the second game in the series is pretty much the same as [url=https://steamcommunity.com/id/dohi64/recommended/277680]the first[/url], except it's in 3d now, with lovely diorama-like presentation and some clunkiness when it comes to controls.
you're still controlling love and hate with attract and go away functionalities, same mechanics for the others too: green needs to be talked into moving, blue creates an upwards airstream, dead ones can't be moved, etc. [b]new mechanics[/b] are the floating holy one, the red one, which is the end-level button, but it can be moved, and the static lying one that relays the opposite of the message sent to it.
the goal is still to reach the big red button in 3 worlds with 2 level packs each, 10 levels per pack, still only one unlocked at a time, but now there are [b]coins to collect to unlock bonus levels[/b]. 4 batches of 5 levels for 40 coins each, and there's an extra level after the final cutscene (for math enthusiasts, that's [b]81 levels altogether[/b] and you'll need 160 coins). bonus levels are 2d and have vastly different visuals and even sound effects, which is pretty neat, though in the first one the white background makes the white cursor invisible.
if you keep grabbing all the coins (only with love or hate), you'll have enough for every bonus pack after the first level of the last pack, then I didn't bother with them unless they were trivial to get, which they mostly are. collected ones won't appear during retries, as long as the level was finished, of course. speaking of retries, a relatively big issue is [b]the lack of a 'replay level' button on the level complete screen[/b]. as it is, you have to go back to the map first, select level pack, select level, try again, but of course there's a restart button in the pause menu.
another new thing is a [b]3-heart rating system[/b], based on the number of coins collected, but ratings aren't used for anything. the number of moves (not orders issued but tiles walked) is also shown on the level complete screen, but even a decent amount of misclicks and all the coins got me 3 stars every time, even after giving up on optimizing and letting misclicks be misclicks, so I don't think they matter at all and were a completely unnecessary addition. (if they count though, there should be a move counter while playing and goals should be clear as well.)
the first 10 levels are basic tutorial, the 3rd dimension doesn't even come into play until the second batch. then it does and while there's still no rush, timing or anything, [b]I found the constant need for rotating a bit annoying[/b]. and I often misclicked because [b]controls are clunky[/b] and the cursor doesn't highlight tiles. oh, and other blobs can fall off the level now, another unnecessary addition. [b]unlimited undo[/b] is still available and brings them back, but still.
[b]the game looks great[/b] (except air from the blue guys should move with them, not after them), cutscenes are back too, but the [b]audio is the same, both music and sounds[/b] (except on the bonus levels), and I didn't like those in the first game either. there are separate volume settings now, but cutscene audio is unaffected even if audio is turned off. resolutions, windowed mode, graphics quality, v-sync and rebindable controls (defaults are weird, but I realized towards the end that I barely used any hotkeys), and you can move the camera and zoom in/out as well. the latter is where keys come in handy, as the mousewheel doesn't do much. and the only setting available while playing is audio on/off, not ideal.
it starts out easy, gets tricky and sometimes tedious towards the end, especially if you overthink something, which I tend to do. while going 3d offers new possibilities and challenges, it has drawbacks as well, though the move limit being completely pointless means control issues are less of a concern. so it's not perfect, but [b]pretty good overall[/b], and despite the 6-year gap between this and the first game, it's not a lot more expensive (though I think the first is a bit pricier than it should be). it took me longer to finish as well, I'd say [b]about 7-8 hours[/b], so if the concept intrigues you, give it a shot.
