Guess what? That’s right, Sludge Life 2 is a thing. I really didn’t need to open by saying “guess what” when the game’s name is in the title, huh? You definitely already knew. If you liked the extremely strange world presented by the first game, you’re probably going to really like what the sequel offers. It’s got another sandbox to wander for spots to tag and odd NPCs to interact with. I got to take an hour-long look at the game and I’m a little weirded out. In a good way, though. Not in the other way. The bad one. You know.
Sludge Life 2 kicks off with series protagonist Ghost waking up in a bathtub with a laptop (as one does). The rapper he’s managing, frog man Big Mud, has gone missing after a wild night and it’s up to you to find him. You do this by poking around until you accidentally find out where he is, at which point you take him to a blue void to film a live performance. This makes as much sense to you as it does to me, I promise. One interesting thing about this preview is that it was accompanied by a timer counting down the whole while.
The weird thing is, I think I may have beaten the game within that hour, but perhaps that’s just all the story there is in this preview. I can’t be sure. Of course, this is Sludge Life 2, so “I can’t be sure” is an acceptable response to absolutely any part of it.. The game retains the trippy, lo-fi aesthetic of its forebear. The location the game takes place in is cigarette themed and everybody smokes – rappers, kids, employees that are literally only smoking because their smoke break is the only time they don’t have to work.
You can spray Ghost’s tags wherever you find a blue can icon. You can also collect cigarettes to give to NPCs. Much like the first game, the NPCs are veritably insane. I found one in a room completely surrounded by birds. One of his birds didn’t show up, so he asks Ghost if he can sub in for him. A cargo container contains a very tall man surrounded by discarded milk cartons. He almost immediately admits to having a “milk problem”. I too have a milk problem, but only due to my stomach issues. I can barely look at the stuff.
You’ll still find items littering the areas. I found the hang glider and warp device, which both return from the first game, but there are new items as well. There are still hallucinogenic mushrooms around, which let you soar above the world before you’re pulled back into your body as Ghost vomits up green slush. And there’s a lot of sludge still. I bet you’re shocked by that. I’m pretty partial to the style this series exudes, so I’m pretty glad there’s a second one, but I really do hope it’s got a lot more meat that I’ve yet to uncover.
Sludge Life 2 is another deeply weird game filled with insane characters and surreal places. If you liked the first one, you’ll like this one too. And who doesn’t want to wander a cartoony nightmare world with a bunch of frog people and giant cigarette advertisements? Well, okay. Most people. Most people don’t want to do that. Whatever, I’ll be in my trailer. And I mean the trailer I live in, not one I’m sitting in on some lot. Then again, I’m always in here. Only I don’t have a trailer at all, so I guess that just makes me a liar. What was I talking about again?
