Azkend 2 - The World Beneath Review
PROS
- An interesting take on match three.
- Tying the gameplay into an ongoing narrative, with little bouts of variation.
CONS
- The gameplay is at odds with the narrative and makes the whole thing feel disjointed.
VERDICT
Certainly aimed towards casual players, Azkend 2 combines an interesting spin on match three gameplay with an adventurous tale.
- Full Review
- App Store Info
Traveling on a boat from Liverpool, England to New York, you find yourself swept up in a maelstrom and awaken beneath the waves, embarking on an adventure full of wondrous locations untouched and unseen by any explorer before. To back up this intriguing tale with gameplay, Azkend 2 takes the popular match three formula, adds its own unique spin, and throws in some easy hidden object diversion for good measure.
The match three game is based around fixing or acquiring lost or broken objects. For instance, before you hit the opening sea hole you have to play multiple games to fix your binoculars and compass piece by piece. The board is covered in fog and dragging your finger along three or more of the same token will help remove it. Once the fog is gone, the object you require appears at the top of the board and then needs to be shuffled through to the bottom in order to complete the stage. Removing the fog is done by charging up five small matches to unleash a lightning attack, or a similar fog removing bolt can be achieved by matching six or more pieces. Later on objects like the compass are added to the board and matching them up triggers power-ups and bonuses.
The hidden object game consists of a small part of the screen shown in the top right corner, and the player having to find that section of the picture and tap it. The clock ticks down as you need to meet a quota of screenshots found.
Even though the visuals are manipulations of painted backdrops, they are quite impressive (though overstay their welcome a little), and the voice acting is pretty good. It's just that with the constant breaks to get to the match three game, and with the hidden object game feeling like filler, there's a big disconnect between the story the game is trying to tell, and the fun match three experience they have to offer. There's some good here, but the pacing is certainly not for everyone.
Screenshots
$5.99
