Continuity 2: The Continuation Review
PROS
- Three basic elements brought together to create something unique and challenging.
- Sharp, clear designs; audio touches keep players engaged.
- Teaches through reinforcement; overlapping challenges increase the difficulty without going over your head.
CONS
- Little incentive to 'complete' levels; some are easy to bypass - up to the individual player to stick around.
- No social feature/integration; lost potential for leader boards for speed-runs.
VERDICT
For some the 'sliding puzzle' is considered a lazy way to bulk up a game, however Continuity 2 makes it an intriguing and challenging addition by allowing players to manipulate the world they're in; a easy to recommend game for all puzzle fans.
- Full Review
- App Store Info
I'll freely admit that Continuity 2: The Continuation by Ragtime Games hit me from a blind-side. While I'd like to think I can keep up with all the latest news, I missed out on the original game despite it winning awards at the Independent Games Festival and IndieCade. What I'm trying to say is, 'mea culpa' - at least I get to play the sequel to this dastardly puzzle title.
On the surface of it the game looks much like a puzzle platformer - collect items, get the key, reach the exit. In reality you'll need to navigate complex maze-like pathways by rearranging the world itself via a sliding-puzzle mechanic. Double-tapping the screen will pause and zoom out the game, allowing you to shuffle tiles around, allowing you to explore new areas or access paths that would otherwise seem impossible. There is a catch - the world needs to be seamless, which means you'll need to match edges before you can pass a tile's barrier.
Everything about Continuity 2 feels refined, from its single-finger controls that intuitively interpret taps and swipes for moving and jumping to the basic visuals that contrast and make it easy to follow the action on-screen whether you're zoomed in or out. Players are also engaged through tiny flourishes such as the music dampening to signify being further away from the world.
All of this effort would be for naught if the puzzles themselves were unbalanced, however new concepts are introduced slowly through reinforcement, giving you a new perspective on how the game operates and allowing you to return to earlier levels to obtain more 'perfect' scores. The jump in challenge can be quite surprising, with later levels taking advantage of advanced concepts such as pausing the game mid-jump to reorient and rearrange the screen, when only a handful of levels earlier your only concern was getting a switch to work.
Weighing in at 50 currently available levels, the game will take even the most dedicated of puzzle fans a while to complete. Although there's no specific motivation to 'perfect' each level, it's hard to leave a stage unfinished as it feels as though you've cheated the system by ignoring whole chunks of a particular stage.
If you enjoy puzzle games or you've previously had the opportunity to enjoy Continuity, definitely pick this title up.
Screenshots
$0.99
