Enigmo 2Current Version: 2.0 (iOS 4.0 Tested)

Awesome puzzle game will have you playing for hours on end

by Tim Mercer, Macworld.com

The unique puzzle game Enigmo originally debuted on the Mac in 2003. Developer Pangea Software ported the popular game to the iPhone to rave reviews. Pangea has followed up on that success with Enigmo 2, a worthy follow-up that should please fans of the puzzle game.

The goal in the first version of Enigmo was to get liquid dripping from one area of the puzzle into its respective container in another area of the puzzle. To accomplish this, you could use several different objects like drums to bounce the drops, platforms to guide them or sponges to soak them up and re-route them down into their containers. By the time you solved the puzzle, you would have drops flying all over the place in an insane juggling act.

A New Dimension: All the puzzles in Enigmo 2 appear in 3D, increasing the challenge of this sequel to the popular mobile version of Enigmo.

The basic goals remains the same in Enigmo 2, but this time around, there are not only liquid drops but lasers and plasma drops as well with each behaving in different ways. You can even manipulate the effects of gravity by activating gravity reversing switches, or using objects that have their own gravitational pull to alter the projected path of drops. These new elements add another dimension to Enigmo’s challenging puzzles.

Speaking of new dimensions, Pangea Software has made the puzzles in Enigmo 2 all 3D. Unlike the first release of the game where you only had to direct the droplets left, right, up and down, Enigmo 2 has you trying to solve puzzles in 3D space making things much more fun and challenging.

Enigmo 2’s touch controls are well executed. I would have figured trying to move the camera around and accurately placing objects in 3D space using only the iPhone’s touch screen would have been a nightmare. Thankfully, Pangea made it all too easy. To pan around the puzzle in 2D space you just drag a finger on the screen; to manipulate the view in 3D; you just drag two fingers.

When it comes to placing objects in just the right spot, all you have to do is tap a part of the puzzle; then when you place your next object, it’s automatically lined up with it. Once you’ve put an object in play, a circle appears around it that you use to rotate it. If you touch the circle and drag it out, it becomes bigger for fine-tune adjustments. A quick double tap will send the object back to the toolbar at the bottom of the screen where the other objects reside. Along the right side of the screen is another toolbar with buttons to undo, snap to grid, and switch back to the default camera view.

Enigmo 2 has beautiful graphics. The 3D puzzles float in space with planets and stars in the background. Even with the screen full of glowing lasers and plasma droplets flying everywhere, there was hardly ever any lag on my phone.

The game’s soundtrack has a laid back, relaxing quality that’s a perfect fit for Enigmo 2’s tone. The sound effects of the lasers and water droplets are really cool and get louder the closer you get to them.

Enigmo 2 is an awesome puzzle game that will have you playing for hours on end with its 50 different levels. If you have a little patience and are up for a challenge, I’d highly recommend this puzzler.

[Tim Mercer is a technology enthusiast, graphic designer, and blogger, whose blog, digital-artist-toolbox.com, offers free resources to the digital artist and graphic designer.]