Adventure in the Zooseum

So it has been awhile since I posted anything and that's largely because I've been going through a bit of a rough patch.  I had some serious insomnia and had to eliminate much of my nighttime gaming in an effort to try to fix that issue and then was just too tired/depressed that I felt like doing much gaming.  Even though it's the post-Thanksgiving time, I'm extremely grateful for the support of my family, doctor, counselors, and work colleagues for helping me to finally feel like I'm getting closer to the end of the dark tunnel and coming out into a more normal patch of sunlight/life.  If you're struggling with mental health, I strongly suggest reaching out for help wherever you can find it.

In the time that I did spend with gaming I checked out the new "Zooseum" expansion for my favorite silly management game Two Point Museum.  This DLC introduces an animal-themed museum and a few new game mechanics that make it feel a bit different than running a normal museum.  Let's get to the reviewing!

Pros:

+ A brand new museum to run!  One of my irritations with the Fantasy Finds DLC was that it simply added in a new map and category of artifacts.  This time around you actually get a starred museum complete with a set of goals to accomplish at each star level.

A large terrarium can house many smaller critters like hamsters.

+ Lots of fun/cute animals to discover and add to your collection.  Your collection can include terrariums for smaller species and habitats for the variety of larger critters on the new map.  Each animal has a specific preference for the type of biome in its habitat and some animals prefer denser decoration while others like more open spaces.

+ New mechanics/skills for your experts.  Rather than slightly increasing the discovery percentage each time you explore a specific location you have to restore the "biodiversity" of an area.  How exactly do you do that?  Some experts can be trained in skills that are usable on maps with specific types of positive events that will increase the level.  You can also create new items in the workshop that can be carried on an expedition that will increase the level.  Ultimately though, you can breed animals in your zoo and then release them into the wild.  Doing this seems to have the greatest impact on increasing biodiversity and will increase the quality of animals that you can discover.

+ New room--the animal welfare/spa!  Some animals you discover are sick and require treatment before you can put them on display.  Experts can be trained in animal welfare to specifically be able to work in this room and cure and learn about the animals.  The only way to gain knowledge about animals is to research them in the welfare/spa room.

Outdoor habitats for my collection of animals.

+ Each habitat type has lots of fun decorations so you can create exactly the type of display that will please guests and animals.

+ There continues to be seasonal updates that introduce new items as well as new digital rifts, so if you haven't played in awhile, there's plenty of new stuff to keep you entertained.

Cons:

- Keep habitats clean requires a large number of experts.  Let's just say that your animals poop a lot...like constantly, so don't be surprised if you get a negative review of the cleanliness of your habitats.

- Gaining knowledge of animals in the animal spa seems to occur at random.  Just because you research an animal that doesn't mean you'll gain knowledge about the species and may have to repeatedly research that animals.  It can be a bit frustrating, but just keep sticking them in there until you gain the knowledge.

- One complaint that I've seen online is about the lack of outdoor bathrooms for guests.  Since the animal habitats are all displayed outdoors your guests have to venture all the way back into the main building to use the facilities.  (*For reals though--easy solution is to build a small building and make it your restroom...but I get it, it would be nice to have an outdoor bathroom option)

Recommendation:

The animals are cute and some of the new mechanics give it some variety.  It's worth the $10.99 cost if you're going to shoot for that five-star experience.  The addition of an entirely new museum is a big plus.  If you're a fan of Two Point, you'll want to check it out.