Let’s be upfront about this: Diamond Drop 2 is a classic style casual game with things that match, specials, and a time sensitive level dynamic. It’s even cliché enough to have gems. There is nothing in this game that is going to blow you out of the water with it’s incredible innovation, nor is this game going to “tear up the top-10 charts.” This is a solid, fun little game that falls into the same category as Zen Gems, Stoneloops, Runes of Avalon, Inca Quest, and Magic Shop: simple, fun, casual gameplay done well. And because of that, we’d like to see it get a lot more love than it probably will.

The gameplay is much the same as the original Diamond Drop, or the similar game Abundante. Gems are falling from above, and you must catch them, and throw them back to the well above to create matches of three or more. This is almost trivially easy, even in the much later levels, but that’s half of the fun. Diamond Drop 2 never really challenges you, instead, it is just really rewarding and fun to see the gems fly around and match. The control is extremely fluid, and the sounds and effects combine to make the whole experience… kind of like popping bubbles in shrink-wrap: addictive and compelling without offering any real content.

This is all wrapped in a somewhat complex mole-jewelry business, where you are buying jewelry patterns and filling the jewelry in with gems, etc., but the truth is, you’ll likely not even really notice. The core gameplay is enough to keep you amused throughout the game, and the challenges are easy enough that you can pretty much blow off the metagame entirely and still be okay. That might be a bit of a slam on the metagame, but it is a pretty compelling argument for the fun of the core gameplay. Left handed compliment though that may be, the end result is a truly addictive little game.

Also worthy of mention is the truly surreal story, which is pretty funny in a goofy kind of way, and to be honest, the sincere reading skills of the slightly German accented narrator have a charm of their own. The text is also original, if odd, containing great lines such as “your head certainly has grown heavy over the years!” and “I’ve never fancied a bat!” Trust me, they are no less strange in context. On the down side, while the sounds and voiceover are well done, the music is pretty much awful. It’s well recorded and professionally done, but it is the kind of patronizing elevator-music soft-jazz that I really wish they would stop putting in casual games. I don’t know anyone who enjoys it, and am unsure why people think it adds to the game experience. Maybe it’s cheap.

In any case, the music can always be turned off, and the rest of the game is good clean fun. Fun enough to buy? Likely not for many people, which is a shame. But it’s definitely worth a download. Put it on your list and go give it a play.

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(2 votes, average: 3.5 out of 5)

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