Back when I was a small child, I actually entertained the thought about the idea of running a museum after watching that movie about being stuck at night within a museum.
The title eludes me but it has sparked my interest in how I would run a weird museum that would not only be interesting but also has the placement of something a AA video game would use as a stealth section.
And while there won’t be any stealth sections here, Two Point Museum has somewhat validated that placement thing by making me not only stack my exhibits with each other, but by cramping it together, makes it a sort of sensory overload that my visitors love and would donate money too, interior niceness be damned.
It’s a sort of thing which I loved about the Two-Point games and from what I’ve played in this one, this museum edition has got it right as well.
Presentation
Two Point Museum is still all about the light, tongue-in-cheek humor that’s basically like it’s predecessors before it, from how your staffers on the ground look, to even the guest being quite silly where you may encounter Cheese-Mongers that somehow benefits your museum with their presences in terms Happiness. It’s that sort of dry British humor that just pairs well with the subject matter and I personally wouldn’t have it any other way.
Like the audio also brings the humor ques as well. The announcer being all serious in-tone while the message they conveys says “Children are only allowed to have fun” is quite hilarious at that tonal inconsistency, and while the music itself is your typical lounge suzette, it’s usually interrupted with a Radio Museum that’s feels like a play on the BBC1 radio show within the Two Point Universe, complete with interviews with Explorers who may have a say on the subject which your level is based on.
And besides that, the UI design is what a management game should strive for, clean and simple for a pretty robust game with mechanics and bars to take care of. And even without the special effects, you can see how the exhibits and their info kiosk work together in a nifty directional line that basically makes players see that it’s connected together and will contribute to your Buzz, their version of enjoyment in the Two-Point games, and cash flow if you’re donation box is closeby.
It’s does help to see what connects to where and when the further you go in the career mode or even in the Sandbox mode, just seeing the yellow line all-over the place to ensure you are always informed of the chaos of your making within the decor, exhibits and many more you’ll get to encounter in the later sections.
Gameplay
Two-Point Museum plays like its previous counterparts where you could be a thriving place if you know what to expect. Like you need exhibitions? Get Explorers to find your artefacts that you can use to generate Buzz and Information that might be vital to the popularity of your Museum to go on more tougher expeditions that garner more Buzz and the cycle continues.
Essentially, more people equals more stuff to put into your gallery.
And don’t think the game would have it easy for you as the further you go in your Curated Mode, the more curveballs they will give you, as an example like the Forestry section would have man-eating plants that turn your visitors into clowns, which might make that negative into a positive depending on how you run things.
In part it is due to the aforementioned Expeditions, with what your experts could bring home could be RNG based, and you get to unbox it via a loot crate which is a bit tongue-in-cheek from the devs, and thats brings the artifacts that might be needed for your place to thrive, be it a dino-theme one or even a haunted hotel-esque one later.
And those might not even bear fruit as some expeditions might see your expert return with injuries instead, which means you need to rest them up in the staff room that you can build in som nook around the place, making sure your janitors cleans up the place if they bring in some gunk home, a ticker to give those comically large ones to our visitors, and also better hire that security guard if you don’t want your artifacts to go missing. All working synchronicity to make the museum flow as smoothly as you can.
Content
Another one within the “Just one minute, turns into 1 hour” club that most of the management games within its genre have occupied and this one is no exception. It’s just the good combination of systems and micromanaging that makes these sorts of games, especially the Two-Point games, so much fun to just play and see what your creations do as you build up your museum in each iteration.
Personal Enjoyment ![]()
I still remember playing the likes of Theme Park and Theme Hospital on the PS1, being quite an interesting game to play on the first level, as I don’t really have a grasp on things back in the 2000s when these two launched. And as someone who didn’t catch on to the other Two Points, TPM actually got my interest quite well with how its system and humor work hand in hand.
It’s that sort of game that’s fun to play in short bursts that might take hours of my time away unintentionally and that’s fine in my book. I mean, loot boxing opening to see me getting the Curse of Ra is quite a sight.
Verdict
Two Point Museum is quite a fascinating management game that knows what it wants to do and it excel in making it. A dang fine example of a game that can blend comedy and somehow education in one fell swoop. If you’re a fan of the previous Two Point games, then I recommend getting it on launch.
Played on PC, Review copy provided by the Publisher.
Two Point Museum
A fascinating management game that knows what it wants to do and it excel in making it. A dang fine example of a game that can blend comedy and somehow education in one fell swoop.
- Presentation 9
- Gameplay 8
- Content 8
- Personal Enjoyment 7.5