Platform reviewed: Steam (PC)
Also on: Nintendo Switch
Price: $19.99
What do Carl Jung, Genghis Khan, Rasputin, and Steward Sprout have in common? They all appear as characters in Everhood 2, the sequel to the 2021 indie hit Everhood. Like its predecessor, the sequel embraces absurdity—but while I appreciate its commitment to the bizarre, I found myself wanting something new during my review. Everhood 2 treads much of the same ground as the original, and I’m not sure it does enough to truly distinguish itself as a sequel.
The game opens with a series of questions—some deeply spiritual, including whether I believe in a higher power. I even learn the color of my soul (which happens to be blue apparently). I wish I had more time to explore how these choices influenced the story or gameplay. It’s something I plan to revisit, but at the time of this review, I didn’t have enough time for a second playthrough. I made my choices and had to live with them, unsure if they were 'right' or if they would have any lasting impact.
That’s one thing I love about Everhood 2—it’s an experience. Early in my playthrough, the game throws me into a battle, and I quickly realize that my familiarity with the first game gives me an advantage. The battle system is rhythm-based, with ‘notes’ flying toward me. At first, all I can do is dodge, and I’m expected to die. This is when I meet my guide, the Raven, who teaches me how to fight. To attack, I must absorb incoming notes (by holding a button) and then fire the stored energy back at my enemy. Taking a hit causes me to lose any stored energy, and absorbing a different-colored note resets the current energy I have stored. Each enemy has a specific weakness, so through trial and error, I learn which attacks work best against them. The more
energy I accumulate, the more damage I can do.
Everhood 2 doesn’t hold my hand—I have to figure things out on my own. And that’s where the game gets interesting. Strange characters ramble about things that don’t always make sense. For example, I met a character searching for a specific currency, offering to trade me another type of money in exchange. Before long, I found myself caught in a bizarre pyramid scheme—trading one currency for another, then taking that to someone else for yet another type of money. The dialogue is absurd, yet somehow, it all fits within the world of Everhood 2.
The characters are bizarre, and the pixelated, stylized artwork gives the game an almost NES-like aesthetic—except for Carl Jung, who looks like a scanned image dropped into the world. The interactions are just as strange. One character was surrounded by blue slimes that seemed to give him a euphoric high—until he suddenly turned on me. I fought an oversized Rasputin. I entered a video game system to debug it for beings who wanted to become human… but weren’t? I traveled back in time to save some aliens from slavery, then in the future, they worshiped me as their hero. Nothing made sense, yet somehow, in the world of Everhood 2, it all did.
The boss battles are what make Everhood 2 shine. The fast-paced music syncs perfectly with the attacks flying my way, creating an intense rhythm-based challenge. The use of light and pixel distortion adds another layer of difficulty—at one point, I faced a boss where the entire playing field warped and became washed out with light. (A word of caution: players sensitive to flashing lights may want to steer clear of Everhood 2.) While the core mechanics remain the same, the surreal visual effects and stellar soundtrack make each battle feel unique.
My biggest issue is that much of Everhood 2 feels too familiar. The writing is strong, and the experience remains as strange as ever, but I was hoping for something completely new. The first game blew me away with its peculiar world, but the sequel didn’t have the same effect—I felt like I already knew what to expect.
Final Grade: B+
For players new to the series, Everhood 2 offers a truly trippy experience. But for those who have played the first game, while Everhood 2 is still great, don’t expect to be blown away by its uniqueness this time around.
Review code provided by Stride PR.