The journey countinues--and takes on a much more joyful note (at least for the moment) as DONTNOD introduces the Diaz's extended family and ties in the Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit.
Without spoiling too much, Sean and Daniel come into a respite at their grandparents' home--a cozy place with a lot of history (and mystery) within its walls. When we wake up the first morning in the house and its clear that we might be able to stay for a while, it pained me for a second because (knowing the LIS series) I knew this was going to end badly somehow.
That said, I never grew up in a house like the Reynolds'. While I was in a massive hurry to skip the foremost part of the game (which felt like it dragged on forever inside the cabin), I was in a hurry to stay inside Granny and Grandpa's place. DONTNOD are masters of conveying that sense of familiarity and comfort and nostalgia (even if one has no similar memories to recall).
I probably had a goofy little grin on my face once Chris made his appearance exactly as we left him in the LIS2 prequel. Expertly done, DONTNOD. The girl at the market was kind of cool too :P
All the decisions you make here seem minuscule or totally unimportant (outside the ones regarding Daniel and his abilities), but looking at the Leaderboard once the game finished, it shows you how things can add up--and the story could've played out totally different than how I finished it upon my first run.
This is another well crafted entry that ends on a cliffhanger--naturally, I'm eager to continue, and I hope DONTNOD doesn't have me waiting too long.
Music: 4/5. They definitely added more original and licensed songs since the first episode, so I'm very pleased with that.
Gameplay: 3/5. This would probably be a 5/5 if they didn't include that dice game bit at the beginning. Very un-fun. Everything else was pretty much perfect.
Characters: 5/5. The new additions (and returning ones ala Captain Spirit) were really welcome and fit perfectly in the storyline, helping to bring two games together in a very seamless way and helping to establish some more emotional connections with the viewers.
Overall: 5/5. Outside the dice game (which I didn't really like, if you couldn't tell), this was a pretty perfect episode. I have the terribly feeling we're never gonna see the Reynolds again... but I hope I'm wrong.