Retropolis 2: Never Say Goodbye

There was something incredibly charming about the point-and-click adventures that we got our fair share of, especially in the 90s. It's a genre that may not have died out completely (we've seen some adventures of that kind in recent years) but it has at least been somewhat forgotten. The VR title Retropolis 2 can best be described as such a game, but in first person and in VR. We revisit the detective Philip's Log from the first game from 2021 and since I didn't play it, I had to watch some videos and read about the game's plot to be ready for this sequel.

Philip's lover Jenny mysteriously disappears and a character calling himself The Magician claims to have her in his captivity. We get a game that is divided into four episodes where Philips is then thrown into a mystery that both in terms of story but above all in terms of gameplay is reminiscent of the point and click titles of the past. You see the game from a first-person perspective, but you can't wander around freely, instead using the long robot arms to examine objects in the environment. "Robot?", you might ask. And yes, the inhabitants of the city of Retropolis are all of the mechanical kind, we are treated to a kind of futuristic noir style with bright colours and a charming visual style that is also hand-drawn. The whole atmosphere of the game really breathes something special and I like the design chosen even if the surroundings can often feel a bit deserted.

In each of these environments there are often a number of objects that need to be picked up and placed in some place to move on. It is sometimes quite tricky but at the same time very clear when you succeed and you often quickly understand what to place where. You also have a small chest where you can place the objects so you don't have to carry them around. Then it's mostly about exploring the scene itself and then placing objects or solving some kind of puzzle to move forward in the plot and get to new places.

Retropolis 2 is quite simple in many ways, which is the point. The developers want to offer a relaxing and accessible gaming experience that is to be played sitting down and without having to move very much. For me, this is great, but I really miss being able to walk around the places you visit. You are kind of always locked in place and can only turn around, but not move around or closer to things, but you just stretch your arms towards things that light up if they can be integrated with. The actual interaction with things is okay but rather sparse and it becomes a bit too simple and stripped down when the movement pattern is locked in its position. I understand the point of making a game where you just click and turn, but as I said, it becomes a little too simple.

Although some of the visuals are stripped down with large black areas and light sources that only show what needs to be shown, the visual style is enough to make it all very charming. I like everything from the animations on the robot characters to the design of most of the locations. However, the short cutscenes that you see as little films jolt me out of virtual reality when you see them as a 2D film. But overall, the design is something that enhances this game experience a lot and there are many fun details in everything from signs to the sometimes quirky dialogue. The voice acting is consistently good and the music often enhances the mood and feels very appropriate for the adventure.

The four episodes that make up the story are just over an hour each - depending on how quickly you solve puzzles, of course, and you can also easily access a walk through in text form via the menu. Some puzzles don't feel entirely obvious or logical, but if you want a little help without getting the whole solution, it's a good tool to be able to peek a little and avoid the frustration of being stuck for a long time on a puzzle.

There's a lot to like about Retropolis 2: Never Say Goodbye and looking at a review of the first game it's clear that a lot has been developed from it. I like the quirky charm of the game and the puzzles are something I always personally enjoy. As so often, this works very well in VR.

However, the game itself feels a bit too stripped down and doesn't really do much new for the format itself, other than being a nostalgic reminder of the very genre I talked about in the introduction. However, it is an entertaining adventure all the way and offers a few hours of good entertainment and reasonably tricky puzzles packaged together with a cool design.