Escape Goat 2

To those puzzle platformer enthusiasts out there who haven't played the excellent first game: do yourself a favour, go play it first, and only after that return for the generous helping of Escape Goat 2. The sequel is every bit as good, as fun and as clever as the first game was, but it hits different, expanding the original's arsenal of tricks a great deal. There are more Mouse abilities now that demand creative use, and more interactive blocks. There's also quite a deadly new enemy (that seemingly escaped from the classic Snake game) introduced in the final part. IMO the innovations did a good job of keeping the game fresh and varied till the end. However, the level progression is designed to be a bit more linear this time around (probably to help streamline the difficulty curve). That's not a big deal, but it might feel a little more restrictive compared to the first game. There is one part of Escape Goat 2 that I found to be, so to speak, less than stellar. It does not affect the main game, but completionists should probably take note. The thing is, EG2 features a series of optional extra-hard levels. Even finding (let alone completing) them without a guide requires you to sp…

[b]The Goat you remember, now with cathedral beams and synthwave dreams[/b] Replacing the crunchy pixels of the first with soulful cartoon art and fancy lighting, we have a game that is [i]very[/i] much like the first -- and just as much worth a play. All that's missing is the shock of newness, not to say there aren't three or four fresh tricks hidden beneath the Escape Goat's purple coat. As before, the game is a mystic collection of [b]better mouse traps[/b], and the thing you do is start bashing, breaking, and getting [i]snapped[/i] by them until you've figured them out: a puzzle style I much appreciate for its headlong action focus. I was almost determined to hundred-percent this one -- I even beat every major optional section -- but I just found it too much of a slog to poke every crevice for the [i]invisible keys[/i] that unlock the hidden rooms. They're shockingly hard to find! (That would have been a great project for the endless summer, way back when.) Even so, I think that's a better way to slip in a li'l extra than the nearly impossible [b]masocore torture[/b] of the first game's All Intensive Purposes pack. The fine new detail on the tail-wagging Goat and dan…

Difficulty curves are a normal part of gaming. Difficulty SPIKES are poor game design typically and can ruin games, like this one.

I had to get a new controller for my PC because I broke the jump button in one of the secret rooms. I love you too, Escape Goat 2.

Shadowed paths unfold Friends reshape impossible routes Freedom waits ahead

Very good