However unlikely it would seem, an online flash game filled with garish design, unicorns and a 90s soundtrack (that couldn’t possibly sound more 90s) is one of the most popular of all time, spawning an array of merchandise and multiple sequels. It couldn’t get any simpler: Z to jump and X to dash, avoid obstacles and have your robot unicorn survive for as long as you can. No surprise then that the franchise has finally made a rainbow arc’d jump on to the free-to-play portable device game market.
If you are one of those who were entranced by the (notorious) original online game, you’ll be happy to know that this new edition improves in all objective aspects. The visuals are now lush and detailed, with distant views of floating cities, waterfalls and giant narwhals, all draped in the bright colours you would expect. There is now also a huge amount of customization available, and it’s not just for looks. For instance, modifying your horn will increase dash time and changing your body will raise your top speed. Cheesy pop track “Always” by Erasure makes a fabulous comeback, but only if you shed some cash (Which applies to a whole album of other similarly cheesy tracks available).
The gameplay, as before, revolves around jumping from platform to platform, dashing through obstacles (Now including laser-spewing giants), becoming increasingly difficult as your robot unicorn gathers speed. Everything’s just that bit more polished; the movements are smooth and glitches are minimal. You can now re-play wishes (attempts) or play a bonus wish to add to your total. Missions and money, stalwarts of this market, are around to keep pulling you in, as if you didn’t have enough excuses already. But perhaps the most intriguing gameplay mechanic is the use of wings. Yup, at top speed you can now fly.
Now while all these things are cool, I can’t help but feel that the game is not quite as fun as the original. Partly this is because you get a new level (arrangement of platforms) every day, and everytime you play that day, it will be that same level. Play it a few times, and you start remembering what’s about to come. Gone is the randomization of the original, so that you have no idea what’s coming next and have to react on the spot all the time. Then there are the tiers of platforms, which make things just that bit messier and removes the star points accumulation that made the original more exciting.
I will stress however, that the above points shouldn’t stop you from getting the game. RUA2 is a great product that has a lot going for it and with the tweaks that the developers will surely make, it will only get better (In particular, the Team Rainbow vs. Team Inferno idea needs some looking at, being completely unbalanced at the time of writing). Whether you are familiar with the original or not, this is a great opportunity to dig in and make believe.
Rating: 4.5/5
Developers:
adult swim
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