Windows

Puzzle Agent 2

Puzzle Agent 2 delivers everything fans of the original were looking for – more puzzles, more Scoggins strangeness, and some proper answers to a mystery that was only half solved in the first game. If you’ve already played and enjoyed Puzzle Agent, this one is an easy buy. If you haven’t… well, Puzzle Agent is pure gold for fans of quirky stories and head-scratching logic puzzles, so pick up the original first, and then dive into Puzzle Agent 2 the moment that game ends.

Overall, Puzzle Agent 2 delivers the same elements of the original Puzzle Agent, but in a more generous and pleasing portion. There are more puzzles, more twists and turns, as well as more mysteries and a grand conspiracy that will surprise you. For puzzle fans who want a taste of a different adventure, Puzzle Agent 2 offers all that and so much more.

Puzzle Agent 2 is really good fun. It’s a play during coffee breaks and get that much further kind of game. Myself, I’m usually terrible at puzzle games, I play so far into the game, and then, despite the elements that keep me interested, I get bored with the puzzles. But Puzzle Agent 2 had me hooked. Maybe it was the quirky graphics and feel to the artwork. Perhaps it was the strangely odd story, one of a town and its inhabitants who defy logic and instead go for the jugular of weirdness? Whatever it was, I liked it, and there was just enough material to hint at a possible third instalment. I certainly hope so. Well done Telltale, Puzzle Agent 2 is the drinking man’s Professor Layton.

Each puzzle has up to three clues. You could argue that this makes the game too easy (because there is so much gum around you’re never really in danger of running out of disgusting blobs of aqua-colored ABC gum). However, this is a casual game, so, you know, whatever. If you want the game to be more challenging, ignore the gum and the clues. One more thing: The game has an absolutely lovely piano score. Like the rest of the game, it’s minimalist, but it’s also haunting, eerie and intriguing. It made firing up the game even more of a pleasure. If you’re worried because you didn’t play the first game and therefore won’t know what’s going on, be of good cheer: The first game downloads with the sequel as a bonus. They’re both just a couple of hours long each, so you might as well treat them as one medium-long game.

This title certainly won’t keep you busy for days on end, and the puzzles included within won’t astound you or seem particularly ingenious. It is the setting and the world created that will keep you entertained though, making you want to carry on playing, in order to solve the mystery of Scoggins and find out just what on earth the “Hidden People” are up to. The story goes off the rails a little as it wraps up, but it is intriguing enough to propel the game forward at quite a good pace. You are unlikely to put the game down for long, due to the call of the weird, but unfortunately it’ll all be over far too soon. A Puzzle Agent double pack, combining both games would be a good idea, but at such a low price, gamers can hardly scoff at this charming and creepy little adventure. Warm up your little grey cells and put on your investigating hat, the case is afoot.

Moins surprenant que le premier volume, Puzzle Agent 2 aurait pu être un véritable hit si seulement son scénario ne laissait pas un sentiment d'inachevé une fois l'aventure terminée. La fin arrive abruptement et laisse trop de mystères en suspens pour satisfaire pleinement, en dépit de puzzles plus variés et d'un design toujours aussi aguicheur.

Even though the ending disappointed me, Puzzle Agent 2 is still a fab puzzle game. If you have played the first game, then this sequel is an excellent recommendation, but due to the strong amount of similarity between the two games and their puzzles, I would give it a short pause between playing the two of them.

Again, the lack of polish in the puzzles isn’t enough to derail this game, as the story is entertaining enough to support the game. Unlike last time, the game ends in a pretty satisfying manner, with less of a cliffhanger and more an allusion to what the next game might have in store for us. If this entry is a taste of what’s to come in the Puzzle Agent world, I’m excited to see what’s in store later on in the series. As long as we get some better puzzles.

If you enjoyed Nelson Tethers' first visit to scenic Scoggins, Minnesota, chances are good that you will like this one as well. Puzzle Agent 2 isn't an adventurous sequel, but it colors in the numbers pretty well. Still, the plot and puzzles are awfully similar to those in its predecessor. Though it's nice to get a bit of closure on the weirdness of Scoggins, the overwhelming familiarity is disappointing.

Puzzle Agent 2 verbetert niet maar recycleert, zelfs in die mate dat zijn ecologische voetafdruk niet groter is dan die van een smurf. De personages zijn grotendeels dezelfde oppervlakkige malloten, de puzzels zijn een variatie op die van het origineel en het verhaal is zo mogelijk nog warriger en is gewoon bizar om bizar te zijn, waardoor je curiositeit al snel omslaat in onverschilligheid.

I really wanted to like Puzzle Agent 2. It’s a nice change from the average adventure game, with a goofy lead character, quirky NPCs and a cool visual style. But all of that has to be supported by a good story and engaging gameplay, and that’s where the game fails; unless you’re a puzzle fanatic, boredom sets in very quickly.

It’s a shame that the great atmosphere is let down by the tone of the story, which ultimately just comes across as entirely unbelievable over the course of the game's few hours of play time. Given the promising trial run of its predecessor, Puzzle Agent 2 had every opportunity to build on those accomplishments and enhance the areas needing improvement, but somehow the recipe for success was lost, or ignored, and what’s left leaves a sour taste of disappointment. Releasing for a budget price doesn’t excuse mediocre puzzle design, heavy repetition and a story with so little coherence. The artwork is unique and the tension sometimes palpable, but that isn’t nearly enough a second time around. It’s hard to understand how Telltale got the formula so wrong this time… maybe it was the gnomes.