Curious Expedition 2: Shores of Taishi DLC

A lucky dice roll allows me to fool members of the Peacock tribe that I am a legendary figure, which makes it easier to get their help when needed. A bad roll means I am unable to domesticate a red panda, after I decide I don’t really want to hunt one. My expedition is trying to find a gold-plated pyramid but the teleporters that dot this island have not made that easy. I don’t have a ton of supplies left so I’d better focus on my target rather than chasing every potential point of interest.

Curious Expedition 2 – Shores of Taishi is developed by Maschinen-Mensch and again published by Thunderful Publishing. This is the second piece of downloadable content for the game, opening up access to a big new area for players to adventure in.

The Celestial Shores comes complete with new terrain and teleportation, designed to move the party between isles. The Peacock tribe provides native encounters and there are both six new enemies, including spirit-powered tigers, and six new recruitable characters, including a Tanuki. A Taishi club also opens up with rewards in Paris.

There’s no major tweak to the gameplay, still centered around careful use of sanity and dice rolls. I like that there are fewer encounters that force players into battle. Teleportation sometimes makes it very easy to reach an objective but can also introduce chaos that leads to quick sanity loss.

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Curious Expedition 2 continues to impress with its variety of potential expedition members and items. If the gameplay starts to become too familiar, try to use a recruit that has been ignored so far or see how an entirely new slate of supplies can lead to impressive success or death on a mysterious island.

Shores of Taishi adds a host of new visuals to the already distinctive presentation. The new Celestial Shores island looks a little alien, a little threatening, but also feature impeccable character work. The sound design remains solid, especially the whimsical soundtrack (which could use more variety).

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Conclusion

Shores of Taishi is a solid addition to Curious Expedition 2, with a lot of new content inspired by a mythical take on medieval China. Anyone who has played an enjoyed the core game should pick it up if looking for both new adventures and more ways to engage with already familiar ground.

The teleportation mechanics is a little weird at first and seems at odds with the title's universe. But I eventually appreciated the extra randomness. Shores of Taishi shows that the developers have plenty of ideas on how to expand their game and I eagerly await the moment when my team will meet reptile tribes from the center of the world.

Review code provided by the publisher.