A meteor has crashed in the whispering woods. The denizens of the forest, the Peablins, go to investigate. The investigation might take a while though. It seems the only way these cute little creatures can advance is to hold hands until everyone is happy. It might seem a bit of a weird strategy, but this is for Joining Hands 2, it's just another day in the office.

Each Peablin has a different number of hands. The grabby blobs must be arranged on the game board so that no hand is left unheld. This hand holding system is complicated by the need to place Peablins of specific tiles to collect stars. As you continue, more types of Peablin appear. Some can only be played on or next to rocks, while some cannot be moved at all. There's even a happy place, where a Peablin resting there will not have to hold hands with anyone.

The Peablin placement options are kept pretty open, with the game allowing you to drag, swap, and move without any penalty. Often, you'll come across a solution just through playing around with the arrangements.

Even with the constant addition of new characters however, our interest did start to fade as time went on. Perhaps it's because the game is geared towards a younger audience (as evidenced by the generous hint system), but it does feel like once you've helped a few of these little guys hold hands, you've helped them all.

That said, while some might be turned off by the sugary presentation, it's nice to see a game based around such a positive concept. Its appeal may be limited, but Joining Hands 2 is a solid experience that is probably worth a look for puzzle fans.