I want to preface all of this by pointing out that I liked the original Ski Safari. I liked it a lot, in fact. So I was naturally looking forward to getting my hands on Ski Safari 2 with its added features and stuff.
But it just hasn’t grabbed me like the first one.
As with the first game, your character is snoozing away when a steadily moving natural disaster interrupts their nap and starts chasing them down a mountain. Then you have to try and keep one step ahead as you see how far you can make it before getting caught. So basically it’s an endless runner that goes downhill.
Tapping the screen will jump, while tapping and holding will start a flip. You can also swipe up, down, left, or right to pull off a few fancy moves on your skis/snowboard (you get to chose now) and will nab you some extra points. Of course the main draw is the way in which you can “enlist” the help of various animals like penguins, yetis, bats, etc.
The biggest differences in the sequel are the additional areas to try and survive in (Penguin Peaks, Jurassic Lark, or Twister Canyon), the new creatures to ride on (which behave like all the snowy animals, for the most part), the new playable character Evana, and the photo mode. Honestly though, as much as I appreciate having more critters and more level variety, the only thing that actually feels new is the photo mode and that’s more of a gimmick, really.
This isn’t to say that I don’t like Ski Safari 2, because I do like it. It just doesn’t feel like any of the extra stuff amounts to more than a slight cosmetic change. Although a far less nitpicky problem I have with it is how often it bounces between feeling like I’ve been slighted and feeling like I can look away from the screen and still have a good run. It’s this bizarre mixture where the camera sometimes does a poor job of showing hazards (i.e. rocks and other obstacles) before I can react – to the point where I’ll often make a jump before something shows up, only to have it appear right in my path while I’m in midair and can’t do a thing about it. Then other times I can jump on a snowmobile and take my thumbs off the screen completely because I keep scooping up animals (which allow for an extra hit) faster than I run into obstacles.
I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Ski Safari 2 to newcomers, or to folks who really liked the first game and just want more stuff in it. But everyone else might as well stick with what they’ve already got.