Two Hundred Ways Review

Game: Two Hundred Ways
Genre: Puzzle, Strategy, Arcade, Simulation
System: Nintendo Switch (also on Steam, (Windows) PS4 & Xbox One)
Developers | Publishers: Sunlight Games
Age Rating: US E | EU 3+
Price: US $11.99 | UK £10.97 | EU € 11,99
Release Date: March 11th, 2022

Review code used, with many thanks to Sunlight Games.

Two Hundred Ways is a sequel of the brain teaser puzzle game One Hundred Ways which presented 100 puzzle challenges to players. However, as the name would suggest, Two Hundred Ways gives puzzle fans twice as many puzzling challenges to overcome. Let’s have a look at it.

Two Hundred Puzzles to Solve

In Two Hundred ways, the goal of each of the two hundred puzzles is to guide one or more balls to the flag at the exit. Sounds pretty easy, doesn’t it?

You must get the ball or balls across what I can only describe as an assault course for balls and to the exit. But it’s not just as simple as rolling a ball along a straight course, as you don’t control the ball yourself. Instead, the ball rolls through each level, containing multiple layers, obstacles, and traps that hinder the ball’s progress.

Starting Budget

You have a starting budget, and the less money you spend dictates the rank you finish the level on, out of bronze, silver, and gold. So how do you proceed, you might ask? The developers have added in lots of little tools to help you which each mission, so it’s up to you to plan your strategy out beforehand.

To get the ball to the exit, you can use sprinted coils to bounce the ball and speed up ramps to make the ball move quicker. Also, a rubber band to deflect the ball away from a particular spot along with many other tools to use.

Use Tools

I found that sometimes the simplest way is the easiest way to get the ball to the exit. It’s not a game I could play a lot of in one sitting. It’s a game to pop in and out of and not overthink the route the ball takes.

The extra balls added on some of the levels make you think about your strategy, as do the new mechanics in the game. For example, one new mechanic introduced is hammers; one hammer will crush the ball if it rolls too slowly. Other hammers require timing to get the ball past. The timed hammers are a real pain as you don’t physically control the speed of the ball. Also, many hammers are placed near the end of the level, which means if the ball gets crushed, you start the level from the beginning again.

Watch out for the Hammers

You can add speed plates to speed the ball up to pass the hammers. However, if you want the gold medals, you can’t spend too much money adding speed plates. For me, Two Hundred Ways was very much a trial and error puzzle game, but the hammers and their timings add unnecessary random elements and frustration to a game that is largely about planning where to place the tools.

Visuals and Controls

The game is played in a 3D isometric view; you can zoom in closer to the puzzle using the ZL and ZR buttons. Moving the camera out allows you to view the puzzle as a whole and decide what strategy is best to proceed with. There are only two different backdrops that the puzzle is set against, lave and a beach scene. I’d have liked to have seen more variety in the backgrounds as you do spend a lot of time looking at the same thing.

Unfortunately, using the control stick to place the tools can prove fiddly. The controls for a puzzle game where you need to place items to proceed must be accurate. You see, in Two Hundred Ways, as you use the control stick to position a tool, it can be hit or miss positioning the tool in the correct place.

However, when placing a tool, the tool doesn’t move until you are physically moving the control stick as far as it can go. But doing that results in the tool shooting past where you intended to place it and can make for a frustrating experience.

Conclusion

Two Hundred Ways is a good puzzle game for playing in short bursts. It is however let down by fiddly controls. If you can work with the control system as it is you should enjoy the puzzles contained in the game. As for me, I liked what I played of the game but it wouldn’t be one I would be rushing back to play again until the controls were tweaked.

Final Verdict: I Like It