Retro Replay Review

Gameplay

The first few boards make Azkend 2 feel comfortably straightforward: connect three or more identical symbols, colour every tile blue, and finish the stage. Then the relic drops in at the top and changes the rhythm. Clearing the whole board is only half the job; you also need to remove symbols underneath the relic so it can descend before the clock hits zero. That small extra objective turns a routine match into a positioning puzzle.

Its hazards are where the tension starts to click. Steel plates demand two clears, while fog, locks, and fire ask you to make adjacent matches rather than simply chase the longest chain on the board. Fire is the most urgent wrinkle because it can spread if you leave it alone. Bugs create a different kind of panic: you need to make a stated number of matches before they climb to the top and force a restart. These complications make you scan for practical, immediate solutions instead of playing on autopilot.

The timer can be frustrating when a board leaves you staring for a usable chain, especially because the relic objective gives each wasted moment real weight. Still, the game supplies a sensible buffer through its power-ups. You choose one active and one passive option at a time, so the decision has bite. An active item such as dynamite can clear nearby blocks and colour their tiles blue when matched in a group of four or more; passive choices can add time or remove a symbol type to make matches easier to spot.

Bonus stages break up the pressure by asking you to identify where a small piece belongs within a larger picture. They are a pleasant change of pace, though the timed board-clearing remains the main reason to play. If you like tile matchers that demand quick eyes but also give every clear a concrete purpose, this is a strong fit. If you want a slow, meditative matching game, the fire, bugs, and ticking clock may wear on you.

Graphics

The action stays focused on a side-view grid of symbols and tiles, with the crucial board state easy to read: tiles turn blue as you clear them, steel plates stand out as tougher targets, and the relic waits above the playfield for a route downward. The picture-location bonus rounds offer a more illustrative interruption from the symbol boards.

Story

Azkend 2 uses fantasy trappings rather than leaning on a heavily told plot. The relic at the top of each stage becomes the recurring tangible goal, and guiding it down gives the progression more character than a detached sequence of score-chasing boards.

That framing works because it stays out of the way. You are not asked to pause the matching action for elaborate narrative business; the game lets the board objectives carry the momentum. The title and relic hunt provide enough of a fantasy thread to make the journey feel connected.

Do not come here expecting the story to be the reward. The reward is the escalating puzzle pressure: clearing a route, containing a spreading problem, and getting the relic out before time runs away. For game-specific release and history details, see the Azkend 2 page.

Overall Experience

Azkend 2: The World Beneath is a dependable evolution of the chain-matching formula. The relic descent objective is the key improvement because it gives every level a finish line you can actively build toward. You will regularly spot a satisfying long chain, then reject it because a smaller clear beneath the relic is the smarter move.

Its best moments come when several demands collide: blue tiles still need finishing, a fire threatens to spread, the relic has stalled, and the clock is tightening. At that point, the game feels more purposeful than a basic colour-matching distraction. The power-up selection softens the rougher boards without eliminating the need to read the grid well.

The repetition is real, and the fixed match-and-clear structure will not convert anyone who already dislikes timed tile puzzles. But the variants arrive often enough to keep the familiar foundation from going flat. The bug stages in particular force a faster, more defensive mindset.

With a 7.4, Azkend 2 lands as a good puzzle sequel rather than an essential reinvention. Give it a chance if you enjoy making quick match decisions under pressure and appreciate a board game that asks you to plan around an objective, not just chase combos. Its payoff is a steady stream of compact, satisfying saves rather than a dramatic final revelation.

Retro Replay Score

7.4/10