izigame.me

MARES 2.


tl;dr

-This is a good game!
-Not very challenging, but the gameplay is relaxing / chill.
-Around 5-6 hours of playtime (another 2h for 100%)

Intro

"My Little Pony: A Zephyr Heights Mystery" is the successor / indirect-sequel to the original "MY LITTLE PONY: A Maretime Bay Adventure" released in 2022. The previous game was a fine entry, but was far too short for its asking price, which unfortunately lead to a bit of overly-dramatic criticism. So, how does this follow-up compare?

CO-OP

Unfortunately, I won't be discussing the newly-introduced 2 player co-op, as I played this game solo.

Gameplay & Story

In this game, you start off by taking control of Sunny Starscout & Hitch Trailblazer. The two (who begin their adventure somewhere around Maretime Bay) receive a letter, which leads them alongside the rest of the Mane 6 to Zephyr Heights in order to solve a mystery regarding magic anomalies that have been appearing all over the area.
Each level is sequenced linearly, though you usually have to solve a few puzzles (sometimes involving small bits of platforming) or problems for fellow ponies before you can progress to the next area. This can be things like "deliver the clothing item", or "find the 3 materials to build a bridge". Throughout the game, you'll unlock the rest of the Mane 6 as playable characters, and you can play as whoever, whenever, at the press of a button. Each character has their own unique ability(ies) - some being more useful than others.
There are also various collectables in each area, though the notable ones are the blue, green and red gems that are hidden throughout. Star bits however, are used to purchase things like clothing items and customisation for the Brighthouse's interior!
This game is very relaxed, in that there isn't really any challenge. There are no lives, no pits to fall down, no looming villain (sorry Opaline Arcana fans, she's completely absent again). But, that's all it needs to be; it's PERFECT for its target audience, and I suspect some older fans may enjoy the chill nature of exploring and collecting.
My last key point here is that the soundtrack is great. I loved the music that plays through Zephyr Heights!

Playtime?

It took me about 5.8 hours to finish this game, but that doesn't include the many side-quests required for 100% completion. Doing those may tack on another 2-3 hours depending on whether you're using Hitch's ability to speed-up the process, or just exploring on your own. I recommend saving these for after the main story (your progress can be reviewed by pausing the game), as many quests require you to finish quests in other areas - it's a bit of a chase teleporting between the levels and trying to figure out what is needed for where (use Hitch's ability to find the next objective if you're impatient).

Tips / Notes

-Some characters may stop providing side-quests until you finish another pony's side-quest, and some may provide a side-quest immediately after completing a previous side-quest of theirs. Again, Hitch's ability will help you figure out where to go next!
-I experienced an issue where I couldn't accept a character's side-quest prompt, though fast-travelling out of the area and returning resolved the problem.
-Sunny's roller skates are slower than the other characters' running abilities, but she has infinite stamina.
-This game vaguely takes place somewhere within / after Chapter 5, but it is by no means necessary to be caught-up on the show to understand anything here.
-There is no right-stick camera control, which means the barrier to entry is less than many 3D games!
-Tasks that offer star bits are infinitely-repeatable if you leave / return to a level. This is because they are not necessary for progressing the story, and are instead only required to complete if you wish to collect star bits to then purchase various clothing items. Because of this, you can technically collect an infinite number of star bits, which means they are not a primary collectable, unlike the previous game.

Criticisms

This list may look like a lot, but many are just nitpicks!
-No Steam Points Shop items (we love our emoticons and wallpapers!)
-No graphic setting options (helps with accessibility for players on lower-end devices)
-No cloud saves (as a Steam Deck user, I love the convenience of cloud saves)
-Zipp's original VA is absent, though the stand-in does the job. By no means a deal-breaker for me, but just something curious!
-The pause-screen music is almost sombre, which feels unfitting in comparison to the rest of the OST.
-The stamina each character has (excluding Sunny) feels unnecessary.
-No way to exit certain areas without completing them (the fast-travel map should be accessible from the pause screen)
-The ending does the job, but could have shown us a bit more.
-One of the achievements technically spoils the story's resolution - it should be hidden until unlocked!

Final thoughts

This is a good game! Though ultimately, it's up to you to decide if you're comfortable with parting your money for a relaxing, simple collectable / puzzle / exploration game that runs for about 5-6 hours. I was pleasantly surprised with this game; I initially expected to have it finished within 2 hours, so, I was more than happy with the 10-ish hours I spent to 100% everything (this is probably on the higher-end of most players). If you liked Maretime Bay Adventure and are a fan of Generation 5 MLP, then you'll definitely enjoy this entry!
If you're interested in reading my review of "MY LITTLE PONY: A Maretime Bay Adventure", you can read that here!