14 DAY TRIAL // I jump out of a window, attracted by a tagging sign I previously missed. My decision is rash as I understand I don’t know how to actually get to it. So I settle for a little more exploration, moving through the hotel floor to see what kind of people occupy the rooms. One guy is eager to tell me that he licked some weird fungus so I go to see that.
The exterior stairs draw my attention and I chat with a few more people. I drop down another level and look for more opportunities to brighten the world with some paint. Two dudes talk to me about revolutions and corporations. And then I remember that I still have a frog to find and more platforming opportunities to acquire.
Sludge Life 2 is developed by Terri Vellmann and Doseone, with publishing in the hands of Devolver Digital. I played a preview version on Steam on the PC. The title mixes exploration and tagging with a unique vision of the future.
The punk and weirdness of the original game quickly make an appearance as players wake up in a hotel suite to find that rapper known as Big Mud has vanished. Ciggy City Suites is a mega-hotel and Ghost takes on the tough job of finding clues about the rapper frog’s whereabouts.
The character density has been increased and moving through hotel floors involved quick conversations with a ton of people and other assorted creatures. Some are only interested in cigs and cool beats, while others are ready to spill out their entire philosophy about life and the universe in a single conversation. They might not have useful info to offer but they do have personality and make the world fun.
Sludge Life 2’s gameplay centers on discovery, movement, and conversations. The hotel’s elevator might be out but stairs and secret passages offer a simple way to move from floor to floor, pushing apartment doors open to find out what weirdness can be found inside.
As with the original, the world also presents plenty of opportunities to tag, taking a big old drab building to add color and style. There seem to be more easily accessible spots, clearly marked visually, but there are also plenty of platforming challenges.
The game combines solid gameplay with atmosphere and an interesting take on the future. It’s both engaging and troubling, with massive corporations and brutalist architecture existing alongside carefree taggers and
Sludge Life 2 keeps the mix of decadence and weirdness of the original when it comes to presentation. The world is very detailed, with a ton of nooks and crannies to explore, but it’s presented in a very punk low fidelity way. I love the colorful characters and locations and the gray of most building exteriors and the black, polluted water. Tagging really brightens up this universe.
The game’s approach to music is also impressive. Radios are spread across the world, delivering diegetic sick beats to explore to, and I love how characters speak, even if it's not a real language.
Conclusion
Anyone who has not played the original should do that right now, to get a good idea of its strengths. Tag and explore, then settle in for the wait. Sludge Life 2 offers new mechanics and other tricks but its most important asset is the new suite of locations and their many cool encounters.
A preview key was provided by the publisher
