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There was a moment while playing State of Play’s Kami 2 when I realized I no longer understood how to precisely play the game.
I’m not proud to admit it, but I was utterly stumped on the colourful tile-based puzzle’s fifth level, and it took quite a bit of time and effort to realize that problem was that my understanding of the game was predicating on the belief that each puzzle is comprised of individual levels.
The truth, of course, is quite the opposite, as this is a game that challenges players to abandon previously held puzzle-solving ideologies. It’s a game that quite literally forces players to consider each tile as part of an interconnected whole, rather than individual piece on its own. In this sense, Kami 2 isn’t a puzzler so much as it is an introduction to interconnected thinking — a title that’s more Koan than game.
Still, ideological amendments notwithstanding, Kami 2 is a solid puzzler nonetheless. Savvy readers will note that the game’s title comes from the Shinto word commonly used to refer to spirits or divine beings like the Abrahamic God.
Kami, however, also means paper, a translation that makes more sense given that Kami 2 tasks players with progressing through puzzles built around folding paper in the shape of triangles.
Folding paper might bring to mind the thought of origami, but rather than literally folding paper, players instead tap differently coloured parts of the screen in order to convert the entire screen to a single shade. Believe me, it makes more sense when you actually play the game.
In addition to a collection of over 100 puzzles, Kami 2 includes daily challenges, as well as a puzzle-creation meta-game that allows users to create and share their own folding puzzles with other players.
Of course, if my experience is any indication, players will need to use all their wits to get through some of Kami 2’s most challenging puzzles.
Kami 2 is free-to-play on both Android and iOS.
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