The Web game Samorost, which appeared two years ago, now has a sequel. Samorost 2 has the same protagonist and similar look at feel, but a different narrative structure.
Rather than protecting your home from collision through solving puzzles, you explore a series of spaces to recapture your stolen dog. The dog appears on-screen to signal the game's end (or the chapter's), which places a clear boundary around the story. There's also a villain, a bad guy not revealed until the final scene, after being preceded by a small army of minions.
Gameplay is puzzle-based, but many of the puzzles are easier to solve than the first few.
Another difference is a sense of connected spaces. Each scene is linked up to others in the planetoid's interior, complete with tunnels, returns to already visited chambers, and multiple paths into the same spot.
And a business model has appeared! The end of the game is a sudden cliff-hanger, which points you to the next chapter... available for a fee. I'm tempted.
Overall, more whimsical, lovely fun.
OMG - thanks for postin this - this is the greatest game ever! Great, there goes my day! ;-)
Posted by: Andrew Connell | December 15, 2005 at 12:17