Azkend 2: The Puzzle Adventure App Reviews

It seems that real professionals have been assigned for the big redesign of Azkend. Indeed, the story behind the game levels is far better than in v1, and the symbols and the FX are overwhelming. - And this is the problem. Its a visual overkill. Tons of details, always fast moving elements, wonderful transitions that distort the playing, and The lighnings and explosions distract for seconds, again and again. Please, reduce.

Liked the first one but I think they tried too hard to make this one more difficult, every board there are at least 3 reshuffles and thats on the beginning levels, no matching, its so frustrating makes you want to move on to another game.

The person above has No idea how to play Azkend obviously, only failed twice through half the game. The hard part that differs from the first game is finding the clues in the environment, which is a good challenge compared to the first game. Im having fun playing it, anyone who plays bejeweled blitz and gets over 200k can play this game with no problem

This app is soooo addicting. The adventure was fun but I like the time challenge....I think Im the only person who likes the time challenge because its pretty much only my name on the score board...I keep changing my name so I dont look like a weirdo cuz I play it so much. Come beat my high score!!

One of the best games on the market today with a great soundtrack. I still like the 1st version best but this one is pretty close. I first saw Azkend 1 on a friends ipad & loved it so much that I bought an ipad mini. So that tells you much I like the game. Now if they only would come out with a Azkend 3 it would make my day. Good work 10 Tons Ltd.

Despite the recent balance adjustments, gameplay is still not as fluid and fast paced, as in the first game. Classic mode feels like a huge chore, compared to the other game modes. - The pieces are often too big- they may feel just right on the iphone, but ipad needs a size adjustment. Or a maximum size setting. - The tesla coil effect is very unpleasant. The screen flash is irritating, and the lightning bolt is too big. Considering, that only one tile is affected in the process, and how often during a session a player has to see it, the effect should be significantly less "spectacular".

My kid is in love with this game and so am i. Very good job devs. now bring on the Boom Brigade HD!

One of my favorite developers have done it again! I bought this without hesitation and waiting these years for a sequel was well worth it. Im so impressed by the graphics and the gameplay. This would really look beautiful on the iPad and I cant wait to play further into this game.

I was a big fan of the first one on iPhone, and again later when HD came out for the iPad. If you enjoyed either of the original versions, its almost a given that this should be on your list to buy. While the story may not be necessary, its a nice enough addition, and seems better integrated here than the first game. The campaign, as much as you can have a campaign in a matching game, flows well with the progression of pieces and abilities to unlock. Rather than just a random new tile, youre unlocking them within the context of the narrative being told. Again, narrative in a tile matching game is a bit odd, but I like how they made it work rather well. Additionally, where I found the first game to be a bit on the easy side, the difficulty ramps up a bit better in this version. Rather than finishing most levels with tons of time remaining, the new rules and abilities will have you pulling out more squeakers. Yet even with the new additions, everything feels right at home here... Its still Azkend through and through. Finally, the level of polish in the presentation is spot on. Not so overdone that the story or interface gets in the way, and while the file size might seem a bit high, once you start to play it makes sense and feels just right. All the way down to the flow of the in-game tutorials, Azkend 2 just feels like a very well thought out experience designed to be enjoyed. II may not be breaking a lot of new ground in the genre, but the ground it treads is solid and pleasurable.

Love it. Cant say it enough, I love this game. So worth the couple bucks for all you get. Amazing.

Dont get me wrong, it plays a lot the same, but theres some "thing" missing from the game. I played the old version for the iPhone back to back with the iPad version and everything, the animation, flipping tile backgrounds, even the special effects just seems quicker and smoother on the old game. There was a certain charm to those other images that this version lacks. Add to that the voice over that really want needed,and it almost seems like this game was handed off to another team that just had the most basic idea of how the game works. As another review said, you run into "no more moves" really early into the game which feels more like weak play balancing given the shape and size of that particular board. I really wish I could say that its more of the same, but its not. Its a shadow of a brilliant game.

Read these reviews, we Azkenders are a loyal bunch. Beautiful graphics, a good storyline to give it structure and the music is wonderful! Thank you 10tons. I may never get my work done now.

I really dont like timed games, I think it takes some of the fun out of it

Polish and elegance are terms often used when describing games. From the interface and controls to the graphics and animation, those characteristics are typically the foundation for success. In the case of Azkend 2: The World Beneath by 10tons, the match 3 adventure game’s issue is not lack of polish or elegance, but rather flawed substance and execution. While looks may be everything in today’s world, the guts under the hood Azkend 2 needs some fine tuning. Instead of a sequel that should have outshined the original, what you have is a mediocre game. As a huge fan of the original, I expected a similar experience with this second installment. On the visual front, Azkend is a beautiful game with deep backgrounds and vibrant screens. The devs created semi-realistic environments using texture and shadowing techniques that make each scene vivid and deceptively charming. The animated game screens are enticing which is a significant plus since you’ll spend most of the time staring at them. All of this is complemented by a whimsical soundtrack that creates an aura of wonder. Azkend’s storyline revolves around you being shipwrecked in a fantastic world with the overall goal of making it back to civilization. The story is intriguing, but of course, is innocuous and shallow. The game offers three modes of play: Adventure, Time Challenge and Medals Challenge. Adventure is the story mode that takes you through 60 levels with the overall objective of collecting pieces to form power ups. Time Challenge provides a random puzzle where the goal is to score as many points as possible within the allotted time. Medals Challenge provides puzzles based on completed levels in Adventure mode with a gold medal awarded for completing the puzzle quickly. The game boards in Azkend 2 are well designed and vary from level to level. To clear tiles, you must make matches of 3 or more like tiles to clear them off and turn the board blue. Along the way, special pieces are acquired to complete tools and gadgets that serve as power ups. The challenge of course is these pieces don’t appear until the entire board is blue, and you have a limited amount of time. What I enjoyed about the original are the power ups, and that remains the case in this installment. You’ll come across a number of different items from binoculars and glasses to dynamite and even gears. Obstacles are part of the game, and these can range from fires and ice to locks and bugs. These obstacles must be cleared before a level can be completed, and that’s where the power ups come in. For example, the Hammer when activated by making a match of 3 or more of its tiles will turn parts of the board blue and potentially even knock out obstacles. In other puzzles involving bugs, power ups are ultimately used to kill them. Dynamite on the other hand explodes and knocks out tiles in the area as well as turns the board blue. By completing each level in Adventure mode, you acquire a piece to form a specific power up to be used in the next chapters. And, the Inventory area is set up so that you can pick and choose which power ups to use so there is a degree of configurability. From a concept perspective, Azkend 2 sounds like a challenging game experience which for the most part it is. Locating matching tiles, turning the board blue, and securing pieces of power ups is an engaging proposition that should appeal to many. Plus, the time element adds a nice dynamic to the game, and watching the explosive animations on screen is a treat. Where Azkend 2 suffers is in its execution with the puzzles themselves. Too often, the randomly generated levels in Adventure mode are near impossible to clear and with the time element, you have a recipe for frustration. Part of the strategy for players is that as more matches are made, electric coils gradually charge up which when fully charged can turn isolated tiles into blue ones. Longer chains of 5+ tiles automatically generate a charge, which can be a significant strategic advantage. However, what occurs frequently in Azkend 2 is the tiles given do not offer anything more than a match 3 so you find yourself unable to create longer chains. Too many levels end unsuccessfully not because of poor strategy on the player’s part, but instead on the luck of the draw with the tiles. What adds to the frustration is how frequent boards automatically reshuffle due to no more matches. For example, the eyeglasses power up provides hints on matches. More times than not, it will highlight a match 3 to be made, and that will turn out to be the only match available before the boards go into auto reshuffle. I’ve had levels where reshuffling has happened at least four times in a single sitting. Also parts of the story are provided through grand and vivid scenes, and as in the original, Azkend 2 inserts a scene match puzzle. This is similar to hidden item games except the objective to find randomly selected cut scenes in the overall picture. Part of the problem is that this feels more like a tedious exercise than a fun game because most of the scenes can appear so generic you’d rather just skip it altogether. Aside from the Time Challenge mode, there is no high score tracking although there is GameCenter achievements providing some albeit limited replay value. Even in Time Challenge, a shortcoming is that none of the power ups acquired in Adventure mode can be used which for some, may take away from the experience. When it comes to appearances, Azkend 2 is polished with an elegant design and in concept, a terrific game. However, in gameplay, the execution may leave many wanting and frustrated. While every game needs a degree of challenge, Azkend 2 takes it too far leaving gamers more discouraged than satisfied.

Im a huge fan of azkend, but with the gaping holes in azkend 2, I cant justify giving it more than 2 stars. Too often, the board needs to reshuffle, and the puzzles are an unneeded and irritating addition. Once these issues get fixed, this will easily be a 5 star game.

Just want to echo the sentiment expressed by others. This is a beautiful game with time issues and far too many "no more moves". This disrupts game flow while the lack of moves and time elements causes undue frustration. I will say that I respect this developer and hope that these issues get resolved. I bought this game since I appreciate their work and trust that these issues get resolved soon.

Thanks for the quick turn around on iPad Retina Retina support. Game looks amazing on the new iPad. Super fun fun game. also love Sparkle, hope you update that game as well. Keep it up and Ill keep buying your games.

Thoroughly enjoyed the first Azkend so this was an instant buy. The game graphically looks great. The levels seem to be very unbalanced with regards to difficulty, however. Many levels I have encountered were beaten the first time through. Then there have been a couple that took hours to defeat due to very challenging map layout and horrible tile placement, many times resulting into inability to match a string. Im about to give up on this game as it gets to be more trial and error than strategy on these levels. Hope this can be improved with an update.

with 2/3 tiles remaining (to eliminate) i hate the fact that this app flashes the ones to eliminate. This is an unwanted hint, very distracting and annoying since i have ADD. There should be an option to turn this unwanted feature off. Also, i am left handed and have to play in portrait mode so my hand doesnt cover several adjacent tiles thatcan be matched. great graphics - esp. since i have the ipad 3.

I absolutely loved the first one but wow, can you say Major Disappointment?? This new version is frustrating beyond belief. The power ups just arent fun and you barely get to use them because putting together chains longer than 4-5 rarely happens. And when a tile matching game has to "reshuffle" as much as this does you know something is wrong. I couldnt out the first one down, quite literally. I lost interest in azkend 2 after about 1/3 of the game. Its just not fun.