Review: Retropolis 2: Never Say Goodbye
Retropolis 2: Never Say Goodbye is a game I have played before on PCVR and it’s something I feel the PSVR2 library is missing in the type of game it is. So, when it was announced Peanut Button and Perp Games were getting together to bring it to PSVR2, I had to check it out again.
Release Date: June 14th 2024
Developer: Peanut Button
Publisher: Perp Games
Price: US $29.99 / £24.99
Reviewed On: PlayStation VR2
* Access Provided For Review *
Save Jenny Montage
Retropolis 2 is a set one year on from the events of The Secret of Retropolis. You are back as Philip Log, the Private Investigator with your lover and femme fatale Jenny Montage. She leaves you in search of answers on who they buried in The Secret of Retropolis, and after not hearing from her for a while, she phones you in a panic that The Magician is after her. Can you successfully uncover where The Magician is keeping her and save your love?
Now, one issue you are going to face playing Retropolis 2 on PSVR2, is the story continues on from the first and you don’t get any sort of re-cap at the start. However, there is a number of playthroughs online that are around forty-five minutes max if you want to get caught up on the events of the first beforehand.
Point And Click Perfection
The team at Peanut Button have not deviated away from the original when it comes to the gameplay loop. Keeping the point-and-click mechanic the same, but you will be able to explore other areas of each location rather than being stuck in the one room. This still uses the point and click element, where you will get an arrow to indicate you can to move to the next area. In each location you will visit in Retropolis, there will be puzzles to solve in order to progress to the next location in the city. With references to things like Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? popping up throughout.
When it comes to the gameplay, they have ramped up the puzzles and design of the puzzles to the next level, with the first having more simple solutions and Retropolis 2 feeling very much like the more difficult point-and-click classics. With this approach in mind in each location you are stuck to one point in that room that you look around and use your extending arms to grab items, pull levers and push buttons, in keeping with classics.
Once you have completed the puzzles, conversations and got what you need in each location, you will travel to the next destination in the city. Again this is via a cut-scene where Philip will narrate his thoughts and the story as he drives through the city. Personally I am pleased the team never deviated away from the original game when it comes to gameplay and story-telling, and only made improvements in each area, as the games film noir design really suits the approach they have taken.
Welcome To Retropolis
The production levels on the sequel have been ramped up as well, while keeping to the style of the original game. Keeping the bold and simple cartoon style, which really works for Retropolis and the point-and-click nature of the gameplay. This has also seen Peanut Button increase how busy the settings are, so only areas you would expect to be a bit more desolate looking that way. The have also improved the animations of all the characters, showing how much the production values have improved over the development of Never Say Goodbye.
One thing that makes a massive difference on the PSVR2 is the HMD displays with the OLED and HDR really allowing the bright a boldly colored world come to life. Which just added to the design aesthetic of the game perfectly.
With the voice actors for both Philip and Jenny returning, and great voice acting for The Magician, who this time will be involved in the dialogue the most (outside of Philip) making sure it’s up to scratch with the first. You will however, have more people you engage in conversation this time outside of the three main characters – and all of these have solid voice acting and you’ll love Betty1 and Betty2. This is continued in the robots you can interact with without having full blown conversations with them. One thing I loved about the first was the soundtrack, and they have kept this similar with lots of sax and piano – which is perfect for the film noir design.
Comfort
The Verdict
It’s great to see Peanut Button bring Retropolis 2 to PSVR2, as every VR gamer deserves to experience this charming game and the story the tells. With the team taking everything they learnt from creating the first game and ramping it up to the next level. With the story continuing perfectly from the first, the puzzle design and presentation improvements and being three times the length of the original, Retropolis 2 feels like a true sequel. However, please keep in mind the game does not recap on the story of the first, so I would recommend watching a playthough online. With the game ending leaving it open for a Retropolis 3, I am hoping that Peanut Button have plans to keep this series going.