Labyrinth 2 Review

Labyrinth 2 improves on the beloved original in every possible aspect, and then some. Click for review, and a free TouchGen level pack!Illusion Labs has already made a name for themselves by boasting some of the highest productions values in early iPhone games. Games like Sway and Touch Grind absolutely blew us away with the amount of polish involved before public release. Their very first project, the original Labyrinth, was the first game I ever downloaded for my iPhone back before the App Store was in existence. Yes, I had a jailbroken iPhone back then… but who didn’t? The game had the best tilt interactivity of any game out there, which allowed for a very realistic marble maze experience. This was the game that I would show all my friends, who were in turn impressed with the realism, and just how simply fun the game was.

Labyrinth 2 has now blown me away in the many of the same ways the original did, but at a completely new level of awesomeness. Illusion Labs has absolutely jam packed this sequel with as many features as they could fit in. Everyone knows what a marble is: you tilt the wooden maze to get your ball from

Some puzzles require you to split your balls. Ouch.

one end to the other without falling in hole. This, while entertaining, can get boring after a while. Labyrinth 2 features a generous variety of new table pieces and triggers, in-game achievements, a free built-in level marketplace, and a comprehensive online level editor with the ability to instantly publish levels to the masses. Oh yeah, and there’s multiplayer!

Navigating a maze with holes is easy. Navigating a maze with lasers, fans, bumpers, and moving walls is crazy! Labyrinth 2 brings many items that can be added to levels to mix things up. The coolest new items are the buttons and lasers, which can be used to trigger other objects. For instance, a button might activate a cannon to start shooting, or a laser might trigger the door to the finish to close. All of these attributes are very simply edited in the new online level editor.

When you go to “Create Level” in Labyrinth 2, you are given a unique device ID and password. All you have to do is log in to the official Labyrinth 2 level editor, and you’re a few simple drag and drops away from making your own level pack to share with the world. Literally, it’s that simple. You can easily drag and drop objects, then fine tune placement and size attributes to fit what you’re going for. Best of

Alarms don't help your concentration much.

all, the buttons and lasers can be fully customized, as can all the attributes of objects. For instance, I can have one button turn 5 lasers on, while turning 5 other lasers off. Then I can customize the first 5 lasers to trigger a fan to turn on, and make the other lasers trigger a door to close. It’s very simple, even when dealing with a large number of triggers. As I mentioned, you can also change attributes for objects, as the size, rate of fire, speed of movement, and more depending on the object you have selected.

The in-game marketplace is brilliantly implemented, and adds absolutely infinite replay value to the game. When you publish your map pack (which must consist of at least 5 levels), it is instantly available to everyone with Labyrinth 2. You can browse level packs and view a screenshot of each contained maze to find what tickles your fancy. You can also rate and report level packs as needed, and there is a top list for most downloaded, rated, etc. One of my favorite aspects of downloading levels is the ability to see the creator’s best time. Before you publish a level pack, you’re required to beat it yourself to ensure it’s actually beatable. Your time is stored when you do this so other players can challenge your times. There is even an achievement if you beat enough of the creators’ times in levels.

One of the reasons this review has been delayed is due to me needing to find a partner for some hot Labyrinth 2 multiplayer action. This is the unfortunate consequence when games don’t offer online

Multiplayer is a lot of fun, especially in levels like this!

multiplayer support, but I have to say the Labyrinth wouldn’t be as fun to play against a nameless player as it is right next to a friend. Justin and I played through a couple level packs together, and had a blast. You see your opponents ball as a shadow on your playing field, and whoever beats the level first wins. I kind of wish you could choose to play a mode where his ball is physically in the maze with you, and can hit you into obstacles and holes. This would be especially fun (and a little crazy) with 4 player games. But considering a multiplayer is not something one would expect from a marble maze game like this, it works very well and is entertaining with friends.

Aside from all the fantastic new features, the graphics and sound in this game are excellent It’s hard to describe, but everything is rendered in full 3D, and the walls and objects change perspective as you tilt the phone, which gives an impressive 3D effect. The ball itself actually features real-time reflections of the maze around you. Seriously. This is one good looking game. The sounds are all perfect for the objects they go with. I especially love the clinking sound when the lasers are turned on.

If you couldn’t tell by now, Labyrinth 2 is an extremely well polished title that is chock-full of features to keep you entertained for as long as you own an iPhone or iPod touch. It’s what we’ve come to expect from Illusion Labs titles, and they did not disappoint. Labyrinth 2 takes everything about the original Labyrinth game, and rockets it to a brand new level of quality and fun. If all the games on the App Store were this good, I wouldn’t leave my house. Absolutely a must buy.

EDITOR’S CHOICE

5-stars

Now go play the official TouchGen level pack for labyrinth!
How to download:
1. Launch Labyrinth 2
2. Go to “Download Levels”
3. Go to “By ID”
4. Search for AL45DLEA
5. Get pwned by my level design genius. Can you beat my times? Don’t forget to rate!