If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, would seem to be thinking behind Backflip Studios’ followup to their smash hit, Ragdoll Blaster.
The charming doodle style of the original may have been jettisoned in favour of a steampunkesque aesthetic that’s reminiscent of the recent animated movie 9, while the ragdolls themselves have been given cheeky new personalities and now drop funny one liners, but other than that it’s business as usual.
Which means you had better feed the dog, ring in sick to work and kiss your significant other goodbye, because you, my friend, are off to physics puzzling nirvana for the next few hours and won’t want to be disturbed.
For those four iPhone/iPod Touch owners who’ve yet to sample the delights of Ragdoll Blaster, I’ll briefly go over the basics.
Each level gives you a cannon loaded with an unlimited amount of rag dolls, your job simply to hit the big round target with the littlest number of these charismatic little chaps possible. Sound simple? Whoops, did I not mention the fiendishly devised puzzles, mind-bending machinations and crazy contraptions that stand in your way?
Silly me. Because over the course of the game’s 150 (!) levels you’ll encounter the kinds of twisted feats of engineering Rube Goldberg would dream up after a particularly heavy evening on the cheese.
There’s the usual buttons to be pressed, levers to be pushed and cogs to be set in motion, but also some interesting new additions such as anti-gravity machines, mechanical claws, teleporters and, as they say, much, much more.
As you traverse Ragdoll Blaster 2‘s nine rooms prepare to be astounded all over again by Backflip’s seemingly endless inventiveness when it comes to creating conumdrums, each more bizarre than the last, for you to blast your way out of. Granted, this is largely just a retread of the original with fancier graphics, but you know what? We wouldn’t have it any other way.
iFanzine Verdict: You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll tear your hair out in frustration, you’ll love every minute. Welcome back Ragdolls, it’s been too long!
Apps at AppStoreHQ