PixelJunk Monsters 2

 PlayStation 4
User Score
7.0

Mixed or average reviews- based on 30 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 20 out of 30
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 30
  3. Negative: 7 out of 30
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  1. boynamedluke
    May 25, 2018
    10
    Having played Monsters 1 to excess with each iteration released and on each platform it was released on, I was ecstatic to learn of the Monsters 2 launch! The original was a near perfect game and the absolute best couch co-op experience on this planet. Monsters 2 brings all of that back - ALL of it - and then some. Visually stunning, I love the design - are these the dead Tomorrow PeopleHaving played Monsters 1 to excess with each iteration released and on each platform it was released on, I was ecstatic to learn of the Monsters 2 launch! The original was a near perfect game and the absolute best couch co-op experience on this planet. Monsters 2 brings all of that back - ALL of it - and then some. Visually stunning, I love the design - are these the dead Tomorrow People assets? The controls are tight, multiplayer dancing is rewarding, and the challenge remains on each curvy road. Outstanding release from Pixeljunk, well done. Now to earn all these rainbows...… Expand
  2. tmillet2017
    May 29, 2018
    8
    To put this in perspective, I would rate the original game somewhere between 9-10. The original PixelJunk Monsters appeared simple on the surface, but as you looked closer, it was a strategic masterpiece that required a lot of thought, planning, and timely execution in order to conquer the most difficult levels (aside from the stupid "Eruption Destruction" level which required a lot ofTo put this in perspective, I would rate the original game somewhere between 9-10. The original PixelJunk Monsters appeared simple on the surface, but as you looked closer, it was a strategic masterpiece that required a lot of thought, planning, and timely execution in order to conquer the most difficult levels (aside from the stupid "Eruption Destruction" level which required a lot of luck).

    First off, I cannot speak to the multiplayer aspect, as I have yet to try it. But now that I've rainbowed every level on Fun and Tricky difficulties (haven't tried Mayhem yet), I can safely say that the second game stays mostly true to the original's core mechanics. The biggest issue to me is that it adds a few unnecessary things, and takes away a few vital things.

    It adds 3D graphics, the ability to jump, and an option to use a new 3rd person perspective. It also adds new customizable outfits for your tiki dude. However, it takes away the top down view of the entire map, replacing it with a slightly zoomed in top-down view. This makes it a little more difficult to oversee your towers and quickly identify areas of weakness that need fortifying. Also, one tower can now consume up to three trees, depending on where you place it. It's not a one to one ratio anymore. You can no longer check the upgrade status of all your towers at once, which helped me identify which ones to dance on next (or at least I have not found that button yet). I also haven't come across a sprint button (would be nice to have a sprint option, with maybe a stamina bar or something). There are no new towers in the original game (two new towers to come in the DLC).

    In conclusion, the game is still fantastic. However, as one reviewer stated, it felt like they tried to fix a few things that weren't broken, rather than just add to the already amazing original game. If you like strategy based, trial and error type games, this is for you.    … Expand
  3. metaboar
    Jul 7, 2018
    9
    Another low ranking review like what the hell?!?!? This is one of the best tower defense games in years this makes no sense.
  4. Naimac
    May 25, 2018
    8
    If you liked the original Pixel Junk Monsters, you will probably love this sequel. It closely follows the fun formula of the original - with some enriching additions:

    (1) the gameplay mechanics were adapted to a new 3D terrain (for instance, building towers on higher ground boosts their attack range, and there are some minor jump-and-run mechanics to navigate the terrain, use “short    If you liked the original Pixel Junk Monsters, you will probably love this sequel. It closely follows the fun formula of the original - with some enriching additions:

    (1) the gameplay mechanics were adapted to a new 3D terrain (for instance, building towers on higher ground boosts their attack range, and there are some minor jump-and-run mechanics to navigate the terrain, use “short cuts”, etc. - all of which positively adds to the core game design);
    (2) there are some ways to customize the main “tikiman” character now (using special masks and shields - this seems only cosmetic, though);
    (3) you can acquire and use a range of special items to trigger some special effects when things get close.

    That being said, there are some flaws. For example, the online multiplayer is (currently) very badly implemented. Playing several levels together with a friend is REALLY cumbersome, as hosting and joining is not “party” based, but level specific – and the game practically needs to restart (including title screens!) for EVERY SINGLE LEVEL you want to play online with a friend (local multiplayer works way better, though – and maybe a future patch will provide similar functionality for online play).

    Moreover, as far as I am concerned, the game is at its best when it forces you to actually USE all the tools and tactics at your disposal (including the new items). However, this truly strategical dimension will (in most cases) only become evident and necessary on the highest difficulty setting (“mayhem”) – which unfortunately cannot be accessed right away and is only unlocked later in the game.

    Minor flaws like this aside, it definitely still remains a very charming, visually beautiful and fun game - and all that at a relatively low price point. Recommended.    … Expand
  5. jayman69
    May 29, 2018
    8
    I would love to give this game a 9 or 10 score. It is addictive like the pixeljunk monsters encore I continually played until perfection. I will continue try for a rainbow fragment, knowing I just have to add one or two towers to protect all my chibis, but trying to manouver across some of the larger, sprawling areas seems tiresome and less fun when the whole map area cannot be quicklyI would love to give this game a 9 or 10 score. It is addictive like the pixeljunk monsters encore I continually played until perfection. I will continue try for a rainbow fragment, knowing I just have to add one or two towers to protect all my chibis, but trying to manouver across some of the larger, sprawling areas seems tiresome and less fun when the whole map area cannot be quickly seen and then "missing" some of the monster entrances in one area or "missing" the monsters die or escape from your tower setup from the opposite part of the map.
    The levels are built well, and look fabulous, but it is the need to see all in top down view that is.... missing. If they fix this, this game is easily 9.5-10 material. It is fun. The masks and shells are a cute addition. The buying of fruits are good. But i agree with others about the top down view because you miss some of the action. Also, after doing 3 levels... still do not know how to get mayhem fragments.... but thinking you have to do all levels first to open them....    … Expand
  6. HappySpaceInvad
    May 29, 2018
    5
    For this update to the original Pixeljunk Monsters, Q-Games have ditched the Pixel Art style, and gone for a true 3D "claymation" style. It looks incredible, but unfortunately interferes with the gameplay to the extent that veteran fans may be disappointed.

    The first disappointment is the lack of levels: there are five areas, each with 3 levels. The levels can be played in "fun" or    For this update to the original Pixeljunk Monsters, Q-Games have ditched the Pixel Art style, and gone for a true 3D "claymation" style. It looks incredible, but unfortunately interferes with the gameplay to the extent that veteran fans may be disappointed.

    The first disappointment is the lack of levels: there are five areas, each with 3 levels. The levels can be played in "fun" or "tricky" mode (reminding me of Lemmings), but there's actually not a massive difference between these difficulties. So essentially, you're only getting 15 levels before you've seen everything the game has to offer.

    In terms of visual design flaws, there is no way to view the entire playfield. In the original PS3 game, you had a fixed perspective of the who area; in subsequent versions (such as Pixeljunk Monsters Ultimate on PS Vita), you could toggle between this and a slightly closer view. PixelJunk Monsters 2 has two views... a top-down view similar to the original, but which follows your Tikiman about and an almost "over-the-shoulder" 3rd person view. The top-down view doesn't let you see the entire map at once, which means a lot more wandering around to figure out what's going on. The 3d person mode looks adorable, but serves no useful purpose whatsoever... except perhaps to spot things that are hidden from view in the top-down mode (more of which, later). It's not terribly pleasant to remain in the view for long, however, as there's an extreme depth-of-field effect in play, and the camera is far closer to Tikiman than you'd probably like.

    The lack of a completely "zoomed-out" mode is baffling, as it is as essential as it was in the original game: sometimes you need to see everything you've arranged, in order to figure out the best strategy going forward.

    The towers upgrade in a similar way to the original game, but the towers start with no flags at all, and then go through a different colour scheme (dirty yellow, dark green, blue and dark red). The flags also display the level number on them, but it's often hard to see the flags in top-down view, due to the towers being rendered in 3D. Your tower faces the nearest path, and the flag is on the right hand side of the tower... so if your tower is facing left, the flag is hidden behind the tower. This is one of the two possible use cases of the 3rd person view.

    Speaking of things that are hidden... you will frequently miss coins and gems dropped by the various monsters you annihilate. They can often drop behind trees or the raised bits of earth the trees sit on. There is a visual indicator to show that you've missed something, but you need to walk away until the item is offscreen to activate this. Once you're near the item, the indicator moves away, so whether you find the coin/gem is largely down to luck. Or, you could switch to the 3rd person view... the second reason it's there.

    Another minor annoyance is the permanent "vignette" effect around the screen, in all modes. It makes the 3rd person view particularly claustrophobic. It would be nice to determine when it does and doesn't appear.

    With all of the above criticisms, you're probably going to conclude that I hate this game, but I really don't. I'm simply disappointed that it's not as fun to play as the original, which I played on PS3, PS Vita and PC extensively. In fact, the original Pixeljunk Monsters is in my top 5 video games of all time, and I've been playing these things since the late 70s.

    I honestly think everything I've mentioned above could be remedied in a future update, in a way that would not upset anyone currently 100% happy with the game. I've noticed many online reviews bringing up the same points in their analyses, so hopefully Q-Games will sit up and take notice.    … Expand
  7. Pier
    May 27, 2018
    4
    The art and mood are fantastic, but from a game design perspective PJM2 does not live up to its prdecessor.

    Moving around is extremely frustrating, level design appears random, and there is no info what upgrades or towers do. The joy of strategy is gone.
  8. xANLx
    Mar 11, 2020
    0
    I can't play the game because of the freezing issues on PS4 Pro. I sent so many crash reports via PSN but still game is not playable. That explains my 0 point really well.
  9. endisni
    Dec 24, 2018
    10
    This is not the same as the first game, but having bought the encore version on PS4 with weekly levels, a couple of new towers and the addition of various fruits etcetera, what I've found is that it's perfect. You can still pan the camera out, and even around. You can see the whole level panning all the way out, and the different heights of the hills makes it more interesting as theThis is not the same as the first game, but having bought the encore version on PS4 with weekly levels, a couple of new towers and the addition of various fruits etcetera, what I've found is that it's perfect. You can still pan the camera out, and even around. You can see the whole level panning all the way out, and the different heights of the hills makes it more interesting as the higher you place the towers, the further they reach. Graphics are very good, sound effects are good, gameplay is amazing and difficult on higher levels. On the original game I rain-bowed 41 levels on hard difficulty on Vita, still trying to get them all. I suspect this'll last quite some time too, especially with the random levels. One thing that seems to be getting mentioned is the lack of flags as the towers upgrade, but this simply isn't true. The flags are there, as is the function to fully zoom out.… Expand
  10. Shade71
    Aug 1, 2018
    10
    Better than the first one on ps3. Had lots of fun playing this with my kids back then when they were much younger. Big graphics improvements. Not sure what’s up with some of the really low reviews. What are your expectations of a game that costs less than lunch?
  11. Triggahippy
    Mar 28, 2021
    5
    Disappointing couch co op compared to predecessor. This game is extremely janky when playing in 2p mode. We loved the first monsters and were hyped to see it available again on PS4. The multiplayer aspect feels like a cheap afterthought. It even gets stuck in 1st person mode while playing 2 player with no way to change back.
    The camera angles do not help navigating the map. It's sad    Disappointing couch co op compared to predecessor. This game is extremely janky when playing in 2p mode. We loved the first monsters and were hyped to see it available again on PS4. The multiplayer aspect feels like a cheap afterthought. It even gets stuck in 1st person mode while playing 2 player with no way to change back.
    The camera angles do not help navigating the map. It's sad because there are too few couch co-op games anymore.    … Expand
  12. sdhde
    Dec 30, 2022
    6
    okay game it's recommended for fans of the series and just relax playing it

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
72

Mixed or average reviews - based on 10 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 10
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 10
  3. Negative: 0 out of 10
  1. Easy Allies
    Jun 24, 2018
    70
    PixelJunk Monsters 2 is exceedingly similar to its predecessor. The core mechanics remain simple with deep, nuanced strategy, but the short length and lack of multiplayer innovations are a letdown. It’s an easy game to recommend for fans and newcomers to the tower defense genre, but it lacks the impact of the original.
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  2. ZTGD
    Jun 18, 2018
    75
    After waiting all these years, it’s absolutely wonderful to see PixelJunk Monsters back once more, but the more I played it, I couldn’t help but feel a looming sense of disappointment at the lack of content and new ideas. It’s a game I hoped to love but walked away only liking, and that’s a shame for what is a follow up to my favorite tower defense game of all time.
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  3. Gamer.nl
    Jun 7, 2018
    70
    PixelJunk Monsters 1 was a great tower defense game, and its sequel is exactly that. The claymation layer is impressive, but the game is haunted by a clumsy camera and limitations in co-op.
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