Sylvio 2

Sylvio 2 is an odd duck when it comes to video game sequels, its common for the sequels in this medium to be improvements in pretty much all respects. Sylvio 2 is an improvement to 1 in some ways, but in other’s it’s a bit shaky.
Sylvio 2 is much more of a pure adventure game this time around, gone are the spud gun, malevolent shadows, and awkward platforming of the first game. It makes for more of a linear experience, especially because all ghost phenomena is indicated by orbs of light now that guide you to them, but the ghost gadget mechanics have been improved on with the addition of the video camera, which adds even greater creepy atmosphere to the game. And said atmosphere as just as great as the first game, with you now exploring abandoned apartment buildings and the like. The soundtrack also maintain the first’s quality.
The overworld this time is a bunch of islands in a huge lake that you navigate by boat. This honestly feels like padding, especially because you can skip the long travel times by sleeping in the nearby bed in the ship’s bridge. The islands tend to either have the subterranean buildings you to need to go to progress, strange symbols you can collect, and bodies that grant you keys that gives you access to doors in the ballroom area. I think it would have been stronger to have the game be set in a singular building, but that would probably complicate the ending. And let me tell you about the ending…
The ending is one of the most torn I felt with a videogame ending in a while, because while on one hand it’s a huge jarring genre shift with very little foreshadowing from either game to the point it feels like its almost a joke, it actually gives you a good explanation of what was going on in both games when there really wasn’t a clear definitive answer. It’s also ridiculously conclusive.
Ultimately Sylvio 2 is still a flawed game like its predecessor. Its ghost hunting mechanics are great and I’d like to see more like it in other games, but the ending and some of the execution (Namely how the ghosts' narratives could have been stronger) kind of bring it down. It’s still a really nice atmospheric horror game worth playing though.

Update/Edit: I still recommend this game but I found myself recently wondering why I haven't gone back to playng Sylvio 2 despite the first one being one of my favorite games of all time. I put a lot of thought into it and I think the reason is this: the first game had an open world quality and in between the open world and story bits, there were these odd shooting parts with a potato gun that actually broke up the monotony really well. That being said, this game does away with the open world and the shooting, leaving just the voices and the video playback mechanism. While this makes for a decent game, it doesn't have the same feeling of the first game and hasn't quite grabbed me like I thought it would. My initial excitement over this game wore off pretty quickly and now I haven't gone back to playing it. I still recommend it as the story is very well done and the video mechanic is still incredibly intriguing but I do very much miss the style of the first game. I have no idea when I will play Sylvio 2 again as it's stuck in my backlog now. The first game made me want to keep playing it. I played it on PS4 and I got every single trophy and did literally everything the game had to offer within a week and was hungry for more. I think this game is just different enough from it's predecessor to draw some people in but others (like me) may be slightly pushed away. It's an unintended consequence of course but it's happened none-the-less. There will still be many who greatly enjoy this game. But unfortunately, it's not quite on the level of the first one. I felt it was my duty to update this review since I haven't gone back to playing the game and couldn't help but wonder why. Maybe I will return to it one day but maybe not. Time will tell.
Original Review:
I'm only about an hour in so far but MAN is this good! If you've never heard of Sylvio, I strongly suggest you play the first one as it is an EXTREMELY underrated game. I played the first one on PS4 early this year and just absolutely fell in love with it. I bought Sylvio 2 as soon as it went up for sale this morning and I played it a little bit this evening.
The graphics are not fantastic or anything but they work really, really well with this type of game. The fun in Sylvio is basically walking around with a recorder and recording voices in the static. Ghosts and whatnot. Then, playing those recordings at 6 different speeds (forward, fast forward, slow forward, backwards, slow backwards, fast backwards) to pick out hidden voices that will give you story info and clues. Using the information and clues you move the story forward, etc. In Sylvio 2 you do the exact same thing only last time it was just audio...this time it's audio and video. You record ghosts and play back the video. It's actually quite addictive.
The game has many locations but I've only been to three so far (I just arrived at my third location). This game has a similar open world structure to the last game only this time you are on a boat and each location is an island that you visit by punching coordinates into a computer.
I'll update more when I've played more of the game but so far, this is definitely an improvement but more of the same at the same time. I couldn't be happier with it so far. Do yourself a favor, if you are thinking about checking this one out, I do highly recommend the first one. Maybe watch some videos online to see if it's something you would be interested in. I find the game unique and facinating.

First of all, if you haven't already, go play the first installment, because Sylvio is one of the best horror games you'll ever play.
In my humble unpopular opinion, Sylvio 2 is even better. Why?
1. Tedious puzzles are removed.
2. The landscape is even more surreal than in the first game (didn't know it was possible).
3. A personal ship is so much better than that ghastly jalopy from the first game.
4. The juice of the matter- ghost interactions - is now so much more engaging thanks to the video recorder.
5. In the previous game Juliette was detached from the immediate story. She was an outsider and an onlooker. Now, the story concerns herself. She's lost and wants home. There's one little grudge that I have with the story - HERE BE SPOILERS, don't open if you've already decided to play. the end explains everything. OBJECTIVELY!!! In a game that was so subtle throughout all its length it's DUMB!! And that particular final explanation is STUPID!!!
So, like I said, it's a better game than one of the best horror games you'll ever play. Go play.

Personally, I really enjoyed this game. I'm sure the change in gameplay is not to a lot of people's taste, and it is not as great as the first one. Yes, it's very slow-paced. Yes, the ending is a bit odd and not at all what I was expecting (though I would argue that it does connect to the first game and line up with the hints in this one just fine). But I had a lot of fun with it.
I think if you go into it expecting a mirror of the first game, you'll be disappointed. On the other hand, if you think you'd enjoy a walking simulator with a creepy horror atmosphere, no jump scares, and a mission to tease out every clue you can about the spirits, their lives and their deaths, then it's well worth a playthrough.

Personally I really loved this game (as well as the first). It had the same quirky yet creepy atmosphere that drew me into its predecessor. I was originally put off by its mixed reviews but ended up being pleasantly surprised! Exploring the houses and buildings of this strange dead world and recording and listening to the voices of its long gone inhabitants felt so unique and unlike anything I'd ever played, even including the original.

Atmosphere/Music/Voice Acting:
I think Stroboskop nailed it with the atmosphere, the soundtrack and voice acting really carries the game. The music adds an ominous vibe, at certain parts you really get the feeling that something is about to happen. Overall I think Sylvio 2 is spookier than the first game. I'm pleased that the same voice actor is back, I like the soft spoken dialogue, it fits the mood of the game.
Gameplay/Puzzles/Mechanics:
Sylvio 2 changed up the gameplay from the first game much more than I had expected. The most notable new feature is a video playback mechanic, very cool and reminds me of late night low budget ghost hunter TV shows. But there is no longer any platforming or combat, and the puzzles are straightforward and logical. Finding voices in the static I feel was made too easy in Sylvio 2.
Story:
Interesting, the game takes you on a mind boggling ride.
Presentation/Graphics/Performance:
The graphics are rough by modern standard, the quality is about the same as the Sylvio remake. The textures look mediocre, and the proportions of some objects look wrong. The overall map design and transitions between locations/areas just sometimes don't make sense. I sometimes get the feeling that there are cut-scenes missing.
However the ghost recording videos look cool and the performance of the game is great. It will probably run fine on most integrated GPU's.
Technical issues:
The game itself works fine, but some bugs remain related to the settings as of now (resolution detection, vsync and quality). The issues can be worked around, but will for sure annoy people.
Overall:
I think basically everyone who liked the first Sylvio game, most likely will enjoy this game too. But there will be polarizing opinions about if the changes made to the games formula, are for the better or worse. I kinda miss the platforming, weird combat and obscure puzzles. But maybe I'm just being nostalgic, because those things also frustrated me the most about the first game. Anyway I enjoyed Sylvio 2, has an even better spookier atmosphere than the first game.
Note: I played a full playthrough of a pre-release build (I'm one of the Patreon backers), and a partial playthrough of the released game.

TLDR: If you enjoyed the first, you'll likely enjoy it. If you are new to the series, I think you will still like it (and should play the first game after this one).

I had nothing but praise for the first Sylvio game... this one surpasses the original in some aspects, but falls short in others.

Loved the return of the sound analysis, running the recordings forward and back, fast and slow. Even better, I loved have the sound wave pattern to look at while doing so, having a visual helped differentiate the sounds and helped me find bits I missed. The video analysis hits hard, spooky as heck and mesmerizing, if hard to make out (which is certainly the point and part of the scary charm).

There are now markers that guide you through areas, showing where to record sounds, grab items, etc. This is a double edged blade; great to know you are heading the right way, good to know when you've completed an area, pointing out items you may miss. However, feels a bit hand-holdy when the first game kinda just threw you in, and you had to use clues and sound cues to figure out recording locations. Specifically, thinking about the "words in the static". I miss having to walk around with nothing but the increasing and decreasing intensity of the static to let me know I'm about to find some words. Despite this downside, the recordings and voices are still top-notch and creepy as heck.

I am also both happy and sad to see the blunderbus from the first game has been dropped. Some of the annoying puzzles are gone (yay!) but no fighting creepy shadows, always looking over your shoulder and wondering when the next one is coming (miss that...).

At the point I'm reviewing, I believe I'm about to reach the lighthouse mentioned multiple times in the game. Not sure what's next, but I've seen posts mentioning a metal detector, so here's hoping Sylvio 2 has another new trick up its sleeve! If you read all this, thank you! Play the game, it's creepy good fun :)