Sylvio 2

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 :)

I want to preface this by saying I entirely understand why this game has mixed reviews. It helps a lot better to go into this thinking of it as more of an interactive experience rather than a game. Gameplay wise, the main focal point is certainly the EVP investigation elements. Fast forwarding, rewinding, slow, combing through ghostly recordings to get enough evidence to continue on. However outside of that it's largely "Go to clearly marked point A, do the recording, Move on to point B, repeat until the area is clear, then move on to the next area and repeat the process all over again." Still, those EVP mechanics are some of the coolest game mechanics I've ever seen. Especially the video ones.
What really shines for this game for me, what lodged this game into my brain, was the atmosphere. My god the atmosphere is phenomenal. Oppressive, bleak, distressing, yet peaceful. Creepy, sad, disturbing, harrowing even at times. Nothing that ever outright jumpscares you, nothing that ever shocks your system to a point of fight or flight, but it still seeps into you as you play. Even the smaller moments of waiting for the boat to arrive at its next destination, you can just feel it permeating around you. There's never any real feeling of danger, but that deep dread feeling just oozes out of this game.
Again, I totally understand why this isn't for everybody. If you're looking for something exciting and heart pumping, this probably isn't for you. Despite that, I would honestly still recommend playing through this game at least once in your life. I can see the vision for this project very clearly, and in my opinion it's still very effective despite the gameplay being somewhat basic outside of the EVP mechanic. Sit back with some popcorn and treat it like a movie experience.
All in all, strictly treating it as a game I would give it a 6.5/10, but as like, idk how to explain it, as a media experience? Solid 8/10.