Budget Cuts 2: Mission Insolvency
- December 12, 2019
- Neat Corporation
- 7h median play time
Get on Steam"Budget Cuts 2: Mission Insolvency" is a first-person stealth VR game that continues the story of the original. As a spy at TransCorp, players must navigate a hostile office environment, using teleportation and stealth to evade enemy guards and complete missions. The game builds on the original with new tools, environments, and enemies, providing a challenging and engaging experience for VR players.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game features unique environments that are more varied than the first, enhancing the overall experience.
- The addition of the bow and new mechanics provides a fresh take on gameplay, allowing for creative combat options.
- The story continues from the first game in an engaging way, with humor and memorable moments.
- The game suffers from a lack of polish, with bugs and glitches that can disrupt gameplay.
- The final level is frustratingly difficult, with a steep difficulty spike that can lead to player frustration.
- Some players feel the game is too short and not worth the full price, suggesting it should have been DLC instead.
- gameplay188 mentions
- 39 % positive mentions
- 53 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The gameplay in Budget Cuts 2 is a mixed bag, with many players appreciating the new mechanics, such as the bow and throwing weapons, which add variety and challenge. However, some reviewers found the controls awkward and the difficulty level frustrating, detracting from the overall enjoyment. While the game builds on its predecessor with improved environments and mechanics, opinions vary on whether it successfully enhances the core gameplay experience.
“Nice mechanics, outstanding gameplay and polished.”
“The gameplay was more challenging in this versus the first one.”
“Overall the gameplay is enjoyable, and the length is just right (but I got it on sale for 15 dollars).”
“The level design and mechanics are mediocre and the crashes make the game unplayable.”
“It's like the developers were really scared of making the gameplay too easy, so they ended up making it convoluted and unnatural.”
“There weren't any places to hide or take advantage of the game's mechanics; you just had to use the bow, hope you didn't miss and run out of grenades, and then die trying to get more of them.”
- story184 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 58 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The story of "Budget Cuts 2" is generally seen as a continuation of the first game, with some players appreciating the new mechanics and environments, while others criticize it for being short and lacking depth. Many reviews highlight a disappointing ending and a sense of anticlimax, suggesting that the narrative does not expand significantly on the original. Overall, while the game offers engaging gameplay, the story is often described as underwhelming and not as compelling as its predecessor.
“Great as the first, new mechanics feel great and the story is amazing.”
“Amazing story, throwing mechanics are great, and the game is so immersive you end up trying to put your controllers down on fake tables.”
“The story was nicely continued from the first game which was very neat.”
“However, I'm already noticing a distinct lack of polish and depth to the environments and story of this game.”
“The story is beyond bland with a cheesy ending and two boss fights that are the equivalent of banging your head against a wall for 2 hours.”
“Instead of expanding the world and story, seeding more mysteries, it's all just a long trail to do one specific task with a severely anticlimactic ending.”
- humor36 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is described as quirky, dark, and often deadpan, effectively balancing comedic elements with challenging gameplay and tense moments. Players appreciate the funny interactions with robotic characters and the clever writing, although some feel the humor can occasionally feel forced. Overall, the game is praised for its unique personality and immersive experience, making it both entertaining and memorable.
“It's just so quirky and funny.”
“The whole dodging and knife-throwing stuff, the dark office humor, the terrifying showdown between you and a psychopathic manchild robot, the haunting ending theme... it was an experience unlike any I'd, well, experienced.”
“And the humor is even more deadpan and dark than what was in the first game, and takes a surprisingly wholesome turn at the end.”
- music34 mentions
- 41 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The music in Budget Cuts 1 and 2 has received mixed reviews, with many praising its smooth jazz influences and creative sound design that enhances the gameplay experience. While some players find the soundtrack to be superb and reminiscent of the original, others criticize it for becoming grating during challenging puzzles. Overall, the ending songs are highlighted as memorable, though there is disappointment that the developer does not sell the tracks.
“The visuals are fantastic, the mechanics are some of the most elegant VR games have to offer, the music is superb.”
“The sound design and original music (as a musician, I respect it) is creative and spot on with the placement.”
“The soundtrack is absolutely awful and will probably begin to grate your nerves when you're stuck in another obtuse 'puzzle' which is usually just looking at the right spot to find a hole in the ceiling you can teleport to.”
“Budget Cuts 1 and 2 both have great story, great gameplay, and an amazing ending song, but it's bad that the dev doesn't sell those songs.”
“The music reminds me of a combination of smooth jazz and what one calls the soundtrack to Portal.”
- graphics30 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The graphics in the game are described as simplistic and somewhat lifeless, with limited character models and environments that feel graphically similar, primarily set in an office. While some players appreciate the unique art style and humor, others note issues with optimization and occasional graphical glitches. Overall, the visuals are considered good but not groundbreaking, serving more as a metaphor for the game's themes rather than a highlight.
“The VR interactions are done well, the robots are funny, and the graphics are good.”
“The story is great and the graphics look nice too.”
“The visuals are fantastic, the mechanics are some of the most elegant VR games have to offer, the music is superb.”
“The graphics are bare, there's about 2 character models, and you get a single bow with 2 ammo types.”
“The graphics are very simplistic and feel a bit lifeless if not dull, but I guess you could see it as a metaphor for the message which the game is trying to convey: 'work sucks, I know', to quote the famous blink-182 song.”
“Unfortunately, the graphics don't make up for their simplicity with performance, as the optimization is also somewhat lacking.”
- optimization18 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 67 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with many players noting a lack of performance settings that forced them to lower resolution and overclock their GPUs for smoother gameplay. While some appreciated the updates and new features, others experienced significant performance drops, particularly in demanding areas, indicating that overall optimization needs improvement.
“After playing the first game and coming back into the series after the performance and mutators update, I decided to give the sequel a try and I wasn't disappointed in the slightest.”
“It takes the mechanics I loved from the first game and adds a new versatile weapon, new enemies, and even more cost optimization.”
“The game needs more optimization, but it could just be a problem on my end.”
“There were no performance settings in the game, so I had to reduce the resolution and overclock my GPU in order to play it.”
“Unfortunately, the graphics don't make up for their simplicity with performance, as the optimization is also somewhat lacking.”
“Performance nosedived in the final combat area.”
- stability18 mentions
- 11 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 89 % negative mentions
The game's stability has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting significant bugs, including graphical glitches, locomotion issues, and AI problems that detract from the overall experience. While some users experienced relatively smooth playthroughs with only minor interruptions, others found the frequency and severity of glitches to be immersion-breaking and frustrating. Overall, there is a consensus that the game requires further patches to address these stability issues.
“Mostly bug-free in my playthrough, only encountered one softlock.”
“It was buggy as hell, and the level design was so terrible it hurts.”
“Good combat and dialogue betrayed by bad checkpointing, locomotion glitches, and crashes.”
“The beta testers must have done an awful job considering I've seen other glitches like invisible walls, and doors that bug out and just instantly get rid of robots if they are closed in on the door.”
- atmosphere10 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- 20 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is highly praised, drawing comparisons to classic horror titles like Amnesia and films like Terminator 2, particularly in its engaging visuals and music cues. Reviewers note that the improved level design enhances the overall experience, making each area distinct and memorable, while new mechanics contribute to a richer, more immersive environment. Overall, the atmosphere is considered a significant upgrade from the original.
“The atmosphere is amazing.”
“The new atmosphere is on-par with classic horror greats like Amnesia.”
“The atmosphere is better developed in this game, and the level design prevents areas from all becoming one in memory as would often happen in the first.”
“It's like the original but with more atmosphere and new mechanics like projectiles that are one-time use (yes, letter openers break on enemy contact) and the bow.”
- replayability8 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
Overall, the game is considered to have good replayability, with some players appreciating the updates and finale of the series. However, there are suggestions for additional features, such as a sandbox mode, to enhance replay value further, and some players feel the game could benefit from a longer experience.
“A great finale to the series and a great update to add some replayability.”
“Quite replayable too in my opinion.”
“Thankfully, this game does have replay value, but I still would've liked it to be longer.”
“Thankfully this game does have replay value, but I still would've liked it to be longer.”
“Pretty good, but could do with a sandbox mode to add a little replayability.”
“Quite replayable too, in my opinion.”
- emotional6 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is characterized by a blend of dark, deadpan humor that unexpectedly shifts to wholesome moments, particularly highlighted by a touching interaction with a robot character. This contrast evokes a range of feelings, leaving players amused and ultimately uplifted despite initial frustrations with gameplay.
“And the humor is even more deadpan and dark than what was in the first game, and takes a surprisingly wholesome turn at the end.”
“[spoiler]but it's immediately followed up by the aforementioned wholesomeness, and I can't stay mad when a cool-looking robot says it wants to give me a hug[/spoiler].”
- grinding4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be time-consuming, often requiring significant effort to progress. However, the introduction of a magnifying glass feature that allows players to mark enemies has been praised for alleviating some of the tedium associated with predicting enemy patterns, making the grinding experience more manageable.
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
