Describing Everhood 2, Foreign Gnomes’ follow-up to its surprise rhythm-based RPG, is a task. Not quite an enviable task or one that really must be borne, but it exists. Is it something I pursue or just another means of proving my vanity? Is there a higher purpose, perhaps enlightenment waiting at the end? Is there a point to any of it, except for the fact that it never ends? That it seemingly exists beyond conscious thought with the invitation of something more base and instinctual befitting the classic video games?

Did it really matter whether I played Fortnite or not?

In 2021, you controlled Red, a being who ventured through Everhood to retrieve their arm. The bizarre denizens are eventually revealed to be immortals, and Red is the only one capable of killing them, releasing them from the boredom of their unending existence. Or not, if they so choose.

"Thus do you venture to a strange town with a hotel whose rooms seemingly serve as pocket dimensions for its residents (including, but not limited to, Carl Jung and Rasputin)."

That’s the simple version of the story, yet it elicited comparisons to Undertale, especially the freedom to kill anyone with New Game Plus yielding new discoveries and choices. It had a beginning, middle and end to its overarching plot. Contrary to the name, Everhood could end if you so chose it.

Everhood 2 is a different matter entirely.

In a nutshell, you’re a being, the color of which is seemingly randomly doled out at the start. After running afoul of the core of all evil in the universe – unlucky, I know – you’re saved by the mysterious Raven. He reveals that you must become stronger and defeat the Dragon. Only then can you begin the process of defeating the evil.

Thus do you venture to a strange town with a hotel whose rooms seemingly serve as pocket dimensions for its residents (including, but not limited to, Carl Jung and Rasputin). Thus you learn that you’re a Light Being, who can traverse dimensions. Thus you venture to the start of an alien civilization, freeing them from their chains and defeating their oppressors – including anthropomorphic sharks and tigers. Thus you discover the Slimes and their bloodthirsty tendencies, but not before partaking in an uprising in the Veggie Kingdom, which leads into a tournament to become the Juice Master.

And this all before you battle the Dragon. Which you can do at any time, by the way. Just don’t expect to win.

"The rhythm-based gameplay returns, and you’re not constrained to simply avoiding different colored notes, depicting attacks, for an extended portion of the game."

The overall tones of Everhood 2‘s narrative oscillate between absurdist and philosophical. It seems you’re forging the building blocks of your personality and legacy to eventually surpass your limitations, but then it flips the script in an almost mocking fashion. Everything seemingly matters, but also none of it matters.

All is vanity, but you’re still fighting hard to push forward. It’s all for something, right? Right? Much as I enjoyed the implausible, almost stream-of-consciousness-like plot, the pretentiousness threatens to overwhelm and ultimately render it moot. “Why are you doing all this anyway?” it almost wants to ask in fourth-wall-breaking fashion.

Everhood 2 won’t answer that question for you, but, like the first game, it will push the limits of your endurance. The rhythm-based gameplay returns, and you’re not constrained to simply avoiding different colored notes, depicting attacks, for an extended portion of the game. Instead, you can absorb these notes – absorbing multiple of the same color results in stronger hits. If you absorb a different color or get hit, the counter resets. While your health regenerates during combat, Death Defiance is in place in case you take too many hits and fall.

Combat is further augmented when Soul Weapons come into play. Each colored note represents a different attribute, and some weapons may deal more damage with that color. Absorbing enough notes can also activate progressively stronger attacks on top of other benefits like armor break or Life Steal. You can also switch between weapons depending on the need, though given the limited Power Gems discovered in my playthrough, you may be forced to lean on some options depending on the battle.

"That presentation carries over into the exploration. I wouldn’t necessarily classify the game’s sprite work and art direction as “beautiful” – that’s not the purpose, either way – but it’s still appealing."

While it all sounds simple enough, later fights will toy with everything – image clarity, blurriness, depth perception, death perception, the paths of notes, contrast, brightness, and visibility – to defeat you. Building up enough notes of the same color to activate your Heavy cast to inflict massive damage seems like the best strategy at times. However, you may also choose to absorb other notes as they rapidly assail you in smaller intervals, if only to avoid damage.

With so much hinging on the music, Everhood 2 delivers an eclectic quality of beats. The dragon’s theme will stay with you through repeated attempts or sheer catchiness. Despite distinct personalities and lines, some enemies possess similar tunes to others with only slight tweaks. Nevertheless, the sheer magnitude, coupled with the mind-bending presentation, ensures you’re hooked.

The downside is that it can become a little too much with the reduced visibility, leading to unwanted mistakes and generally taxing my eyes with the sheer amount of flashing. There is a Story Mode for those who desire less challenge and an Image Sensitive accessibility option, but even those who think they can handle it should be warned.

That presentation carries over into the exploration. I wouldn’t necessarily classify the game’s sprite work and art direction as “beautiful” – that’s not the purpose, either way – but it’s still appealing. Minimalistic on many occasions and crossing over into other dimensions during others, it goes above and beyond the first game’s trippiness. Even if the overworld can appear simplistic regardless of the color palette, the character portraits and models during battles are intricately detailed and lovingly animated.

"I don’t know if Everhood 2 will ever really let me arrive at any real meaning, but either way, it’s a trip you have to experience, if not survive, if only to say you did, for better or worse."

The same goes for the sheer amount of content. A single playthrough with numerous tries depending on the boss took less than 11 hours. However, between an arena with additional challenges, weekly challenges, and the option to rematch against any boss for high scores, there’s a lot to do. The fact that there are other decisions to make with potentially differing consequences, rooms to discover, and secrets to uncover is also incredibly enticing, even if I’m unsure about the point.

But maybe that is the point. Maybe Everhood 2 is about crossing over between different realms as a visitor and assigning your own meaning, regardless of all the bizarre happenings. Perhaps that’s why it doesn’t have a fixed subtitle. And while some characters didn’t exactly inspire much camaraderie or sympathy, their presence eventually grew on me over time (particularly Sam, Irvine, and Lucy). That there’s a toolset for creating custom worlds and sharing them through the Steam Workshop also feeds into the end never being the end never being the end, and so on.

I know it’s something that will inspire me to return if only to plunge into its depths and pretend to “get it.” I don’t know if Everhood 2 will ever really let me arrive at any real meaning, but either way, it’s a trip you have to experience, if not survive, if only to say you did, for better or worse.

This game was reviewed on PC.