Travel Mosaics 2: Roman Holiday isn’t about mosaics and nor is it really about travel. It’s actually about nonograms – aka Picross – and it’s vaguely about Italy. A superfluous name, for certain. It’s like Nintendo naming the next Mario game Star Collect. That’s vaguely the aim. But not really the point.
Travel Mosaics 2: Back 2 the Hood entails logic puzzles where you must fill a grid with dots according to the numbers on the grid’s side. For example, ‘4 1’ means a group of 4 dots, followed by a single dot. As you complete the puzzle a picture is slowly formed. Delightful. Simple. Sometimes devilish.
It mixes up monograms in fancy clothing, including cutesy presentation. For a start, there are different colours to contend with, all added on differing layers. Travel Mosaics 2: The Squeakquel also has power-ups, which can be upgraded to cover larger areas, helping you out by revealing bits of the puzzle or eliminating squares.
Much like its predecessor, Travel Mosaics 2: 2 Travel 2 Mosaics is a delightful package. The puzzles are hard, but the presentation is gentle, easing you into the difficulty. The background music is similarly cosy. In the mood for a mug of warm cocoa? Drink it with this game. As you play you can almost feel the worries of the world slipping away.
What I really like about Travel Mosaics 2: Travel Harder is how considerate it is. There are three different difficulty levels, so it’s perfect for your first foray into nonograms, but at the same time, it can provide a real challenge for experienced players. This is a game that feels like it has been created with love. The presentation isn’t fussy – it’s clean and bright and colourful. It feels inviting to play, and some of the puzzles made me think.
Travel Mosaics 2: Cruise Control isn’t for fans of quick action, so if you’re after thrills and spills and quick decisions look elsewhere. But if you’re after a nice gentle puzzle game to play while sipping a hot beverage, I cannot recommend Travel Mosaics 2: The Revenge enough.