Review: Aqua Forest 2 - morning dew
by Staff Writer
December 15, 2009
Overview
Aqua Forest 1 is a unique “game” for the iPhone that is more of a physics manipulation toy than anything else. It contains a puzzle mode that flies by, leaving the major use just throwing in different elements, and watching them interact using the uniqueness of the iPhone. The app wasn’t without its problems mainly the choppy frame rate with too many elements, but it was fixed after nearly a year in the App Store. A sequel was just released with a subtitle morning dew. It doesn’t do anything of the original, and instead becomes a labyrinth type game set in nature. You have to guide a drop of water across leaves, flowers, and tree stumps with the occasional wooden labyrinth level. The game again uses the “OctaveEngine” for the physics.
Features
Two gameplay modes are included either puzzle or endless mode. Puzzle mode is the main part of the game with fifty different puzzles where your goal is to get 100% of the water to the cup at the end. The levels will present all types of challenges from combining two separate water drops to splitting a drop to reach two different cups. Some levels require going over leaves and flowers while other levels require making it through a wooden labyrinth or avoid steaming coals. In endless mode on the other hand you try to complete as many levels as you can with your initial water drop. The water you collect from one level is transferred to the next.
The Good
This is a unique game that follows the Zen Bound mold to give you more of an experience than a true game. Morning Dew puts you in nature, and you just guide water drops across various objects. The entire game has a serene feeling which is a nice change of pace from the hectic nature of so many games you already own. It’s nice to just sit back, and relax for a few minutes, and just simply guide a water drop. The gameplay is similar to Labyrinth, and that’s always nice. It’s perfect for the iPhone, and to pick up and play though the controls didn’t provide pinpoint precision. The physics engine is the best part of the game, and it didn’t disappoint. The roll of the water drop seemed as realistic as could be. From it jiggling as it rolls to splitting against certain objects.
The entire design of the game is really well done. Each of the leaves and flower backgrounds look like actual pictures from nature, and the other surfaces from wooden labyrinth to table counters look real too. The included background music adds to the serene feeling with a nature spa type soundtrack.
The game is extremely challenging once you get into it, and you’ll be lucky to get 75% of water on levels once you pass 20. The included 50 levels will take you quite awhile to get through, but endless mode doesn’t provide much play time.
The Bad
There isn’t much to this “game.” Once you make it through all of the 50 puzzle levels there really isn’t much to do after that. High scores are supposedly coming, but knowing Hudson don’t get your hopes up. The endless mode is supremely difficult, and not many people will make it past five levels.
The beginning of every level is a hassle as there is a delay with a flat device requirement and three second delay. The game doesn’t provide the pinpoint precision necessary to roll the water drop through the levels like Labyrinth 2 does.
The game is more of a relaxing zen type of experience like what Zen Bound tries to achieve. The difference is that this game is extremely frustrating in multiple ways. You can’t when that the drop has rolled slightly over the side until your drop is smaller. Also as stated you can't control the drop as tightly as the complex levels require. Time is kept track of for every level for no reason what so ever.
Another problem is that this game completely separates itself from the original with none of the neat physics interactions. It’s just like Labyrinth, but with a drop of water, and it really is lackluster in comparison to Labyrinth games.
