When Outright Games released The Grinch: Merry & Mischievous Edition on Xbox last year, I made no secret of my affection for it. In my review of that release, I admitted right away that I loved the original The Grinch: Christmas Adventures. It captured the quirky charm of Dr. Seuss’s world while letting me step into the fuzzy green shoes of one of the most iconic holiday characters of all time. Expanding on that foundation felt like a gift that kept on giving.
So when Casual Brothers and Outright Games followed it up with The Grinch 2: Saving Christmas, I was eager to see where the franchise would head next. As it turns out, the developers didn’t just add a few new levels—they completely reimagined the way we traverse Dr. Seuss’s winter wonderland.
Stepping Into True 3D
What I love most about The Grinch 2: Saving Christmas is that it lets you fully explore sprawling 3D levels.
The first game was primarily a 2.5D sidescroller layered with 3D visual elements. That format suited the bite-sized, picture-book aesthetic wonderfully, offering approachable platforming that felt tight and predictable. Both approaches are excellent in their own right, but the leap to full 3D exploration here represents a massive step forward.
Instead of moving on a fixed path, you can run, jump, and explore freely across 23 festive stages spread across the Grinch’s Cave, Mt. Crumpit, Who-wood, and the snowy streets of Who-ville itself. The overall design philosophy immediately brought me back to the golden era of 3D platformers on the original PlayStation—especially classics like the Gex series (Gex: Enter the Gecko and Gex 3: Deep Cover Gecko). You get that distinct joy of dropping into an open, stylized playground where curiosity is rewarded, whether you’re hunting down hidden ornaments to trim the ultimate tree or using gadgets like Rocket Skates, a Jetpack, and the Snowball Maker to reach high ledges and freeze pesky foes.
The movement feels snappy and fun, giving the Grinch a lively bounce that fits his reformed, bigger-hearted persona. Tossing in local co-op—where a second player can tag along as Max—only adds to the vintage charm.
A Household Favorite in the Making
Beyond the gameplay mechanics, this game holds a special place in our household. My four-year-old son absolutely loves The Grinch. Whenever the holiday season rolls around—and honestly, plenty of times outside of December—anything involving the fuzzy green curmudgeon is an instant hit with him.
At four, full 3D camera controls and tricky jumps are still a little outside his wheelhouse, but when he’s old enough to handle the controller on his own, I have no doubt he will spend countless hours getting lost in Who-ville with this game.
In the meantime, I’m more than happy to log plenty of hours on the sticks playing it for him. He gets to sit alongside me, laugh at Max’s antics, and watch the Grinch swing and glide through the snow, while I get to enjoy a genuinely delightful throwback platformer.
Final Verdict
The Grinch 2: Saving Christmas builds on its predecessor in the best possible way. Rather than settling for a safe retread, it evolves the series into an authentic, collect-a-thon 3D platformer packed with holiday heart and nostalgic gameplay. Whether you’re a parent looking for something festive to share with your kids or a longtime platforming fan fond of late-’90s console adventures, this trip back to Mt. Crumpit is well worth taking.
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