Figment 2: Creed Valley – Review

In 2017, when the first Figment came out, it was one of my favourite new releases. An action-platformer with a theatrical flourish that takes place in the player’s head? Incredible originality! Figment 2: Creed Valley, developed by Bedtime Studios, is a direct sequel to the original game. The first Figment is not required to appreciate the second, but it would be a shame if you didn’t play it first (especially since the first is free on Steam today).

Although it retains the first film’s visual panache and infectious tunes, Figment 2 has an oddly reduced scope. Both games are around 5 hours long, but Figment 2 lacks the vigour and variety of its predecessor and comes off as more of an afterthought than a triumphant return to form. This isn’t inherently a bad thing, as I always look forward to a second helping of Figment’s dreamlike, subconscious mindscape. However, in all other respects, it is identical to the original game albeit on a smaller scale and with fewer fart clouds.

Also returning are Dusty and Piper, two friends who serve as guardians of the strange world of the human mind. Dusty is loud and obnoxious and thinks he should be a stand-up comedian, while Piper, his avian friend, is upbeat and positive. Both in that game and this one, they were pursuing horrors. A moral guide, located in the form of a massive physical clock at the heart of The Mind, has been broken, and the two suspect a lanky two-headed jester on the loose is to blame. To undo The Mind’s corruption, Dusty and Piper must journey to Creed Valley and fix the compass.

Figment’s action platforming is easy going once you get the hang of swinging your wooden blade around. You weave in and out of hordes of imaginary beasts, bopping them until they explode into a handful of health spheres and then running away. It’s mostly a case of hacking and slashing, though you might have to deflect a projectile with a well-timed swipe. The first hour or so is fun, but the enemies, which are vaguely based on fireworks and robots, start to look the same after a while. It’s boring to be trapped in a limited area and face the same four enemy types over and over again with no new twists or turns. Minibosses are entertaining at first, especially when you have to rush up to their weapon and bonk them on the head, but by the sixth, seventh, and eighth time you face them, the novelty has worn off.

However, the challenges are cool. Sometimes you’ll have an entire screen devoted to a single platforming mechanical contraption, and navigating through it will feel like working your way through a cool puzzle box, while other times you’ll simply have to place coloured light bulbs in the appropriate sockets in the correct sequence. There are also challenges where you have more freedom to roam, requiring you to switch leavers from their “open” to their “closed” positions in order to cause a significant change in your immediate surroundings.

Boss battles in Figment, which feature brawling, problem solving, and bombastic musical numbers, are the game’s high points. These confrontations are the game’s high point, but they don’t happen very often in Figment 2. A slow ballad and a humorous choir chorus are among the other musical pieces, but they are not boss battles. Figment’s pairing of villain melodies with fight scenes is brilliant, as any theatregoer will attest. As soon as you start playing, you’re thrown into one: a gigantic nightmare bull, complete with its own rock anthem, charges the stage and tries to bulldoze you as guitars shred in the background. That’s so cool! The final song is also incredible (a showdown of colour and melody that I won’t spoil here). From the first Figment’s trio of evil maestros to the second’s lone villain, I desired nothing more than more evil music to witch-cackle to.

Since I don’t think I’ve gushed enough about Figment 2’s excellent gameplay, I’ve written a song to celebrate the game’s other strong suit: its world building. Figment’s storybook art style and world design are beautiful, and I applaud any game that makes its own universe from inception. The world is full of delightful little surprises, such as a piano-key bridge you can play and bongos you can plant in the ground that make the most satisfying sound as you patter up and down them on pencil steps.

Beautifully realised in a painterly style based around a subject, each area is reminiscent of Psychonauts in its attention to detail. Creed Valley is built from movable, colourful stone pieces that evoke the workings of the human brain. There’s the ethics labyrinth, a gilded palace stuffed with floating tomes, baffling bridges, and perplexing predicaments. A dark cavern with black marble floors and strange luminescent blue lamps that sprout from the floor like mushrooms marks the pocket area below the labyrinth, where humanoid ‘discarded opinions’ have dropped down. There is a lot of imagination in the universe of this game.

The humour and tone of Figment 2 are spot on; the game has a distinct “Saturday morning cartoon” feel. However, as much as I enjoy racing around as Dusty and smashing things, I’d rather he concentrate on the task at hand rather than racking his brain for quips that would make Joss Whedon and Michael Scott chuckle. He’s annoying, sure, but the game’s comedy seems tailored to a younger audience, just like the general tone. For the second time in an hour, Dusty smugly remarked, “Just another day in the office,” and I let out a deep, exasperated exhale, imagining some child laughing at the quip.

If you’re looking for a cooperative game that the whole family can enjoy, Figment 2 is a great option. This is the one area where it excels over its forerunner. Player 2’s Piper is merely a tameable balloon that follows Dusty around; while in the air, she is safe from injury. But her lack of usefulness is mitigated by the fact that she can heal herself while Player 1 does the heavy lifting. She’s great for players who want to team up but don’t feel like fighting or pressing buttons quickly.

Figment 2 is a good game in general, but it’s a pity it can’t live up to the legacy of its predecessor. Even so, it’s always a delight to get another glimpse inside Bedtime’s residents’ heads. While Figment 2 can be enjoyed on your own, it really shines when played with a second person, especially a young one.