Pictorial 2 for iPhone/iPad Review

Pictorial 2 (universal) by CloudGears is one of the simplest ideas for a puzzler yet – but it’s beyond frustrating. The aim of the game is to spin shards of glass until they match up and create an image, but Pictorial 2‘s difficulty level ranges from easy to impossible meaning it’s not for everyone.

There’s a couple easy puzzles to get folks started in Pictorial 2. By the time I reached the level four and I solved it in under 20 seconds, I thought wow, I’m kicking butt at this. But Pictorial 2 beat me down pretty quickly and put me in my place. By level six, all of my free solves had been used and I found myself cursing the fact that I didn’t have one left for level seven.

It’s not just the fact that the puzzles get harder to recognize, either. Eventually, the puzzles won’t show all the pieces at the beginning and slowly add more so by the time the puzzle is actually solved, I was left with basically no points. Then, the puzzles start showing and then taking away puzzle pieces, a concept that almost made me hurl my iPhone.

It might sound like I hated Pictorial 2, but that’s far from the truth. I actually loved it. There’s very few games that give me a lot of trouble and make me think, but Pictorial 2 is one of those rare exceptions. I typically will breeze through puzzle games and figured that would be the case when I chose this assignment. It’s incredibly hard at points, but I suspect that anyone particularly crafty at puzzle games would enjoy this challenge.

Pictorial 2 also has beautiful graphics and sound. The soundtrack reminded me of a soothing tune from Final Fantasy VII and the way the sunlight hit the stained glass pieces of the puzzle was quite pretty.

The creators of Pictorial 2 know their game is hard and throw players a bone every now and then. Along with the two free solves and the opportunity to purchase more, the game will let players know if they’re really close to solving a puzzle by telling them which way to rotate the puzzle to finish it off. The puzzle can be rotated in 360 degrees and, while it may take two fingers every now and then, the gameplay is pretty smooth and easy-going.

All in all, Pictorial 2 is a delightful challenge for those who feel puzzle games just aren’t tough enough. Anyone who gets frustrated easily, though, may want to steer clear.