Indiescovered: Finding Teddy 2

The sequel to an obscure point-and-click adventure game, Finding Teddy 2 is a Metroidvania in which the kingdom from the first game has been taken over by an evil wizard. He has overthrown the ruler from the first game, killing him in the process. The previous ruler’s spirit then inhabits the player character’s teddy bear, who she follows into this other world one night when the lights go out, taking her toy sword and shield with her.

Finding Teddy 2 is a game that tells you nothing about itself. You are required to wander around, learning everything yourself. There are no tutorials. There is no help menu. There are a number of game mechanics to learn, but you will have to learn them all on your own.

The fact that the game is set up in this manner is a major part of its charm. I won’t lie, I had to look up one of the very small number of guides available in order to discover what it was I was attempting to do in the first core level, but after I had a grasp of how the game was played, the pervading sense of discovery and wonderment left me engrossed. When you can’t progress, there is always something you are missing. Something you didn’t explore properly. Something you didn’t take note of. The game is never unfair, just obtuse.

The sense of discovery and wonderment is backed by a bright, colorful world that is beautifully animated. Of all the indies I have played, there are very few with assets that match the insanely smooth pixel animations on display in Finding Teddy 2. The game’s sense of style keeps even the dingiest of depths feeling bright and whimsical.

The game’s core gameplay mechanics are a rendition of past Metroidvanias. Combat feels more in-depth, allowing lunging slashes and the ability to block by refraining from attacking while standing or crouching, but the general ideas in place are fairly standard. You have a hub world and, within that hub world, you have a final destination. To reach that destination, you have to collect items from four other worlds. To collect those items, you have to unlock various powers along the way. At the end of each level there’s a towering boss, each of which plays to the game’s strengths in a unique way.

Where the game diverges is in its use of the “Musicom.” The only language in Finding Teddy 2’s world is a sort of song language. The Musicom is an ancient musical device that allows the player character to “speak” this language and communicate with the world and its inhabitants. When you first obtain the Musicom you don’t have any keys. Along the way, you will obtain keys for the Musicom and unlock the ability to communicate more thoroughly. As you communicate with more of the world’s inhabitants, you will slowly learn more words—saved to a menu that you can pull up at any time, thankfully—that can be used to communicate with other inhabitants. You might also, for example, see writing on a wall that has to be translated for instructions on how to reach the next area. There are a number of ways that you are required to use the Musicom and its language-learning elements and logic puzzles were some of my favorite parts of the game.

Finding Teddy 2 is a rewarding experience with a great setting, smooth combat, and even smoother animation. The core problem is that the game does ask more of the player than your average game. You will have to learn every one of the game’s mechanics on your own. There is very little dialogue and none of it will help you figure out what it is you’re supposed to be doing. It’s all either part of the game’s world-building or part of a puzzle. I find this to be part of the game’s charm, but others may find it to be either frustrating or intimidating. If you're up for the challenge, however, few games leave the lasting impression that Finding Teddy 2 does.

Finding Teddy 2 is available on Steam for $14.99.