[b]artifact quest 2[/b] is a cookie cutter match-3 with everything you'd expect from a game like this, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. a few features make it rise above some other titles, and a couple make it hard to recommend. it's also a good example of why I prefer to finish games before reviewing them. at first it looked good enough for a thumbs up and I wasn't expecting any surprises down the road, but as I kept playing, some flaws became more and more obvious.
the story is about an archeologist lady helping the inhabitants of an island restore their village and save them from a volcano eruption. the first game is not available on steam because it has a different publisher, so I'm not sure if there are any connections or references to it. maybe she started her artifacts store with the stuff she'd found in that one.
[b]150 levels[/b] are available to play [b]with our without a timer[/b] and there are [b]3 types of levels[/b]. [u]regular[/u] match-3 has you flipping things around to remove tiles, as you'd expect, and there are [b]no annoying spreading tiles[/b], while on [u]collapse[/u] levels you just click on identical things next to each other. two will do, but the more the better.
and finally, [u]puzzle[/u] levels have falling pieces that have to be caught and placed where they belong. this is one of the unique selling points, and while [b]quick clicking is necessary[/b], I found it a breath of fresh air and only had to retry one to get 3 stars.
speaking of, [b]the 3-star system works differently[/b] compared to other games. instead of a move limit or a score, the bar fills up by making more and more matches (on puzzle levels only speed matters). clearing 3 things at a time might not move it at all, but make a match of 5 or more and include as many removable tiles as you can and it will fill up faster.
while it sounds fine on paper, [b]I found it really tedious[/b]. admittedly, I wasn't playing very efficiently (not that the game tells you what's considered efficient besides 'the more the better'), but very often I was finished with the board, cleared almost every tile in not necessarily too many moves, yet my rating wasn't even at 1 star, let alone close to 3, so I had to keep matching for a couple more minutes. [b]stars aren't used for anything[/b], I just figured it'd be fun at first, then stuck with it for some masochistic reason.
it doesn't help matters that [b]power-ups are useless and boosters aren't much better[/b]. the former consists of a hammer OR a bomb, never both on the same level and they take quite a while to charge, though it might be faster with better matches. the hammer does what it says on the tin (affects a single square that might need more than one hit to disappear), but the bomb only clears 4 squares around it in the main directions (and only one 'layer' as well).
[b]boosters[/b] are created by matching 5+ things (much more on collapse levels). a coin gives some extra cash, lightning only works vertically, and dynamite is barely more effective than a bomb, destroying every square around it (still only one layer). using these all charge the rating bar faster, so there's that.
money is used to pay for the restoration of the island, buying various buildings and such. [b]playing with a timer can get you a speed bonus[/b] if you're fast, which is obviously not possible without a timer (my preferred and only way of playing), but by the time I was done with the 150 levels, I had enough money to buy everything.
another source of income is money paid for pieces of artifacts. there are 7 of them, effectively dividing the levels into 7 sections, and you get a piece after every few levels. there are [b]5 types of collectibles[/b] as well, a piece is awarded randomly for every completed level.
there's nothing wrong with random rewards if they're implemented properly, but there are 150 levels and 150 pieces to collect, yet [b]due to rng, you most likely won't have every collectible by the end of the game[/b]. I had 50 of something I only needed 35 of and only 10 of something else I needed 20 of, for example. it's a very easy fix: [b]once a set is complete, stop giving out more of it[/b].
much like stars, [b]collectibles aren't used for anything[/b] except achievements, but since none of the collectibles are tied to any particular level or level type, who knows how many you'd have to replay to get them all? of course, for the same reason you can grind level 1 for 5 hours, won't make any difference. I can easily ignore collectibles, achievements or 100% completion, but I can't ignore bad game design and wasting people's time.
[b]from a technical standpoint it's mostly good.[/b] the graphics and music are what you'd expect, the former cute, the latter you'll want to turn off after some time, but all the necessary settings and options are there. separate volume sliders, windowed mode, [b]tips can be turned off[/b], that's relatively rare, but weirdly, the next level can't be selected from the map, only by pressing the 'play' button. and there's no way to go back to the island from the level complete screen, only from the pause menu.
all in all, an average match-3 that [b]should take 8-10 hours[/b] (give or take several based on how rng favors you and if you're going for 100%), but due to some questionable design decisions I'd recommend playing other games in the genre first.
