Posted on: May 9, 2025
Regdillion
Verified ownerGames: 107 Reviews: 14
Impossible repeat success
The first game finished so perfectly that I didn't know how they could make a second one... but they did, and it's so good! It could just as easily be another perfect ending to the story, or the middle chapter of a trilogy. The best meals don't leave you wanting more - they leave you satisfied, like this. It's refreshing to see something that grapples with humanity's flaws and capabilities together, rather than uncritically embracing any one perspective (like nihilsm or technological manifest destiny). It was clever for a game focused on philosophy to use the same ancient tradition of explaining ideas via dialogues between characters of opposing viewpoints - not just in the optional "random documents and audio logs" (which are great!), but also in the conversations the NPCs have naturally as you progress through the game, and in the occasional prompts for you to pick a side. The developers understood that philosophy in print is a shadow of its true self, and that the vitality of the subject comes from its true form: debate. Plato, Socrates, et al. would be proud. I like all the new puzzle mechanics, and the way they combine leads to enjoyable new complexity. Some of the more frustrating elements from the first game were cut here, and the star puzzles are all reasonably self-contained now (rather than requiring external knowledge). There's a good mix of difficulties in the puzzles too, so the game ended up well-paced on the mechanical side as well as the story side. The graphics were impressive (especially the colors). I felt multisensory homages to the Myst series in places, in a way that enhanced the experience rather than making it feel derivative. In art (as in philosophy, and all interesting things humans do), we build on those who came before. This game shows that both societies and individuals are complicated. It shows that history is not inevitable - it is made by people's choices. It challenges all parts of the mind, and has fun doing it. You will too.
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