Developer: Marmalade Game Studio Limited
Publisher: Marmalade Game Studio Limited
Platform: PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Android
Tested on: PS5
The Game of Life 2 – Review
Seeing old-school board and card games being turned into actual video games has been an ongoing trend for quite some time now. In the past, we have seen games such as RISK and UNO receive the digital treatment, and for the most part, we actually quite enjoy this modern take on classic games. That being said, we still enjoy these games best in the company of our friends, as playing online does tend to feel completely different. Of course, trying to win a game online can also be rewarding. This time we’ll be taking a closer look at The Game of Life 2, which is based on the board game with the same name. We had quite a bit of fun reviewing this one.
Story
There is no real story to be found in The Game of Life 2. Each of the boards does have a certain theme and the game is all about building up your life as you see fit. You can choose to get a higher degree, pursue a career early on, or start a family, raise children, and have pets. That’s about it, and these aforementioned choices do not have any narrative value whatsoever.
Graphics
Graphically The Game of Life 2 is best described as a cute and colorful experience. The game’s different game boards are very vibrant and there are a lot of neat fun little details. The boards’ themes are clearly represented, and for the most part, the jobs and actions presented to you also change depending on the theme of the board. There are a few standard actions that are present on every board, and some don’t mesh that well with the theme of your choice. That being said, everything is very appealing to look at, and we very much enjoyed playing through all the different themed boards. You can also customize your avatar with different colors, outfits, vehicles, and portrait pictures.
Sound
Just like the changes in the theme for each board, the music also changes. When playing the Haunted Hills map, you’ll have spooky music and fitting sound effects, while the classic board is a lot more upbeat. The overall sound design is great. The sound effects are fairly basic, but they also fit with whatever is going on. For games such as this, the soundtrack often gets annoying after a while, and we can easily say that this is not the case here.
Gameplay
The Game of Life 2 is an authentic board game experience in which you’ll just have to make the best out of your digital life. In the game, you’ll have to take turns, spin a dial to see how many spaces you can progress, and then you’ll ultimately have to make choices. These choices involve what job you should pursue, if you should start a family or stay single, if you should buy a house, and so on. As a whole, the game is immediately clear and it’s a lot of fun to play this game locally with friends or family. The different boards (if you buy the season pass) all have their unique theme, but the gameplay remains completely the same for all of them.
The game does allow online play, but we still enjoyed playing locally with our friends and family more. The game is pretty much a perfect party game, but we did have a few minor remarks that felt like missed opportunities. When playing locally with more than one player, the game only has the option to play with a single controller. It would have been fun to have the option to select playing with more than one controller as well. While this is only a small annoyance, it ended up becoming a bit tedious at times. We would have also liked the option for the extra players to sign in on another profile on the console, as additional players do not contribute to the progress you make to unlock new items, but also because you’ll have to set up their avatar every single time.
Conclusion
The Game of Life 2 is a fun take on the classic board game, and we thoroughly enjoyed playing quite a few rounds. While the game may be extremely basic, it’s easy to get into and it feels like an authentic board game experience. We would have liked for secondary profiles to be able to sign in when playing on the same console, as well as the option to play with more than one controller, but other than that, this game is a lot of fun for young and old. If you’re looking for some family-friendly entertainment, we suggest you look into this one.
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