Posted March 14, 2010
Let's be clear here. If you're hankering for a Sierra FMV adventure game your first stop should be the excellent Gabriel Knight: The Beast Within. Phantamasgoria 2 is not in that league, either in game design, writing, or acting. However, while game elements and puzzles in P2 are light and either hilariously easy or obtuse by turns, there are definitely things to be said for the game's atmosphere and storyline. The idea is that the protagonist, Curtis, may be losing his mind. Even, maybe, committing the horrific murders at his workplace that propel the bulk of the story. The developers elaborate on this theme rather nicely, with plenty of freaky hallucinations, bizarre e-mails on Curtis's work computer, and similar. P2 also features a refreshingly unstereotyped, amusing and likeable gay character in Trevor, Curtis's best friend (and sometime object of Curtis' more repressed fantasies). Unfortunately, the game kind of thuds to a halt in the final moments, dumping many of the more promising elements for a bizarre left field turn and obtuse final area. It's a worthwhile experience, certainly far more so than the original Phantamasgoria, but it's probably not a must-play.