PC Critic Reviews

Graveyard Keeper 2 is perhaps one of the most interesting titles in its genre, delivering an incredibly unique premise, a story full of dark comedy and familiar, genre-beloved gameplay with some great quality-of-life changes. Fans of cozy life sims are bound to enjoy this cozy death sim, and all of the relaxing depravity that comes with it.

Graveyard Keeper 2 is a fantastic sequel that delivers in almost every way. It's got some serious upgrades from the original, but more than that, the overarching story is phenomenal. While some of the old-school design choices make the game a little obtuse, the game still has a lot to offer. If you're looking for a dark, cozy game to take the hours away, then Graveyard Keeper 2 is for you.

Rich with complex and layered crafting systems, Graveyard Keeper 2 can feel very overwhelming at times. But thanks to a gorgeous and charming (if grizzly) world, it's easily forgiven – and you're more likely to find yourself fully entrenched in this bizarre medieval romp.

Graveyard Keeper 2 shows that the developers listened to fan feedback, with faster movement, fast travel and voice acting making life as a Keeper much less frustrating. The humor and absurd storylines are still going strong, and I had such a blast that I’ll happily keep returning to the game after this review. However, the grind remains a central part of the gameplay, so if you enjoy messing around, experimenting and laughing at absurd situations, Graveyard Keeper 2 is right up your alley.

What really stood out to me about Graveyard Keeper 2 is how deliberately tedious it feels. Everything you do is a weirdly multi-tier process. Some of the basic things you’d expect from a farming sim or likewise sort of game take a step or two on one or more skill tree-like menus to access. Or you have to make your way to building and utilizing multiple gadgets that work together to achieve the thing you need, like a plank of wood. Everything is absurdly complex, and that seems to be the marquee feature, the defining aspect that makes Graveyard Keeper 2 itself rather than another thing like it. It isn't complex in an interesting, brain-stimulating way; it's just for every one task you want to perform, there's a gaggle of prerequisite tasks you have to go through first. I reckon there’s some kind of elevated sicko audience appeal thing happening here, for the people who look at Story of Seasons and think it’s for babies, and yearn for a labor sim game that has digital friction akin to the real damage done to your bones and muscles by manual labor in reality. Those folks are out there, certainly.

Graveyard Keeper 2 is a sequel that knows how to build on the foundations of the original, even if it doesn’t quite shake off a few quirks. The ambitious tower defence mechanics and automation features are welcome additions and help cement the game’s personality, which retains its characteristic charm and dark humour. Despite the sometimes exhausting micromanagement and a few bugs, Graveyard Keeper 2 is a fun and addictive life sim for those who enjoy watching a well-oiled machine in action.

There are some great things in Graveyard Keeper 2 that make it worth checking out. Having the undead become a real threat has a great impact on the narrative of proper burials, and I appreciate the general story beats. The voice acting is also pretty funny, and the game looks great. In terms of fundamentals, I respect it.

Graveyard Keeper II is digging its own grave with this second installment, which features new mechanics that are poorly implemented and unbalanced, and content that feels unfinished. The bear was a little too lazy this time around.

Laborious and filled with unnecessary and unoptimised grind, Graveyard Keeper 2 maintains every issue of its predecessor and magnifies them. The result is a game that occasionally threatens to settle into the rhythm necessary to pull off a sim of this kind, but insists on pushing the player out of the experience at every step.