Naught 2 Review

Blue Shadow Games’ sequel, Naught 2, has taken quite the huge leap away from their previous game’s original template, with the follow-up heading more towards an explorative adventure approach rather than a simple platforming game. I imagined that playing this game with the iPad was going to be a recipe for disaster, so I instead headed for my trusty iPhone 4S.

Similar to the first title, in Naught 2 players take control over the environment to guide a bipedal cat who slides his or her way around a vast labyrinth of intricate cavernous worlds. There are two ways of attempting this: by tilting the iPhone or iPad back and forth, or using the built-in touch screen controls. Using the accelerometer wasn’t altogether too tricky at first, but as the game progressed it most definitely became more of a challenge. The touch screen controls were the safer option, but they didn’t come without their flaws. It was sometimes rather troublesome to reverse the cat, and instead resulted in some terrible moments of falling into a carnivorous plant by mistake.

After mastering the controls it is the player’s job as Naught, with the helpful guidance of a tree spirit, to explore the multi-chambered levels in order to locate all three of the diamonds from each stage. These black diamonds replace the three-star system, so though fetching all of them is not necessary to advance the game there are special bonuses for collecting them. Gathering the blue seeds, on the other hand, serves as further lives and is something players will be relying on greatly.

Rotating the device to impeccably navigate the courageous kitty takes a lot of practice, and throughout the levels there are a variety of challenges to overcome; including many brambles, vines, and cat-devouring plants. It can sometimes be tricky to change course whilst in mid-movement, so spotting enemies is better done sooner rather than later. Likewise, it’s easier said than done.

Though the game is kind enough to ease players in gradually, reaching the first boss is a huge difficulty spike that annihilated poor kitty more times then I could count. Dodging this creature’s tentacles proved tough, and this goes for both of the control systems. This was beyond frustrating as it threw me completely off guard, and in all honesty came across as a little unfair. The art style however, though indeed slicker than the original and improved to a great extent, still feels a little bland on some level. In all honesty, it’s no Limbo. But then, what is?

That said, Naught 2 is miles above it’s predecessor in terms of quality. With the difficulty spikes being my only main gripe, this is high up on my list of recommendations.