iOS Universal •
Last week saw the release of FRAMED 2 on the App Store and, yes, I’ve been aware of its existence. I’ve been actively ignoring it because, in my rapidly declining memory, I remembered Kelsey hating the first one when we covered it back at Pocket Tactics and didn’t see the need to cover the sequel to a game we actively disliked back in 2014. Went back and looked today and he didn’t hate it. In fact, he kind of loved it. So, I’m an idiot and now we should talk about FRAMED 2.
FRAMED 2 continues where the first game left off. Not story-wise, mind you, but mechanically. Story-wise, this is a standalone title that serves as a prequel to the first FRAMED. The puzzle mechanism at the game’s core is the shifting of comic book panes which affect the outcome of each scene. The big selling point is just how cool the whole thing looks with hand-drawn scenes and a characters rendered in angled shadows giving everything a heavy Raymond Chandler vibe.
- Elegant mechanics based around re-arranging panels of a comic book to change the outcome of each scene
- Unique hand-drawn aesthetic with silhouetted characters
- Fully-scored with smooth live jazz
- Incredibly fluid and lifelike animation
- Cats and dogs for those bored with just humans
- A beautiful and mysterious new setting
FRAMED 2 has been available since the 18th of June, so we apologize for not giving you the heads-up earlier. I’ve learned my lesson and will no longer simply trust my own memories when it comes to these things. (Unless it’s Mr. Ludo…I’ll never forget the nightmare of Mr. Ludo.) Still, if you haven’t picked it up yet, now’s the time.
On sale for $1.
I’m still ignoring it. I really need to stop doing that, but…Solitairica!
Such different tastes. I just don’t get Solitarica. I’ve played it a few times and after your comment picked it up again. It just doesn’t do it for me. I’ve bought Framed 2, but haven’t had a change to even launch the game to check it out, but the previous game was a short fun adventure/ puzzle.
Ok, so I’ve finished it. So my impression is that it was well worth the $1. (My view is that $1 is cheap entertainment and many iOS games are really cheap compared to the amount of entertainment they provide. In comparison, a movie is $10.) It is not as long as FRAMED but the new mechanic of re-arranging the panels during the scene make it more challenging. There are a few achievements to be obtained by picking up a picture that was dropped or in a less accessible location. I’ve collected some, but don’t feel the strong desire to get them all.
If you liked the first one, it is worth picking up for $1. Otherwise you time is better spent on other activities.