Costume Quest 2

About Costume Quest 2

Costume Quest 2 is a role-playing game by Double Fine Productions, published by Midnight City with Majesco Entertainment. It came out on 7 October 2014 for Windows, Mac and Linux, and at the end of that month on PS4 and Xbox One; it was also released on PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii U. It follows Double Fine's Costume Quest, picking up where that game's expansion, Grubbins on Ice, ended, and it is still sold on Steam, GOG, the PlayStation Store and the Xbox store.

You play one of the twin siblings Wren and Reynold, the only ones who can save Halloween forever. Their dentist, Dr. Orel White, wants it banished, and his dental soldiers and hygiene-obsessed baddies stand in the way. The chase runs through time: back to before the children's hometown was founded, and forward to a dental dystopia where Halloween is outlawed, with toothbrush propaganda on the walls.

You explore, take on quests, go trick-or-treating, find new costumes and collect Creepy Treat Cards. In turn-based battles each child fights as a gigantic version of the costume they wear, so a cardboard wizard hat becomes a towering wizard with a staff. The sequel adds counters and double attacks to the first game's combat.

Critics were split. IGN found the combat and story good for a game of roughly half a dozen hours, with iffy navigation and a weak healing system. Eurogamer took about six hours with almost every side quest and found it shallow and repetitive under its charm, while GamesRadar+ called it colourful and sweet but best taken in moderation.

There is nothing in it meant to frighten. Its spookiness is the Halloween night, the masks and the monsters, all drawn in a bright cartoon style, and its humour is gentle. ESRB rates it E10+ for fantasy violence and PEGI 7 for fear and violence. It suits families and anyone who wants a seasonal role-playing game for October rather than a horror game.

How to play Costume Quest 2

1. Buy it on Steam (Windows, Mac, Linux), GOG (Windows, Linux), the PlayStation Store for PS4 or the Xbox store.
2. Choose to play as Wren or Reynold at the start; the other twin joins your party.
3. Explore each area with your costumed party, take on quests and go trick-or-treating for candy.
4. Find new costumes and change them to change your fighters' powers in battle.
5. In turn-based battles your children fight as giant versions of their costumes; use counters and double attacks.
6. Collect and equip Creepy Treat Cards for extra powers.

Tips

• Try different costumes in your party; each one changes how that child fights.
• Look for Creepy Treat Cards as you explore and equip them before hard fights.
• IGN found navigation the weak point, so check your map when you lose your way.
• Reviewers found the fights repetitive over a long sitting; it plays well an hour or two at a time through October.

Questions