Costume Quest 2

Costume Quest 2 is a lighthearted turn-based RPG from Double Fine Productions, continuing the first game; it arrived on Wii U as a digital eShop title shortly after its premiere on other platforms. Siblings Wren and Reynold this time set off on a Halloween journey through time after the evil dentist Orel Gilbert Grubb decides to take candy away from people once and for all – and with it the very meaning of the holiday – by banning trick-or-treating back in the past, before it even began.

As in the first game, it builds on the charm of children's costumes – in the ordinary world, kids simply go trick-or-treating from house to house, but once a battle begins, the costume transforms into a real combat ability, so a robot suit fires rockets, a unicorn costume heals allies, and a new pizza costume can split an attack across multiple enemies at once. Battles play out in classic turn-based fashion with added timed button presses for bonus attacks or defense, keeping the game brisk and accessible for younger audiences without losing tactical depth in choosing costumes against specific enemy types. Between fights, the player explores towns and historical eras, including a Victorian district full of haunted houses, collects new costumes, and completes small side quests for neighbors and monsters in exchange for candy and other decorations.

The visual style stays true to the previous game's cute, rounded graphics, with the children and monster characters looking like animated drawings from a children's book, and the music continues the saga's playful, autumnal tone full of xylophones and wind instruments. Contemporary reviews were generally positive, praising especially the atmosphere, humor, and new costumes, with mild criticism directed at the low difficulty and short playtime compared to expectations. Costume Quest 2 on Wii U works as a pleasant, undemanding RPG fairy tale ideal for autumn evenings, even though it never surpassed the excitement sparked by the original, and it still serves today as a good entry point into the genre for the youngest players.

Why play: For its atmosphere, humor, and new costumes, it's a pleasant, undemanding RPG fairy tale for autumn evenings and a good entry point into the genre for the youngest players, even though it never surpassed the excitement of the original.