Costume Quest, the 2010 Halloween-themed RPG from Double Fine Productions, is one of my favorite games of all time. It's more than just the obvious reason (me being a Halloween obsessive). It's funny, it's clever, the combat is surprisingly nuanced for a turn-based RPG, and the game just looks great. The transformation from cutesy recycled costumes out of cardboard boxes and fishing line to action/anime style fighters with elaborate killing moves is stunning. The monsters are challenging and creepy without being super threatening and the dialogue from the NPCs is entertaining enough to justify meeting every person you can. The story is pretty simple. Twin siblings Reynold and Wren are told they have to go trick or treating together. You chose one to control and the other gets kidnapped after he is mistaken for candy by monsters. The monsters are collecting candy to bring a giant baddie to life on Halloween in a plot by a sorceress to take over the world. Reynold/Wren has to find his/her twin with the help of trick or treaters, a lot of candy, and cool costumes made from material around town.
At few months ago, Double Fine Productions announced Costume Quest 2: Trick or Treat with a comedy video. This is the kind of humor the original game thrives on.
Double Fine demonstrated a little bit of the game at E3 this year and from what I've read, it's going to more than deliver what fans want. The combat is going to be more challenging with the inclusion of characters who can't actually fight in battle. Every costume gives your characters a speed boost, so you don't have to rely on the robot to go up ramps anymore. Health doesn't automatically reset at the end of each battle and there are more side quests than ever.
Sarah LeBouef has a great write-up of her experience watching the demo over at The Escapist. It's worth a read.
The big takeaway for me is the team saying the game is actually ahead of schedule. Costume Quest 2: Trick or Treat is slated to come out on PS4, XBox One, Wii U, PC, Mac, Linux, PS3, and XBox 360 in October, right in time for Halloween. I can't wait.