Kheops Studios’ Return to Mysterious Island 2 begins where the previous instalment left off. Mina and her trusted companion Jep, a small monkey, are leaving Lincoln Island by helicopter. Clearly, though, its pilot is unaware of the computer game convention that flights off mysterious islands rarely work out well; a stray missile leaves them stranded back where they started. If you played the first game, then this sequel will seem immediately familiar although much of the terrain explored in the original game is now underwater, so the vast majority of locations that the player explores are entirely new.
As this is an adventure title, it’s heavily inventory-based, but the good news is the inventory is unchanged from the first title, tab-based and easy to use. It’s here you store all the items and have the ability to combine them to create new ones (or un-combine them to re-use the original components). Given that it plays such a huge part in the game-play, it’s fortunate that the inventory is so user-friendly.
The puzzles you will face as Mina progresses are challenging and varied, ranging from the simple (and sometimes not so simple) location of items to reaction- and logic-based puzzles that keep the title interesting. The majority of the game is played through the eyes of Mina, however at preset points perspective switches to that of Jep, Mina’s monkey, who is needed to solve certain puzzles for you to progress. There are even some stand-alone puzzles, downloadable by iPhone and other mobile devices, to be solved away from your PC and then uploaded back into the game. Unfortunately, this feature was not compatible with my own mobile device, but it’s a novel addition to the game’s playability – which is already high.
For me, the standout element of this game is its graphics: every environment that the player explores is well designed – not just for an adventure title, but full stop. The textures are incredibly detailed and the visual effects amongst the best I’ve seen in a game this year; water looks and behaves just how water should and animals move naturally and convincingly; all of which makes exploring the game world a real pleasure and leads to a genuine sense of immersion.
Value for money is another area where the title scores: its length and the variety of puzzles on offer mean that there are hours and hours of gaming to be had, and its points system gives it replayability; I went back to do some of the musical puzzles in normal mode rather than the easy one that I had opted for first time around, which had cost me precious points. So, if you like adventure titles then you’ll like this; and if you don’t normally play them, the sterling qualities of Return to Mysterious Island 2 mean that you might just find yourself enjoying it anyway.
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