Just as I'm about to nod off, a heated argument erupts around the campfire. Not to worry, I think, as I ignore them and close my eyes. Should have worried. The next morning I awake to find one of the arguers rocking back and forth in a stupor, having just cannibalised the other. Okay. Let's, um, march on, shall we? A few days later, an ally morphs into a flesh-eating ghoul. Another slips on a rock and cracks their head, losing the knowledge of vital skills. One fella just leaves. All this, just to acquire an orchid.
The Curious Expedition 2 is, at its heart, a machine for making rip-roaring adventure stories about heroic exploration and/or colonial plundering, depending on how generous you want to be to developers Maschinen-Mensch. It creates some fun narratives, like the one above. But it’s also a roguelike, and it really makes you bleed for them. If I’m honest, I wish it was a little more forgiving.