After a few sleepless nights of following our forums and ngmoco’s Twitter, we’re finally able to embark on the quest for the Golden Orchid in Rolando 2 [App Store]. Better late than never, Rolando 2 is already off to a great start with overwhelmingly positive reactions from our community.
Rolando 2 comes with 2.5D cell shaded graphics which look wonderful, as well as such a great soundtrack that I hope ngmoco follows Secret Exit’s lead with their release of their Zen Bound [App Store] soundtrack as a free download to people who purchased the game.
TouchArcade reader reactions have been swift and also generally very positive.
Not surprisingly, forum member dannys95 highly recommends Rolando 2 to any fans of the first game, and anyone who enjoys Rolando Lite [App Store]. Something worth mentioning is that while Rolando 2 isn’t currently available in a lite version, the lite version of the original will give you a taste of the controls and an idea of the sequel’s gameplay.
Redking31591 agrees with me on the high quality of the soundtrack, and describes Rolando 2 as “well worth the long wait," and “a premier iPhone experience." Cjb43 follows up with the overwhelming praise that “every facet of the game is crafted to perfection, and it all adds up to a very fun game."
While Fu3lRac3r loves the new 2.5D graphics, he wishes there was a deeper introduction to the plot of the game and also feels the ability to tweak the sensitivity of the tilt controls is something important that Rolando 2 is lacking. A couple of other minor complaints have included some camera zoom issues and small Rolandos getting stuck under the water, though not enough to mar from the overall experience.
While one user, playing on an iPhone 3G experienced some random slowdowns, across the board, performance reports have been solid for everyone else playing on iPhones and iPod touches. Also, as you would expect, Rolando 2 on the 3GS is silky smooth and feels closer to watching a cartoon than playing a video game.
But perhaps the best testimonial for the Rolando 2 experience comes from Sizzlakalonji, who wasn’t very hot on the first Rolando, but figured he’d take the plunge on the sequel. The thread continued on for a few pages, and he returned to tell us how much he’s enjoying the game.
There’s no doubt that this game is well worth the 10 bucks, the level of quality in every aspect is very high. I just felt that in the first game, some of the “wow" factor wasn’t there. I’m feeling it here for some of the reasons mentioned by others. I like the characterization of the Rolandos, along with the corresponding vocalizations. I like the variety of Rolandos with their differing abilities, and like everybody else it seems, I like the soundtrack. These thoughts are coming from someone who absolutely was not caught up in the hype, didn’t read all of the pre-release threads, and was just giving this a go to see if I was too hasty on the first. I’m not sure if after I finish this game I’ll go back and get the first…possibly, but I’m certainly enjoying this iteration of the game and can easily recommend it even to those who weren’t wowed by the first.
My personal favorite aspect of the game is the fact that each level has different goals associated with it, which are awarded by keeping all the Rolandos alive, collecting all the crystals, and beating the time limit. Idols are also hidden throughout the game, which can be used to skip levels. Also included is a massive list of achievements, all of which get send up to your Plus+ profile if you register an account. All of these things should add substantial replay value to Rolando 2.
All in all, Rolando 2 is an evolution of the original Rolando formula. So, if you liked the first, you’ll like the second. The graphics and sound are great, and so far the bulk of the complaints we’ve seen are the usual ones about the premium price and the fact that currently Rolando 2 currently requires the 3.0 firmware.
If you’re an iPod touch user and haven’t upgraded yet, or if you’ve stuck with 2.2.1 because of jailbreak, you will have to hold off until ngmoco releases an update that’s coming soon to enable 2.2.1 support. Otherwise, we’re looking at what seems will be another classic title for the iPhone.
App Store Link: Rolando 2, $9.99
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