Youtubers Life 2 is a simulation game developed by UPLAY Online, published by Raiser Games, released on October 19, 2021 on PC (Steam), Nintendo Switch, PS4 and Xbox One.
The story
Youtubers Life 2 puts us in the shoes of a… Youtuber! After winning a contest, you are invited to come and live in NewTube City, a city where all the greatest Youtubers live.
This is how the adventure begins. As a young beginner Youtuber, you will have to make a place for yourself on YouTube (and Twitch) in order to be one of the greatest Youtubers.
The story seems extremely basic, but it becomes more complex and holds many surprises and twists as one progresses as YouTube.
The game
Unlike the first opus, Youtubers Life 2 allows you to roam freely in the city divided into 3 districts (port district, town hall district and the city center).
Each of these districts, which can be visited at will, all offers different activities, shops, restaurants, places, etc. also diverse, as well as secrets to discover. Thus, it will be possible to go to a video game store, to restaurants, to computer stores, to the gym, to the opera, or to visit the port, sunbathe on the beach, dance competitions, etc.
The adventure begins by selecting the neighborhood in which you want to live, and you thus have the right to a small company accommodation. The latter can be decorated as we see fit, as well as be improved and enlarged. It will also be possible later on to move and even to buy one's own accommodation.
The decoration of the accommodation allows many customizations. Hundreds of furniture and decorative items are available, either for purchase from in-game shops (there is no microtransaction) or with items and decorations obtained as rewards from quests or relationships.
Because yes, making videos or Lives will not be the only possible activities. The game pushed the relationship system (already present in the first opus) much further. It will therefore be possible to develop relationships with many characters, ranging from a friendly relationship, through great friendship, and up to a romantic relationship and even marriage.
The characters are all fixed characters, each with their own personality. Relationships grow as you interact with characters, whether it's just chatting with them regularly, taking pictures together, giving them gifts, and completing quests they offer.
The heart of the game is still to become the best youtuber, and for that, you will have to make YouTube videos (logical!). Although at the beginning of the adventure, we are rather very limited in our possibilities (video comments and video game gameplay), it will quickly be possible to diversify.
We can therefore make videos presenting objects, unpacking collectibles, videos of board games, videos of unboxing, etc. It will also be possible to do this in live version, and you can make videos of your live replays afterwards to send them to YouTube.
Apart from that, it will also be possible to do outdoor VLOGS, be it location VLOGS, interviews, reaction videos (e.g. during the PlayCon event), etc.
Once a video is made, you can go to the computer to edit it. You will edit the different key sequences in the order you want. The goal is to try to match the different sequences perfectly so that the video flows smoothly.
During your recordings, many problems may occur: copyright infringement, your character getting angry, bad framing, etc. Elements that can be corrected and/or that will have to be eliminated in the final edit. We will finally have the possibility of unlocking many filters / bonuses to improve montages and videos.
Of course, the number of video sequences as well as filters/bonuses that you will have the leisure to apply depend directly on your skills, but also, and above all, on your PC, which will have to be improved in order to be able to make better and larger assemblies.
In addition to all this, it will also be necessary to monitor the popularity. This mainly happens via "InstaLife", an application reminiscent of a famous photo application, in which you can publish photos of your adventures in order to collect "likes" and thus improve your popularity.
Whether it's photos, videos or lives, there are important elements to take into consideration: trends. Every day, many trends will be available, each of a different “importance”. Some will be "common" while others will allow you to make a huge buzz if you make content on them. The pinnacle is to succeed in making a video containing as many main trends as possible in order to reach as many people as possible.
For example, you can have average trends on a specific video game, and have a trend devoted to an event at the port, which is creating a huge buzz. Of course, you can make whatever content you want, it doesn't have to follow trends. The latter just ensure a very large number of views / likes on your content. But it can be a double-edged sword: if you make a video but you mess up during production or editing, you risk experiencing badbuzz and getting a lot of negative reviews.
As you progress as a YouTuber as well as completing quests and developing your relationships, it will be possible to obtain cards. These are used to make videos, allowing you to perform actions/play shows during the recording of your videos, each bringing points, positive and negative, in the different categories of your videos, the goal being to have the more possible effects to the maximum.
Conclusion
YouTuber Life 2 takes up everything that made the charm of the first opus, offering a more open world and more possibilities for interaction. The only small criticism I would make is that it is not possible to really "specialize" in one type of video, as was the case in the first opus.
It's not impossible, but we're pretty directed in the early game to make a "gaming" chain. Despite this small "flaw" (at everyone's discretion), the game is very good and adds a lot of content and possibility compared to the first opus. The free exploration of the city and the many secrets and mysteries allow for many hours of gameplay. The game also offers good replayability, although the beginning will remain the same from one game to the next for a while (due to the lack of "choice" on the style of videos at the start of the game).
If you liked the first installment, you will probably like this second installment!
