Ever since I was a kid, I've always loved sandbox games that allowed you to manage large areas or populations. Whether it was Theme Hospital or SimCity 2000, a lot of time was spent playing those games. As someone who loves going to museums, big or small, I knew immediately that I had to play this game, and I'm so glad I did. Truly, you can't go wrong with any of the Two Point games, but Two Point Museum excels in areas that other sandbox titles do not. Between their first game and this new title, they have learned what makes a perfectly challenging, comedic, and relaxing experience all in one.
It's always a little bit daunting jumping into a new sandbox game, regardless of whether you've played the previous iterations in the franchise. There's a lot of information to take on board, as well as trying to remember all the different controls and mechanics that you will need to manage throughout. However, compared to previous Two Point games, Two Point Museum definitely feels the most user-friendly, and I didn't find it nearly as anxiety-inducing to actually get stuck in and start playing. The tutorials were thorough and helped explain every mechanic you'd need to manage, with the campaign taking you through everything you needed to know at a reasonable pace without things getting too chaotic from the outset.
While other sandbox games have tutorials and help you work around the basics, the campaign is a thorough tutorial experience that is relatively stress-free. It helps you learn the controls and basics of the game but also provides information on some of the metrics you'll need to keep an eye on. Compared to Two Point Hospital and Two Point Campus, this new game feels incredibly accessible to those who are new to the sandbox or simulation genre and helps ease the player in gently rather than being plunged into the deep end. On top of that, even when you get into the deep end of the game, at no point did I feel like I was drowning or wouldn't be able to get myself out of trouble. Compared to games like Planet Zoo and Planet Coaster, which can be devastatingly punishing, Two Point holds your hand just enough to ensure you don't sink completely under.
I initially started my Two Point Museum experience on PC but found that I also enjoyed playing it on the Steam Deck after initially being daunted by the idea of using a controller for this style of game. However, the controller inputs are smoother and feel easier to work with compared to a mouse and keyboard.
After playing Two Point Hospital, I didn't know how it would be possible to make the franchise even better. Still, Two Point Museum takes my love for museums and doubles it by adding the ability to create an aquarium with funky-looking fish and go on expeditions. To obtain artifacts, you have to send your Experts on expeditions, where they may get injured along the way. It makes every discovery exciting, as you never know whether you'll get a duplicate or something completely new from the map. However, duplicates don't go to waste, as you can deconstruct them to learn more about the exhibit, making it higher quality and adding perks.
Of course, like any Two Point game, you have funny announcements over the intercom, which also helps to bring your attention to when the chopper returns to the helipad. It also notifies you of things that may slip past your attention, such as exhibits needing to be restored or staff members wanting a raise. From seeing Tails and Sonic walking around your museum as staff members to the dry humor that comes through over the intercom, it's a perfectly packaged game. It's incredibly well-polished, and much love and passion went into making this experience.
The expeditions system is a lot of fun to try and complete, especially when it comes to needing certain perks to ensure that you can even go on the expedition. It starts off relatively safe, with minimal risk, but ramps up soon enough, and you have to really put thought into who you want to send out. If they get injured, there is a very high risk that they will ask for a significant raise, or they will just up and leave. This can be a little bit stressful, especially since at this point, the Expert will be decently leveled up. Luckily, it feels that although it can have consequences, they are fixable consequences, and it doesn't feel like a damning punishment if you make a mistake.
The only issue I had with Two Point Museum was the explanation given for placing staff-only doors and other types of doors on partition walls. Partition walls are in the build section and are small ropes or glass half walls to keep members of the public out of areas. It's explained that you can put a door on these for whatever function you need it for. However, the doors aren't actually compatible with the partition walls, and the game actually means that you need to use the Museum Wall to add doors.
I loved the colors and styling of Two Point Museum, as it had a degree of vibrancy that the previous games didn't quite have. While the museums are tones of brown and beige, adding in pops of color through info boards and decorations helps to make the museum shine.
Although I now have multiple museums on the go, I feel like I've barely scratched the surface of what this game has to offer, and I can't wait to see what other weird and wacky exhibits I unearth on my expeditions.
I have yet to play Two Point Museum's sandbox mode, but considering how user-friendly the rest of the game has been, I expect that, if the campaign is any indication, it will be a good experience with building difficulty.
Overall, my experience with Two Point Museum has been a dream. It is exactly everything I wanted from a brand-new Two Point game. I can't wait to see what comes next for this game and the franchise in general.
Game reviewed on PC. Key received from the publisher.
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