PixelJunk Eden 2 (Demo)

Playtime: 17 minutes

PixelJunk Eden was an absolute classic early PSN title from 2008, which – along with PixelJunk Monsters – set the stage for developer Q-Games’s wildly successful, high quality minimalist PIxelJunk games franchise, now spanning almost every genre under the sun, with only a couple of near misses.

Eden is a game all about seedlings, growth and nature, and the sequel treads the same ground. You control a little thingy that can jump far from branch to branch, collecting seeds suspended in mid-air. Once you have enough, new branches sprout and you can ascend the map further, gathering seeds that were previously out of reach, hopefully climbing up to the exit before the time limit runs out. I will admit this sounds quite mundane but it’s actually pretty challenging and fun, with some finesse required to manage the game physics, plus good map variety and various other mechanics sprinkled in. The overworld is also well-designed, serving as both a hub and the main menu. Unlike the first game where nothing is explained and you’re left wondering what to do, PixelJunk Eden 2 has a nice but unintrusive tutorial to guide the way. Throw in a very cool surreal soundtrack, and what you get is a chill relaxing experience with a hint of challenge.

8/10