Geared 2! Review

Geared 2 is the kind of sequel that most people will complain should have been an update to the original. It does add a few new types of gears and a level editor, but ultimately there isn’t much different about Geared 2. Still, the new levels and the ability to create your own puzzles make the game well worth the $0.99 admission price.

Just like in the last game, the goal is to power up all the blue gears by connecting them to the spinning yellow gear. Placement of gears is key, especially in harder levels, where a gear placed the slightest bit off will wreck your system.

To mix things up, the game adds in some new gear types. The most prominent of these is a gear that will move in a particular direction indicated by arrows. These are often crucial to success, but can also lead to many resets. The other new gear types are the ghost gear and sun/moon gear. When touched by the yellow gear, a moon gear will turn into a sun gear, activating any ghost gears nearby.

Geared 2 also introduces a new art style, featuring a fuzzy little hamster who runs inside the yellow gear. We wouldn’t mind this art style if it wasn’t for the fact that the background no longer has a grid on it. In the previous game, the grid was extremely useful for precise gear placement.

While the 60 included levels may not seem like much compared to the original game, the developer makes up for it with a full-blown level editor. This level editor is easy to use, due to its drag-and-drop interface. Once you’ve got your level ready, it can be uploaded online for everyone to enjoy.

Playing user levels is fun, but you can’t look up a friend’s levels. Instead, the game randomly grabs 10 for you and will only give you more once levels are deleted. For most people, this won’t be an issue, but we'd prefer to share levels with our friends and challenge them directly.

Geared 2 is certainly worth downloading if you enjoyed the original. It offers new challenges, the ability to create your own content, and it's even a universal app. Most important, however, is the little hamster. Admit it, you can’t resist him!