DeVuego

Everhood 2 upgrades every element of the first game and even streamlines the experience to create a more well crafted, captivating, and pulse-pounding adventure. The enjoyment of the battle system is underscored by its simplicity and the way each encounter feels fresh, with the major boss fights crafting some truly legendary moments. There’s a bit of repetition built into seeing every single thing under the hood, but repetition is no real issue when it’s so darn groovy. While I may have completely forgotten that this sequel was announced in 2023, I’ll make no such mistake if developer Foreign Gnomes deigns to go for a three-peat. It’s undoubtedly a beautiful day in this neighborhood.

I got the chance to relive an experience that I enjoyed several years ago and go under some new tools and a fresh coat of paint. Foreign Gnomes made some amazing additions to their game for map/fight builder, speed runners and casual players. Yet, with all this, I feel like they did drop the ball on only one thing, being the manual input codes. I would understand that not having the codes being easy to revisit due to the story. But, at least they give us a key to the arena for easy access. So, play it on PC or on Steam Deck if you have one, because boy oh boy will eyes be on you if they can see what you’re playing. Though, don’t break out the fight stick unless it’s necessary! I give Everhood 2 the Thumb Culture Platinum Award

Everhood 2 is one of the most pleasantly surprising games I've ever reviewed. With sensational combat, bizarre vibes and banging tunes, you'd be a fool to skip past this out of this world RPG.

Everhood 2 is a delightfully strange RPG, one that combines bullet hell mechanics with a rhythm game twist to create gameplay that is as unique as its storytelling. The difficulty can feel a bit hard, and the songs a bit short, but you’re sure to find an unforgettable experience in this unique title.

The quirky sequel we didn't know we needed

Foreign Gnomes encapsula otra aventura de psicodelia, humor y nihilismo haciendo que la historia sirva al mundo y al propósito del juego, en lugar de ser al contrario. Jamás una fusión de RPG y juego rítmico te llegará tanto al alma, o lo que sea que tengamos en lo más hondo de nuestra psique.

If you want to get away from the Final Fantasy and Pokémon standard, Everhood 2 is a good experience, very out of the box, with interesting mechanics and very smooth to play. I would definitely give it a chance.

Es raro encontrarse con un juego que no eres capaz de predecir. Una de esas experiencias capaz de llevarte por caminos sorprendentes y memorables. El Everhood original es, para mí, uno de esos juegos. Lo he jugado recientemente y lo he disfrutado muchísimo, así que he tomado su secuela con muchas ganas y, sobretodo, curiosidad.

Everhood 2 è un gioco ineffabile. Come in quella parabola dove i ciechi provano a descrivere un elefante toccandone solo una parte e non riuscendo a vedere l’insieme è difficile dire cosa sia, limitati come siamo a percepire le cose per quello che proviamo in relazione alla loro esistenza. Potrei dirti che il combat è figo, che il gioco suona da paura e un sacco di altre cose. Invece ti dico che è il caso di provarlo, anche perchè su Steam c’è già la demo.

Everhood 2 es un más que digno sucesor. Es cierto que vienes ya un poco con la cabeza pensando en que vas a volver a vivir momentos alocados y más que divertidos (y quizás por ello ya estamos predispuestos a lo que sucede), aunque esta nueva entrega mejora en todo a la anterior.

For players new to the series, Everhood 2 offers a truly trippy experience. But for those who have played the first game, while Everhood 2 is still great, don’t expect to be blown away by its uniqueness this time around.

All-in-all, I had a maddeningly fun time with Everhood 2. For however tedious fights with mobs became, the sheer imagination of the visuals and audacity of the ending made it one of the most impactful, if haunting, indie titles I’ve had the pleasure with.

[E]xpect the wild and wacky with this nod to Earthbound and Guitar Hero, mashed up for one surreal 2D-and-3D mesh indie experience you won't forget anytime soon. Just don't expect a straight answer out of it.

If you’re wondering if Everhood 2 is for you, there is a demo that gives you a bit of an idea of what to expect. If after playing you’re still unsure, I don’t know if there’s something I can say to give you an accurate idea. Everhood 2 is at times wacky, poignant, frustrating, confusing, high-brow, low-brow, and everything in between. It truly is unlike any game I’ve ever played, and it’s a game that will stick with me forever. But whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing, I don’t really know. I keep wondering that if I were more learned, or perhaps more studied in the topics this game is attempting to engage me with, I’d have more thoroughly enjoyed it, but that isn’t the case. 

Everhood 2 is a great follow up from the 2021 original game. The philosophical conversations, paired with quirky humor offers an interesting blend that wonderfully supports each other through the story. Combine this with an incredible combat system and score and you get an absolute banger that I’m still thinking about long after finishing the game. 

Everhood 2 is a phenomenal journey shrouded in mystique and intrigue. It may not make a lick of sense up until the very last moment, but it remains enjoyable throughout regardless. The foundation that the game is ultimately built on, the soundtrack, is unsurprisingly mind-blowing and while the lean into more mainstream RPG elements didn’t do it for me, I can see a swath of the community having a blast with it. If you’re a sicko that enjoyed the first game, I think you’ll have at least a good time with this one.

My minor quibbles aside, Everhood 2 is still a wonderful indie adventure that I’d recommend to pretty much anyone. It’s a unique and often hilarious adventure that will make you think, in a retro visual style that’s detailed and full of color. While I feel the story was better told the first time around, this is still a must-have game for gamers on PC or Switch.

With high-energy beats and an outlandish visual style, Everhood 2 is an unconventional title that strays far from the beaten path. Despite falling for some RPG trappings leading to padded content, this release still finds a way to surprise and delight with moments of hallucinogenic thrill and perplexing characters that’ll leave you absorbed in the insanity.

Everhood 2 biedt een origineel en ritmisch gevechtssysteem dat afwijkt van traditionele RPG-gevechten. De bizarre humor, kleurrijke werelden en ijzersterke soundtrack maken het een unieke ervaring. Helaas zorgen herhalende vijanden en overbodige RPG-elementen ervoor dat de game niet zijn volledige potentieel benut. Toch is het een aanrader voor spelers die houden van RPG's met een twist.

Even if I can't fully piece together what kind of an experience Everhood 2 wants to be, it's a rhythmic odyssey of bizarre proportions.

Everhood 2 is an indie game that aims to convey the idea that everything has value by giving simple characters deep meaning. While the adventure can be exhausting at times, it strikes a delightful balance between rhythm and action from start to finish.

Everhood 2 is an RPG broken down to its core elements-visually and procedurally-then remixed as a rhythm-based action game. It baffles at the start, continues to challenge and surprise, and ends before you've had the chance to really figure out what was going on. It'll captivate players who are willing to let it.

I have to commend the development team at Foreign Gnomes for coming up with a sequel to such a unique game like Everhood, without making it feel like more of the same. In some regards, sure, Everhood 2 retains what made the original so fun and weird, whilst trying to be a bit more action-focused and a bit more combat-oriented.

Everhood 2 is a unique and addicting experience, combining rhythm, exploration and an incredibly bizarre universe. With an electrifying soundtrack, psychedelic visuals and intense battles, the game hooks the player from beginning to end. Despite the absence of Portuguese, the experience is accessible and recommended for anyone willing to embark in an uncommon and unforgettable journey.

Overall, though its slip-ups are easy to notice, we still have an interesting adventure worth checking out for fans of RPG who aren't afraid of diving into a musical world that's as eccentric as it's provocative.

Everhood 2 succeeds in developing the original concept of the first part without losing the unique elements. Where the first part had some shortcomings, such as long loading times, the sequel polishes away these drawbacks. The story is an even grander adventure and there is more focus on the 100 different music tracks and fights. The level system and weapons may not add much, the result is still a cool and unique indie experience. Everhood 2 is an adventure that you do not want to miss. It may not have the WTF moments of the first part, but it knows how to walk its own path and create an experience that is once again both musically and visually unique.

Everhood 2 delivers a visually and emotionally impactful experience, with dynamic core gameplay that shines...though its narrative and some ambitious new mechanics don't always hit the mark.

Taking the formula of the original and essentially doubling down on it, it’s a creative rhythm RPG, but an acquired taste to be sure

Everhood 2 refines its music-based combat and surreal adventure, delivering a rhythm-action RPG packed with creative battles, an expansive soundtrack, and unpredictable storytelling. While it lacks deep character development, its unique gameplay and vibrant presentation make it a standout indie experience.

Overall, I'm torn about Everhood 2. Its rhythm-based battles are unlike any RPG I've played before. Its soundtrack is incredible. Walking through emptiness and seeing delayed payoffs from the worldbuilding side, though, makes the game feel less fun than it should be. I enjoyed Everhood 2, but I wish that I spent more time in the rhythm battles than exploring.

While we wait for the final episodes of Deltarune to come out hopefully sometime before the end of this century, Everhood 2 acts as a fitting substitute for those looking for a subversive and strange RPG that defies conventions. Its distinct mixture of comedic storytelling, unique aesthetics, and rhythm-based combat gameplay all make this one easy to recommend, even if it can feel a little shallow in places. We’d suggest you add Everhood 2 to your library at some point; the experience is certainly well worth it, although it’s best approached with an open mind.

Everhood 2 is a game that's all over the place, with different stories, changing art styles, a unique combat system and a main plot that somehow makes more sense as it's getting weirder. While the central hook may be the combat system it shares equal time with everything surrounding it, even if the music-based combat and the weirdness of the story and settings feel like two separate games most of the time. It's also a game that demands patience, seeing as its plot can feel like a series of non-sequiturs until various story strands start connecting, but while it never makes perfect sense it's still fun to see which bits of the weirdness pay off and which bits of pretentiousness eventually have the wind taken out of their sails. The post-death world takes a bit of getting used to, but it's got an underlying almost-logic holding things together, and when that's not enough then dancing through the combat will see a wandering soul eventually find its way home.

Everhood 2 is all over the place with changing art styles, a unique combat system and a plot that somehow makes more sense as it's getting weirder.

Maybe it’s intended as a joke that you only get the trophy for “completing the tutorial” once you’re 80% done with the game—there seem to be multiple “ending” scenes—or maybe that’s a tacit acknowledgement of the game’s refrain: “It Never Ends in Everhood.” Perhaps the base game is just the tutorial and the real game is what awaits players after they return to the main hub and are reminded of the weekly battle arena challenges and the levels that can be accessed inside the Hillbert Hotel created by other players. So for those predisposed to wanting to see everything all at once, maybe that will be transcendent enough.

Compared to its predecessor, with a well-defined motif, Everhood 2 will give you whiplash from how often the story changes directions. That indecisiveness is ultimately its downfall, leaving you scratching your head and wondering, “Is that really how it ends?”

Everhood 2 is an indie game that I can see a very niche group of people enjoying heavily. The music for the most part was really good, and I enjoyed the battling for what it was. Walking around these worlds being completely lost was not enjoyable to me. I would be interested to see how many ways this game branches off for players to have unique runs. I don’t think I have it in me to try another run through a campaign, but if it’s heavily tailored towards giving everyone a unique experience, that is definitely commendable.

Between the fun gameplay and unique narrative, there's a lot to love in Everhood 2, but the apparent input delay and nauseating visuals leave me feeling mixed overall. It never feels like Everhood 2 does enough to distance itself from either its predecessor or similar games, but maybe that's exactly what some players will look for.