topatoi: Pillar of the Skies Review

Ukrainian developer Boolat Games have been hard at work as of late, releasing topatoi: The Great Tree Story in July 2009 then quickly following it up with a second installment, topatoi: Pillar of the Skies. Since topatoi is episodic in nature, players will require the original game in order to run Pillar of the Skies, so be sure to read our review of topatoi: The Great Tree Story to learn everything about the first episode. This second episode in the puzzle-platformer series builds on the foundations of The Great Tree Story; new features include complex puzzles that continue the game's story mode and a cooperative multiplayer mode. Fans of the first topatoi will no doubt enjoy this new episode simply because the levels and puzzles are more challenging. That being said, Pillar of the Skies isn't going to change the minds of those who didn't like the first game.

Pillar of the Skies picks up right where the first episode left off; Raph, the protagonist, is adventuring through a strange, mechanical world with the help of the professor to try and repair their ship and save his girlfriend. Along the way Raph meets several villagers who give him advice and point him in the direction of the villainous Blackwing. The plot is pretty straightforward so don't expect any major twists, it mainly serves as an introduction to each level. Character development isn't the focus here, it's the puzzles and platforming that players will care about.

The seven new story mode missions continue the progression of the increasingly difficult puzzle-platforming started in The Great Tree Story. There is the option of skipping the original story mode levels, however, doing so makes the second episode especially difficult because the first episode teaches players what clues to look for when solving the puzzles. New to Pillar of the Skies is the ability to advance in the story mode even if a level is failed the first time through. This feature relieves the frustration of being stuck at one particular point, which will keep a lot of players engaged who would otherwise stop playing the game entirely. The controls, on the other hand, remain as loose as the first episode, which adds to the frustration when precise actions are required.