One of the cuter and more unique puzzle games that hit the App Store a couple of years ago has just gone free for the first time ever to celebrate the impending launch of the sequel. Joining Hands ($2.99) is a hex-based puzzle game from 10tons Ltd. that tasks you with getting a colorful cast of characters to, well, join hands.

Each of the adorable little guys have various attributes that makes getting them to all hold hands with each other tricky. Some of them are content to hold hands with just anyone, some will sprout extra limbs which must be dealt with, and some just plain prefer not to be situated next to anybody at all. Most of the creatures can be moved by simply dragging them to the hex that you want them to be in, but some are immovable so you’ll need to sort out the best way to get them connected to the rest. Also the level environments themselves can pose some problems by placing rocks or other impediments in your way. It’s a clever game that we really enjoyed in our original review from 2011.

As mentioned, this Thursday Joining Hands 2 is set to release and will bring more hand-joining puzzles with more than 140 brand new levels and 8 different kinds of creatures (called Peablins) to work with as you solve each one. You can find out a bit more information on Joining Hands 2 over at the 10tons website, but we’ll definitely have it included in our weekly roundup of new releases this week as well. However, don’t miss out on this chance to grab the original Joining Hands for free and get yourself in the mood for when the sequel hits.