2025 update: this game has been in early access since it's release and has seemingly been abandoned by developers. I think this is worth mentioning as if it is not receiving updates you may find the older it gets, the more janky it gets.
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Released six years after the original game I was pretty excited to see how Polynomial 2 had changed from the original.
The first game, The Polynomial, I initially found quite confusing and unintuitive, but after a little while of trying to get used to it I found that there was some fun to be had. There was a lot of personalization when it came to what arenas you could play in (and therefore what aesthetic you had), what animator type you used (which could change the tone a fair bit) and what sound visualizer settings you had. It wasn’t something I was particularly drawn in by, and didn’t put much time into but it was a unique game, which was nice to look at and something fairly chill to play.
So how does Polynomial 2 compare?
Well, first of all the second game seems to be set up a bit differently to the first. The first had a wide range of arenas to play it, but was nothing but an arcade game. As far as I remember you were just there to rack up points. The second game is similar in this regard except that there is a little more structure to it to begin with.
When you first begin you are put into a tutorial section and taught how to play the game. This was already a step up from the first game as there wasn’t much of a tutorial in The Polynomial.
After being taught the controls/basics of the gameplay you then go into a level by level structure. Each level has different enemies or objectives. At points I wandered if what I was playing was some kind of campaign, and at some point I would reach an end. To an extent you do, but not really. You essentially complete a load of levels and then are automatically dropped into an arcade mode of the game where the aim is just to survive as long as possible.
In a way I quite liked that there was more structure to this game, although I couldn’t find any option to play the arcade mode in a vast variety of arenas like you could in the first one. When I searched for it, I actually couldn’t find anywhere near the level of personalization that gave the first game its appeal. I would be open to be corrected if I am wrong, but as far as I could find there is no big catalogue of arenas (The Polynomial had around 40), no animator types to choose from, or option to play around with the sound visualizer.
This was a bit disappointing, but in the first game this personalization was the redeeming feature. Polynomial 2 definitely steps up the game in others ways.
The shooter element to this game is a lot better. I found this game a lot easier to control and get used to, there are a lot more enemy types and it’s much clearer what is going on/what you are supposed to be doing.
The second game is a lot more polished and when it comes to music driven games, the more recently released games are trying to provide some sort of alternative to using local music files. Some tried to integrate YouTube/Spotify and got licensing issues, but a few others, Polynomial 2 included, have instead opted for the option of having the game react to music that is already playing on your device.
When in the music selection screen, if you pause or clear the default playlist, the game will instead use external audio. Tab out of the game, get a YouTube playlist going and you are away.
I think this is a great alternative to needing MP3 files on your computer and it works perfectly fine.
The music integration was a big part for me with these games, and another big part was the visuals. Amid gameplay in 2 I didn’t find the visuals as aesthetic as I remember finding them in the first game. I think the majority of the aesthetic in this game is now within the screensaver options. Acting as levels of their own that you can still move around in, the screensavers give you different levels to admire. There isn’t too many of them, but they can be quite nice to look at and would make decent visualizer screensavers for when you want chill and have some music playing in the background.
This game can apparently be played in VR, which may be more immersive and impressive, but that is not something I will be able to comment on as I don’t have VR at the moment.
The achievements in this game are also fairly easy. I have played it for around 3 hours at the moment and have already gotten 85% of the achievements. There is only one achievement on this that seems like it would be a challenge to get.
I personally find these games a bit meh, as mentioned before I didn’t put much time into the first one and I doubt I will put much more time into this one to be honest. If I play this game it will be for a funky screensaver whilst I listen to music more so than to play a game.
For me the pacing didn’t suit me, a slow paced shooter feels a bit out of place for me, and there were points as I was playing it which felt a tad boring. I contemplated just closing the game a few times as I kept thinking “can I be bothered”?
Nonetheless, I could see how other people may find this fun, as perhaps I am just a bit impatient.
Overall, right now Polynomial 2 is alright. I would say it [b]is[/b] better than its predecessor, but the lack of personalization in this game makes it so that it maybe isn’t as good as it could’ve been. It isn’t as much of a definitively better game than the first one was as both have their merits, but they are both still quite unique games to have in the collection.
With all this said, this game is still in early access, so still has the potential to change. I will likely revisit this game after it is fully released to re-write my review.
For now, If you are a fan of the music driven genre I would say it's worth a go, and if you want something pretty laid back then I think it is a decent candidate. If you want something a bit racier or enjoyed the personalization of the first one you may be a bit disappointed.
[quote][b]Controller support:[/b] Included
[b]Local music files:[/b] Included
[b]Online streaming:[/b] Included - as external audio capture[/quote]
[quote] For anyone interested, here is my review for [url= https://steamcommunity.com/id/Stefneh/recommended/67000] The Polynomial [/url][/quote]
[quote]For more reviews of this genre, check out my curator page [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/29402802-The-Best-Music-Driven-Games-%25E2%2599%25AB/] The Best: Music Driven Games ♫[/url]
Where we review games able to be driven by your own music. [/quote]
