Space Mouse 2 Reviews

A game from the future. Pure games design, an idea followed to its logical conclusion.

If you're a fan of retro-style arcade games, do not pass on SPACE MOUSE 2! Improves on the original in nearly every way, while still showing respect to the famous indie game in its roots. Two additions to the formula especially shine: having the option for 3 lives, and the "TURNBASE" option, which makes it so the world only moves when you do, allowing you to plan your next move. A more accurate arcade experience is to leave TURNBASE off, but if you're going for a high score in PIYO MODE, or just want more time to think about where you should move, it is a very welcome relief. The "1000m" mode feels very much like the original SPACE MOUSE, while the 3000m mode is the same, but much more of a challenge. Weighing the rewards of say, completing a bonus drawing room for powerups, versus increasing your combo to skyrocket your score, versus taking advantage of invincibility time to charge forward is very important. I found myself (with TURNBASE on) frequently weighing how to optimize my descent. "PIYO MODE" offers a completely different challenge, having you collect as many small birds that follow you as possible, while forcing you to also consider keeping them protected behind you from enemies that you've already walked past. As your chain increases, so does the risk that an enemy will hit your birds, destroying the high score you've built up. You have ways of protecting the birds following you, but if you hope to have a great score on the leaderboards, you're going to have to get risky, and carefully use a limited supply of walls you can put down as you walk by, to protect your precious bird conga line. The graphics are retro while still having flashy effects when needed, the music changes as you're doing better, another character to play as, and added accessability options. SPACE MOUSE 2 is a wonderful improvement to the gameplay that made SPACE MOUSE fun.

This game is an absolute masterpiece. It might be the most elegant arcade game I've played. I beat the first level (1000m) pretty easily. The next two levels are much harder. I haven't beaten the third one yet. Playing the game just to beat levels is very very fun in itself. But once you start going for high scores, the immense depth starts to come through... To rack up massive points you need to eat dots (and break walls) which increases your multiplier, to eat dots you need enemies, if there's too many enemies you risk death, if you spend too much time eating dots you run out of air and risk death, if you break your dot eating/wall breaking combo the combo resets, to mitigate this you can place blocks to direct the enemies. That's a lot to juggle in itself, but there are many more mechanics that add depth and charm to the game. I won't go into detail on those, except I will mention the very cute birds. Their mechanics are reminiscent of Sega's Flickies in "Flicky" and "Sonic 3D Blast". Despite the huge number of mechanics to juggle, it all fits seamlessly together. I never feel overwhelmed by the mechanics themselves, just what's happening on the screen (and I wouldn't have it any other way). One minor complaint: User sound settings don't save on reboot. Hopefully that's fixed soon. One thing I'd love to see in the future: Local Multiplayer with a versus mode and a co-op mode!

If you like classic arcade style gaming and are a fan of supporting independent or smaller developers with great ideas, you should buy Space Mouse 2! This is a great nod to classic gaming and also for those who like a somewhat rogue-like experience with levels! It offers challenging game-play as well which you can test yourself differently every time you play a new game.

It's very fun, and there's a lot of strategy involved if you want to get good scores. I prefer to play in turn-based mode, where I can consider my moves carefully (though that doesn't keep me from making stupid mistakes).

I really enjoyed the original Space Mouse and this one add's a ton of great things to the mix. It has different levels/modes to unlock too and the colors are beautiful! The voice, sounds and music are perfect and give it an old school feel. I highly recommend Space Mouse 2. The achievements should keep me busy for a long time. Thanks Mindware for all the work you put in to your games.

A maximalist sequel that just takes things to Bonkersville. I don't know that I like it better than the original [i]Space Mouse[/i] (or specifically the 35th anniversary release by this same developer) but there are so many great ideas here that anyone should try it. The turn-based mode is an excellent, welcome addition.

A very pleasant gaming experience. Feels a little bit like Mr. Driller (but plays nothing like it). You can sort of take it as slow or fast as you want (even without using turn based mode) but there's always a ton of moving parts and information to absorb. Great music and sound. I don't think I'd recommend it for "serious score competition" as the random element can give you feast or famine with the Piyos.

This is very unique score chasing game that merges so many genres, it's like a genre unto itself. Imagine Pacman, Flicky, and Dig Dug mashed together and turned into a rogue-lite. The gameplay feels strategic and a bit like a puzzle game, but there is still plenty of action. There is a lot of depth and a lot of different ways to score.

A great throwback to old-school PC/Arcade action. Everything about this game feels very authentic and still modern at the same time. Great for quick rounds or long play sessions!