Legend of the Skyfish 2 review - "Another epic quest to stop Skyfish!"

• A sequel that has learned from the previous one
• You're exploring, fighting, fishing, and puzzling once again
• This is a cool way to use a fishing pole

Can something considered an animal ever be truly evil without some kind of human influence? That's a pretty big question to flop onto the table, much like the dastardly Skyfish from Legend of the Skyfish and now Legend of the Skyfish 2.

Mother Gaia Studio is determined to make us associate the image of a fish in the sky with absolute terror. I mean, the thing is kind of an eyesore, that's why this 2D hack-and-slash puzzle adventure is giving us the chance to smack it back down into the water - what we need to know is if this sequel gives us enough to make us think that it will stay down this time.

What is Legend of the Skyfish 2?

If you've been living under a rock long enough to miss when the Skyfish was flying overhead and threatening to destroy everything, then you may be feeling a little lost. Luckily, Legend of the Skyfish 2 fills us in with a quick recap of the story so far. Once upon a time, a large monstrous creature known as the Skyfish threatened to destroy a fantasy land and its people.

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It seemed hopeless until a Red Hook warrior fought through various trials to defeat it. Since then, the world has returned to peace, and many lands set up defence forces should evil ever rise again.

But it looks like evil is indeed rising again, and all the Red Hooks are disappearing. Now, only a lone Red Hook apprentice stands in the way of the Skyfish's return to power. Exciting, isn't it?

Hooked on Legend of the Skyfish 2

There are many things that a sequel should do - one of them is to learn from mistakes, and another is to expand on the original property. Legend of the Skyfish 2 does both of these things, and may find its proper home on handheld platforms. The first thing to note is the improvement of the visuals. While it maintains the storybook art style from the previous game, it's improved. The colours are brighter, the lines are cleaner, the animations are smoother, and overall, everything is much sharper so you can enjoy what's happening.

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Then, there's the smoothness of the gameplay. The first game struggled to keep a proper jogging pace, but the sequel picks it up. The onscreen controls work well for exactly what they set out to do. Moving feels natural and solid, dodging is fast but not too fast to be tricky, and the fishing mechanic is effective and precise, with combat being tighter since more focus has been placed on arenas and boss fights.

The fishing pole is the breakout star, being a fun way to zip around areas, snag confused enemies towards you, and launch yourself at large enemies' faces to deliver a special punch.

The scale of the game has also increased drastically. Every area you go to is much larger with a fair amount of exploring to do. There is a mix of obstacle courses and puzzles thrown in so you can put that fancy rod and juicy brain of yours to good use. Each environment introduces its own elements, which switches things up and keeps you adapting.

Sunk on Legend of Skyfish 2

While Legend of the Skyfish 2 is vastly better than the first one, some things don't bring in the catch of the day. Although the combat is faster and more functional, it gets kind of repetitive. There are different enemy types, but many of them share the same tactics while having different wardrobes.

They also suffer from a debilitating weakness to fishing rods and being hit stun-locked by basic combos. You do get additional weapons and fishing lures to expand your arsenal, but that makes the main threats even less of a threat.

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This repetition also applies to puzzle and maze areas. Most of the time, the solution is to just follow the strictly defined path until you reach a button, a level, or a face that needs punching. There are rewards to find by checking every nook and cranny, but they're usually not hidden very well, and getting to them is as simple as, "Oh, there's a blank spot on my map still". The challenge rooms can be fun, but they're few and far between.

There's also a bit of roundabout syndrome (™) happening here. Although areas are much bigger, they're also quite the same. It's easy to get lost without any defining features in a game that should be a nice and smooth adventure. Sometimes you'll find yourself going through an entire section with no notable elements just to end up exactly where you started. At least the game is quite generous with the checkpoint and travel points.

Catching Legend of the Skyfish 2

Legend of the Skyfish 2 is a sequel that continues the 2D hack-and-slash adventure story with big improvements. Everything looks nicer, feels better, offers more, and challenges you to see, do, and collect everything. It's still a bit repetitive and lacking in challenge with a lot of places blending all their sections. Even so, try it out to become a legend who ends the Skyfish once and for all.