Crystal Maze 2 review

If you can drink legally, you should at least have some memory of Crystal Maze, even if it’s a hazy one. In case you’ve managed to escape its grasp, it was one of the top cult TV shows of the 90s, headed up by Richard O’Brien - writer of the Rocky Horror Picture Show and all-round shiny-headed genius.

Just like the TV show, the mobile game lets you explore the four main zones of the Crystal Maze labyrinth, as well as the Crystal Dome itself. You need to earn crystals by playing mini-games in the four zones, which gain you seconds in the final dome challenge.

There are more than 20 mini-games included in total, generous by the standards of mobile gaming. However, these games have adopted the show’s merciless edge too – they’re almost all very tricky.

You’ve got a time limit in each one, and if you don’t complete the game or abandon it within the limit, your player will be locked-in. At the start, you choose your team, and if all of them are locked-in – as you might imagine – it’s game over.

Mini-games range between action platform trials and simple driving games to logic puzzles and symbol-matching games. Compared to its predecessor, this game features a few more action-oriented challenges and ups the quality of the visuals a notch or two.

The variety going on under the surface is impressive, even if each game wouldn’t really stand up on its own merits or as part of a much smaller collection. Whether you’ll get on with Crystal Maze 2 or not largely depends on how steely your nerves are.

The mini-games aren’t just things to be played, you need to learn them to an extent too. On your first run through the crystal maze, you’re unlikely to get far. We barely made it to the second zone. However, if you’re willing to persevere, Crystal Maze 2 offers more a sense of satisfaction than most mobile games out there.

Plus, to give the game its due, Crystal Maze 2 feels just like the TV show, and even features a spot-on likeness of O’Brien himself. This also means that it’s frequently frustrating and will occasionally make you want to throw your mobile against the nearest wall, but if you’re a Crystal Maze fan, this is a must-buy.