It's more Darkside Detective but better in almost every way.
Each case feels more fleshed out with more interesting puzzles and mini-games, and while the pixelwork in the first game wasn't exactly shabby there's a notable uptick in quality on display. The writing and dialogue is still very funny and doesn't rely as much on pop culture references as its predecessor, allowing the game to have more of its own identity and its characters to stand out a bit more.
The best improvement though is probably one of the more subtle changes. McQueen and Dooley's were very much of the straight man/wacky sidekick archetype in the first game and while this is still prevalent in the sequel, you now feel like there's relationship between them outside of being stock character types. They actually feel more like friends this time round who care about each other and their wellbeing, who just also happen to be silly people in a silly town as well. As I said, it's a very slight change but it's very welcome and adds an extra decimal point of dimension to this 2D adventure.
I do think I'd struggle a little if it were my first foray into the series - it references a lot of previous characters and events which is sometimes fine but happens so often that you could be left feeling a touch lost at times - but seeing as this isn't my first trip to the Darkside this wasn't an issue for me.
Each case feels more fleshed out with more interesting puzzles and mini-games, and while the pixelwork in the first game wasn't exactly shabby there's a notable uptick in quality on display. The writing and dialogue is still very funny and doesn't rely as much on pop culture references as its predecessor, allowing the game to have more of its own identity and its characters to stand out a bit more.
The best improvement though is probably one of the more subtle changes. McQueen and Dooley's were very much of the straight man/wacky sidekick archetype in the first game and while this is still prevalent in the sequel, you now feel like there's relationship between them outside of being stock character types. They actually feel more like friends this time round who care about each other and their wellbeing, who just also happen to be silly people in a silly town as well. As I said, it's a very slight change but it's very welcome and adds an extra decimal point of dimension to this 2D adventure.
I do think I'd struggle a little if it were my first foray into the series - it references a lot of previous characters and events which is sometimes fine but happens so often that you could be left feeling a touch lost at times - but seeing as this isn't my first trip to the Darkside this wasn't an issue for me.