We’ll start this out straight away by saying that this could
well be the perfect game to spend time with in a year like 2020. It’s a sort of
loving, gentle hug of a game that inspires calm and relaxation and we could all
probably do with a bit of that at the minute.
Eden is a place where visual and audio comes together to
create a playground for exploration as you are tasked with getting your
character to the glowing “spectra” placed somewhere within the stage. In order
to do this you have to grow your own platforms by filling up seeds. This is
done by swinging around in a circle on a little web and colliding with floating
pollen spores which are then drawn in by them. The seeds then sprout into
plants which can be traversed to get to higher locations.
It’s a simple concept and one that requires the
understanding of only a few different techniques. Once you’ve mastered the
swinging, double jumping and floating in mid-air you can happily bounce around knowing
all that’s left is to just keep an eye on the clock and work your way around
lumps of rock that block your way. The time limit this time around is more
forgiving that the original as well and there are various checkpoints
throughout the gardens to help your progress. Falling too far will also see you
reset at your last solid position meaning no more painful ascensions back to
the top are required.
As you progress more gardens unlock and more characters with
different bonuses become usable but the basics of the game pretty much remain
the same. The core concept is strong though and each area allows players to
explore in ever increasingly challenging ways.
It’s also a game best enjoyed with headphones as the waves
of techno slowly wash over you. The rhythm of the music, the gentle swinging
from plant to plant and the striking visuals act to block out the stresses of
the world and form a perfect space to unwind and engage with something purely
artistic. There’s even a co-op mode added as well should you wish to take the
journey with a friend.
Progression is a little odd though. After you clear each
selection of gardens you are presented with three more. You can’t however go
back to previous levels which is in contrast to the previous games more
traditional map screen. It’s a slightly odd choice as it could potentially see
you stuck with one level left to complete and without the ability to go off and
try something else for a while. This is the only relatively minor issue present
though and we found progress generally steady.
Overall, Pixeljunk Eden 2 is an easy recommendation. It’s
not really like much else currently on the Switch and while the idea of the arty,
abstract indie game has long been overdone this shows that there is
considerable merit in making something designed to gently immerse players on
both a visual and audio level. For those looking to zone out and forget the
storms raging in the real world this is a perfect spot of tranquillity to take
a holiday in.
Overall 8/10
