PixelJunk Monsters 2

A classic tower defence game gets a makeover, and a welcome touch of physics.

I still think there's fun to be had in PixelJunk Monsters 2, and I won't be surprised if Q-Games cleans up some of the minor frustrations. But unless the studio goes out of its way to expand and experiment with new content, I don't see this having much of a legacy. As it stands, it's an okay-at-best tower defense title that treads familiar ground. Coming off the original, that's a huge downgrade.

PixelJunk Monsters 2 is a brave sequel that attempts to fix something that isn't broken, and has ended up taking away more than it adds.

Charming, addictive but sometimes ruthlessly unforgiving, PixelJunk Monsters 2 has made the transition into 3D almost unscathed. While there is a sense of ‘if it isn't broken, don't fix it' in some instances, it's still a gorgeous, lovingly-crafted and action-packed tower defence game that despite a few annoyances, will delight, entertain and challenge in equal measure.

PixelJunk Monsters 2 is a lot of fun either because of or despite its simplicity, though trying to collect all the rainbow fragments to progress to new areas can get frustrating as obtaining those requires perfection.

Pixel Junk Monsters 2 will please those who enjoyed the first part. Despite its few novelties regarding enemies and towers, it has others that are to be thanked. With a very well measured learning curve and difficulty, it is a very recommended approach for those who want to get into the genre. Besides, it has something that makes it different from the other tower defense titles and that I have not been able to find in any other title of the genre.

Even if you can master that side of it, it's a relentless game that doesn't know when to halt. Some patterns can absolutely destroy you without proper notice, forcing you to play over and perfect certain levels. While that side can be little irritating now and again, it can't be denied the amount of effort Q-Games put in.

This is still a challenging tower defense game that has managed the transition to 3D rather well, but the developers have decided to stick with the original formula and the lack of gameplay innovations makes it a less exciting sequel.

PixelJunk Monsters 2 fails to live up to the original, but still presents a delightful take on tower defense.

After waiting all these years, it's absolutely wonderful to see PixelJunk Monsters back once more, but the more I played it, I couldn't help but feel a looming sense of disappointment at the lack of content and new ideas. It's a game I hoped to love but walked away only liking, and that's a shame for what is a follow up to my favorite tower defense game of all time.