I really enjoy the Two Point series, but I often doubt how new versions, like Two Point Museum, will turn out. However, I’ve been proven wrong every single time. I wasn’t sure how the Two Point Studios team would make a museum engaging and quirky, but sure enough, Two Point Museum flourishes with it’s out-there ideas, and I was howling throughout my 10 hours with the game.
The point of any Two Point game is clear: build your world, be it in Hospital, Campus or now Museum, make it look good, function well, and keep people happy. In my Two Point Museum preview, I started off a bit more “usual”, but rest assured, it gets unusual really fast! The basics were learned in Memento Mile, a city-like area that seems a bit more standard, starting with fossils and decorations that come to mind when you hear the world “museum.”
The basics include learning about items like ticket booths, donations boxes, info stands and decorations. These are most of the ways you raise money or increase your museum’s knowledge—what’s a museum without knowledge? But I also learned about the ins and outs of staff like Experts, Janitors, Security and Assistants, including how they are used within the game.
“Two Point Museum flourishes with it’s out-there ideas, and I was howling throughout my 10 hours with the game.”
Janitors keep the place clean, but they can also get to work in the workshop to build new items for the museum or expeditions. Assistants can run your ticket booths, gift shops, food stands and assist in expeditions. Security will keep the place safe, collect the money from your donation stands and more. Experts are vital though, as they will both restore your exhibits, assess them and helm expeditions to find new exhibits.
Expeditions are probably the most intricate part of Two Point Museum, as there are a lot of factors to consider before you send out a team. These expeditions are vital, as you can’t grow your museum without them, but they aren’t cheap. Before you head out on your fancy helicopter you need to make sure you have the required staff, skills, funds and sometimes even items.
Sometimes you will need to build something at the workshop to go on a mission, other times you will need to complete a series of objectives to unlock a new area on your map. Two Point Museum is not a simple, linear experience, and that is by design. Two Point Studios has mentioned that in past games, people would finish in an area and not find reasons to go back. With Two Point Museum, you will be hopping from area to area blending different kinds of museums and expeditions together.
As I was only able to go hands on in three sections, I can’t speak to how this will blend together in the full game. I was able to play in Wailon Lodge, Memento Mile, and Passwater Cove. Wailon Lodge allowed me to capture ghosts and haunted items. Memento Mile, as mentioned, was more of your usual museum, though there were obviously still those great Two Point touches, like frozen cavemen that can thaw out. And finally, Passwater Cove was all about aquariums and catching fish!
“With Two Point Museum, you will be hopping from area to area blending different kinds of museums and expeditions together.”
After each area was unlocked, I was able to hire different kinds of experts on different maps, and run various expeditions on each one, so eventually, I could have a museum that featured a bit of everything. My hope is that in the final game I will be able to have full sections dedicated to each branch of museum after unlocking it all and opening new plots. Until I see the flow of Two Point Museum as a whole, rather than a section dedicated to the preview, I can’t say how it will play out, but I am very excited to try it.
There is also something to be said about the way Two Point Museum keeps you participating. Expeditions can be expensive and rewards can be repetitive, but that is to your benefit. Use the analysis room to break down repeat or lesser quality exhibits to gain even more knowledge about them and boost your museum up.
“Something that is vital to any Two Point experience, however, is the unique brand of humour and quirkiness, and thankfully that is plentiful in Two Point Museum.”
Something that is vital to any Two Point experience, however, is the unique brand of humour and quirkiness, and thankfully that is plentiful in Two Point Museum. Everything from the exhibits, to odd guests to employee names is filled with humour. Even the announcements that play over the speaker in your museum are funny if you sit back and listen. The announcer is a bit sassy, and I like it.
Something I have always loved about the Two Point series is that you can be as involved or laid back as you want. Do you want to design every inch of flooring and walls? You do want to control each step your employees take? How about controlling the flow of traffic in your museum, or would you prefer more of an open concept experience? Well you can do it all in Two Point Museum. You can even give your employees little outfits, and I am living for it. There are defaults for everything if this isn’t your thing, but I love the options!
However, you do still have to plan things out a bit. If you make a room, like the gift shop, aquarium or poltergeist room (yes, you read that right), the minimum size, then you can only fit the minimum in it. If you don’t leave room for decor, donation stands or info stands, you won’t generate the amount of buzz and knowledge you need to succeed. Design your museum tours poorly and you will see unhappy customers. Push people too hard on expeditions, and they will get hurt.
There is a lot to consider in Two Point Museum. Even the rooms made available in this short preview were a mix of vital and whimsy. Bathrooms and Staff rooms might seem like a given, but don’t forget about workshops and training rooms either. You want your staff to have the best tools and knowledge possible to master their skills. Providing them time to heal after their missions is important too. I had quite a few people wanting to quit due to the “environment”, and quite a few seas sick after those water expeditions.
So far, Two Point Studios is going above and beyond with the release of Two Point Museum. From customization to creativity to humour and more, the game is a blast already. Even though there are still a few kinks to work out, Two Point Museum is making strides to bring a new gameplay style to the Two Point formula, and one thing is for sure, after a full day sinking time into three separate maps, I can’t wait to get my hands on the full release.
