The deliverance was terrifying but could have been shorter

Curse of the Bridge 2: Liberation is a Taiwanese horror game that plays very similarly to a typical horror movie in that it starts strong, has a promising middle, and then gets somewhat bland near the end. While its strong foundation in Chinese beliefs and culture helps it stand out from other horror games, it could use a bit of tweaking before it can stand out from the crowd.

The story of Curse of the Bridge 2: Liberation is technically a continuation of the first game, as is the game Curse of the bridge series. However, you don’t need to have played the first game or seen the movie to understand this. It begins with reporter Sue Lian entering the school to investigate the mysterious disappearance of student Huang Ting-ting. Huang’s last known footage shows her in an elevator, jumping in and out and acting erratically like Elisa Lam elevator videos. As Sue follows the clues and interviews the school’s military sergeant, she finds herself in a strangely different dimension.

The scene then shifts to three college students: Rich, A-Hai, and Doc. They want to film a movie based on the 1960 murder case in which the principal’s daughter was killed by her fiancé. They also find themselves in the same alternate dimension as Sue. These students not only need to reunite and escape, but also need to solve the mysteries haunting Wen Hua University and rescue Sue.

It starts off strong, with Wen Hua University after-hours serving as the perfect setting for a horror movie. The atmosphere is strong and unsettling, and the designs for the ballerina and the witch are memorable. However, the story is too long compared to the level of reality they show. The genre shift away from supernatural survival horror near the end also makes the game less engaging. For reference, there are a total of five chapters, each of which you control a different character. Although the developers advertise them as different, they are not. Sue and A-Hai play pretty much the same (relying on the Anima Lantern to solve puzzles and fend off enemies) while Rich and Doc have nothing but each other.

In my opinion, the second chapter with Mad Ballerina is too strong. It makes the rest of the game feel really bad in comparison. Her story itself isn’t interesting as it seems disjointed rather than tied to the big picture, but turning on the red and green lights against murderous mannequins in a tense ballet scene is quite Great. It’s definitely more unique and challenging than the game’s actual final boss. The story is probably about half as long and is only three chapters long. That would be better. The villain seems to have no clear motive for doing what he does and his appearance is jarring, looking more like an eerie Ent than the other ghosts. Unfortunately, he’s the last impression players have of the game.

My biggest problem with this game is the difficulty of the AI ​​and “combat”. The final boss in particular has very few permanent objects and often lost sight of me even when I wasn’t doing any crazy tricks. A-Hai and Sue also have Anima Lantern, which prevents a one-time critical attack and then it needs a cooldown to recharge. The thing is, enemies can’t hide in this game except for the final boss, who can destroy the tables you hide on. Anima Lantern trivializes the game because ghosts can’t crouch and there are too many tables in the university. You can employ a hit-and-run tactic, where you jump out, throw yourself at the ghost to stun them with the lantern counter, do whatever you need to do, then hide under the lamp table. Your cage recharges.

There is potential for Curse of the Bridge 2: Liberation. It could be a great horror game between its beautiful graphics, interesting use of Chinese beliefs, and memorable monster designs. Unfortunately, the story is too long and the poor enemy AI weighs it down. Of course, that doesn’t mean the game isn’t scary. It definitely took me longer than necessary to beat it just because I sometimes needed to strain to get into certain rooms. If you want to have a scare and Curse of the Bridge 2: Liberation If that sounds right up your alley, then I recommend playing until the end of the third chapter.

Curse of the Bridge 2: Liberation is available on PS5, Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch and Windows PC. Windows PC version is considered.

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