The House of Da Vinci 2

About

The House of Da Vinci 2 is a first-person puzzle adventure game set in Renaissance Italy. As protagonist Giacomo, players explore Da Vinci's hidden workshop, solve inventive puzzles, and uncover a thrilling plot involving time travel and historical conspiracies. Featuring enhanced graphics and more intricate puzzles than its predecessor, this sequel invites players to delve deeper into the enigmatic world of Leonardo Da Vinci.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

89%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,416 reviews

story184 positive mentions

grinding26 negative mentions

The game features a variety of challenging and engaging puzzles that require logical thinking.
The graphics and atmosphere are visually stunning, enhancing the overall experience.
The story builds upon the first game, providing a more immersive narrative with character interactions.

Controls can be clunky and unresponsive at times, leading to frustration during puzzle-solving.
Some puzzles rely heavily on pixel hunting, making it difficult to find interactable objects.
The ending feels abrupt and lacks closure, leaving players wanting more without a satisfying conclusion.

story
500 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
37%
61%
2%
The story in "The House of Da Vinci 2" serves as both a prequel and sequel to the first game, expanding on the protagonist's journey with intriguing elements and a cliffhanger ending. While many players appreciated the improved integration of story and puzzles, some found the narrative convoluted and disjointed, often feeling disconnected from the gameplay. Overall, the game offers a more prominent storyline than its predecessor, but it still leaves some players wanting a clearer and more cohesive narrative experience.
- “The house of Da Vinci 2 serves as both a prequel and a sequel to the original, showing how the protagonist first came to be an apprentice of Leonardo da Vinci, and then continuing where his story left off after the ending of part 1.”
- “The story starts before the events of the first game and then connects well, which is interesting, and the story keeps moving forward with a tricky plot and ends in a cliffhanger as the previous one did as well.”
- “The story is intriguing, and though there are more hints available in this sequel, the puzzles are not overly difficult but they are clever.”
- “Whatever you do, don't play this for the story.”
- “The biggest downside to this one is the extremely confusing storyline.”
- “More importantly, the story, or more precisely the storytelling, is terrible.”
graphics
194 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
73%
25%
2%
The graphics of the game have received a mixed response, with many praising them as beautiful, immersive, and well-executed, particularly in high resolutions. However, some users noted that the graphics can feel outdated compared to other titles, with occasional issues like muddy textures and lack of graphical options. Overall, while the visuals are often highlighted as a strong point, there are criticisms regarding their consistency and modernity.
- “Amazing game with gorgeous graphics, soothing music, and a captivating storyline.”
- “The graphics and audio are surprisingly good; it looks really nice in 4K, with high-resolution textures and good lighting.”
- “The graphics are fantastic and the puzzles are really well designed and not too challenging.”
- “The graphics are really subpar, there's better in games ten years older than this.”
- “There are no graphics options, and many of the textures break into garbage when you get up close.”
- “However, the graphics are quite muddy and feel like a port from a mobile game and there is no free movement.”
gameplay
120 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
32%
65%
3%
The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players noting its similarity to "The Room" series, which some find frustrating due to repetitive mechanics and clunky controls. While the mechanical puzzles are praised for their ingenuity and visual detail, players have expressed concerns about the game's reliance on trial-and-error mechanics and the lack of logical conclusions in some puzzles. Overall, improvements have been made since the first installment, but issues with gameplay fluidity and originality remain a point of contention.
- “Great mechanics and artwork.”
- “Smooth gameplay, puzzles are not too easy, great detail in the visuals, better than Da Vinci 1.”
- “I liked most of the puzzles, with the one in mission 3 being the coolest mechanically.”
- “Not worth the asking price when you have the Room series with far better gameplay and puzzles.”
- “The gameplay needs a bit of improvement.”
- “The majority of my gameplay was shouting 'What do you want from me!?' and then working towards the desired answer.”
music
52 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
62%
33%
6%
The music in the game is consistently praised for its atmospheric quality, enhancing the overall experience without being intrusive. Reviewers highlight the soothing and mesmerizing soundtrack, which complements the stunning graphics and engaging storyline, making the gameplay enjoyable and immersive. Overall, the music is considered a significant strength, contributing to the game's captivating atmosphere and puzzle-solving experience.
- “The music and atmosphere are top class.”
- “The music was pleasant to listen to, even on loop, and the sound effects added to the game without being distracting.”
- “The atmosphere of the visuals and the sound design and music is great.”
- “The music is atmospheric and not obtrusive.”
- “Relaxing music, more narrative than the room.”
- “I did like the music and that they tried to add more of a story compared to the first game, but hopefully the next game will have (much) better controls.”
atmosphere
34 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
53%
38%
9%
The atmosphere of the game is consistently praised for its high-quality music, immersive visuals, and cohesive design, which enhance the overall experience. Players appreciate the blend of clever puzzles with a strong historical context, although some noted that action sequences occasionally disrupt the otherwise contemplative mood. Overall, the game's ambiance, particularly in specific chapters like the church, contributes significantly to its enjoyment and appeal.
- “The atmospherics—music, scenery, and bits of Da Vinci's work—made the journey to the end enjoyable.”
- “There's a great atmosphere and an interesting story, and fun and tough puzzles.”
- “They try to spice things up with some extra action, but the tense dialogue and breathless chase scenes clash with the pensive, deliberate atmosphere that the puzzles themselves create.”
- “The atmosphere of the visuals and the sound design and music is great.”
- “The game starts strong with not only puzzles to work them out but also an atmosphere and a focus on the story from the get-go which was nice, some levels weren't as strong as others but overall it felt cohesive.”
grinding
26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The grinding aspect of the game is frequently criticized for being tedious and frustrating, with many players finding the puzzles overly repetitive and lacking in satisfaction. Interactions can be cumbersome due to lengthy animations, and some puzzles feel more like chores than engaging challenges. While there are enjoyable elements, the overall experience is marred by the monotony of certain tasks and the sheer volume of puzzles, leading to a sense of fatigue among players.
- “Interacting with stuff is just flat out annoying because if you miss a single 3x3 pixel space to interact with something you have to watch a 3-10 second animation of the camera zooming in/out every time, then you have to press it for another further 3-10 second animation to zoom out/in again which becomes tedious very fast.”
- “I found the game tedious, and many of the 'puzzles' impenetrable, relying on forensic examination and linking of stuff that is either not very visible or unseen altogether.”
- “It is incredibly tedious and I find myself skipping them as much as possible and hoping it doesn't contain anything important because it is so insanely boring.”
stability
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Overall, the game's stability is mixed; while many players report smooth transitions and minimal glitches, some have experienced frustrating freezes that detract from the experience. Most minor issues can be resolved by restarting the game, but persistent freezing has led some users to recommend against it.
- “And while those polish issues are frustrating, what pushed well over the line into no recommend land are the freezes.”
- “Technically, the games are outstanding, only a few little glitches and most were resolved by returning to the main menu and pressing play again.”
- “Had a couple of glitches but ultimately this is a great game.”
replayability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
50%
25%
Players generally find the game to be highly replayable, often returning to it multiple times. However, some feel that it could benefit from additional content or randomized elements to enhance its longevity, especially considering its price.
- “It's a keeper and replayable often.”
- “For the price of the game, it should be longer or at least have a way to make it replayable through RNG-generated puzzles.”
humor
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is highlighted by the unexpected and amusing portrayal of Da Vinci speaking English, which adds a lighthearted and entertaining element to the experience. Players find this aspect both interesting and hilarious, contributing to the overall enjoyment of the game.
- “It's funny.”
- “Interesting and exciting, but Da Vinci speaks English, which made me feel hilarious for one moment!”
optimization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game suffers from significant optimization issues, particularly on low to medium-spec PCs, primarily due to the absence of v-sync, which leads to excessive framerates that can overheat graphics cards. While visually impressive, these performance problems hinder gameplay and may prevent players from completing the game.
- “While the game looks fantastic, it isn't optimized for PC and its out-of-control framerates will send your video card into overdrive because it does not use v-sync [unless forced].”
- “Initially, there were performance issues when running on low/medium spec kit due to lack of v-sync - this meant I couldn't make it to the end of the game.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the game emotionally engaging, highlighting its heartwarming and uplifting scenery as a significant aspect of their experience. The challenge presented throughout the game adds to the overall enjoyment, making it a fulfilling journey from start to finish.
- “I enjoyed playing this through to completion; it was a nice challenge and quite lovely. The scenery is so heartwarming and uplifting.”