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Issue link: https://digital.macdirectory.com/i/839
166 MacDirectory
REVIEW | GAMES
BIG KAHUNA REEF 2: CHAIN REACTION
Now, before you get all reactionary and
declaim this title as "yet another
Bejeweled clone," let me just say two
things right up front: 1) It is a Bejeweled
clone, and 2) There's more to it than the
standard Bejeweled swap mechanic.
What's the big difference?
Explosions.
Big Kahuna Reef 2: Chain Reaction is the
sequel to Reflexive Entertainment's Big
Kahuna Reef. The playing field features a
grid filled with aquatic-themed items —
shells, crabs, and the like — and the object
of gameplay is to match three or more
items to remove them from the board.
The vacant spaces are then filled by the
items directly above them. The twist to
gameplay that differentiates this title from
Bejeweled is that the background of the
grid is filled in with a solid color when the
items within are removed; the ultimate
goal is to fill the board with this color,
after which time the player will progress
to the next level.
Each level features a different layout
beyond the standard rectangular grid, and
some of them require quite a bit of time
and strategy to complete. While it's
helpful to be able to match three items
both horizontally and vertically, at times
this means having to wait a while for the
proper symbol to appear.
The next bit of Bejeweled deviancy comes
in the form of gridsquare locks. These
locks can only be unlocked by matching
the underlying symbol a number of times
— each match removes another chain
from the lock — before the square can
finally be changed to its solid color. Later
levels feature empty squares directly
beneath these locks, meaning that the
level itself cannot be completed until
these locks are open and the symbols
above them are allowed to spill into the
empty squares.
To the lower right of the playing field is a
Net. Completing consecutive removals fills
up the Net with color; filling the Net to its
limit makes the Net available. This Net
allows the removal of one symbol from
the board, which can be useful if you're
unable to complete a row or column with
the available symbols.
Another differentiator is the level hub
found between levels. There are a number
of circles with question marks within them.
These circles contain a different type of
fish and a number of dots next to them.
The dots represent levels needed to unlock
these circles; unlocking a circle releases the
new fish contained within. These fish roam
the level freely as you play it.
What's new in this iteration of Big Kahuna
Reef is the addition of special explosive
symbols. These explosives, when swapped
with another symbol, detonate all symbols
within a given radius, functioning just as
though you had matched those areas.
Different explosives give different radii. For
some levels, these explosives simply
appear, but in all levels, matching any five
symbols in a row will cause an explosive to
appear. Detonating these explosives
becomes truly satisfying when they
detonate other explosives, causing a
matching chain reaction, hence the
subtitle of the game name.
The Web site touts more than 750 levels
to play. A given number of levels are
present in the Kahuna Quest mode, with
others unlockable after completing that
mode. The previous iteration of the game
offered player-created downloadable
levels; it's not known whether the same is
available for this game. The game can also
be played in Action Mode which activates
a time limit, and Relaxed Mode, that has
no time limit.
If you enjoyed Bejeweled even a little bit,
Big Kahuna Reef 2: Chain Reaction is a
must-have.
WORDS BY KEONI CHAVEZ
Product Big Kahuna Reef 2:
Chain Reaction
Made by Reflexive Entertainment