In Curious Expedition, sanity makes the difference between success and failure, both in-game and in real life. This challenging roguelike tasks players with earning fame and fortune in a brutal, globetrotting adventure that tests planning, resourcefulness, and patience. Misfortune can occasionally feel unfair but a largely satisfying treasure awaits those who persevere.
Players control one of a roster of influential historical figures, including Charles Darwin, Marie Curie, and Huang Feihong. Each comes with their own perks tuned to specific playstyles, encouraging multiple playthroughs under different circumstances. The goal: accumulate enough wealth, and, in turn, fame, across six expeditions to become the most prolific explorer of them all. It’s a neat premise, and deciding the types of crew members to recruit and buying supplies taps into the nostalgic fun of edutainment games like The Oregon Trail.
Curious Expedition is a difficult adventure that welcomes only the most savvy explorers. Managing the party’s Sanity, a meter that drains with each move, acts as the deciding factor between success and failure. Hitting zero Sanity punishes players with party members that lose vital supplies or abandon the group altogether. It can feel restrictive at first but keeping everyone even-keeled becomes more manageable with careful planning. Curious Expedition rewards players who know what they’re getting into and prepare accordingly.
Knowing to pack machetes to chop through dense forests or snowshoes to traverse snow makes the difference between a well-oiled trek and a grueling slog. Trading goods with local tribes not only improves preparedness, but may butter them up enough that they’ll reveal points of interest. Conversely, swiping priceless relics to exchange for much-needed supplies may put you at odds those same indigenous people. Smartly managing these systems and relationships feels both engaging and enjoyable thanks to how logically they’re woven together. The turn-based combat involves a decently fun system of rolling dice and matching faces to launch offensive strikes or raise defenses. While competent, the best thing about fighting is that it’s entirely optional. Any encounter can be fled or avoided altogether since enemies appear in the overworld.
Getting the hang of Curious Expedition requires climbing a learning curve that can feel as steep as the game’s mountains. Early runs feel like perplexing, infuriating lessons of trial and error that will likely turn less patient players away. A separate tutorial mode does a good job laying out the game’s core systems. It should really be mandatory as it can be easy to overlook. Even then, don’t feel ashamed to begin with the game’s Tourist (AKA Easy) Mode. It offers a more relaxed trek that, while not a total cakewalk, allows more room for error and lets players enjoy the decision-making aspects of the adventure.
While traveling can be deliberately managed, making choices often feels more like a game of chance. Choices can play out in unpredictable ways which can be both an exciting relief and an unpleasant, infuriating surprise. Companions who drink a mysterious potion may grow beast claws useful for combat or morph into horrific monsters. The random nature of most of these scenarios can be frustrating as one bad move can turn an entire expedition on its head. Some consequences are better telegraphed than others but choices don’t evolve much overall. Experienced players eventually learn which type of risks are worth taking and which to avoid like the plague. While it does feel good to circumvent known troublespots, going through the motions of making the same decisions run after run dulls the experience overall.
Like all roguelikes, repetition is the nature of the beast and one Curious Expedition only marginally handles well. Maps may be procedurally generated, but exploring the small selection of region types–jungles, deserts, and the arctic–eventually loses its luster. Unlocking new explorers and earning in-game achievements only serve as somewhat tantalizing carrots for playing multiple runs.
Curious Expedition shines just after learning the ropes, once players can competently enlist party members, make informed decisions, and have a handle on managing their Sanity. Once its bag of tricks begins running dry, the gold rush becomes more of an exercise in repetition than a consistently fresh adventure. Curious Expedition has treasures worth seeking but wise adventurers shouldn't feel guilty to quit while they’re ahead.
Curious Expedition is available on PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. Screen Rant was provided a digital Switch code for the purpose of this review.