While not a totally transformative experience like, say, Hot Air 2, Skywire 2 doesn’t need to be. What it does do, instead, is iterate on what was already a very solid base. While you’re still trying to get your gondola to the end of the rail without losing all your passengers, and while you’re still going through the familiar dance of rushing and dragging — between gunning it through an obstacle before it closes up, and slowing your roll so that you don’t veer directly into the next one — there are so many new mechanics at play that play with this so well. Collapsing sections of rail that’ll make you fall should you stay on them for too long… or that you can use to drop onto a lower section of the track, allowing you to skip large swathes of the level at one time. Underwater sections where you’re under a time limit to get through before all your passengers drown… but that rushing through will more than likely make you die anyway, necessitating you to move patiently and methodically while you’re dealing with the clock. There are even boss fights! They’re the most perfunctory of all the iterations, honestly — they felt like they went by a little bit too quick to be memorable — but they’re here, and they’re gonna become a Nitrome staple, so I guess I need to bring them up?
The level design I feel also got a renovation here. There’s much more dealing with the core mechanics, mixing and matching enemy types, keeping things short: none of the endless waiting through enemy cycles that made certain levels take several minutes to attempt. There’s some issues, still — some mechanics that rely on a bit more precision than the game allows, some rough individual levels: one in particular where I’m legitimately not sure how you get through without getting hit — but if the original Skywire was a really solid realization of a core idea, Skywire 2 further finetunes it to the best version it can be. Combine that with the return of the banger music, the enemy design (that fucking killer whale was just as scary to 24-year-old me than it was when I was seven), and all the bits of charm with the differently designed passengers and the things they say when you get them killed… god this game is a joy. Perfect way to spend an afternoon. Nitrome is back to firing on all cylinders, and seeing what’s next up, it won’t be long until they reach their next banger.
The level design I feel also got a renovation here. There’s much more dealing with the core mechanics, mixing and matching enemy types, keeping things short: none of the endless waiting through enemy cycles that made certain levels take several minutes to attempt. There’s some issues, still — some mechanics that rely on a bit more precision than the game allows, some rough individual levels: one in particular where I’m legitimately not sure how you get through without getting hit — but if the original Skywire was a really solid realization of a core idea, Skywire 2 further finetunes it to the best version it can be. Combine that with the return of the banger music, the enemy design (that fucking killer whale was just as scary to 24-year-old me than it was when I was seven), and all the bits of charm with the differently designed passengers and the things they say when you get them killed… god this game is a joy. Perfect way to spend an afternoon. Nitrome is back to firing on all cylinders, and seeing what’s next up, it won’t be long until they reach their next banger.