My thoughts on Everhood 2
so i finished Everhood 2 recently and i have to say that it was...
i've been a fan of everhood 1 for a few years now, and the trailer for everhood 2 was what got me into the first game. now that it's out, i had a great time, and i want to leave my thoughts here. i'll go through what i liked, disliked and what i thought was noteworthy.
be aware that this will contain spoilers
The Characters: Everhood 1 had its fair share of fun characters to interact with, and Everhood 2 is no different. Sam and Irvine, characters who i think were in the first game get a lot more screen time and development, and become good friends along the journey. Riley is a cute little companion turned nightmare beyond human comprehension, and the fact that there are characters which are just him but red, green and blue is very funny. Lucy, aside from making me feel certain things, is a really interesting character. she antagonises you and your friends throughout the game, but lends a hand right at the end. could be an allegory for something but i don't know. Dr. Dump is my favourite character in the game, and it's not even for any particular reason; i just like the guy. there are far more characters to talk about but it would take far too long to go through.
The Music: One thing that stood out to me from the reveal trailer was the music. after playing Everhood 1, i was even more excited to hear the new tracks. now that i have finished the game i gotta say... it's really good. the battle themes go hard, overworld themes work well, and tracks that play multiple times throughout the game are altered enough so that they feel different. some highlights for me are Springhead Battle (silly), Tutorial Spaceship 2: Jester's Realm (one of the best battle themes), Bobo the Midnight Jester (very climactic), Lucy's Theme (fits the character really well) and The Dragon, Pt. 1 and 2 (might be the best battle themes in the game).
The Combat: when i look back at the first game, i think one of the weaker points is the combat. not the dodging the attacks part, mind you, that part is good, but the actual fighting back part is not a highlight for me. luckily, Everhood 2 mostly fixes that issue. you can now absorb an infinite amount of one colour, and you have different attack types for the quantity you absorb. however, getting hit completely gets rid of your charge, and while some think that's unfair, i personally like it, as it adds an element of risk and reward to the gameplay. with the addition of different weapons as well, it helps diversify the way you play, and makes the combat feel much more engaging overall. personally, this is the biggest area of improvement in the game for me, and it makes me happy.
The Humour: Everhood 2, much like Everhood 1, has a lot of good comedy in the game. while the first game was a lot more serious, the more laid-back tone of the sequel allows the jokes to really shine through. some highlights are the weapon joke in DMITRI's lab (pick the middle or left option), Terrance McKenna, and, ironically, the finale of the game.
The Art: this is gonna be a short section, as it's hard to describe whatever the fuck's going on in this game. the art is very good though, and the main artist happens to be on tumblr too (@kepacyrus) and they are very talented. if they see this, you did a great job on the art for the game. overall, it's best if you play the game to see for yourself.
now with the good stuff done, time to air some of my grievances.
The Combat Issue: you may be wondering right now " adfredffr, i thought you liked the combat?". i do like the combat, but i also have an issue with it. my problem with the combat is that every attack except for the heavy casts is almost entirely useless. if the attack has armour break then yeah, it's ok, but most of the time, the damage dealt by them is so minuscule that you'd be better off just sticking to heavy casts.
Death Mountain: this area is one of the most controversial i have seen. most people take issue with how you don't have natural health regeneration. personally, i don't mind the lack of regen, as it encourages the player to try and play it safe in preparation for future segments going forward. my issue with this area are the zombie villager enemies. towards the end of the dungeon, there is a stealth segment where you have to avoid zombie versions of the villagers on the island. the stealth segment i don't have an issue with. my issue is that if you get caught, you enter a timed battle where if you don't beat the enemy in time, you get killed and sent back not to the start of the room, but your LAST SAVE POINT. meaning you have to go back into the mountain, go through the room leading up to the zombie segment and get past them all over again. considering the fight takes around a minute to end, you are, on average, taking two minutes every time you get caught. if you just got killed after getting caught and end up at the start of the room, then i wouldn't have an issue.
Riley Battle: for the most part, Everhood 2 has a good difficulty curve. early battles are simple, and as the game progresses, you find the challenge increases with your skill. the final fight against Riley throws that out of the window. the more i fought him, the more i realised how bullshit the fight was. it was the only fight where i had to lower the difficulty to beat it, and it ironically felt like a much better experience on easy difficulty. the worst part is that the post credits boss, on medium difficulty, was easier than Riley. at least the ending of the fight was funny.
now, onto the stuff that i wanted to make a note of.
The Story: the story of Everhood 2 is one of the most divisive parts of the game. while Everhood 1 had a pretty concrete story with a fitting conclusion, Everhood 2's story is a lot more jumbled. my personal take though is that a lot of Everhood 2's story is told in a very subtle and, in my opinion, clever way, where there are dots left by the game which the player needs to connect. i could get into my interpretation of the story, but i'll save it for another time.
The Shade: The Shade, or The Root of all Evil, or just Shade, is one of the most interesting characters in the game. again, i'll save my thoughts for later, but for now i'll say that it's interesting how he's simultaneously everywhere and barely present in the game.
Everhood 2, in my own opinion, is a great game, and a great sequel to Everhood 1. it's got fun characters, great music, funny humour, engaging combat and a remarkably unique artstyle. while it isn't perfect by any means, it's still a really fun time, and i would highly reccomend playing it (after the first game, of course).
also videogamedunkey is in it
i accidentally put this in so uhh
good review, i shall play this game immediately
BAD review!!! BAD!!!!!!!!!!!
gurt: Yo
Voting ended onApr 28, 2025
