Gibbets 2 Review

By , on September 19, 2012


Gibbets 2
Download on the AppStore
3 out of 5

PROS

  • Interesting theme; adds a time-limit not always included in these sorts of games.
  • Mini-games and bonus levels provide a decent distraction.

CONS

  • Not as graphically diverse as the Flash original.
  • Controls feel counter-intuitive; touch-anywhere makes life easier in some ways, but harder in others.

VERDICT

Gibbets 2 cashes in on its Internet fame, but doesn't quite make a smooth transition to the App Store thanks to simplified visuals and a control system not on par with the original.


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Sometimes it’s hard to know whether a game is controlling badly because you’ve missed some key bit of information, or because the game itself has poor controls. Gibbets 2 by HeroCraft had me pondering this problem on the second level - which I might point out took quite a few tries before I worked it out - and ultimately it was a little bit of column A and B, but the damage had already been done.

Your task, should you take it, is to aim a bow and rescue the people being hung to death. It’s a slightly morbid concept, but at least you’re trying to save them (even if you do occasionally stab them in the leg or head in the process). Setting your power and angle is done by touching anywhere on the screen, dragging back and letting go; it’s something we’ve seen many times before, but the disconnect in the location of where you tap and where the bow is can result in more than a few misfires.

As you progress the game adds in a few twists such as the ability to teleport your bow; remotely fire arrows; and even bonus items to add more arrows to your quiver or to increase your score.

The rest plays out as a standard 3-star physics title, albeit with a somewhat unique theme. Occasional bonus levels break up the standard play and if you’re after a real challenge you can increase the difficulty for bonus points.

Interestingly, while the iOS version has new stages, the free Flash version features a greater variety in its graphics, while still having many of the same mechanics in place.

If you’re a hardcore fan of the series this may be worth checking out, but for everyone else it’s a middle-of-the-road physics flinger.

Screenshots

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