After half a dozen sequels and spin-offs, we still don't know where all that water has gone. We do know how to move it around, though, which is what Disney Mobile's brand new physics puzzle game is all about! Where's My Water? 2 brings Swampy, Allie and Cranky back for more dirt digging and ducky finding, adding an ocean of challenges, items and additions to this free to play sequel.
The gameplay in Where's My Water? 2 is the same as the games that came before it. Each level presents you with Swampy's bathtub at the bottom of the screen, with water pockets trapped above. Between you and Swampy's shower are solid rocks, movable blocks, levers, switches, spouts and most importantly, removable dirt. Simply trace your finger along the screen to create a path for the water to travel. Get it all to Swampy to complete the stage, conserving every drop you can along the way!
Gameplay is structured a little differently in Where's My Water? 2. You now have a map of sorts to travel through, unlocking stages by collecting a certain number of duckies in each level. You also gain access to special challenge stages that do crazy things like turn the world upside-down or force you not to collect ducks. These add a nice change of pace to the series formula, though they do end up feeling like they were thrown in there just to justify the duck-based level locking system.
Analysis: While the gameplay of Where's My Water? 2 remains mostly unchanged, the sequel goes down the dark path of freemium monetization in several unfavorable ways. For starters, there's energy to worry about. Just like those cash-in Facebook games, you're limited to the number of things you can do by an energy bar that depletes each time you play a level. You gain more over time, but it's always there threatening to end your fun just when you're starting to get into it. An expensive in-app purchase permanently increases the bar's size, but once you see the price you'll run away in terror.
It's a bit of a disappointment to see an imaginative and successful series like this go down the path of "everybody's doin' it so we are too". The design went from a pleasant level of creativity to a rubber stamp copy of every other mobile game out there, adopting many of the features that suck the life out of otherwise fantastic games. The items it added are fun but completely unnecessary, shoved in there as an excuse to monetize the product. It's a similar situation as the Plants vs. Zombies sequel selling out, though Where's My Water? 2 doesn't commit the crime quite as harshly.
If you don't mind dealing with an aggressively monetized (and Facebook integrated) game, Where's My Water? 2 still provides a lot of entertainment. It's a free download and gives you quite a lot of things to do without spending any money. Plenty of unique challenges, lots of things to collect, and more alligators than your average swamp party. That's a good thing, by the way.
NOTE: This game was played and reviewed on the iPad 3. Game was available in the North American market at the time of publication, but may not be available in other territories. Please see individual app market pages for purchasing info.
Walkthrough Guide
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Where's My Water? 2: Quick Tips
General Information
From the Main Menu, you can Play the game, select the gear to choose your settings, view other Disney games, and connect to Facebook.
Settings include playing Music and Sound or muting them, choosing your language, viewing the credits, legal stuff like terms of use and privacy, how to contact Customer Service, and Profiles which includes resetting your profile and restoring purchases.
The tower next to gear is for checking messages, and you can choose to play with friends on Facebook.
In App Purchases are available for real money and can get a little pricey. They include: Energy Refills, a Keychain, a Visual Hint Bundle, Absorber Power-up Bundle, Dropper Power-up Bundle, an Energy Increaser, Monster Bundle, and a Starter Bundle.
After you play the first tutorial level, you will need to choose which level you wish to play because you may want to go back and improve your duck collection.
Each level has ducks to collect, and there are gates every 5 levels that require a certain number of ducks to be collected before you can continue.
At present, there are 3 locations, Sewer, Soap Factory, and more levels promised for the future.
You can view the locations by scrolling to the right on the Map.
Each location has 3 sections of 5 levels each and 3 Hidden Collectibles to find.
Screen Navigation
In the upper left corner of your Map is your Duck count, at the upper right is your available energy.
Tapping on the plus sign in the lower left will give you access to the Main Menu, your Inbox for Facebook, access to your Ducks, audio options, and shopping cart items to buy with real money.
When you run out of energy, you have choices of waiting for it to refill, buying a refill, or bugging your friends on Facebook to help.
Selecting a Duck carrying a Facebook flag on the Map, allows you to log in to Facebook to receive a free instant energy refill, see your friends progress, asks them for energy, or receive keys from them to help you reach new levels.
Challenges are unlocked along with way with new ways to play levels, and you have opportunities to gain new Duck costumes.
During gameplay, the Ducks you need show in the upper left corner.
The light bulb shows you the tools you have available, such as the Vacuum that unlocks at level 5, the Dropper at level 11, and the Absorber at level 15.
The Vacuum pulls fluids toward the Duck, the Dropper prefills the Ducks with fluid, and the Absorber allows the Ducks to accept any fluid. If you want more power-ups, you will need to buy them.
Sometimes you will also have a visual hint available.
The arrow allows you to start the level over, and the parallel marks will take you to the Map.
During some levels, there are Ducks you need to avoid, so don't get them wet when you see a circle around the Duck and a line through it.
Posted by: Jazz
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September 18, 2013 7:15 PM