Released in Europe on 23 March 2012 on Wii, PokéPark 2: Wonders Beyond continues the adventure of PokéPark Wii. Developed by Creatures, it stars Pikachu and three Unova starter Pokémon in a theme park populated by nearly two hundred Pokémon. It is a colorful adventure aimed at younger players, richer than its predecessor but just as repetitive.
An investigation at PokéPark
Pikachu and Piplup are visiting PokéPark when Krokorok and Sandile start raving about a wonderful place: Wish Park. Behind a poster hides a portal to a parallel world, where Pokémon lose their minds, eating or dancing without being able to stop. Piplup sacrifices itself to save Pikachu, who sets off to find it with Oshawott. The story is simple, but better constructed than the first game’s, with its twists, touching villains and a successful ending.
Four heroes instead of one
This is the big new feature: you can switch heroes at any time. Pikachu powers machines with electricity, Oshawott swims, Snivy runs faster and jumps higher, and Tepig smashes obstacles. Each zone requires you to juggle between them, and bosses are prepared for by choosing the right Pokémon. See the four heroes.
Making friends, again and again
The heart of the game remains the same: becoming friends with the park’s Pokémon by taking on their challenges. Chases, duels, hide-and-seek, quizzes, items to bring back or photos to show: there are 194 Pokémon to meet. It is enjoyable at first, then quickly becomes repetitive, especially as the duels lack precision. Younger players will get their money’s worth; the others will tire of it before the end.
Too few attractions
Where PokéPark Wii offered around fifteen, Wish Park has only four attractions: a cake factory, a dance challenge, a reflex game and a space race. They are varied and each ends with a successful boss fight, but they are over too quickly. A nice touch: they can then be played with four players. See the attractions and bosses.
Polished presentation
The settings are more varied than in the first game: beach, harbor, forest, citadel, volcano, abandoned station, laboratory. The Pokémon are well animated and the plentiful dialogue is full of humor. The post-game adds a new zone, legendary Pokémon and a tournament.
Reception
The press was divided: an average of 60 out of 100 on Metacritic, 13 out of 20 from Jeuxvideo.com and 6.5 out of 10 from IGN.
Our verdict
A richer, better-told sequel than PokéPark Wii, ideal for young Pokémon fans, but too repetitive and too easy for everyone else.
What we like
- Four heroes with complementary abilities
- 194 Pokémon and varied challenges
- A better-told story than the first game
- Attractions playable with four players
What we like less
- Only four attractions
- Challenges that quickly become repetitive
- Imprecise duels
- Too easy for seasoned players
