The vibes are immaculate, I have to give it that. The narrative and aesthetic are pretty enjoyable despite the rushed ending. But the main problem I have with this is just the meander feeling that this game has. While I love how expressive the character's dialogue can be, it tends to mask a lot of hints or just takes its place entirely, making me just be completely lost super easily and a lot of puzzles involving a lot of running around get confusing really quick because of this. A lot of the puzzles make sense on paper, which is rare for an adventure game like this, but the way it's executed just kinda leaves a lot of matches really hazy. This game needed a bit more for me, but I'm sure it's clear by now that I'm a dumbass and most people have a lot more fun with this game, so definitely take it on if you're up for it, you'll at least enjoy the visuals and the fun story, guaranteed.

It's clear that we've moved on from this. Meta-narratives that make the game "sentient" and talk directly to the player have been a trope of the indie dev scene for a short period of time, under a decade. It was run into the ground mostly because of how popular and ever-present the youtube let's play scene was, and this kind of story was perfect for reaction content with a demographic of teenagers and young adults. None were like Stanley Parable though, for better or for worse.

So when a sequel for a game that criticized the monotony of desk jobs and the false sense of choice we have in our lives was announced, people were pretty skeptical. I mean I wasn't, I had faith, but this could easily be not good. We've moved on, new content doesn't seem as new or exciting as a concept because of this culture we left behind. But oh did they know. They knew exactly what we were doing.

The idea of sequels has been severely tainted by American entertainment. They are cash-grabs, sell-outs, rehashes, and they only serve the purpose to milk as much money out of a successful franchise as possible. The cynical fuckers over at Crows Crows Crows introduce you to "new content" with a door that says "new content", until later when it says "new, new content" with a flashy neon sign. Through constant convoluted mechanics that don't do anything, and long one-sided conversations with the narrator, you get more of the different same. The pressure of pleasing everyone around you, the weight of a legacy holding creativity down, the public outcry determining what you make next, and the sad truth that no, this isn't a "good" sequel, all comes together to make me breathe out of my nose a bit and think on how I go about creating. It doesn't matter, really.