The gang’s all back and your pal Big Mud’s got the fire mixtape that’s gonna get us all out of the sludge in Sludge Life 2.
Sludge Life 2
Developer: Terri Vellmann & DOSEONE
Price: $15
Platform: PC
MonsterVine was supplied with a PC code for review
Sludge Life 2 opens up with Ghost, our favorite tagger from the first game, hungover in a tub and yelled at to hurry up and find Big Mud because you have a video to shoot. Much like your previous adventures, Sludge Life 2 is essentially an exercise in pure, unadulterated vibes. This time around you’re hanging at Ciggy City Suites, a high-rise hotel with a seedy lower section, and you’re basically told to find your own fun.
You could essentially “beat” the game in as little as a few minutes if you’re lucky enough to stumble onto where Big Mud is cooped up, but Sludge Life 2 is less concerned with you getting to one of the game’s multiple endings, and more about making sure you soak in its grimy vibes as long as possible. Like before, your main activity is finding all the spots you can tag with graffiti and you’ll collect a variety of gadgets that’ll help you reach some of the trickier ones like a glider or a mini launcher that’ll send you hurtling into the air. You’ll also be able to play around on your in-game computer as you collect various apps that’ll let you do things like check how many ciggys you have on hand, to playing a new minigame that’s a pretty alright time killer.
Love environmental storytelling? Well, Sludge Life 2 LOVES environmental storytelling. Each character you speak to gives a (usually humorous) insight into the world these gonzo characters inhabit; the only unfortunate thing is that, like the first game, Sludge Life 2 seems more content with having you act as a simple passerby in this world than an active agent in its chaos. For example, there’s rioting going on over the arrest of fellow tagger Uzzi, but all you can do is watch people talk about it. There are *some* side things you can do, like work for a news agency collecting photos of certain objects, but you never really feel like an active participant in Sludge Life 2’s world which feels at odds with a game that is asking you to spend time exploring every inch of it.
The Final Word
The vibes in Sludge Life 2 are immaculate and grimy, but like before I just wish it fleshed itself out some more.
– MonsterVine Rating: 3.5 out of 5 – Fair
