Azkend 2 HD - The World Beneath (Universal) By 10tons

[joehunt]

I've played Azkend 1 numerous times and waited a long time for Azkend 2, but I am quite disappointed with this release.

First of all, I hate scene matching to begin with and it is very difficult to distinguish anything on an iphone screen. The scenes are just not distinct enough to make out anything without guessing and I just poke around and wait for the time to run out (not fun).

Secondly, from level 4 onwards, I get many boards that do not even have 3 matches and the board continuously refreshes itself because of "no more matches". I exit the game hoping to get better boards, but I normally get the same results or no more than 3 in a row. I know how to play to try to make longer matches, but I can very rarely accomplish this because the boards are just too stingy (for lack of a better word) with how they're initially laid out (again not fun).

I enjoy a challenging game, but this one is just too frustrating.

[pell]

I loved the first game, and since I got it free I felt obligated to buy this one. While it's a decent game, it has a few flaws. First, I have noticed that there are no matches available way too often. There have been many times where I make one move, board shuffles, make another move and the board shuffles again. I have seen this happen six or seven times in a row and it isn't an isolated incident. The other problem is the puzzles. I don't like having the puzzles as part of the main quest. I think they would do better as a bonus game. Currently, I'm stuck on first puzzle with a wild card, and without a hint system or a way to skip, I cannot progress.

All in all, it's a good game and worth the money, but I'm disappointed with the game in its current state.

[LordGek]

I'm kind of mixed on this one and it might just be that I want pure high score chasing match 3 action, not some silly adventure with puzzles.

The game has great production values, don't get me wrong, but it clearly doesn't really track top scores other than the Timed Mode (Azkend Blitz essentially) and while that mode is kind of fun, it doesn't appear to use any of the games many original power-ups.

So I either have to wade through a big adventure game with a few match 3 game elements used only to advance the storyline without a highscore being recorded, or play a highscore based mode WITHOUT any of the game's 16 power-ups.

I really can't give this more than a 3/5 (but again fully admit this is a pretty subjective matter).

[Big Albie]

Polish and elegance are terms often used when describing games. From the interface and controls to the graphics and animation, those characteristics are typically the foundation for success. In the case of Azkend 2: The World Beneath by 10tons, the match 3 adventure game’s issue is not lack of polish or elegance, but rather flawed substance and execution. While looks may be everything in today’s world, the guts under the hood Azkend 2 needs some fine tuning. Instead of a sequel that should have outshined the original, what you have is a mediocre game.

As a huge fan of the original, I expected a similar experience with this second installment. On the visual front, Azkend is a beautiful game with deep backgrounds and vibrant screens. The devs created semi-realistic environments using texture and shadowing techniques that make each scene vivid and deceptively charming. The animated game screens are enticing which is a significant plus since you’ll spend most of the time staring at them. All of this is complemented by a whimsical soundtrack that creates an aura of wonder.

Azkend’s storyline revolves around you being shipwrecked in a fantastic world with the overall goal of making it back to civilization. The story is intriguing, but of course, is innocuous and shallow. The game offers three modes of play: Adventure, Time Challenge and Medals Challenge. Adventure is the story mode that takes you through 60 levels with the overall objective of collecting pieces to form power ups. Time Challenge provides a random puzzle where the goal is to score as many points as possible within the allotted time. Medals Challenge provides puzzles based on completed levels in Adventure mode with a gold medal awarded for completing the puzzle quickly.

The game boards in Azkend 2 are well designed and vary from level to level. To clear tiles, you must make matches of 3 or more like tiles to clear them off and turn the board blue. Along the way, special pieces are acquired to complete tools and gadgets that serve as power ups. The challenge of course is these pieces don’t appear until the entire board is blue, and you have a limited amount of time.

What I enjoyed about the original are the power ups, and that remains the case in this installment. You’ll come across a number of different items from binoculars and glasses to dynamite and even gears. Obstacles are part of the game, and these can range from fires and ice to locks and bugs. These obstacles must be cleared before a level can be completed, and that’s where the power ups come in.

For example, the Hammer when activated by making a match of 3 or more of its tiles will turn parts of the board blue and potentially even knock out obstacles. In other puzzles involving bugs, power ups are ultimately used to kill them. Dynamite on the other hand explodes and knocks out tiles in the area as well as turns the board blue. By completing each level in Adventure mode, you acquire a piece to form a specific power up to be used in the next chapters. And, the Inventory area is set up so that you can pick and choose which power ups to use so there is a degree of configurability.

From a concept perspective, Azkend 2 sounds like a challenging game experience which for the most part it is. Locating matching tiles, turning the board blue, and securing pieces of power ups is an engaging proposition that should appeal to many. Plus, the time element adds a nice dynamic to the game, and watching the explosive animations on screen is a treat. Where Azkend 2 suffers is in its execution with the puzzles themselves.

Too often, the randomly generated levels in Adventure mode are near impossible to clear and with the time element, you have a recipe for frustration. Part of the strategy for players is that as more matches are made, electric coils gradually charge up which when fully charged can turn isolated tiles into blue ones. Longer chains of 5+ tiles automatically generate a charge, which can be a significant strategic advantage. However, what occurs frequently in Azkend 2 is the tiles given do not offer anything more than a match 3 so you find yourself unable to create longer chains. Too many levels end unsuccessfully not because of poor strategy on the player’s part, but instead on the luck of the draw with the tiles.

What adds to the frustration is how frequent boards automatically reshuffle due to no more matches. For example, the eyeglasses power up provides hints on matches. More times than not, it will highlight a match 3 to be made, and that will turn out to be the only match available before the boards go into auto reshuffle. I’ve had levels where reshuffling has happened at least four times in a single sitting.

Also parts of the story are provided through grand and vivid scenes, and as in the original, Azkend 2 inserts a scene match puzzle. This is similar to hidden item games except the objective to find randomly selected cut scenes in the overall picture. Part of the problem is that this feels more like a tedious exercise than a fun game because most of the scenes can appear so generic you’d rather just skip it altogether.

Aside from the Time Challenge mode, there is no high score tracking although there is GameCenter achievements providing some albeit limited replay value. Even in Time Challenge, a shortcoming is that none of the power ups acquired in Adventure mode can be used which for some, may take away from the experience.

When it comes to appearances, Azkend 2 is polished with an elegant design and in concept, a terrific game. However, in gameplay, the execution may leave many wanting and frustrated. While every game needs a degree of challenge, Azkend 2 takes it too far leaving gamers more discouraged than satisfied.

Albie Meter: 3 Stars (elegant and polished design with terrific animation and graphics; gameplay execution needs tweaking; luck of the draw with tiles makes it more a game of chance than player strategy; limited replay value in Adventure mode; Time Challenge does not allow the use of acquired power ups; GameCenter support and achievements)

[medianotzu]

I agree with Albie as usual, but I would also add that the presentation suffers on a smaller screen, in my opinion. The boards and pieces are smaller, and it's not as friendly as Azkend 1 in terms of the way the whole interface functions--it's just not as seamless to hold the device and swipe the pieces as it was with the first game, which had boards that nicely fit onto the screen in a portrait orientation.

I'm very disappointed in this game, which is probably equally due to my large expectations and the game itself coming up short. Still holding out some hope that 10 Tons will tweak things and make it a worthy sequel, but I am very seriously considering deleting the game and simply playing Azkend 1 some more until that time comes.

[Gabrien]

I think people are being a tad harsh here. Although I was also a little disappointed with the game, it was only really because the gameplay felt too similar to the original - and yet not quite as good. I suppose in essence I am saying the same thing as the others, it's just from the comments it almost feels like the game is a failure in general, and I don't think that's quite the case. Perhaps 10tons simply took the safe route with this sequel, and most of us expected more.

[tangerine]

There's an update out for Azkend 2. Hopefully, it will fix some of the problems. I'd like for it to be a little easier when it comes to the bugs. They get to the top because of the numerous shuffles required. Regardless, I still really like the game.

[10tonsLtd]

Just submitting an update (will probably take a few days to go live) that removes most of the reshuffling from the iPhone version and enables much longer matches. As most of the pieces are drawn randomly, it might still appear occasionally like in Azkend 1. The iPad version already had a lot lot less of shuffling, but there should be even less now. The later levels will be a bit easier - a bit more like in Azkend 1. Hopefully this update will make the game better and more like something that most players want from Azkend 2. Anyways, we'll continue to monitor the feedback and push updates when necessary

[Carlos-Sz]

Originally Posted by 10tonsLtd

Just submitting an update (will probably take a few days to go live) that removes most of the reshuffling from the iPhone version and enables much longer matches. As most of the pieces are drawn randomly, it might still appear occasionally like in Azkend 1. The iPad version already had a lot lot less of shuffling, but there should be even less now. The later levels will be a bit easier - a bit more like in Azkend 1. Hopefully this update will make the game better and more like something that most players want from Azkend 2. Anyways, we'll continue to monitor the feedback and push updates when necessary

Great news. The constant reshuffling is killing the fun indeed.

[Appletini]

Originally Posted by LordGek

I'm kind of mixed on this one and it might just be that I want pure high score chasing match 3 action, not some silly adventure with puzzles.

To be fair to this game, there are literally hundreds of other games like that available in the app store, and we don't really need any more - hell, we don't need half the ones we already have. :P