varied but a bit confusing and some of the new costumes are relatively fun, while others recycle abilities seen in the first two experiences. As such, while fans will certainly enjoy the "more of the same" nature of the new title, those looking for more new things might have to go elsewhere.

story 8
gameplay 7
concept 7
graphics 7
audio 7
multiplayer 0
final rating 7
Editor's review
good
 

Costume Quest 2 Screenshots (15 Images)

Costume Quest 2 review on PCTake control of Wren or ReynoldStop the evil dentistFind older friendsTravel through time
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