Another wonderfully dark but fun game I absolutely loved.
I played part 1 (Blackwater Asylum/The Witch's Prison) years ago when I first got into these games, and when I found out there was supposed to be a part 2, I waited another couple of years to be able to buy it. And I have to say it was just as good as the first game. So first, the good points:
Plotline:
Basically it picks up where the first part left off (so I'd recommend playing part 1 first, it's not entirely necessary but would make it much more enjoyable) and has the same sort of dark vibe. While not the most realistic storyline (not many of these games are remotely realistic anyway) it's not the silliest, you can play it without being very actively aware that it's a totally childish exercise. I mean fair enough, these games are usually for like 7 to 12 year olds apparently, they're pretty tame and a total guilty pleasure for grown-ass adults but at least this one doesn't feel like it's meant for little kids. Adequately dark for my liking, with a hint of silliness in parts.
General gameplay:
Unlike many of my games, this is not in fact a HOG. In fact- you'll see what I mean if you play- it quite blatantly pokes fun at HOG's with that little bit of silly humour you'll find in it occasionally. If you played the first one, you'll know this already. So, it plays a bit like a room escape adventure game- or a HOG without, well, the hidden objects, I guess. That makes it a bit less tedious and fun in my opinion, but it's a matter of taste.
The game is a decent length, and doesn't seem too rushed, which is another bonus for me.
Graphics, sound and cutscenes:
Cutscenes are tasteful, although the graphics aren't the most realistic they do very little characters moving around- the cutscenes are in pictures as opposed to dramatized scenes- so it lacks that corny element that makes me so uncomfortable in some other games. On occasion characters move, but it's done well enough. The sounds are good, none of this overbearing background music distracting you while you play.
There are only a couple of slight ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ for me: primarily, the fact that it can be very difficult to find where you need to go at times and you don't get much help- that can make it challenging, or a bit frustrating depending on your mood.
Another issue, that I should mention, was with my PC (I have no idea how it will function for other players) the first time I tried this game it glitched when it froze and my PC crashed, deleted an inventory item, and left me having to start over. The next time, nearer the end, bits of the screen went white and eventually all of the screen, and it had to be played in windowed mode to resolve that. I don't know if it's a bit glitchy in general or if my PC just isn't right for it, but generally my PC works fine with the vast majority of these games and this one was just a bit awkward, but still functioned for the most part.
That aside, this game was really good fun, and I will most definitely be playing it again.
