Gibbets 2 Review

Gibbets 2 is a fast paced puzzle game based on a famous internet flash game. The goal is to shoot arrows to cut the rope that men are hanging from. The premise is a little strange, but it works. Each man has a health meter that is slowly going down, presumably from suffocation, and hitting them with an arrow will take away even more health and will cause them to start swaying.

Players control the direction and power of the arrow by dragging their finger. Players cannot move the location of the bow; rather, they can only control the shots. One thing that I wish I had figured out immediately is that players can drag their finger anywhere on the screen, not just after touching the bow. Like many similar games, players can see the direction and strength of the last arrow.

Many levels have bonus bubbles that award points when hit, or bubbles that give additional arrows. On some levels, the additional arrows are necessary to complete it. The levels definitely vary and some levels only involve shooting vultures and feel more like a bonus level than an actual puzzle.

Levels are only won if all of the men have their ropes cut before dying. The level is lost if any of the men die or if the player runs out of arrows. The constantly decreasing health meters really force players to make quick shots and the limited number of arrows forces players to not waste arrows, and if possible use one arrow to cut multiple ropes.

There are some neat game mechanics in later levels. Some of my favorites are bubbles that when popped launch an arrow in a new direction, TNT barrels, which destroy arrows, windmills, and a cow that moos when it’s it.

There are over 50 levels and 3 difficulty levels. The easier the difficulty, the longer the hanging men stay alive and the more arrows players get.

Gibbets 2 is a fun, fast-paced puzzler. The game forces players to make quick decisions and make good shots. There is a free lite version available in the app store, so be sure to try it out.