Who knew being a little tile was such a rough gig?
Aurora Feint II: The Arena is less a sequel to Aurora Feint: The Beginning than a refinement of its winning, tile-matching RPG formula. But the biggest addition--a new, online combat option--disappoints.
Aside from introducing additional power-ups and scoring combos, Arena's gameplay is just like Beginning's. You match tiles like a puzzle game, but boost a character's weapons and power like a role-playing game. Leveling up still requires multiple steps, but thorough onscreen instructions help guide new players.
Online battles are quick––nice for mobile gaming––but feel more like playing against the clock than a rival. There's only one game type and no actual, live multiplayer––even over local Wi-Fi. Instead, you first play a special round of the game to "summon" a Ghost, your customized computer-controlled AI. This identity lives on Aurora Feint's servers to be challenged anytime. This always-on approach makes it easy to find friends' and strangers' Ghosts. But the matches feel empty, since you're not reacting to a person in real-time.
While the presentation is strong overall, we ran into a few bugs. Frame-rate slow-downs occasionally disrupted our play. And the great in-game music occasionally cut out. At least you can listen to your own tunes in the background.
Solid combination of tile matching puzzle with RPG elements. Terrific visuals and music.
Gameplay is too similar to the previous Aurora Feint. Online matches feel dull. Frame-rate hiccups. Occasional music bug.
