DROD: The Second Sky

This is one of the best puzzle games I've ever played. It's a crime that more people haven't heard of this series, and this is the best one. Unfortunately, if you're new to the series this is probably the worst place to start, as it assumes that you're a veteran who has already played and finished DROD: The City Beneath (which in turn expects that you have already played DROD: Journey to Rooted Hold). It doesn't bother to explain the majority of the returning mechanics and elements, and the difficulty starts out fairly high and continues to escalate. If you haven't played a DROD game before then I would recommend starting with DROD: Gunthro and the Epic Blunder, which was intentionally designed to be a gentler introduction for series newcomers. If you have played the earlier DROD games then you probably already know whether you're going to like this, but I'll just say that I was pleasantly surprised even having enjoyed the previous games (particularly The City Beneath). This really feels like DROD's magnum opus and it's an extremely worthy finale for the series.

Best puzzle game, not for those with tiny brains.

If you like puzzles you should love this. Some of the puzzles are so satisfying to solve. None are stupidly complex. But some are so subtle you sit there thinking HOW did they work these puzzles out. Plenty of help if you get stuck- you always kick yourself thinking why did I not try a few more permutation and watch how the dungeon reacts. Also the game is HUGE.

I'm a big fan of the DROD series, and this game takes the puzzles to 11. Fortunately, after 60 hours or so I was able to tap out at the "bad" ending, since I wasn't able to figure out the super nasty puzzles needed for the "good" ending or the super super nasty puzzles for 100%.

Overall Id recommend this if youve played through and enjoyed the other Drod games. Personally I think this one overstays itself a bit, which for a puzzle game of this difficulty means i was quite exhausted by the time credits rolled (and the was STILL enough optional content to fill another game in itself!). Part of this comes from the length, but part of it comes from the fact that each level still introduces new Drod mechanics while expecting you to remember all the tricks and intricacies of the previous installments. If you arent intimidated by all of that, my advice would be to pace yourself with this one, maybe take a break and come back in a month if things get tiring. Some of the best puzzles in the series are here, but it certainly makes you work for it!

THE puzzle game.Heavily recommended. I spent about 900 hours total 100%ing this plus the other main titles, and they were a joy to play, explore and complete.The last chapter is really beautiful for the story too, it's very interesting once you understand what it is saying.The game is still alive to this day, with infinite fan made content (free) plus special collection of levels and stories selected by the game original developers, with new art, voice acting and fancyness.It's a unique game, I really recommend looking on youtube and similar to see what it is about.It has the unique element of being able to construct levels on the elements in a progressive way, learning the game becomes organic and every level you grow as a player.Recommended to any puzzle games lovers.

The puzzle quality can vary wildly but overall it's good. There is a forum full of hints for every room, which helps a lot. Also there's a LOT of content. Considering the hint forum, I don't think you really have to play previous DROD games to get through this one. It would sure help though.

Clearly a work of love, I got into DROD through HOTU reviews in the early 2000's. I bought Second Sky originally when it came out through Caravel's own sales channel (non-Steam). I abandoned it half way in 2014 after a certain level proved too difficult (cough, Eye Of The Storm, cough). Now I picked it up again and am powering through, second time being the charm I hope.

DROD is a game I played in my childhood, and the first truly difficult puzzle game I'd ever played. Since then, I've played dozens of top puzzle games on Steam, and DROD still stands near the top. Its obscurity is unfortunate, and completely undeserved. That said, this title is the culmination of the series, so before getting this one, you should play the prequels, "DROD: Guntro and the Epic Blunder" and its three Sold-As-DLC-But-Actually-Full-Games, KDD, TCB, and JtRH.

The Second Sky is, without a doubt in my mind, the height of the DROD series. That comes with the caveat that it might be a struggle to get into if you aren't already familiar with earlier games in the series, like Gunthro and the Epic Blunder, as it ramps up rather quickly, but it does so much right that I can't help but place it amongst my favorite games. To those new to it, DROD is a turn based 2D puzzle game where you play a guy with a Really Big Sword, which takes up space in front of him, and each step you can choose to move or turn your sword. It's separated from its contemporaries in puzzle games by having a heavy focus on combat with enemies that also move when you do, each of which have their own quirks and behaviors. Chronologically, The Second Sky, is the last part of Beethro's story in the DROD series, which started from King Dugan's Dungeon, and was followed up by Journey to Rooted Hold and The City Beneath. If you're new, it does include a short recap at the beginning of the game, but there still may be a lot to catch up on here if you're invested in the lore of the series. Relative to previous games, Second Sky has less focus on trying to carve your way through hordes of enemies, opting instead to lean more towards smaller, focused, and less combat intensive puzzles. And, that, it does this extremely well, with every room having had considerable amount of thought and design placed in it, always interesting and always offering something new to you. ... But also occasionally devilishly hard, too. If some of the puzzles are too difficult, and it's very likely you'll struggle pretty hard with quite a few, there's an extensive hint board on their forums for virtually every room in the game. Just about any potential question you could have, without outright spoiling the answer for you, is answered there. Don't be afraid of being stuck, we're in this together!