Two Point Museum is yet another dose of charming sim gameplay with a dash of adventure
Two Point Museum adds a sense of adventure to the series' formula, making it feel like a fitting successor to the excellent Two Point Campus.
Lloyd Coombes
27th Aug 2024 17:11
Images via Two Point Studios
I must confess, I am a big Two Point fan. Whether it's Hospital or Campus, I've adored my time spent with the franchise so far, with smart twists on the formula between the two.
I was a little worried that things would start to feel a little rote as we approached a third instalment, but Two Point Museum was one of my favourite things at Gamescom 2024 - and I could've happily played for days.
Exhibit A
Just as the first game saw you restoring a hospital to better serve its community and the second had you repeat the trick with a campus, this time around you'll take control of a Museum that's fallen on hard times.
Half the exhibits have been pinched, the whole place needs a bit of a clean, and the curator that preceded you has gone missing. So far, so Two Point, but the new Exhibitions system shakes up the formula in a big way.
While you could build new hospital equipment or install a fresh classroom relatively easily, you'll have to work for your historic artefacts. Or, more specifically, you'll have to get your staff to work for them.
As part of a new hiring process you'll staff your museum with Historical Experts, then send them off via helicopter to recover priceless archaeological finds. This takes time, so you'll be without that staff member for a while, and there are risks, too - if your employee falls into a tar pit, for example, they'll return barely able to move, requiring a stint in the staff room to recover.
Brushing up on your history
Each successful expedition will bring back a new relic to display in your museum, and open up additional sites to go full Indiana Jones. You can even flout safety guidelines for a quick, but risky, find.
Still, it's not just about claiming these exhibitions - you'll need to decorate around them, too, levelling them up until the whole town is desperate to see the ancient statue of a floppy disk. Then there's upkeep, with your Historical Experts also needing to continually dust them down to keep them in tip-top condition, nudging patrons ever closer to the donation boxes.
All of that mixes so well with the Two Point basics of hiring janitorial staff, receptionists, and more, making the whole thing feel like another cosy entrant in the franchise. And, in case you were wondering, the Two Point Radio DJs are back - I had plenty of chuckles with Sir Nigel Bickleworth, and the sarcastic tannoy announcer also returns for comedic value.
Final Thoughts
Just as with Two Point Campus, Two Point Studios has done a great job of tweaking its formula to fit its new Museum setting, and I can already see myself losing days to "just one more exhibit" moments.
Two Point Museum is currently without a release date. For more from Gamescom, be sure to check out our preview of Sonic x Shadow Generations.
About The Author
Lloyd Coombes
Lloyd is GGRecon's Editor-in-Chief, having previously worked at Dexerto and Gfinity, and occasionally appears in The Daily Star newspaper. A big fan of loot-based games including Destiny 2 and Diablo 4, when he's not working you'll find him at the gym or trying to play Magic The Gathering.
