Review: Party Hard 2 is a visceral experience with some questionable boss design

Reviewed on PC

When most people go to a party dressed as Jason, it’s because it’s Halloween themed. In the case of Party Hard 2, it’s because you’re actually a crazy serial killer with an extreme hatred for 3 am raves. In your quest for a good night’s sleep, you’ll violently tear through crowds, To eliminate the partygoers, you’ll use methods such as; stabbing, fire, explosives or sending them skywards attached to balloons. There is the option to only remove certain key targets in an Agent 47-like manner, but where would be the fun in that?

As the serial killer Darius, you can choose to either slaughter the entire party or complete objectives, leaving most of the attendees unscathed. Normally this involves interacting with certain objects before killing specific people, sleuthing around the environment in order to keep your crimes unseen. There are also some optional objectives that can reward you with new items. Both forms of objectives act like a massive puzzle for you to work through, requiring you to think slowly and carefully about each move you make and when you make it.

Your vast arsenal of weapons and some moderately convenient traps allow you to clear out crowds with ease, provided you take to time to make sure it goes well. Should you get caught it’s not the end of the world. Just shank the person who saw you. Weren’t quick enough? No Problem! Just catch your breath and lure police into some poorly disposed nuclear waste. Even if you get caught you can always find a way to escape.

Enemies such as the security guard can fight back, and you must be careful around them since they seem to have followed Saitama’s strict training regimen – one hit and you’re out. Of all the enemy types in Party Hard 2, only one felt a bit off: the bosses, most notably the second and final boss of the game. This fight, in particular, has so much going on at once that it’s almost impossible to figure out where her attacks are coming from. Weirdly, she also seems to stop doing anything when she reaches the last segment of her health bar, but that’s another problem. There is a trick to get around this, which made it more of an inconvenience, but this wasn’t easy to accomplish due to some of the attacks.

Aesthetically the game is quite impressive. Its top-down 3D pixel-art look gives everything its own distinct feel while not looking as generic as your traditional retro-inspired visuals. Models and interactable items are well-detailed, making it easy to know what you’re looking at from afar. The game’s story is a little bland, but that doesn’t really detract from the overall product. It’s a game about mass murder, not a political drama, and the narrative they’ve created can set up some really interesting levels, like the subway.

Much like an actual party, the music is quite good despite being the same four or five songs on a loop.  You will end up replaying levels to get more points, so you will probably have to get used to the music. Fortunately, you can hijack the turntable and make them play that one song you really like each time.

Overall, Party Hard 2, is an excellent game. There is a large variety of ways to kill people while still providing a challenge by forcing players to do it quietly… or at least as close to quietly as you can get when throwing a grenade. Its only real downfall would be the boss fights which don’t quite work with how the game normally plays, with the final boss, in particular, being seemingly bugged towards the end of the fight.