Two Point Museum

Two Point Museum is the third game from Two Point Studios, and the concept is once again based on the cult classic Theme Hospital, which has already been adapted and refreshed in Two Point Hospital (2018). The hospital simulation was quite successful and got seven downloadable expansions (excluding cosmetic ones). This was followed in 2022 by Two Point Campus, which transferred the familiar principle from a hospital to a university, but only received three expansions. In general, it seems that the game was unable to match the success of its predecessor, but still found an audience, thanks in part to its inclusion in Game Pass. Now comes the third game, which is more closely based on the first. Instead of managing patients in a hospital or students on a campus, Two Point Museum puts players in the role of a museum curator, dealing with the needs and demands of visitors. Once again, the game mixes building strategy with business simulation and management in a humorous cartoon style.

Two Point Museum is the third game from Two Point Studios, and the concept is once again based on the cult classic Theme Hospital, which has already been adapted and refreshed in Two Point Hospital (2018). The hospital simulation was quite successful and got seven downloadable expansions (excluding cosmetic ones). This was followed in 2022 by Two Point Campus, which transferred the familiar principle from a hospital to a university, but only received three expansions. In general, it seems that the game was unable to match the success of its predecessor, but still found an audience, thanks in part to its inclusion in Game Pass. Now comes the third game, which is more closely based on the first. Instead of managing patients in a hospital or students on a campus, Two Point Museum puts players in the role of a museum curator, dealing with the needs and demands of visitors. Once again, the game mixes building strategy with business simulation and management in a humorous cartoon style.

In Two Point Museum, players build a series of artefacts or exhibits within exhibits, and unlike other Two Point games that focus strictly on rectangular rooms, players have more creative freedom because they can draw the walls between the exhibits themselves. This gives players the freedom to create themed areas, splash paint and lay carpets. It is important to combine exhibition pieces and decorations, as this makes it more exciting for visitors - and encourages them to donate more money to the tills. It is also important to provide and place educational material to educate visitors, as they come to the museum with different needs and interests. Visitors can also take part in guided tours.

In addition to the exhibitions, other rectangular rooms such as toilets, restaurants and staff rooms need to be built, and staff (assistants, security, janitors, experts) with different skills need to be recruited to ensure the smooth running of the museum. Experts are particularly important. Not only do they ensure the care of the exhibits, but they also play a role in their acquisition. New exhibits can be discovered on expeditions. On a separate world map, players choose a destination and send a specific crew to that location by helicopter, where they spend several days discovering new things for the museum.

These expeditions/missions vary in difficulty, and sometimes the crew is lost, but this depends heavily on the quality of the people sent there. However, if the mission is successful, a 'loot box' will reveal the artefact found, which, depending on its quality, will attract more interest from the museum's visitors - although there is also a random element to which artefact the box contains, and sometimes duplicates will be obtained, which can at least be sold. There are six main types of exhibits and more than 30 sub-categories as well as over 200 exhibits and over 350 different decorations to place. More locations for expeditions are unlocked by achieving certain goals, and unlocked artefacts can also be used in different museums. The more and better rated artefacts are exhibited, the higher the overall rating of the museum. Unlike its predecessors, this time there is an infinite star rating system. This means that the previous three-star system is no longer in use, allowing the museum to continue its steady expansion.

There are five unique main museum locations in Two Point County: Prehistory (Memento Mile), Aquarium (Passwater Cove), Supernatural (Wailon Lodge), Science (Bungle Wasteland) and Space (Pebberley Heights) - and the game also features a Sandbox mode. Stylistically, the game is very much in the vein of its predecessors, with exaggerated yet cute animations of visitors and sometimes creative to bizarre and hilarious exhibits. In other words, the game invites the player to watch what goes on in the museum and what the visitors are doing. Behind the cute facade, however, the game hides something that Frontier Developments does not quite manage to do with its games like Planet Coaster or Planet Zoo, even though they have better graphics: the game mechanics in Two Point Museum are surprisingly deep and well-integrated. There is a lot to unlock, and in a variety of ways. It's not just about building a nice museum, but also an effective one.

Two Point Museum will be available on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S on 4 March 2025, with Advanced Access unlocked on 27 February for those who pre-order the digital Explorer Edition. The Explorer Edition also includes a new expedition location, a selection of decorative items, and items to help experts replenish faster. Plaion distributes the retail editions for PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.

Conclusion

Two Point Museum is a surprisingly good, multi-layered and cute-to-watch game. The museum setting fits the concept better and easily surpasses Two Point Campus.

Features

• Unbreakable gameplay concept, expeditions as a new element
• Easy-to-use tools for creating a museum
• Humour and cute cartoon style