When you look closely at the intricate series of cogs that help power a high-quality watch, it’s easy to see why you average Rolex can empty a wallet.
Getting each separate component to fit together flawlessly requires serious skill and craftsmanship.
Geared 2 may not approach such levels of clockwork complexity, but there’s still evidence of real skill and craftsmanship ticking away behind its revamped facade.
It all clicks into placeThe first Geared introduced the concept of joining a bunch disconnected blue cogs to a large powered yellow cog. This was achieved by slotting in a series of additional cogs of varying sizes.
It worked well, which is probably why Geared 2 follows the same blueprint. After all, when your game’s already running like clockwork, why introduce a potentially ruinous spanner?
The core gear-play is essentially identical here. There’s the same loosely applied sense of gravity that requires your elaborate mechanism to be self-supporting, while at the same time leveraging gravity to drop cogs into place from above (indeed, some levels demand it).
Besides a few new cog types, the main addition is a level creator, as well as the related ability to play user-generated levels. If DIY gaming is your thing, this alone makes the jump to Geared 2 worthwhile.
Every cog has its day
The other key difference in Geared 2 is an aesthetic one. Developer Bryan Mitchell has clearly set his sights on the sort of high-quality bright and breezy style that typifies such big sellers as Slice it! and Cut the Rope.
As such, there’s a softer, more hand-drawn look to the cogs. In a further bid to add a bit of charm to the game’s necessarily mechanical looks, the main cog now has a cute hamster powering it. Completing each puzzle sends it flying, which is a wicked pay-off that never gets old.
Geared 2 doesn’t quite have the same level of crisp finish or gameplay nuance as the aforementioned games, but it’s not a million miles away. One or two niggles, such as the gears not always locking together easily or predictably enough, throw the game slightly out of sync.
Nevertheless, Geared 2’s beautifully simple gameplay, improved visuals and value-extending level editor help oil the machinery of this fine puzzler.
Geared 2
A finely polished casual puzzler, Geared 2 makes incremental improvements over the original with a new level editor and a more appealing visual style
Jon Mundy
Jon is a consummate expert in adventure, action, and sports games. Which is just as well, as in real life he's timid, lazy, and unfit. It's amazing how these things even themselves out.