Haydee 2 is a lewd first-person shooter/puzzle game about a woman that must escape a hostile facility; it’s everybody against one.
At-a-glance
(Adult) Content?
(F) Nudity.
Censorship?
No. Woot! Woot!
Hours of Gameplay?
Ten hours.
Modding Support?
Yes! Upcoming workshop.
Patch Available?
Enable in-game.
Foreword
I received a free copy of this game from the developers (after asking nicely). Thanks a bunch guys! Haydee 2 has been a wild ride. I’m ecstatic to see this game packaged with modding support (in the form of Edith, the companion editor software). Of the over-twenty hours I spent in-game (before writing this article), about half of them was spent learning Edith. Generally speaking, I am more interested in modding games than actually playing them — however, I chose to press on and attempt to beat the game. Well, I didn’t. I never consulted any guides, and at some point I grew weary of running back-and-forth with no results. I decided to put the game down — but I am satisfied with the still hours worth of content Haydee has to offer me!
Gameplay
Collect and manage items as you navigate a maze of puzzles and traps. Items are scarce, and many have limited usage. You must count your bullets, and shoot only when absolutely necessary; anything less than a headshot is a waste of ammunition. There is a vast map to explore, which must be painstakingly unlocked piece-by-piece. Many doors are guarded by colored-keycards, and it’ll take an arsenal of tools to gain access to the remainder of the world. A big part of Haydee 2 is discovery and exploration: you’ll have to find out what does what, and leave no stone unturned. When you’re not backtracking from a previous save, you’ll find that new tools often breath new life to areas previously explored.
It’s too bad progression is absolutely painful.
You’re only allowed to save at distant, designated points. Every time you die you’ll have to backtrack (sometimes a lot). Because items are strictly limited, you can easily put yourself into a position where you have to “roll back” to a previous save in order to make progression possible. This is most applicable with ammunition; you’re not allowed to shoot unless absolutely necessary (and if you don’t score headshots you’re better off reloading). Chances are, a good chunk of your playtime will be the result of getting back to where you left off or repairing your game. Save often — and keep a guide open. However, I only recommend looking at a guide if you’re absolutely, positively stuck!
I wholeheartedly recommend installing a mod to increase ammo — like the one I made!
Story
The story is unraveled piece-by-piece via hidden clipboards, computers and tablets. As the story is intended to be read piecemeal, I’ll only divulge a little information. Object HD512 finds herself trapped inside a massive facility. She’s not like the rest of her kind; she exhibits self-awareness and will. Prior to the facility’s hostile take-over, her caretakers had tried (and failed) to “fix” her code. HD512 violent and combat trained — it took a massive security crew to return her to stasis. Her caretakers have been warped by “Entropy”, a mysterious agent that renders them as aggressive work-crazed monsters. It would appear that HD512 is what remains of the facility’s humanity, even if all she knows is code.
Visuals
The titlescreen looks great! It’s nicely arranged, and it doubles as character-customization screen. From “Settings”, you can adjust a wide variety of audio, display, gameplay and graphical preferences. I’m impressed — the robustness of the “Settings” menu is what I’d expect from a high budget game. Achievements can be viewed in-game via the “Records” selection. You can customize the protagonist’s hair, hair color and outfit via “Outfits”. Unfortunately, there are little customization options — I hope that DLC is released in the future. Thankfully, modders have already been hard at work! The in-game environments are wonderfully detailed, and provided censorship is disabled, are brimming with parodic, pornographic material!
I loved the way Haydee 2 handles adult-material!
I’ll admit, the adult-content feels somewhat misplaced — but it makes Haydee‘s world feel alive. Every key card, magazine, poster, and soda machine is emblazoned with nudity. Unfortunately, much of the game way, way too dark. I had a hard time seeing anything, and jacking up my screen brightness didn’t seem to help. I think the game would benefit from a “flashlight” mechanic, perhaps in the form of “tool” that is found early-on. When Haydee 2 released, there was a lot of backlash regarding the protagonist’s face. I get it. Her lips are massive — and are breasts are titanic. If you’re a fan of thicc (and I mean thicc), dark-skinned, ethnic women in leotards. . . well you’re in luck!
Hey modders, can y’alls make a flat-chest — or better yet, totally-not-loli mod?
The Goods
The main protagonist is an absurdly thicc woman; as your prance about the game, you can watch her titanic breasts swing into action, and the behold her dark-skinned ass crack! The female enemies are much the same way. By disabling “censorship” from the “Options” menu, you’ll reveal quite a bit of in-game, adult-material. It typically features the protagonist in varying costume and position; though seeing her face again and again is repetitive, it is canonically correct. However, there is no sexual content — Haydee 2 features plenty nudity, but it’s far from an adult-game. There is no gallery, and no sex-scenes either. Perhaps with the in-built level editor and the help of modders, that can change!
Verdict
Unless you’re willing to cheat just a little bit, I can’t recommend this game to the average user. Haydee 2 is a game for a very special kind of gamer — if you’re a masochist, you may enjoy this game! It’s not a bad game, but it’s extremely unforgiving. A simple mistake can cost you the entire game: rather than restarting from your last save, you may find it necessary to revert several saves or start a new game altogether. Haydee 2 does not hold your hand. Without using a guide (or cheating), chances are you’ll spend hour-after-hour learning from trial and error. If pain and suffering isn’t your cup of tea, nor is Haydee. Though I recommend cheating, I strongly recommend that you avoid guides (whenever possible). Part of the fun are those “aha!” moments and self-discovery — if you’re going to adhere to a guide, Haydee 2 isn’t for you.
