Escape Goat 2
Review
Goaty Goodness
by Jonathan Fortin
reviewed on PC
An ever-changing labyrinth...with goats (cntd)
While the game is focused on ascending to the top of a tower, your journey will take you through different kinds of environments, such as a forest and a library. One of the most perilous is the aptly-named Grave of Anguish, which is full of opportunities to fall to your death.
Interestingly, it’s possible to complete the game without exploring most of the map. Players who want to breeze through without experiencing the entire game are free to do so. However, they will be missing out on over half of the game’s puzzles, including some the most challenging ones in the game. The game is significantly longer if you explore the entire map, but it’s also significantly more difficult.
MagicalTimeBean has promised that a level editor is coming, which will allow for even more content in the future.
Goats = better than sheep?
Mountain goats are agile, quick-footed beasties, capable of bounding across incredibly steep hills without falling to their deaths. The purple goat of Escape Goat 2 isn’t quite so dexterous, but he can still double jump, and that’s what counts here.
Throughout the game, you will encounter and free the souls of sheep who have become lost in the labyrinth-like tower. Each sheep briefly speaks to you, explaining their motivations for being there, or for getting lost. It seems they’re not quite as badass as your goat, and are prone to getting lost and falling asleep. There are also the skeletal ghosts of other animals, who whisper cryptic clues.
You will also encounter enemies that shoot fire at you, and getting hit even once means restarting the screen. You cannot attack them directly, but you can crush them with rocks, or disintegrate them with electric beams. You will die a lot in Escape Goat 2, either from falling, getting hit by the enemies, or getting crushed by falling rocks. Fortunately, the game doesn’t make you sit through load times: restarting a screen is instantaneous. You can even push R to restart at any time. You will need to do that often in the later levels: it’s very easy to get yourself stuck.
The final required set of puzzles takes place in the lair of a skeletal caterpillar which constantly moves in straight lines. Solving these screens means directing which way the caterpillar goes—and hoping it doesn’t kill you in the process. It’s basically an awkward attempt at giving the game an “end boss.” Unfortunately, this final section feels very different from the rest from the rest of the game: there’s a dramatic difficulty spike, a slower pace, and an increased sense of frustration. I could have done without this final section; the game honestly didn’t need an end boss.
Year of the Goat
Escape Goat 2 is joyfully old-school, feeling very much like a lost NES title. Its soundtrack is even reminiscent of Castlevania’s. It’s also comparable to the recent puzzler Teslagrad, but it’s not quite as frustrating.
Between this and Goat Simulator, this must be Year of the Goat. I, for one, welcome gaming’s new overlords.
8.0
fun score
Pros
Fun, well-executed puzzles; colorful graphics; a sense of charm.
Cons
Frustrating final section; occasional difficulty spikes.
