Curious Expedition 2 Review (PC)

My party is close to using its last supplies and nowhere near the chosen objective. We have to find a mystical gate but our compass is still inaccurate and a pack of jackals left us with some nasty wounds. Do I use a first aid kit to make sure my anthropologist is going to make it or do I trade it to move via boat? Can I afford to get to a native village and maybe rest or should I just make an educated guess and sprint for the objective? Can looting artifacts from foreign cultures ever be justified as a game mechanic again? Curios Expedition 2 is the title that aims to deliver answers to all these questions.

The game was developed by Maschinen-Mensch and published by Thunderful Publishing, offered on the PC via Steam first, with versions for Xbox platforms, PlayStation consoles, and the Nintendo Switch planned for later in 2021. The title takes the main ideas of the first title in the series and expands upon them, offering an interesting rogue-like exploration experience with a quirky presentation.

The gameplay loop is easy to grasp and well introduced in the tutorial. The player chosen character and four companions will get to a piece of unexplored land. They have a set of stamina points, somewhat weirdly labeled as „sanity”, and a set of items to use. Using them they need to explore, interact with other entities, find points of interest and, finally, fulfill their goal (the missions are pretty varied and the layout is procedurally generated). Sometimes there are enemies to take out in turn-based combat, with dice used to show possible actions and create combos. The game also offers are trading opportunities, some conversations with actual choices, and major events tied to certain events or interactions.

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There’s also looting and not only the kind associated with taking out an enemy on the battlefield. The player is encouraged to get artifacts from shrines so that he can get more resources when he returns to civilization. And the negative consequences are suffered mainly by the islands and the people who need to live on them even after the explorers are gone. It is possible to play without looting anything or without adopting a very colonial approach. But the concept of the stealing artifact still contrasts weirdly with the bright and fun overall tone of the game.

Once an expedition is completed the crew comes back to Paris (the entire game is set in a slightly alternate history version of the 1860s) to prepare for the next adventure. A cafe is a place to get more money and maybe new companions, with new abilities and dice. Three organizations sponsor expeditions, bestowing extra rewards for those who work for them. As Curious Expedition 2 progresses preparation for a run becomes very important, especially when it comes to keeping sanity as high as possible. The narrative is serviceable if not entirely original or complex. It does have some cool moments involving fantasy species and interactions with them. I like some of the writing, especially inter-crew interactions.

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The characters that the player can play as and recruit are varied and interesting, giving the player a lot of options when it comes to playstyle for each run. I tended to mostly run with an anthropologist, a nurse, a trusted dog, and a mule, focused on studies and careful movement, fighting only as a last resort. More aggressive options are also featured for those who want to take out all enemy fauna or take all native artifacts.

Curious Expedition 2 has a very economic look. Plenty of fans of the original were annoyed by the more cartoon-focused look of the new title but it is easier to read during an adventure. All the information required to make decisions and face challenges is clearly presented but the characters lack some detail and personality. The lack of voice acting and the limited appeal of the music also means that the title’s main attraction remains the gameplay loop.

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The Good

The Bad

Conclusion