10 years ago the world of mobile gaming was forever changed with the release of the App Store to iPhones. In those primordial days, things were incredibly different. The App Store started with a meager 500 apps whose ranks were crowded with fart noise machines and apps that made it look like your iPhone was a glass of beer.
One of the earliest breakout hits of that era was a little game called Trism. Millions of people loved the simple little puzzle game where you slid triangles about and matched colors. Now, 10 years later, in celebration of the decennial anniversary of the App Store, Trism II has been released to modern iPhone users.
Quite a bit has changed for Trism in the intervening years. The simple triangular shapes are gone in favor of anthropomorphized equilaterals with eyes, mouths, and desires. The core tenets of the gameplay itself are left relatively unchanged. Your goal still revolves around matching colored triangles. However, there have been a few things added to spice things up a little.
As you progress through the game you will actually find a bit of a story unfolding before you. You take on the role of a Trism yourself as you defend the kingdom against the evil Hexels. There isn't a whole heck of a lot when it comes to storyline but it does serve to elevate the game from the realm of strict and simple puzzler.
While I didn't exactly find Trism II to be a bad game per say, I personally found it to be a bit on the boring side. Part of that can be chalked up to the fact that I am admittedly not a huge fan of this sort of game. That being said, however, I do think that Trism II is walking into an incredibly crowded field. Things have changed a lot in the last 10 years and there are a lot more games like this on the App Store. There was a time when this would have certainly been the best game of its kind but I don't think that is the case today.
The bottom line
Trism II is an attractive puzzler in the orbit of something like Bejeweled. It can feel a bit repetitive at times and it certainly isn't reinventing the wheel. However, if you are a fan of this style of game or if you loved the original, I think there is a good chance that you will get something out of this one.
