If you’ve also spent hours curing the goofiest diseases in Two Point Hospital or trying to get students to listen at Two Point Campus… welcome back! Class — or in this case, curation — is in session again.
Two Point Museum is the latest entry in the beloved management sim franchise, swapping out cures for curation, sick patients for priceless artifacts, and procrastinating students for prehistoric exhibits, guided tours, and ambitious expeditions.
After an initial eight hours of curating my curator experience, I can safely say that SEGA’s new installment still captures the wit and spirit of its predecessors while throwing in some clever new mechanics, features, and quirky challenges to solve. And it’s just as addictive.
Exhibit A! A focus on design, thematic additions
The most exciting change in Two Point Museum is, of course, the theme itself. Instead of keeping people alive or making sure students study, you’re now in charge of “edutainment” — providing education and entertainment to guests, curating exhibits, acquiring artifacts, and making sure your visitors leave both enlightened and inspired.
It’s satisfying to see your curated exhibits come together. The themes vary, which makes the gaming experience fun — from prehistoric dinosaurs to a super cool exhibit of Frozen Finds, and even fin-tastic marine life.
It’s also more design-centric than Two Point Hospital, giving players more creative freedom. You’re in charge of thematically designing each exhibit area depending on the artifact categories, and as you progress, you unlock more themed decor and even perks!
However, here, nothing is handed to you right away, so you have to work for it. Unlocking new partition walls, wallpapers, tiles, doors, and more still requires Kudosh (the in-game reward points), and the choices are currently pretty limited so far. There have also been a few glitches in placing wallpaper titles (only double tiles are allowed, and not single ones). But at least changing wallpaper and tiles is free!
More to do, but also more to enjoy
One of Two Point Museum’s best updates is how it introduces new mechanics chronologically, without overwhelming new players. There’s also a new addition of dynamic decision-making that keeps things engaging — surprise choice events shake up the possible outcomes of your expeditions. “A cobra snake has approached you. Do you feed it or eat it?” Panic ensues, and your decision leads to positive, neutral, or negative consequences for your expedition team.
There are also new objectives to consider in the success of your museum, like Buzz (how buzz-worthy each exhibit is) and Knowledge (how informed guests become after). These small but crucial details make managing your institution feel more interactive, intuitive, and realistic. It takes a bit of a while to learn — like which themed decor is needed per exhibit to add buzz — but these little curveballs keep gameplay interesting and prevent it from becoming just another routine management sim with no personality.
Another welcome change is that staff training no longer costs money! On the flip side, you now have to be strategic about unlocking training slots, which only become available as your staff gains experience. Earning money for your museum comes from guest donations, grants, and government rewards — and it’s the security guards (a new type of staff member!) who are in charge of collecting these donations around the museum.
This small tweak makes progression feel more organic, encouraging you to invest in your staff without feeling like you’re draining your budget.
The game’s progression — map reveals, unlocking objectives, and tutorial instructions — is fluid and well-paced. Admittedly, it’s a lot to take in at first, with multiple systems spinning at once (as is standard in management sims), but since the stakes are low (no one is dying this time!), it doesn’t feel too stressful.
Fresh art, the same artist
It is still the same satisfying management sim we love, but of course, it’s less clunky and a more complex (but in a good way!) departure from its predecessors.
The game feels smoother — the UI is cleaner, animations feel more cinematic, and the interface is also more intuitive — you can hover over items and get clear instructions, so you’re never completely lost. And, of course, the usual witty commentary from the in-game voiceover is back, bringing that signature witty bite that fans of the franchise love.
What’s exciting too is the sheer variety of museum types to build. So far, I’ve explored prehistoric and marine life museums, but there’s even a supernatural-themed one I haven’t unlocked yet.
Other little details I’ve observed? The guests are still quirky — you’ll see ghoulish gals, Neanderthals, bigfoot families, goth vampires, and more wandering your museum halls.
It’s also quite a realistic take on the actual museum-going experience — guests hovering over exhibits, getting too close to the art to take selfies, and bored kids running around (your skilled janitors can build interactive stations to keep them placated)! There’s even an unlockable analysis room that lets you research exhibits further, unlocking new perks for your museum.
Two Point Museum’s branding is still spot-on, the new mechanics keep things fresh, and the game manages to stay true to what made its predecessors great and addictive to play while refining the sim management experience.
That said, I’m curious to see how the later stages will unfold — how challenging managing other museums will be, what new obstacles I’ll face, or if the gameplay might start feeling repetitive. But for now, only time — and many more hours of playtime — will tell. There’s still so much to discover (or, in this case, curate), and that excites me! – Rappler.com