Verdict: ★★★✩✩ (6.5/10)

Passpartout 2: The Lost Artist is the long-awaited sequel to 2017's indie artist sim Passpartout: The Starving Artist, capturing the essence of the original game while expanding upon its mechanics to develop a unique gameplay experience. Expanding upon the first game’s “living puppet theater” aesthetic, Passpartout 2 features an actual traversable isometric map designed like a diorama for the player to explore. The game follows the journey of eponymous French artist Passpartout as they rebuild their reputation as an artist in the fictional town of Phénix following their disappearance from the public eye after the events of the first game (where Passpartout's initial rise to fame was depicted).

Passpartout 2 boasts a heavily improved gameplay experience. While its predecessor confined the player's artistry to fixed locations, such as at Passpartout's garage at the beginning of the game to Passpartout's new office by its end, the sequel allows the player to make and sell art all throughout the town or in their own studio (after earning enough money to buy it, of course). Commissions from NPCs are now available, as Passpartout is tasked to help out with developing art for the various denizens of Phénix and revive the art scene in an art-starved town.

The core of gameplay consists of the player using the basic brush and color palette at their disposal to paint on a canvas and selling it to the highest bidder, and repeat. Along the way, the player will earn enough money to buy new and better supplies. An expanded set of tools and brushes, color palettes, and canvases to choose from makes Passpartout 2 feel much more substantial than its predecessor, allowing the player to develop art with more depth and variety. The critiquing system is also more developed in the sequel, as distinct people will appreciate different kinds of art and would award more or less money for them depending on their tastes. It feels more like there’s a veritable one-to-one relationship between the effort spent on a work and the money the player makes from it than in Passpartout 2’s antecedent. (For example, property manager George is oriented towards more abstract art, teenage punk Cynth savors a level of anarchy in her work, and art mogul Adrienne appreciates art imitating famous Renaissance-era styles.) Some commissions even allow the player to try their hand at art for non-canvas products like hats, violins, cars, and swords.

The cozy European beachfront town setting and its over two dozen townsfolk has a surprising amount of depth. As the player completes more quests for the NPCs and progresses the game, Passpartout unlocks more areas to explore. Phénix has a quaint riverfront, a bustling urban street, a few mansions and estates, and a semi-shuttered museum that contains the story's end. The player can make a lasting impact on the town through the various commissions Passpartout can complete throughout the game such as designing the town's flag, marketing billboards, and a line of cars.

Despite its packed town and character relationships, a sorely missed opportunity for Passpartout 2 is in its storytelling. The game never really delves further into the story behind Passpartout and the events that passed between their rise to fame in the first game and their fresh start in the second past off-hand mentions and some newspaper clippings at the start of the sequel quickly thrown in the fire. Additionally, the game’s too-few quests are spread too thin across its various NPCs, and it becomes hard for the player to meaningfully form attachments to anyone.

Technically, Passpartout 2 is very middling. Load times feel unbearably slow for such a small game, and there are minor but ever-present technical issues such as accidentally softlocking oneself into a conversation with an NPC. While I do love the game’s pop-up art style aesthetic — pigeons are 3D wood models, chimneys are soda can tops, building walls are corrugated cardboard sheets, and wood pallets are popsicle sticks — the low-poly graphics and skin-wrapped textures make it feel more like a mobile game ported to PC than a bona fide PC game. (But despite its lackluster graphical quality for a game released in 2023, it is — when revisiting Passpartout: The Starving Artist — somehow an honest improvement.) There is no UI to track quests, haggling for higher prices is no longer a feature, and the ambient occlusion isn’t enough to compensate for the map’s awkward shadowing.

Passpartout 2 is an undoubtedly different and heavily expanded-upon game from its predecessor — with several fun moments that allow for a chuckle or two — but ultimately drags on for too long with an inadequate narrative and a painful amount of filler quests. It’s a fun game and a passable medium to try one’s hand in some mindless art, but the near-dozen hours one can spend on it aren’t nearly as engaging as would be desired.

[h1] Passpartout 2: A starving artist sim that starves for content [/h1] [quote] [h2] Verdict: ★★★✩✩ (6.5/10) [/h2] [/quote] [h2] [u] Background [/u] [/h2] Passpartout 2: The Lost Artist is the long-awaited sequel to 2017's indie artist sim Passpartout: The Starving Artist, capturing the essence of the original game while expanding upon its mechanics to develop a unique gameplay experience. Expanding upon the first game’s “living puppet theater” aesthetic, Passpartout 2 features an actual traversable isometric map designed like a diorama for the player to explore. The game follows the journey of eponymous French artist Passpartout as they rebuild their reputation as an artist in the fictional town of Phénix following their disappearance from the public eye after the events of the first game (where Passpartout's initial rise to fame was depicted). Passpartout 2 boasts a heavily improved gameplay experience. While its predecessor confined the player's artistry to fixed locations, such as at Passpartout's garage at the beginning of the game to Passpartout's new office by its end, the sequel allows the player to make and sell art all throughout the town or in their own studio (after earning enough money to buy it, of course). Commissions from NPCs are now available, as Passpartout is tasked to help out with developing art for the various denizens of Phénix and revive the art scene in an art-starved town. [h2] [u] The Lost Artist [/u] [/h2] The core of gameplay consists of the player using the basic brush and color palette at their disposal to paint on a canvas and selling it to the highest bidder, and repeat. Along the way, the player will earn enough money to buy new and better supplies. An expanded set of tools and brushes, color palettes, and canvases to choose from makes Passpartout 2 feel much more substantial than its predecessor, allowing the player to develop art with more depth and variety. The critiquing system is also more developed in the sequel, as distinct people will appreciate different kinds of art and would award more or less money for them depending on their tastes. It feels more like there’s a veritable one-to-one relationship between the effort spent on a work and the money the player makes from it than in Passpartout 2’s antecedent. (For example, property manager George is oriented towards more abstract art, teenage punk Cynth savors a level of anarchy in her work, and art mogul Adrienne appreciates art imitating famous Renaissance-era styles.) Some commissions even allow the player to try their hand at art for non-canvas products like hats, violins, cars, and swords. [h2] [u] The Packed Town [/u] [/h2] The cozy European beachfront town setting and its over two dozen townsfolk has a surprising amount of depth. As the player completes more quests for the NPCs and progresses the game, Passpartout unlocks more areas to explore. Phénix has a quaint riverfront, a bustling urban street, a few mansions and estates, and a semi-shuttered museum that contains the story's end. The player can make a lasting impact on the town through the various commissions Passpartout can complete throughout the game such as designing the town's flag, marketing billboards, and a line of cars. Despite its packed town and character relationships, a sorely missed opportunity for Passpartout 2 is in its storytelling. The game never really delves further into the story behind Passpartout and the events that passed between their rise to fame in the first game and their fresh start in the second past off-hand mentions and some newspaper clippings at the start of the sequel quickly thrown in the fire. Additionally, the game’s too-few quests are spread too thin across its various NPCs, and it becomes hard for the player to meaningfully form attachments to anyone. [h2] [u] Gears of Cardboard [/u] [/h2] Technically, Passpartout 2 is very middling. Load times feel unbearably slow for such a small game, and there are minor but ever-present technical issues such as accidentally softlocking oneself into a conversation with an NPC. While I do love the game’s pop-up art style aesthetic — pigeons are 3D wood models, chimneys are soda can tops, building walls are corrugated cardboard sheets, and wood pallets are popsicle sticks — the low-poly graphics and skin-wrapped textures make it feel more like a mobile game ported to PC than a bona fide PC game. (But despite its lackluster graphical quality for a game released in 2023, it is — when revisiting Passpartout: The Starving Artist — somehow an honest improvement.) There is no UI to track quests, haggling for higher prices is no longer a feature, and the ambient occlusion isn’t enough to compensate for the map’s awkward shadowing. [h2] [u] Final Thoughts [/u] [/h2] Passpartout 2 is an undoubtedly different and heavily expanded-upon game from its predecessor — with several fun moments that allow for a chuckle or two — but ultimately drags on for too long with an inadequate narrative and a painful amount of filler quests. It’s a fun game and a passable medium to try one’s hand in some mindless art, but the near-dozen hours one can spend on it aren’t nearly as engaging as would be desired.