Two Point Museum [PC] | REVIEW

Two Point Museum marks the third instalment in the Two Point series, following in the footsteps of Two Point Hospital and Two Point Campus to offer another quirky management experience. This time around, players take on the role of a museum curator and are tasked with building, expanding, and managing a collection of exhibits, all whilst continuing to uncover new exhibits for display that both entertain and educate visitors. It lives up to the high standards established by the series, all whilst offering plenty of fresh mechanics to ensure players will be kept entertained for hours on end.

Check out some screenshots down below:

Two Point Museum offers more creative freedom than ever before when it comes to designing the layout of your building. Unlike hospitals and universities that rely on an abundance of small rooms for a variety of reasons, museums are mostly open spaces where exhibits are arranged in a manner that can handle plentiful guests and carefully guide them through each display. This is emphasised in Two Point Museum, with players carefully designing their museums to help shape the visitor experience, all whilst guiding them through different themed areas with partition walls, decorative elements, and curated tours. I’m a big fan of museums, so it was something that I found especially enjoyable to embrace, whilst it was ALWAYS satisfying to design a museum that would flow in an appropriate and thematically connected manner.

The game features five core museum themes – Prehistory, Marine Life, Supernatural, Science, and Space – with each bringing its own unique aesthetic and exhibit types to take advantage of. And believe me, there are some truly wonderful exhibits to unlock and offer across the game, with Two Point Studios going all out in blending silliness with realism to ensure players can make museums that are absolutely oozing with creativity and charm. There’s a lot of variety in the way exhibits interact with their environment too, with some requiring specific conditions to function at their best. It adds an interesting element of strategy to the experience, with players having to carefully arrange their exhibits in an appropriate manner in order to ensure they are properly maintained and utilised.

Unlike previous Two Point games where efficiency was key (getting patients treated or students graduated as quickly as possible), Two Point Museum takes the opposite approach. The goal is to keep visitors inside the museum for as long as possible, ensuring they remain entertained and engaged whilst also spending money on food, souvenirs, and offering donations. A key tool for boosting visitor engagement is the tour system, where experts lead groups through a curated route of exhibits. The quality of a tour depends on factors such as the length, the variety of exhibits, and the overall level of visitor engagement, with efficiently designed museums with effective exhibit layouts most likely to prove a hit. It adds another clever layer of strategy to Two Point Museum that requires careful consideration to make the most of, though optimizing tours to hit high ratings can feel a little inconsistent. Whilst I enjoyed the system, it can require a little trial and error to get things just right, and whilst that’s fine, there were a few moments early on where I couldn’t quite work out where I was going wrong.

“Two Point Museum successfully builds on the formula of its predecessors while introducing fresh ideas to ensure it stands out as a unique and fun management experience.“

Visitors also have individual needs and interests which players must cater to in order to ensure that their interest in the museum is maintained, with things such as the different types of exhibit, the theme that they follow, or even things such as the basic commodities found in your museum tying to their needs. There’s an amusing variety of visitor personalities to have to deal with too, some of which come from varying time periods and planets, with each bringing with them different requirements and expectations to ensure their visit to your museum is a success. It lives up to the humour that’s so commonly associated with the series and ensures that Two Point Museum is packed with charm, whilst dealing with the on-going challenges of keeping EVERYONE happy ensures that the game is constantly engaging.

One of the biggest changes in Two Point Museum is the expedition system, which replaces the traditional research mechanics found in Two Point Hospital and Two Point Campus. Instead of unlocking new medical equipment or academic courses, players send expert teams on expeditions to uncover artifacts from around the world. It ties in perfectly with the theme of the game, whilst also adding a sense of adventure to the experience that isn’t found in the previous releases.

The process of completing expeditions is simple: staff members board a helicopter and set off to remote locations, returning with crates that contain new items for display. These expeditions add a compelling sense of progression, as each successful journey expands the range of exhibits available and gives players exciting new options that are sure to captivate the museum’s visitors. However, there is an element of randomness involved too, with artifacts sometimes being duplicates or arriving in poor condition – while duplicates can be sold for extra cash, players will have to put in the effort to restore those that aren’t in good shape. Staff can face serious ailments on these ventures too, so you can’t guarantee everyone will make it back in one piece. There’s a lot of luck involved, and whilst it can be a little tedious when an expedition doesn’t go to plan, it does ensure that players always have something satisfying to work towards where success feels impactful. It was one of my favourite new features found in the game, and, as a long-time fan of Tomb Raider and Indiana Jones, it always brought a smile to my face to envision how each expedition might play out.

Check out some screenshots down below:

As with all Two Point games, financial management is also crucial. While ticket sales bring in revenue, profits also come from secondary spending, such as café purchases, vending machines, and gift shop sales. Donation bins also play an important role – if visitors are enjoying themselves, they’ll throw in extra money, making it essential to keep the quality of exhibits high and engagement levels strong. As mentioned, there are different visitor personalities that expect different things, but as long as you meet expectations, you’ll see a good flow of cash coming in to continually build upon your museum. Beyond finances, players must also manage staff, ensuring they are well-trained and assigned to the right tasks. Security is another important factor, as thieves can attempt to steal valuable artifacts, requiring players to deploy security patrols to keep the museum’s exhibits safe. There’s a lot going on, but Two Point Museum’s intuitive menus and UI make everything easy to keep on to of and, most importantly, a lot of fun to manage.

The main campaign consists of five major museums, each representing a different theme. This is a smaller number of levels compared to previous entries in the series, but the game’s structure compensates for this by encouraging players to revisit museums as they unlock new content. Instead of simply completing a level and moving on, players return to previous museums to expand and improve them, discovering new narrative events and challenges as they progress. Additionally, the Sandbox Mode allows for unlimited creative freedom, letting players build the museum of their dreams without restrictions. Admittedly, I would have preferred to have had a few more levels to play through, especially since other titles in the series have felt meatier and more substantial on this front – I fully expect to see additional content come to the game in the future though, especially given the series’ track record of offering top-quality DLC.

It should be noted that whilst the customization tools are more flexible than ever, some mechanics can feel a bit fiddly when designing your museum. Placing walls, setting up partitions, and applying decorations can occasionally lead to small frustrations when playing, as certain design choices don’t always work seamlessly with the game’s grid system. Whilst the added freedom in museum layouts is a welcome change that gives players more control over how their space looks and functions, I also found this to be the first time in the Two Point series where designing spaces could feel a bit clumsy. Again, it’s something you’ll get used to, but expect a few little hiccups during early design processes.  

Developer: Two Point Studios
Publisher: SEGA
Platform(s): PC (Reviewed), PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S
Website: https://www.twopointstudios.com/en/games/two-point-museum