So recently Graveyard Keeper 2 came out and since I did write a pretty enthusiastic article for the first one, I decided to follow suit for the sequel.
First and foremost I would like to give some praise to the fact that Lazy Bear Games, unlike many others (looking irritated especially at several triple-A studios), released the complete game from the get go. They released the demo about a week prior and after that full game simply came out – and that’s how it’s done. It is absurd to commend something that would normally seem so evident, but given the status quo of the gaming industry, here we are.
If you are a fan of the first entry, then you will probably find the second one to your liking as well. Many of the game mechanics are still there, expanding even further in various directions such as combat, automation and perk points. Lazy Bear Games took what they learned from the first one and simply built on it; the pixel art is still very much enjoyable, the dark and unexpected humor has its moments, various easter-eggs and even memes are scattered around and some of the NPC’s are still quite absurd and enjoyable.
The story itself builds on the previous one as well, with you playing as a semi-different character (won’t spoil further) and taking place in the same world eight years after the events of the first one. I wouldn’t say it’s a stellar story, but it is at the very least a serviceable one.
I will say that I however did not enjoy it as much as the first one – that is not to say that it’s bad for any stretch of the imagination – so let me give you my reasoning. Although the skill tree is solid, progression accelerates in the beginning of the game until eventually reaching a bit of a bottleneck for several of the last-tier resources and especially faith. Automation becomes a big part of Graveyard Keeper 2, and quite possibly I ended up engaging too late with several game mechanics than intended. Personally, I did feel however that the pacing was a little bit off; it is a minor thing, but in a similar game, it is still an important aspect. Considering however that the first game had 4 DLC’s, which were all brilliant, I expect Lazy Bear Games to eventually do the same with the second one – not necessarily 4 mind you, but at least giving some extra content and especially polishing the existing one, fixing the overall pacing in the process. One other change that I personally didn’t appreciate was that the tending to graves part of the game was not as impactful in the second one, which given the game’s title just doesn’t feel right somehow.
All things considered, Graveyard Keeper 2 is still a pretty unique and fun experience for people who have enjoyed the first one, giving more of the same type of content yet becoming a bit grindy in certain moments. For those who haven’t played the first one, the sequel might be more of a hit or miss type of deal.