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Just wanted to leave a quick review here since I already reviewed Hedon I and GOG won't let me leave two reviews.

Background: As stated in my review for part 1, I considered Hedon 1 one of the best games of the last ten years when it was released here on GOG. I loved the attention to detail, the fact that there was a rich story that mattered, the exploration and puzzle solving, the combat, the tight/realistic level design, the new surprises around every corner, etc. I loved the game so much I had backed the creator (Zan) on Patreon. I was surprised that Hedon 2 was a free update - I think probably not the best financial decision for Zan and lessens the chance we will see Hedon 3 soon. But I happily downloaded Hedon 2 soon after it's release in 2021 and began playing. I was enjoying the first two levels, although level 2 was pretty exhausting. But then I got to the first hub level and was told "you need to rest" but there's a maid blocking my room so I can't. I go out to explore the vast forest, which seems to be the only option even though I do not have any objectives related to it. After quite a bit of exploration, I run into a Fixer who asks me to help her group as they were attacked. The only problem is that the forest has many branching pathways, and the fixer does not tell me WHERE to go to find her friends. I feel lost and directionless. I leave the game and plan to return to it, but the fact that I do not have any idea where to go means the concept of jumping back into it doesn't generate much excitement. I leave the game for almost 2 years, only to come back in Summer 2023 due to missing a good oldschool shooter. This time I manage to finish it (without ever using a guide).

Review:
Overall I enjoyed my time with Hedon II, but I found it to be significantly worse than Hedon 1.

Pros:
* Great value for money - Episode 2 alone took me well over 20 hours to complete!
* Some beautiful scenes and clever level design
* More complex puzzles than part 1 (have to break out a pen and paper!)
* Story goes in an interesting direction
* Crylance is a very cool weapon (and features much more prominently in Episode 2)
* Some of the side-quests feel really rewarding
* We finally get some answers on the mysterious "shadow" figure from Hedon 1 (but there are still many questions..,)
* Good atmosphere set by excellent music, sounds, and visuals

Mixed:
* World's longest levels ( I spent 11 hours on one level, I have never spent that long on a single level of a game before!)
* Several new enemies, but they aren't anything super new or innovative

Cons (SPOILERS):
* At the end of Hedon 1 Nithriel steals the disk and leaves before you can fight her. I was excited for the sequel so I could finally fight Nithriel properly and retrieve the disk. But you NEVER fight her in this one. And the collection of the disk (the whole point of the game!) is done off-screen and not controlled by the player.
* There is only 1 new boss, and I did not enjoy the fight too much. We don't even get to clearly see what is under the Baron's cloak...
* Only 1-2 new weapons, nothing really "new" to play with like the mind-blowing turrets in part 1. Speaking of which, virtually no "new" mechanics compared to part 1.
* I played without a guide, and while I made it through, it is really easy to get stuck in the ultra-large hub levels. Sometimes there is only one way to accomplish something and that way is not obvious, and there are very few clues. I was stuck for a LONG time on the Hell hub just because I had missed a well-hidden passage and could not get the key that lay down it. There were no hints pointing to the key being located in that vicinity. During my hours of searching I found many other secrets, but kept having to search the entire giant level due to having no clue where the key could be. I basically found it only by accident, it didn't make logical sense that that passage even existed. (Blood Key if you are interested, but I'm sure others got stuck elsewhere)
* I was trapped in a room once (near the end) where the game blocked off all exits. There were no buttons or switches, or enemies to kill. I became very frustrated since I thought it was a bug or something. Turns out a nondescript piece of level geometry was actually interactable, which I found only after much frustration.
* Talking to NPC characters very rarely generates helpful responses. They keep talking about your heroic feats on the last level even when you are near the end of the current level (but stuck on what to do!)
* The game auto-updated in the middle of my playthrough and the saves wouldn't work. The developer recommended to use the testing hub to jump back in at the beginning of the level you were on. Great, I did that and everything proceeded smoothly. Only to check the wiki once I finish the game and realize that, since aspects of my save weren't carried over, I missed out on the storyline of some of my favorite characters (Crystal Curator... :-( )

Overall, I still think fondly of Hedon, but now my memories of the game are equal parts delight at the world and experience Zan created, and frustration at some of the design decisions made in Part 2.
Post edited July 11, 2023 by ecamber