The art direction here definitely matches the zen atmosphere promised in the title. The puzzle menus in Zen Bound 2 are gorgeous lantern-lined sakura trees. No detail in the wood grain or paint patterns is lost as you spin the figurines. In fact, as gorgeous as Zen Bound 2 is on an iPhone or iPad, it looks even slicker on a sharp PC monitor. Though some of coolness of manipulating the ornaments may be missing, every pixel of Zen Bound 2's style is intact. It's not the same as swiping and flicking an iPhone screen, but it works better than a mouse. However, if you play Zen Bound 2 on a Mac (the download works on either platform) you can use Apple's multitouch trackpad to replicate the touchscreen controls. I grew frustrated, but to be fair, I suspect a player without experience playing Zen Bound 2 on an iPad may not have the same issues. There is an odd disconnect between manipulating the ornaments and the mouse controls on a PC it's as if there's an added layer of mental processing to move the ornament exactly how you want instead of the natural spinning with the iDevice touchscreen. ![]() You moved the figurines with your fingers exactly how you might if they were in your hands. Though you couldn't actually "feel" the ornaments, the touchscreen at least gave you some semblance of tactile controls. On the iPhone and iPad, these nooks and crannies were a fun test. But over time, the figurines grow more complex with curves and crevices that are tricky to slide the rope into while you rotate and spin. The first series of ornaments are pretty simple. Sure, Zen Bound 2 may not beat you over the head with stringent requirements – you don't have to solve every puzzle with 100-percent of the ornament covered to move on to the next one – but that doesn't mean there's no challenge here. It is really cool to see so many different ways you can accomplish such a simple task and this adds variety to what otherwise could have been a very basic puzzle game.Don't let Zen Bound 2's slower pace lull you into a false sense of superiority. The way you paint the objects varies – sometimes there are paint bombs attached to the rope or nails that trigger an entire side to be painted. I don’t think any game has come close to this since 1-2 Switch, but that game wasn’t very. Although any level may be easy for you to get through, you may want to push yourself to cover each object with 100% paint, which is sometimes a hefty challenge. Zen Bound 2 is the ideal way to experience the full capabilities of the Joy-Con’s gyro sensor. There are ten trees with a level on each branch, adding up to over 100 levels total. This is a relaxing, almost therapeutic game that always has another challenge to throw at you. ![]() Now that I’m done lusting over a controller, on to the gameplay itself. Don’t even attempt to play this on a Pro Controller as you need to experience the care and refinement put into the single Joy-Con controls. ![]() Now, simply rotating a single Joy-Con replicates the exact feeling of moving these objects in the real world – and it feels great. ![]() In the past, analog sticks, mousepads or touch screens would be used to do this. The main mechanic is to rotate objects and wrap rope around them, painting them in the process. Zen Bound 2 is a calm and meditative gameplay experience, with tactile, dusty visuals and a sublime, enveloping soundtrack by the electronic artist ‘Ghost Monkey’. Honestly, I would argue that the Switch is the only way to play Zen Bound 2. It is a tactile game, with a focus on making rope, wood and stone look and feel real and believable. Saying that this title works well on the Switch would be a tremendous understatement. Zen Bound 2 is a meditative puzzle game of wrapping rope around wooden sculptures.
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