Costume Quest 2 is a very interesting time travelling adventure that makes it a lot of fun to see characters from the past all grown up. One of the best improvements is that sprinting is now a universal ability so you no longer need to switch to a specific costume just to move quickly. The enemy variety feels a little better this time around and the special meter system is much more balanced than the previous game. Being able to use special moves every third turn was admittedly a little busted before so the change is welcome. The side quests are also more engaging now because they involve tasks like following claw marks to see where they lead. I also liked how enemies are grouped into monster, tech, and magic categories because it forces you to swap costumes to maximize your damage or improve your defense against certain types.
However I felt like the new combat system is a bit of a downgrade compared to the original. Instead of costumes having one of three unique attack sequences the combat is now entirely timing based regardless of which outfit you wear. It is also a shame that battle stamps were removed and replaced by cards that can only be used once every three battles. While some of these cards are pretty useful I found that most of them were not actually worth wasting a turn to activate. These changes make the moment to moment fighting feel a bit less distinct than it did in the first game.
Overall Costume Quest 2 is a charming sequel that improves on the exploration and world building of the series while offering a more balanced progression system. Although the changes to the combat mechanics and the replacement of battle stamps might feel like a step back for some fans the creative story and improved variety make it a worthy follow up for anyone who enjoyed the original.