The sequel clearly shares much of the first book's DNA, but somehow didn't satisfy me the way the first one did. The nostalgic 80s references in RP1 seemed a bit more subtle, and fit the story better. What made RP1 so unique is exactly why it can't be duplicated, I guess. The quest in the first one was a game that I (as a child of the 80s) would definitely want to play myself. The second one, not so much. For example, I'm a huge Prince fan, but I couldn't see myself really enjoying a visit to the Afterworld.

If you're the kind of person who likes spending time watching Twitch streamers, you'll probably love this book, because it's essentially a transcription of someone's live stream.