(Image credit: Schell Games)

Mission Impossible: the Phoenix Reborn

The risen agent for the Enhanced Operative Division only has the tools around themselves to stop the latest supervillain plot in the newest installment from Schell Games called I Expect You to Die 2: The Spy and the Liar. As the name states, there are many ways to kill clueless spies, but some immersive mechanics are more frustrating than fun. A Mission Impossible-style theme replaces the James Bond feel of the first title but does not expand gameplay from the original. The Load Screen reviews the new VR puzzle game out now for Oculus Quest, Rift, PlayStation VR, and Steam VR.

Its story picks up after the final DLC mission from I Expect You to Die: The Death Machine. The fearless hero is presumed dead after destroying the Zoraxis satellite and crushing Dr. Zor’s evil plans. The Agency still has use for a good spy, and death is the perfect cover. Zoraxis is back with the star of screen and stage, John Juniper, voiced by Wil Wheaton, and they plot for world domination. The Agency keeps its recently revived super-agent in a surveillance van instead of the office for mission briefings.

(Image credit: Schell Games)

The van offers many interactable objects, including a fridge full of food and collectibles found within the game’s six missions. Each quest has a unique theme with only an aircraft as the one thematic overlap from the first title, but the original was a cargo propeller plane, and the new one is Juniper’s private jet. My favorite level would have been Operation Jet Set, but a frustrating issue with the food cart caused Operation Party Crasher to take the number one spot. However, there were minor issues that plagued the entire game.

Gameplay is object manipulation based, similar to I Expect You to Die, with almost no improvement in prop handling mechanics. Players can activate telekinetic powers to interact with distant objects, but it lacks some fine motor tuning developed in VR games since the original release back in 2016. Repositioning anything that is not in the player’s hands is almost impossible, even though the object can now freeze in midair with the push of a button. Aiming any shootable devices, including the crossbow, had little stability and accuracy. However, the game makes up for the loose mechanic with huge hitboxes for enemies. Timing a shot feels more critical than precise aiming since some enemies are invincible until they speak their lines. In Operation Stage Fright, I miraculously shot a Zoraxis agent in the chest, but he didn’t even flinch like a Terminator. He boldly finished delivering his line, then fired a crossbow that killed me instantly.

The developers kept the looks and graphics from the first title, with only a slight retexturing to some familiar grabble objects like toasted sandwiches. Walls and skies are minimally patterned so that players focus on detailed interactable items. Scripting used for handwriting and labels on objects are legible and help with the immersion. Lighting effects are similar to the first, with an added mouth-held flashlight in Operation Eaves Drop that breaks the repetitive lighting environments.

(Image credit: Schell Games)

Although the interactive environment is very immersive, a few frustrating mechanics break the game’s overall depth. The most annoying issue was interacting with objects obstructing views, including the food cart on Operation Jet Set. Players can summon the cart early, and it blocks other hidden panels once they are exposed. I could not see one instrument panel correctly, and after resetting the level twice, I discovered that the button that calls the cart also returns it.

I Expect You to Die 2 does not take too long to complete if the gamer is good at solving complex puzzles, but plenty of ways exist to unravel each step, so the game has hours of replayability within its six levels. Although the object interaction that Schell Games utilizes has not seen much improvement, the new objects and their uses make up for the lack of advancement in gameplay and graphics. If the VR masterpiece that is I Expect You to Die had not come out, then the sequel would have been an instant classic on its own. For now, it stands in the shadow of the original but offers the player plenty of super-spy action.  

I Expect you to Die 2

• Platforms: PC, PlayStation VR, Oculus Quest, Oculus Rift

• Developer: Schell Games

• Publisher:  Schell Games

• Release Date: 8/26/2021

• Played on: Steam VR with Oculus Rift S