Foto Flash 2
- September 6, 2018
- Studio Gamaii
Get on Steam
Get on itch.io Store"Foto Flash 2" is a humorous game where you explore a dying mall and interact with quirky characters to create a pin-up calendar and save the mall. The game features 10 beautiful pin-up illustrations, remixed mall muzak, and various minigames. With its retro style and lighthearted tone, it provides a short, entertaining experience, suitable for those looking for a quick and fun game.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The character designs and artwork are still appealing and well-executed.
- The humor and writing in the game provide some entertaining moments.
- The game offers a nostalgic experience reminiscent of classic flash games.
- The gameplay is less intuitive, with puzzles that are simpler and less engaging than in the first game.
- The mall setting is bland and visually uninteresting, making exploration feel tedious.
- The arcade mini-games are poorly designed and frustrating, detracting from the overall experience.
- gameplay15 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 60 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The gameplay of Foto Flash 2 is largely similar to its predecessor, featuring simplified puzzles and a focus on item fetching, which some players found lacking in depth and variety. While new mini-games offer a nostalgic distraction, their quality and some bugs detract from the overall experience, leading to a perception of unfinished mechanics and diminished visual quality. Overall, the game could benefit from a more thoughtful approach to its core gameplay elements in future installments.
“The three new mini-games at the arcade come to mind immediately when thinking about additional game mechanics, offering not only games within a game, but a fun distraction and a little throwback to retro games in general too.”
“Foto Flash 2, in my opinion, has refined gameplay from the original, but suffers a fall in visual quality in colors and detail.”
“My advice for the third entry of Foto Flash's series would be to put more thought into the main gameplay style, which would be the scavenger hunt puzzles.”
“The gameplay is essentially the same, but the puzzles are even simpler.”
“I really wanted to like this game too, and the core gameplay is basically the same as Foto Flash 1, but it just feels unfinished, which is also very visible in the graphics, which are just boring.”
“Downsizing from an entire town to one shopping mall really limited the gameplay variety, and the puzzles were nowhere near as fun to figure out.”
- graphics14 mentions
- 64 % positive mentions
- 21 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The graphics in the game receive mixed reviews, with praise for the bright and colorful art style and character designs, particularly from the original game. However, the visuals of the new environments, especially the mall, are considered less interesting and varied, leading to a feeling of unfinished quality. Overall, while the artwork remains appealing, the lack of engaging environments detracts from the visual experience.
“One thing that I really liked about the first game is the bright and colorful art style of the world.”
“However, the artwork on the girls is still great.”
“Although I can agree that as a whole the character designs from the original are overall better than those in the sequel, that doesn't mean that the beautiful artwork by Raphaelle Marx is lacking here either.”
“The mall is far less interesting and varied visually, as far as the artwork goes, than the city was in the last one.”
“I really wanted to like this game too, and the core gameplay is basically the same as Foto Flash 1, but it just feels unfinished, which is also very visible in the graphics, which are just boring.”
- story13 mentions
- 23 % positive mentions
- 54 % neutral mentions
- 23 % negative mentions
The story is largely a rehash of the first game, focusing on saving a business through photography, with cheesy writing and a cliffhanger ending that some found enjoyable. While the quest design remains similar, a special quest adds a slight twist, though many players felt the fetch quests were nonsensical and detracted from the overall experience. Overall, the narrative received mixed reviews, with some appreciating its familiarity while others criticized its execution.
“The writing is again pretty cheesy, but I still enjoyed the story somewhat, not to mention the crazy cliffhanger ending.”
“I feel like the only time I actually came close to having something resembling fun in the game was when I was in the arcade, which is necessary for the story.”
“The story is pretty much identical to the first game, where you try to save a dying business by taking photos.”
“The quest design is still the same, but there is one special quest to shake things up.”
“Story: 3/5 - on the same level as the first one.”
- humor10 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by witty and referential writing, with individual characters providing charming and amusing interactions. Players appreciate the quirky scenarios, such as the absurdity of drug-related tasks for a mall review, and find the dialogue engaging and entertaining. Overall, while the setting may not resonate with everyone, the humor remains a highlight that enhances the gaming experience.
“Giving a certain someone a ledger to get drugs to give to a host to get a good review for the mall is odd enough to be funny to me.”
“Oh, and the main characters can actually be charming and funny.”
“So the real question is why do I recommend it; the humor in the writing, which is often witty or referential, is worth reading through.”
- music10 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- 10 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many players feeling it falls short compared to the first installment. While some appreciate the mall ambiance and find the soundtrack decent, others describe it as disappointing and less catchy than its predecessor. Overall, the music is considered just okay, lacking the lively energy that characterized the first game.
“Decent music too.”
“Soundtrack: 3/5 - still great.”
“If you enjoyed the art and musical presentation in the first game, then this one will be sure to please as well.”
“Since you're stuck indoors at a mall, there's not really much ambience, just music that sounds like it's coming from the mall's speakers, which was a cool touch, but other than that it was just sort of disappointing.”
“The music is horrible, compared to the lively and energetic music of the first one.”
“I found the music to be not quite as catchy as the last game.”
- stability4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability has been criticized for being significantly worse than its predecessor, with users reporting numerous bugs and game-breaking glitches that hinder gameplay, such as an unresponsive text box and issues with in-game screenshot functionality. Overall, the game appears to be quite unstable at launch.
“Very buggy, even more buggy than the original.”
“I like the fact that there's a sequel, but on release for the first game, I didn't encounter too many glitches, crashes, or bugs. This time around, I'm starting to see issues immediately, like not being able to screenshot in-game with F12 for Steam.”
“I found there to be a few game-breaking glitches, like how offering certain characters hot dogs creates a text box you can't proceed from, forcing you to restart the game.”
- character development3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -67 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
Character development is highlighted by unique and standout designs, particularly from artist Raphaelle Marx, which contribute significantly to the game's appeal. While some reviewers feel the original game's character designs are superior, the sequel still offers beautiful artwork worth exploring, especially for returning players. However, it is not recommended as an entry point for newcomers.
“The character artist is well worth supporting; they have unique character designs that stand out in the crowd and are a significant reason why Foto Flash stands out.”
“Although I can agree that as a whole, the character designs from the original are overall better than those in the sequel, that doesn't mean the beautiful artwork by Raphaelle Marx is lacking here either.”
“If you played the first game, then I'd say it's worth it to see the new character designs and the new cheesecake art.”
“Although I can agree that as a whole the character designs from the original are overall better than those in the sequel, that doesn't mean that the beautiful artwork by Raphaelle Marx is lacking here either.”
“If you played the first game, then I'd say it's worth it to see the new character designs and the new cheesecake art, but I really wouldn't recommend this as the starting point.”
- replayability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The game has low replayability, rated 1/5, as players find little motivation to revisit it beyond attempting to beat high scores in minigames.
“Replay value: 1/5 - you could try to beat your high score in the minigames, but why would you?”
“Once you've completed the main story, there's little incentive to return; the side quests feel repetitive and uninspired.”
“The lack of meaningful choices and consequences makes replaying the game feel pointless.”
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the arcade games and fishing minigame to be tedious and time-consuming, detracting from the overall enjoyment due to their simplicity.
“The arcade games, along with the fishing minigame, are flawed on their own; they're simple, but also tedious and time-consuming to complete.”
