Under Rolling Sky 2’s bright, cartoony visuals lurks a steep challenge.
At first, this runner is all lush green fields and gentle music as you slide your finger left and right, guiding your character across platforms to collect shiny gems. Then it gets a little trickier as you leap precisely from one stone pillar to another.
But it’s when you try to guide a frizzy-haired unicyclist across a shape-shifting piano and a stretch of sheet music filled with holes that Rolling Sky 2 really struts its stuff.
It helps to listen. Crank up the music and you’ll find that the soundtrack and level design are cleverly intertwined, the rhythms giving you a sense of when and where to move.
The different worlds are dazzlingly inventive—a dreamlike rooftop dash in which stars are your trampolines is a particular delight—and tight controls mean that you rarely feel cheated when you fail. And you will, plenty of times.
But that’s OK! Just hop back onto your unicycle and try again. Boasting pristine audiovisual polish and creativity, Rolling Sky 2’s leap is worth the fall.