Paradise Island 2 is the sequel to the resort-building game Paradise Island from Game Insight. Released right at the start of winter, the game allows users to play in a land of eternal summer.
3D graphics with full support for Retina displays make the game look great. The tropical music is fitting but after a few loops players will likely be turning down the volume. Updated graphics, a smooth interface, new mini-games, and buildings all work to make it an improvement from its predecessor. The usual touch controls allow players to explore the island, build up their resort and collect the rewards they've earned.
Objectives form an easy-to-follow queue at the top left of the screen. Menus and the journal that logs all unlocked achievements are also easy to navigate and tap through. In Paradise Island 2 players build a tropical island resort. Much like a Tycoon game, business skills, and imagination combine to create seemingly endless gameplay possibilities.
Some will revel in making their resort as efficient, profitable, and successful as possible. Other players may prefer to earn just enough money to build a cool building they've been eyeing or mark the next objective/achievement off their list. This makes the game great for gamers of various ages and game-play styles. Aside from building a resort there also is a bit of a storyline to the game.
A once great resort on the island fell into ruin and it’s up to the player to restore it to its former glory. Other mysterious landmarks litter the island and their stories can be discovered along with the help of various NPCs. There’s a lot of content in the game from a memory-type mini-game to a variety of up-gradable buildings and entertainment venues to choose from.
Progression
As players level up they will unlock more buildings, upgrades, and special events to turn their little island hotel into a luxury resort. Levelling is fairly simple to do, however, accumulating the resources to expand and upgrade the resort is more challenging. Plopping down buildings and collecting coins is cathartic and fun at first but it doesn't take long for the paywall to rear its ugly head.
The game uses the waiting mechanic that has become a hallmark of so many free-to-download mobile games in which as a player progresses things take longer and longer to accomplish unless in-app purchases are made to speed things along. Although this time/resource mechanic is rather standard in free mobile games, one can’t help but feel a bit like a bait and switch, incentivizing players to pay off a bully to get back the thing they were promised in the first place.
Waiting for buildings to finish construction and upgrades isn't that big of a deal if you are the type to play games in short spurts and check back in every once and a while to see how things are doing. Yet the first few levels move along nicely and fans of city-builders and resource management could easily find themselves hooked. So when the game makes you stop and wait for,5, 10, 15 minutes, or more to keep playing, it can really detract from the fun.
Paradise Island 2 is a fun mobile game capable of entertaining the minds of gamers of all varieties. Those who enjoy its predecessor Paradise Island will likely love this game just as much if not more than the original. Also, fans of the Tycoon games, SimCity franchise, or Rail Nation might want to give this one a try.
While the game is engaging enough to play for hours, its payment model prevents gamers from doing so without a price tag far from free. Perhaps a freemium model with more ads or a low-cost base game with purchasable DLC would be a more enjoyable model.
Paradise Island 2 is available for free download from the App Store for iPhone, iPad, and iPod, and from the Play Store for Android-based devices.
Review Summary
Pros
- An enjoyable building experience
Cons
- Microtransactions dampen the fun