Halloween is one of my favorite holidays of the year. Who doesn’t enjoy having a bunch of candy lying around? Sure, it might cause a few cavities or two if you aren’t careful, but as long as you're moderate with your sweets, you’re good. In the new Wii U RPG Costume Quest 2, however, this plea is ignored by Dr. Orel White, DDS. He intends on going through both the past and the future in order to create a dystopian society in which candy and costumes are illegal. It’s up to Wren and Reynold, stars of the first Costume Quest game (sadly not released on any Nintendo consoles), along with some friends they meet both in the past and future to ensure Halloween can be enjoyed through all time. With a fun story, witty characters and engaging gameplay, Costume Quest 2 is one of the great Wii U eShop titles that stands out above the rest.

Costume Quest 2, from developer Double Fine, is an RPG with a combat system based on titles such as Super Mario RPG in which timed hits are crucial in order to down enemies. Trading cards act as items you can use in game that can benefit you or hinder your enemy. A big part of the gameplay is finding costumes for your characters to use. You’ll find materials to use throughout the map, and when you find the three items needed for a costume, it will become unlockable to use. These different costumes give your characters special abilities, such as healing abilities and powerful attacks. This is all great fun, as the system is deep and engaging. Unfortunately, while the gameplay is consistently enjoyable, the framerate drops during specific areas of the game. It doesn’t render the game unplayable, but it is noticeable enough to detract from the experience.

You’ll fight enemies in two ways. One is by encountering them in the overworld, like most RPGs. The other way you’ll come across enemies is by going on quests that will have you going door to door in order to collect candy needed to get to the next part of the game. Sometimes you’ll get candy, but there are other times where you’ll come across an enemy. I get why the developers did this, as it adds to the game’s overall theme of Halloween (trick-or-treat, get it?). But I did find that this can get pretty repetitive at times, especially when you see the same dialogue repeated over and over.

Even with the occasional repetition, the game’s writing and overall story is hysterical and whimsical. A certain wit is present in Costume Quest 2 that isn’t found in other titles on the Wii U, and there are several moments where I found myself laughing over the interactions between the main characters and the enemies they came across. It’s a game with a semi-serious undertone, but it’s always fun throughout thanks to the dialogue. Writing is always a strong suit of any Double Fine game, and this one is no different.

Costume Quest 2 has a lot to like, especially with its fun gameplay and witty, clever story. It isn’t a particularly long title, but the five hours I spent with it was a blast. Some framerate troubles persist here and there, and the trick-or-treat aspect can get redundant after a while, but the faults I had with the game are minimal compared to the overall experience. It’s definitely a game that is not only a treat, but won’t rot out your teeth after finishing it.