I had never previously picked up Glyder mainly due to the fact that I didn't think it would appeal to me. At the time I had various flying games and didn't think another item collecting game would be fun for me. Lately though I had been considering whether to get Glyder but when I saw Glyder 2 came out I decided to get that first. From there I fell in love with this game and ended up buying the original Glyder after completing the sequel. I then found the original to be an absolute gem but was kicking myself that I didn't play it before Glyder 2, as it was hard to appreciate how good it was when Glyder 2 is so so much better.
Presentation
The main selling point from my view is the excellent graphics. If this game was in another 2D block world then this game would have never taken off in the beginning. Glu Mobile are known for making some great 3D games, Wacky Worlds Mini Golf and Cops n Robbers comes to mind, and the detail in this game is superb.
There are 6 huge environments and 1 smaller environment that all look superb. Each one has a different theme so they all are unique. Half the fun of reaching each new island is the ability to fly around and just look at every corner of these fantasy lands.
One thing that Glu has done well is give a good sense of speed. When you are gliding slowly you can’t really tell that you are even moving, but as you build up speed the air surrounding Eryn gets blurry just like the racing games. This is a great effect and just adds that little bit extra to the game.
Glyder 2 runs well on all devices, even though the ride is just that little bit smoother on the 3rd Gen devices. None of the graphics are spared in the lesser devices, but the ride can sometimes be slightly jerky. All in all the game looks good and feels good.
Controls
When I started this game I expected to have to use a various amount of different on screen buttons to maybe shoot at things or pick up items like the crystals. Somehow the game has managed to stay as simple as possible with the only thing to do is just tilt your iDevice.
For starters this is not a violent game, with no bad guys or obstacles to get in your way. However if you aren’t careful tilting the wrong way or not as all may make you crash into a part of an island, restarting back at the home disc of that island. To pick up crystals you just need to fly towards them and they will get sucked into you by gravity if you get close enough. This also works for boosts and treasure chests.
I love how Glu has kept this game so simple, making it easy enough for a pro to zoom around all the tight corners of the various islands but a beginner can pick this up and still do well. This is really a game for everyone.
Gameplay
The aim of Glyder is to collect all the crystals that are located on the six islands and return Eryn to the portal to get back home. For those who want more there are heaps of challenges and time trials that you can try to defeat, many will be done while completing the game but a few will require you to go out of your way to finish.
You start your journey on Arctasia, a barren Iceland where you must find your way around to find all the crystals located on the island. In the entire game you must find 125 of the Blue, Pink and Gold crystals and finding all of one colour unlocks something. To do this you will have to work your way around all the islands including the desert Oasis, the underground Sporelle and the space wonderland Acension.
The game is physics based as Eryn will lose speed if you try to go up in the air but will gain it when flying downwards. There are boosts around each island that can help you speed up and thermals are your best bet at climbing high into the sky. Especially when you are trying to find Ascension which is located in space!
What kept Glyder 1 a bit dry is the lack or other activities to do and complete in the game. All they had were landing platforms where you had to fly from A to B as fast a possible. In Glyder 2 these have been refined and are required in some situations to complete the game. In most platforms you must fly around the island through checkpoints, often to hard to find places where heaps of crystals are located.
On four islands however there are special platforms that require you to move snowballs or a cog or other items from one place to another to complete a task or save a village. These always give you a reward which inevitably helps you continue on with the game. In the latest update each island has been given another new platform which is a fun minigame where a cannon fires some sort of object into the sky and you have a time limit to collect as much as possible.
The other cool new feature in Glyder 2 is the ability to customize Eryn with different outfits and wings. These are found all over the world in Treasure Chests or Packages. The outfits available do nothing but change what Eryn looks like, but the wings have stats and different wings will suit different situations. For example the Electric wings have a larger area of gravity so it’s easier to pick up crystals and the Osiris wings let you fly upwards without losing speed.
Comparison
Glyder and Glyder 2 have the same basic gameplay. Each is about finding all the crystals in the game to unlock a portal so Eryn can finally get home. Both games have spectacular graphics and huge worlds to explore, but it are the number of additional options in Glyder 2 that make it the better game. Glyder has the starting blocks for the time trials in Glyder 2, as well as the many challenges to unlock. Glyder 2 just has more to in the game, with more crystals, special challenges and the customization of Eryn.
Both are fun games and if you like the key crystal collecting element of the game you will enjoy both games. Just be aware that if you play Glyder 2 before the original Glyder that you may find the game lacking if you were hoping for all the extra features that make Glyder 2 an excellent sequel.
Conclusion
Glyder 2 is an absolutely fantastic game that I couldn’t put down until I had completely finished this game. Having played both this and the original there is no comparison to Glyder 2 (obviously) but if you are planning on getting both then finish Glyder first.
This has officially become one of my favourite games on the App Store. This is an easy to play game that gave me over 5 hours of entertaining fun. It was good to kick back and play such a peaceful game such as Glyder 2. Even though the sale has ended this game is worth $2.99 and you won’t regret purchasing even if you weren’t all that impressed with the original.
Graphics- 10/10
Controls- 9/10
Overall- 9.5/10
I would recommend this game if you enjoyed- Glyder
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