| Sludge Life 2 | |
|---|---|
| File:Sludge Life 2 cover.png | |
| Developer(s) |
|
| Publisher(s) | Devolver Digital |
| Artist(s) | Terri Vellmann |
| Composer(s) | Doseone |
| Engine | Unity |
| Platform(s) | Windows |
| Release | June 27, 2023 |
| Genre(s) | Adventure, platformer |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Sludge Life 2 is a 2023 platformer game developed by musician Doseone and artist Terri Vellman. A sequel to Sludge Life, it follows the previous game's protagonist, Ghost, as they explore a hotel and its surrounding areas in search of a missing rapper. The player is free to explore the region as they please, gathering collectibles and applying graffiti to pre-set locations.
Sludge Life 2 received positive reviews. Critics praised the improvements in gameplay, the maintenance of the previous game's aesthetic and writing, and the open world. Criticism was levied at some aspects of the controls, the
Gameplay
editSludge Life 2 is a platformer game set in an open world. The main character, Ghost, navigates around the area via running, jumping, and parkour, assisted by various gadgets. The player initially begins with only a spray can to tag with and a laptop which serves as the game's menu. Other items can be found throughout the world, including a glider and a "warper" that allows teleportation. Collectibles are scattered throughout, such as master recordings and places where graffiti tags can be applied.[1] Tagging enough locations opens up the possibility of "combo" tags with non-player characters. Publisher Devolver Digital claimed that Sludge Life 2 boasted three times the number of interactable characters as the prior game.[2]
Plot
editSludge Life 2 takes place in the "Ciggy City Suites" hotel and its surrounding areas. Much like in the previous game, the region is industrial, polluted, and surrounded by a sea of thick, black sludge. The game follows Ghost, the protagonist of Sludge Life, who is now the manager of star rapper Big Mud. After a wild party the previous night, Ghost is tasked with retrieving Mud, who has vanished, for a music video shoot. Exploring reveals some backstory to the area, such as a barge crash shutting down surrounding air traffic, the presence of a toxic mold in the hotel, and the activities of the revolutionary terrorist organization GRANMA. Several characters and groups from Sludge Life make a return, including the aforementioned Ghost and Big Mud, as well as Uzzi, a graffitist jailed for defacing a police station, and Glug, the megacorporation that sponsors Big Mud and owns Ciggy City.
The player can uncover three different endings:
- Ghost can find Big Mud sleeping in the freezer of a local butcher, having wandered off due to the stress of fame and the prior day's partying. Mud returns to the music video shoot, which goes smoothly.
- Ghost can encounter a group of cultists on the area's outskirts worshipping a large, sentient mound of sludge. Bringing the sludge a deadly fungus called a "necroshroom" will cause the sludge to grow in size, destroy the area, and eventually attack the camera.
- If Ghost has tagged every available spot in the game, they are invited to a room in Ciggy City where Uzzi and several GRANMA members are plotting. Ghost puts on a blindfold and joins the group as they shoot down the hotel's massive crystal chandelier.
Development
editA demo for Sludge Life 2 was announced and reat the Devolver Digital Showcase on June 8, 2023, and its release date was officially announced to be June 27 that year.[3]
Reception
edit| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| Metacritic | 71/100[4] |
| OpenCritic | 53% recommend[5] |
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| Edge | 7/10[1] |
| Eurogamer | 4/5[6] |
| Inven | 6.5/10[7] |
| Softpedia | 9/10[8] |
| Vandal | 8.5/10[9] |
Sludge Life 2 was well-received by critics. On the review aggregator Metacritic, it has a score of 71/100,[4] indicating "mixed or average" reviews, while OpenCritic gave it a score of "53% recommend".[5]
References
edit- ^ a b "Sludge Life 2". Edge. No. 388. October 2023. p. 123.
- ^ Colantonio, Giovanni (March 23, 2023). "Sludge Life is getting a surprising sequel and we've already tried it". Digital Trends. Archived from the original on June 3, 2023. Retrieved July 25, 2024.
- ^ "Sludge Life 2 - Official Release Date and Demo Trailer". IGN. Archived from the original on June 10, 2023. Retrieved July 25, 2024.
- ^ a b "Sludge Life 2". Metacritic. Archived from the original on July 25, 2024. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
- ^ a b "Sludge Life 2". OpenCritic. Archived from the original on May 18, 2024. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
- ^ Donlan, Christian (June 27, 2023). "Sludge Life 2 review - more sly greatness from the masters of the compact open-worlder". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on July 25, 2024. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
- ^ Yoon, Sunho (June 28, 2023). "슬러지 라이프2 리뷰". Inven (in Korean). Archived from the original on June 4, 2024. Retrieved July 25, 2024.
- ^ Dumitrescu, Andrei (June 27, 2023). "Sludge Life 2 Review (PC)". Softpedia. Archived from the original on June 4, 2024. Retrieved July 2, 2024.
- ^ Delgado, Manu (July 31, 2023). "Análisis SLUDGE LIFE 2, de vuelta al lodo, pero ahora de arriba a abajo (PC)". Vandal (in Spanish). Archived from the original on June 4, 2024. Retrieved July 25, 2024.