14 DAY TRIAL // 
The previous game, Tak: The Power of Juju, barely created a ripple in the stale ocean of banality in which arcade games multiply like mosquitoes. It did not break any new ground either, but that's a given for this type of games. It did not take long before a sequel crawled its way out of the minds of the developer team from Avalanche, which is a little better than its predecessor, however that really isn't saying much.
Story The basic storyline is simple, as befits a kids' game. Tak has been asleep for over two weeks and Jilboa, his mentor and shaman of the Pupanunu tribe has been unable to rouse him from his slumber. During this deep sleep, Tak has a vision in which he is instructed by an entity called the Dream Juju to go on a quest and save a princes from a malevolent Dream Guardian. Eventually Tak wakes up and tells his mentor of his unusual dream, and they, together with Tak's dimwitted friend Lok, embark on a colorful adventure filled to the brim with jumping and collecting, with a little puzzle-solving sprinkled on top.
Gameplay As expected, the game's main ingredients are platform leaping and collecting stuff, with simple fighting and puzzles thrown into the mix. Tak has the ability to jump and double jump, as well as glide through the air over short distances. But he also has a number of special abilities he can perform that consume energy called Juju, which include things like short bursts of speed, flying Matrix-like Juju kicks or super explosive projectiles. Combat is very easy overall. It allows you to string together combinations of moves into a variety of combos, and attacks can be powered up using the afore mentioned abilities.
There's a huge number of items to collect, ranging from fruits, plants and bugs to crystals and feathers but, fortunately, most of them are optional, their sole purpose being to unlock extra content, like mini-games, image galleries, and alternate characters or sound effects. The feathers make up a trail leading right to your goals through the linear levels, and are also used to replenish Tek's life and energy. Adding that to your having infinite lives and your respawning almost exactly where you die, the game isn't very tough to beat, provided you get through a couple of tricky situations.
The puzzles are more interesting than those of your average platformer. For example, to get on a high cliff you have to scare a skunk away, which will cause Tak to smell, which in turn causes a bear to run, thus discovering a bee hive dripping with honey. As the bear lies down to let the honey drip in its mouth you can now jump on its stomach as a means of reaching the cliff. Many puzzles involve Tak's ability to turn into some creatures, such as a squirrel, a frog, a boar or a bear - each animal having its own unique special attack and abilities. As a squirrel you can ride strong updrafts of air to reach otherwise inaccessible locations, as a frog you are able to swim in otherwise perilous areas and grapple onto dragonflies, as a boar you can move quickly through mud and you can smash through gates, while as a bear you can slide down icy chutes. Before the start of his adventure Jilboa turns himself into a flea and hitches a ride on Tak's head, and there are many puzzles where you have to hurl the little blood sucker at out-of-reach animals in order to progress further.
The level of difficulty is very uneven. There are instances where Tak must navigate precarious ledges using his super speed ability, which often require multiple retries, and some puzzles may prove frustrating, especially considering the game's target audience. There's a series of puzzles when visiting Julboa's brother for example where Tak must provide electricity to some rods. Rocks are blocking the path to these rods, path which changes and must be constantly realigned while the electric current moves through the puzzle, during which time enemies are constantly regenerating the rocks you previously took care of.
The camera that sometimes gets hung up on environmental objects is also a source of frustration, but definitely not as bad as that of many other recent games. At times, the framerate can get a little sluggish, but never to the point where it interferes with the gameplay.
There are nine levels to explore in total, which offer fifteen or so hours of gameplay, a bit more if you choose to collect everything and try all the mini-games that round off the package. The mini-games range from whack-a-chicken for feathers or snowboarding, to riding a fire-breathing ostrich-looking thing while trying to take out other people who are riding similar creatures, none of which I found terribly captivating.
Video and audio The world of Tak is lush and colorful. The environments are somewhat blocky, but the game makes up for it with rich, vivid textures that evoke a distinct watercolor look. All levels take place in some pretty standard environments like jungle, forest or desert, but the dream world which you get to visit on numerous occasions has a surreal feel to it, with disconnected islands floating in a swirling rainbow-colored void.
The characters look and act in an exaggerated cartoonish manner, very appropriate for what the game is trying to achieve, and the cut-scenes are equally compelling, with great voice acting and some genuinely funny dialogues. Among the cast you may instantly recognize the unmistakable voice of Patrick Warburton (Puddy from Seinfeld) as the game's necessary goofball, Lok, but the environmental sound effects and music, which consists of a variery of mellow tribal beats, are all quite unremarkable.
Multiplayer Tak 2 also features some multiplayer opportunities, with a series of mini-games that you must win in order to proceed up the pyramid ladder, which may squeeze a few more hours of gameplay from the younger crowd. Most of the mini-games are locked when you start, but as you play through the story mode you will be able to unlock new ones, such as Chicken Tenis or Frog Derbby.
Conclusion Tak 2: The Staff of Dreams is a little better than most other arcades, but an arcade nonetheless. Kids will surely love this journey through a bright colorful world despite a few bumps along the road, as will all arcade lovers out there. For the rest of the world, you most certainly don't need my advice.
