I like it, but I don't like it as much as the prequel. I think there's a couple of reasons for that.
First, the story's longer than the prequel but has some of the same bugaboos that weren't as much of an issue for a shorter game. I mentioned in my review for The Doll House that there were things that I found annoying, but because the game was so short I didn't really have time to be bothered by them; therefore, I gave TDH five stars. Those things that happened a few times in the prequel happened a lot more in the sequel because, well... it's longer.
Second, and I can't believe I'm saying this, there can be a such thing as "too much fan service." If you whirlwind through girls--or in case of this game, dolls--fast enough, you don't have enough time to enjoy them... that's what happened here. Longer games usually remedy this by coming back around to girls the way a soap opera comes back around to multiple storylines. You don't just cast them aside because there's a new toy, especially if there are logical places to include them: You keep bringing them back. Be it nostalgia or because you couldn't get enough, you don't forget about them.
Suzy could've been involved with most of Cox's side story bit as an undercover agent. Lexis could have been more involved with Magnum's story as a business protégé. Amber could've been inserted nearly anywhere that Melissa kept coming up instead of inventing new blondes. Honey, while never outright removed from the story, was an afterthought as a mere
maid (and eventual female butler) despite being cuter than Amber prior to transformation (and hot as fuck
after transformation) and nearly as likeable.
Instead, Suzy disappeared after we told her she didn't want to deal with Lexis' private club (even though she seemed like she wanted to keep investigating with us). Lexis disappeared almost immediately after the wind was taken out of her sails introducing us to our MC's own mother. Amber disappeared after Chapter 6 despite being an integral part of the story to this point and being pretty much the face of the prequel... and don't pretend that bit at the end counts: That's like pissing on us and telling us it's raining.
So yeah... developer lost the plot trying to turn basic fan service into something with meat. I hear he's put out a threequel, Doll World. Considering trying it to see where the developer takes it, but I'm a little worried he's a dog chasing traffic in the middle of rush hour: No idea which way to take the story so he bounces around like a manic squirrel on crack.
Best I can do is three stars this time around.
Developers should probably avoid telling stories if they're going to phone it in. There are plenty of examples of developers doing just that, so maybe take a page out of those books for what
not to do. Hopefully Doll World is going back to the winning formula. I usually hate sandboxes (I see it's missing the [VN] label and is tagged "sandbox"), but with enough all-around content that probably is the best way for players to find what they love.