Patreon button  Steam curated reviews  Discord button  Facebook button  Twitter button 
3DS | PC | PS4 | PS5 | SWITCH | VITA | XB1 | XSX | All

Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People Episode 2: Strong Badia the Free (PC) artwork

Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People Episode 2: Strong Badia the Free (PC) review


"In essence, this game makes the entire first game feel like a lengthy tutorial, familiarizing you with the characters and the locations and the flow of gameplay. It was as much a learning experience for the developers as it was for the player. The game is a step in the right direction, a big one. It's full of hope for the future, bright with the knowledge that Telltale can actually handle the task of creating a compelling episodic series. "

A good sequel is a game that adds just enough to the existing formula to keep it fresh, while still remaining true to the original. Strong Bad's Cool Game For Attractive People Episode 2: Strong Badia the Free accomplishes that convincingly. It made a believer out of me, which is one surprise more than I expected.

There were other surprises too, such as the changes in the formula and the new minigames. The game has come a long way from the first, and yet has managed to stay firmly in the exact same place. If you didn't like Episode 1, then you won't find an epiphany in Episode 2. If you did, however, you'll find what is a decidedly superior game.

It opens with the slate being wiped clean. Our protagonist is answering his e-mail when the King of Town bursts into his home, accuses him of tax evasion, and steals his freedom...and his map. Just like that, all the locations you discovered during the first game disappear. You're trapped in your own home until you can figure out some means to escape. Once you do, there will be hell to pay.

Upon acquiring a new map, a game board from some Risk-like war game, you can move about again. The game is still every bit as point-and-click as before, but now the goal is different. There's a territory control element to it. You have to figure out how to get every other country to join Strong Bad's country, Strong Badia. One territory at a time, you work your way to the Of Town's castle. Strong Bad now refuses to call him the king, believing that no ruler should be able to flagrantly abuse his power in such a way. Apparently his grasp on politics is flimsy.

It's new, if not entirely so. The difference in maps provides a clear differentiation between Episode 1 and Episode 2. It gives Strong Badia the Free an unexpectedly unique flavor. It is more of the same, but presented in a compelling way.

Better still is that the writing has improved. It feels like the staff is comfortable in their roles now that they have one game under their belts. What were once grin-to-yourself moment in Homestar Runner become laugh-out-loud moments in Strong Badia the Free.

The other additions are less consequential, but still encouraging. Strong Bad's fun machine, an atari like console, has a different playable minigame than before, which indicates every adventure will have a new game to look forward to, and all the side quests have been updated for those completionists among you.

In essence, this game makes the entire first game feel like a lengthy tutorial, familiarizing you with the characters and the locations and the flow of gameplay. It was as much a learning experience for the developers as it was for the player. The game is a step in the right direction, a big one. It's full of hope for the future, bright with the knowledge that Telltale can actually handle the task of creating a compelling episodic series.

The biggest flaw may well be the source material. For all its improvements, a game about Homestar Runner can't shake its niche appeal. But it does give the fans something to look forward to.



dragoon_of_infinity's avatar
Freelance review by Josh Higley (October 26, 2008)

A bio for this contributor is currently unavailable, but check back soon to see if that changes. If you are the author of this review, you can update your bio from the Settings page.

More Reviews by Josh Higley [+]
Antipole (Xbox 360) artwork
Antipole (Xbox 360)

The gimmick is simple. Go to the right and win. You can jump, you can shoot, and you can invert gravity within a certain radius of the character. And that's it. There's no plot or villain, just you, a plasma rifle, and a hellish maze of circular saws, moving platforms, and angry robots.
Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4 (PlayStation 2) artwork
Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4 (PlayStation 2)

Think back to a normal day in high school. Specifically, remember the routine. Every day, you wake up, you go to class, eat lunch, take tests, talk to friends, and do the same thing you've done a thousand times in real life. Yet through some trickery, it's actually a great game that excels in taking the mundane and mak...
Saira (PC) artwork
Saira (PC)

Nifflas makes a very specific kind of game. You can generally pick them out at a glance, it's the kind of game you can sum up in a single sentence.

Feedback

If you enjoyed this Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People Episode 2: Strong Badia the Free review, you're encouraged to discuss it with the author and with other members of the site's community. If you don't already have an HonestGamers account, you can sign up for one in a snap. Thank you for reading!

You must be signed into an HonestGamers user account to leave feedback on this review.

User Help | Contact | Ethics | Sponsor Guide | Links

eXTReMe Tracker
© 1998 - 2024 HonestGamers
None of the material contained within this site may be reproduced in any conceivable fashion without permission from the author(s) of said material. This site is not sponsored or endorsed by Nintendo, Sega, Sony, Microsoft, or any other such party. Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People Episode 2: Strong Badia the Free is a registered trademark of its copyright holder. This site makes no claim to Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People Episode 2: Strong Badia the Free, its characters, screenshots, artwork, music, or any intellectual property contained within. Opinions expressed on this site do not necessarily represent the opinion of site staff or sponsors. Staff and freelance reviews are typically written based on time spent with a retail review copy or review key for the game that is provided by its publisher.