Curious Expedition 2 Review

Curious Expedition 2 is a narrative that uses turn-based storytelling and is set in the 19th Century. It focuses on exploration and discovery. It is set at the Paris World Fair in 1889. Explore clubs fund treks and travels on'strange island' to discover the area, meet residents and steal the treasure and jewels that the island has.

This actually happened. It is a great example of a world fair that was successful and popular. I will not be able to remember the exact date.

Paris is where players arrive, and they can explore the entire map. As you have not yet set off on an exhibition, you will need to choose your main traveller and the person who will accompany them. It's now time to visit the bank. The bank metaphor is actually a collection of societies that will fund your lucrative trip around the islands. Depending on which society you choose to support, you will be assigned different missions. While they will rob you off all your fruits after a mission, as long as you continue to complete missions for them, you will rise in the society's ranks and earn perks that will assist you in your future explorations.

Select Your Explorer

Although character choice may not seem like a major issue at first, you quickly discover that your strengths, which you thought would give you an advantage, can make you lose in certain missions. Each character is given a certain number of dice and each has a specific amount of abilities. You will be able to heal and shield your team if you choose a healer. Your dice will include spears and shots. Each character has its pros and cons. Some characters may be able rest in specific places while others might be able add more space to your backpack. Make wise choices.

Welcome to the Jungle

Do you remember the Where's Wally books from years ago? Curious Expedition 2's graphics and outlook almost remind me of 20th-century Where's Wally prints. You can choose your resources once you are on your journey. Of course, you have no idea what you're going to run into, so make a wild guess and just hope it works out. The best thing I did was to pick one of every option that was available to me. That way, no matter what happened, I still had a hope for a bright future.

It seems so simple, right? Pick a mission and explore an island.

But they are wrong. This island-turned-roguelike adventure forces you to think about every move you make. The perspective shifts once you reach your destination and set sail. The game can be viewed from the top, showing biomes and crevices. You can think of Settlers in Catan with its many colours, objects, and various aspects.

It's impossible to see the entire island at once. You are given 100 Sanity for your team, and sometimes more if you choose the right crew. Each move you make on an island will result in a loss of a Sanity count. The terrain, your crew's health and the conditions you might be traversing will all affect the amount of Sanity. Sometimes the best moves are the ones that are shorter than those that go zig-zag across the Island.

Here strategy is key. You must plan your route carefully. You will lose all your Sanity if you are forced into a fight or when a crew member leaves. While you have your main mission it is also fun to explore the island and see what else awaits.

Interactable features will emerge as the mist settles, and you begin to see your surroundings. You might find yourself in an abandoned shipwreck or bartering with solo trekkers, or even encountering enemy combat.

The Lion's Den

Do you remember what I said about dice rolling earlier? Gather your favorite D&D friend and get ready to roll dice rolls. It's a toss of the dice. This game can be either endorphin-driven or painfully depressing. To see which team's selection you may get from their pockets, you must throw your dice. Each character can only have so many dice. Now it's your turn. You could find yourself with a character that has 3 coloured dice and 3 blank ones. This will make it impossible for you to win the battle. However, you don't have to give up. You can still join dice, re-roll blanks once, use items or cross your fingers to buff your die, and then flee your life.

It is very much a "cross your fingers and live" situation. Sometimes I won despite it looking easy, but lost other times. Other times I was able to accomplish what seemed impossible. I realized that the RNG was working against me more as I increased the difficulty of my expeditions. It felt more like tactics than tactics. I could do whatever or press any button and hope for best.

It's a credit to the game but it didn't stop me from trying, despite the fact that I had very few resources at the time.

Crew members can be affected by attacks and may develop chronic illnesses that continue to plague them as they travel around the island. A crewmate may become seriously ill if a dangerous animal has poisoned him. If you are going to be a gun-toting maniac, make sure to consider your resources.

The Places You'll Visit...

You need to rest to keep your sanity high and to explore more. It can also make a huge difference in your game. Although I thought I was smart, I didn't rest as long as I should. I wanted the sandman visit. Instead, a traitor from my group popped up to tell me that my nemesis had paid them to join them. I could either roll to save them or let them go, leaving my party in chaos.

Rude

Each island has its own objectives, with its own terrain and obstacles. This gives the game an extra dimension. Although each island looks the same from the start, you will notice how the terrain changes and the interplay with the difficulty.

You will be an explorer and you will have to navigate through fog, lava, muddy goop, streams, and other hazards. You may have to pay effect costs for some of these.

There will be island tribes and animals you can stalk. Here things can get a little confusing. I could see some arguments that there are stereotypes about 'tribes' and 'native people' or people who live in isolated communities on islands. I'm not nearly educated enough on this topic to be able to make an argument. However, the game attempts to alleviate some of these stereotypes by creating animal tribes. If you are a fainthearted person, this one might be worth your attention.

This game's RPG is fun and your procedural storytelling makes it unique. It is hard to praise a game that you can replay over and over again and have different outcomes.

Standing on an island is a way to build your reputation. This can impact how you treat others and the choices you make. There are many things to consider, even your own party loyalty can change.

Paris, je t'aime.

After you've completed your expedition, it's time to explore Paris again! You can also upgrade weapons, alter characters or difficulty levels and train your team to improve their stats. Although the societies that will fund you may not be well-explained, you'll soon get to know each one. Despite hours upon hours of gameplay, I still don't see the pros and cons to picking one over another. After you have completed all of your training and upgraded, you are done. It's time for you to raise the anchor again.

You will love what you did! It's possible to do it again and again. This is not for you if you don't like rolling to your death or the sound of strategically moving about. This is definitely a risk-reward equation.

This made me want to just quickly find the information I needed and return home. It felt like the Islands were the same except for a few tweaks and a coat of paint. However, I enjoyed the events and the journey.

This game is rich in depth, so you don't need to be a goody-two-shoes missionary to find the pyramids. You can actually cause chaos and watch your destruction unfold. You can choose to go into dark tombs at certain locations and events. What is in a dark tomb? It's treasure, I hear! Yes! And what usually happens when we take that treasure?

It's been in almost every movie and many games.

Yes - CHAOOOSSS.

You should run if you steal the mystical gems or the beads of loveliness.

Curiouser... and more Curious!

The game was flawless in terms of quality. Although there is no voiceover, the dialogue allows for interesting interactions between characters. It is clear that there isn't any distracting music.

Although the difficulty curve is fairly fair, you must also consider the random generator which can either be on your side or against. It will reward you if you stick with it. You can choose how severe your consequences will be, and you have the ability to change them at any time. You can choose to travel on one-skull expeditions if you don't want to be bothered by the consequences. You can also try your hand at dangerous fights and setting up your entire team after your death.

This game reminds me more of an interactive digital boardgame. That is fine. Curious Expedition 2 was a great game. I loved the waxes and wanes. Sometimes I didn't care what happened to me because I was up against it. Other times, I was fighting for my survival knowing that this elephant would crush my team and I wanted to save them all.

Each expedition takes around 30-45 minutes. There are many islands to explore. DLC is being added.