Against any and all odds (mostly the two White Noise games before it being best described as Six-Pack Slenderman), White Noise 2 manages toAgainst any and all odds (mostly the two White Noise games before it being best described as Six-Pack Slenderman), White Noise 2 manages to not only excel as a multiplayer Slenderman game, but also as a game in general.
The game is a 4v1 with up to four players being Investigators. All 18 Investigators have unique stats (specifically Speed, Endurance, Bravery, Flashlight, Stealth, Exploration, and VItality), a positive trait, and a negative trait, all of which help determine which roles (Leader, Scout, Guard, Caboose) they can fill. Investigators also have a compass showing them the general direction of the nearest clue/sigil, shouting to help find others, glow sticks, and most importantly, a flashlight. Each flashlight also has their own stats, affecting the Investigator, as well as three stats affected by the Investigator's Flashlight stat. The flashlight is one of the Investigator's few lines of defense against The Creature. Shining your flashlight on them will stun them temporarily, after which you need to RUN. Run until it's banished, signified by a sound and the Creature collapsing on the ground in some black... thing. Flashlights have a limited battery life, but they can be recharged by picking up the spare batteries in the map. Flashlights can be used to save Investigators caught by The Creature, unless they were already grabbed twice (For Vincent, once, for Phileas, three times) Investigators can also use various items with different effects, such as instantly stunning/banishing The Creature or increasing Speed and Endurance. The goal of Investigators is to find eight clues, which are usually tapes (but can come in the form of more complex clues, such as light prisms and arcane chests requiring button combinations), then destroy The Artifact to fully banish The Creature by breaking the Sigils surrounding it.
The Creature, on the other hand, has to devour every Investigator before they break The Artifact. Creatures also have stats (Speed, Horror, Perception, Light Resistance, Skill Usage, Idol Influence, and Strength) and traits, although they have two positives. Creatures can summon Idols at predetermined points to help track Investigators and drain their sanity to 0, which will stun the Investigator for a few seconds. Creatures have six powers to assist them, sharing three of them (Compass, Teleport, and Sprint) with every other Creature. Each Creature also has three unique powers, such as Olkoth having decoys that make the tape's sound or Astaroth being able to stun Investigators, then cripple their speed for some time. When an Investigator is actually caught, they will be devoured unless they have only been grabbed once or twice (save for the aforementioned exceptions) and their teammates shine their light on you (in 1v1s, The Creature is always stunned after landing a grab). The higher your Strength is and the lower the Investigator's vitality is, the quicker they will be devoured.
When an Investigator is devoured, they come back as a blue, translucent ghost. Ghosts are able to run forever, become unable to set off traps, can summon a stationary Spirit Flame to slow down The Creature, and have the same general abilities as they would have when alive, except for a flashlight to stun the Creature with and the ability to use Items. The biggest advantage they have is the ability to banish Idols, which will make tracking Investigators harder for The Creature.
There's also a Solo mode, but it's really boring. It doesn't even have the game modes... oh right, game modes! When online, there are four different game modes. Standard is just what I've described and Co-Op removes the ability to play as The Creature. Classic and Classic Co-Op let you get funky, as they make various changes to be like White Noise Online.
The DLC is a little hit and miss, but the characters from the DLC are great. They're all unique in their own way (although Corey should get a buff. He's paid content and is considered the worst Investigator for multiple reasons).
Overall, White Noise 2 is a great time. My only notable complaint is how there are so many hidden mechanics that you need to learn about yourself. Not something to play for 3 hours straight, but it is still really fun. Make sure you have friends to play with, though, since there's rarely any public lobbies nowadays, and like I said, Solo is boring.… Expand
