Note: This is mainly a repost of an iTunes review I wrote, but I wanted to share with my TechnoBrains readers and didn’t want to write a whole new review. I think it’s still pretty good for being an iTunes review…
Arctic Shuffle 2 is really just a revamp of the original Arctic Shuffle (you can read my review here), at least as far as the game mechanics go. That’s okay, though, because even after having played through a majority of the first one (which is sadly no longer available), Arctic Shuffle 2 is still a blast. The basic premise is that you have 5 penguins to start out a level, and you must get one of them to rest in the bulls-eye that can be found somewhere on the level. Now you’d think that this wouldn’t be too difficult, seeing as how the levels are no bigger than a screen, but rest assured there are enough things to bounce, ricochet and flat out destroy your penguins that this won’t be a walk in the park, frozen or otherwise.
To control the penguin you simply drag your finger around where the penguin is to be launched from. You move left and right to set the angle of launch, and you move closer to or further away from the penguin to set the launch speed. Then you just let go and watch the penguin fly. The one thing missing from the first game and still not present here is being able to see the last launch settings when you go to launch the next penguin. Some levels can be solved with one penguin, but most cannot. It is to your advantage to use as few penguins as possible, however, because you get bonus points for each penguin you don’t use.
There are lots of obstacles to get in your way. Things like saws and exploding mines will make short work of your penguins. On the other hand, some creatures simply allow your penguins to bounce off, which can sometimes actually help you out. You just have to figure out early on how each creature affects your penguin and use that your advantage. There are some non-creature items that can help (or hinder) you, such as pads that launch your penguin in a certain direction no matter how you hit them. My favorite, just like in the first game, is the cloning machine. Thankfully this time around the original penguin doesn’t get fried after the cloning is complete.
There are a couple of things that make Arctic Shuffle 2 better than its predecessor. First of all, they relaxed the bulls-eye requirement a bit. In the original you had to be in the glowing part of the bulls-eye to win the level, whereas in Arctic Shuffle 2 you simply need to be somewhere in the bulls-eye, even if you’re just in the grey outer ring. However, the center still has to be lit up before you can win. Second, you can play any level at any time. This is great for people like me who have this tendency to get just flat out stuck on certain levels. Eventually I can get back to them and pass them, but this way I can move on in the mean time and finish as much of the game as possible.
The graphics are cute without being overly flashy, though things do look a bit small at times in order to keep to the one screen per level paradigm. I still wish they’d do more with cut scenes than simply having one screen for victory and another for defeat. The penguins look cool, and some cut scenes featuring some of the other creatures would be awesome. The music is good in short spurts, which is all a level lasts anyway, but the menu music is quite annoying without much effort. The sound effects do a good job of augmenting the “cute” feel to the game without becoming nauseating in any way.
Overall Arctic Shuffle 2 is as strong as its predecessor in every way, and even improves on it in a few places. It’s a challenging puzzle game, and if you complete the initial 50 levels there are two bonus packs you can purchase in-app. If you love puzzle games, you really should give this one a try.
Final Verdict: Recommended
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