Where do I even begin? The Costume Quest games are unique little adventure titles that are sprinkled with RPG elements. Both games center around Halloween and, of course, the act of Trick-or-Treating. Costume Quest 2 picks up where its predecessor left off in terms of story, and it expands on all of the elements that players will be familiar with from the first game.
Without spoiling the main plot, I can say that you will take on the role of the brother/sister duo, Reynold and Wren. You will be tasked with regaining a talisman in order to save the world from a most disturbing fate of a candy-less future. Throughout the course of the game, you will have a few friends to accompany you on your journey; effectively turning your party from a duo to a trio. Having three party members comes in extremely handy across the numerous main and side quests that you will encounter. From knocking on doors to Trick-or-Treat and possibly running into enemies, to free roaming enemies, to helping find lost Hide n' Seek kids, the quests are enjoyably easy.
Each character is able to equip the various costumes that you will unlock whilst playing the game; from a wizard to a pharaoh, a clown and a werewolf, and many more. Each costume comes with its own unique attack, special ability, strength and weakness; all of which makes it essential that the player equips their party with the appropriate costume from area to area. You will earn experience points and candy (which is used as currency) after each battle. Candy can be spent on purchasing costume upgrades and special cards, which brings me to my next point.
The cards in this game act as battle stamps did in the original Costume Quest. If you never played that game, it's simply an extra element that introduces more factors into combat. Where one card can revive a player at 50% health, another card can cause a character to attack twice per turn. There are 45 in total, and you can equip 3 at a time; using them can often move a seemingly hopeless battle into your favor. There are some massively overpowered cards, such as one that will kill all minions, which cause the game to become rather easy at a certain point. However, the cards also have cool downs that expire after a set number of battles.
The soundtrack to this game is fantastic, and given that you rarely go back to previous areas the tunes just do not get old. The game mechanics are also extremely smooth, and the game itself runs at a stable 60 frames with no hitches. The graphics themselves are cute, fun and simple, and it's always exciting to see what your costume will look like in battle once you've unlocked a new one or have spent your candy on an upgrade for it.
Costume Quest 2 is an outstanding follow up to its debut title, in every way imaginable. Double Fine even put a few new elements into the combat system to give it a slightly fresher feel. The story is satisfying from start to finish, and it definitely doesn't let down its audience at the end. I highly recommend this game to fans of the original Costume Quest, or for anyone who is looking for a fresh, fun little adventure game that will last around 8-9 hours. Although I do suggest if you have not played Costume Quest 1, you pick that game up first so that you have more of an understanding of the story.
Rating: 4.0/5.0 - Excellent, highly worth playing.The Horror Network
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