Analysis of The Bridge Curse 2 for PC

Relatively recently, in 2022, The Bridge Curse Road to Salvation was released on PC. Later, last year, the game made the jump to consoles. Well, it didn’t take long for SoftStar to bring us the sequel to this horror game and today we bring you the analysis of The Bridge Curse 2: Extrication.

The game It launched on May 9 on PC and, although there is no confirmed date, it will be released this year in 2024 on consoles.. We have already been able to play it and, if you join me in these lines, we will try to determine if this new opus is worth it, as well as its strong and weak points.

I start by clarifying a doubt that often arises when talking about the sequel to a previous title. Is it necessary to play the first game? The answer is that No. This part, although unfolding very similarly to the first part, takes us to another place and tells us another story. This story is not related to events that happened in the game 2 years ago. You can therefore launch into this second part without fear without having played the first.

Analysis The Bridge Curse 2: A story perhaps already seen

Concerning the story, the game takes us to Wen Hua University, famous for being among the top 10 campuses with s tories of ghosts and paranormal phenomena. We will follow the adventures of 4 characters

Argumentatively, and without wanting to spoil, the game gradually introduces elements of a story that ends up being a little topical in this type of setting. At times, and keeping the distance, it reminded me of what I saw in Asian films like “The Ring”, although it doesn’t play so much with the paranormal but rather with intuitive fear.

The structure of the game is to divide our game by following the 4 characters separately. That is, we will play in order (without being able to modify it) the stories of the 4. Obviously, as these stories take place in the same building, we will see how closely the 4 episodes are linked to each other, even if the game will develop independently in each “section”.

Somewhat hidden gameplay…

In purely playable terms, we would be faced with a horror adventure that It doesn’t become survival horror. Instead of betting on Resident Evil-style action, the game He opts for more Outlast type action. The feeling of helplessness will be a constant in the game and only in certain playable segments will we have a lamp that will allow us to “reject” the attack of a being who is pursuing us. It will be on several occasions and with different characters in which we will have to play the game. cat and mouse gamehaving to flee and hide from our pursuer in order to continue moving forward.

In addition to this stealth/evasion mechanic, the game There will be segments in which we will have to use the “coconut” and solve puzzles to continue moving forward. There will be simpler and more coherent ones consisting simply of searching for an object on stage and others which will be more complex in which you will have to think carefully about the key. We will also have classic puzzles of moving pieces to form a whole.

In short, there will be two playable bases of the SoftStar game: on the one hand we will have the exploration of scenarios and the solving of puzzles and, on the other hand, scenes with a little more tension and terror in which we will have to hide or run away from something that is stalking us. Additionally, the game will contain “collectibles” or items that expand the story. For completionists, your challenge will be to discover them all and this will last several hours

…among so many cinema

Even if the playable base is very attractive, the game shakes it up head-on due to its continuous cuts in the rhythm and its abundant cinematic scenes. On several occasions, the game will stop the “action” and “delight” us with scenes (some even too long) in which we will witness as simple spectators what is being told to us.

I’m not saying they’re bad or not followed with interest, but it hurts that the game cuts your rhythm so many times when, let’s say, you’re having a good time. This almost takes the gameplay to the back burner and on many occasions we put down the controller or mouse only to know that it’s not the time to play now and we have to wait until the cutscene ends. In my opinion, it might make more sense to compact these sequences at the beginning or end of the characters’ stories and give the player more freedom of play, and not have their rhythm interrupted from time to time.

Yet and with everything, We are faced with a game whose gameplay, without being very new, is elaborate and very direct, simple and clear. At almost any time, you will know what you need to do and where you need to go. Because of the menu of objectives and partly because of the structure of the scenarios, almost linear, in which you will not have time to get lost or deviate from your mission.

Visually it’s correct, and it works well on Steam Deck!

Regarding the setting, the clearance affects several points in common that it has with Asian horror cinema. There will be no shortage of scary jumps and a dark setting that sometimes borders on the paranormal. If we talk about the audiovisual section, the game looks decent and We have not observed any serious failure. Even if it’s not a graphical marvel and some textures need more work, it works correctly and we can’t ask for more from a title that is not intended to be the new triple A that changes the industry .

Additionally, the game, although it does not have the verified label in the Valve store, It is fully compatible on Steam Deck natively. Although it is true that frame rate will not reach 60 frames per secondit’s nice around 30 and 40 FPS, also depending on whether you limit the TDP or not

Analysis of The Bridge Curse 2: conclusions

In conclusion, the 5 hours it can last The Bridge Curse 2: Extrication son fully enjoyable provided you like narrative horror games in which there is not much action and is more geared towards exploration and puzzle solving. We would have liked more rhythm and fewer interruptions with abundant cutscenes, but thanks to a entertaining gameplay accessible to allfans of horror and mystery games will be the ones who will appreciate this proposition the most.