Curious Expedition 2 (v3.2.1 & ALL DLC)

Late-19th-century adventure gets a strange, supernatural twist as newly appeared islands rise from the sea, vanish again, and lure Europe’s explorer clubs into dangerous expeditions. Curious Expedition 2 is a turn-based narrative roguelike built around the tension between colonial-era ambition and the very real possibility of getting everyone killed in the jungle. You lead a hand-picked party through shifting wildernesses in search of relics for the 1889 Paris World’s Fair, while hunger, injury, fear, and worsening sanity constantly threaten the journey. Its colorful storybook presentation keeps the mood lively, but the decisions underneath are often harsh and unforgiving.

Each expedition revolves around pushing across procedurally assembled maps, uncovering landmarks, trading with locals, scavenging supplies, and deciding when to turn back before greed turns into disaster. Food, ammunition, medicine, morale, and sanity all demand attention, while individual companions develop illnesses, rivalries, loyalties, and personality quirks that can reshape a run. Combat uses a dice-pool system: attacks, defenses, and special abilities depend on matching symbols, giving battles a tactical push-your-luck feel rather than relying on simple stat comparisons. Between journeys, the wider campaign lets you equip expeditions, recruit unusual specialists, build standing with competing clubs, and pursue narrative events that carry consequences across multiple islands.

What separates it from many roguelikes is its focus on expedition drama rather than nonstop fighting. A bad route, a poorly timed bargain, or a companion’s mental collapse can become more memorable than any monster encounter, and the game is at its best when an improvised plan barely survives the wilderness. Its handcrafted campaign scenes add direction without sacrificing the unpredictability of generated maps, biomes, encounters, and party combinations. Players who enjoy the emergent disasters of The Banner Saga, Darkest Dungeon, or classic Oregon Trail-style resource management should find plenty to like, although newcomers need patience for its demanding systems and frequent setbacks.