Before you get your hopes up, this is not a game made by Ebenezer Scrooge no matter how much you may be preparing for a visit from some specters ready to make you humble. Humbug 2 is in fact made by the evil genius of PixelContinuous. That’s right, the quirky puzzle platformer that warps the logic of video games is now a trilogy with that rascal thief Ziggy out to get his ultimate prize: a crown. Navigate the convict with the [WASD] or [arrow] keys. Pause with [Q] and restart with [R] and alter your power with the [1] and [2] buttons. To interact with items hit the [spacebar] and prepare for cryptic hints on how to figure out each level as well as items that need to be collected if you want a special ending.
If you’re familiar with Humbug and the follow up, Humbugger, you’re aware of the fact that the puzzles are not only bizarre but scoff at the idea of “normal.” Ziggy, for instance, can pause the game… and then keep moving himself, allowing him to “cheat” the typical rules of game logic in order to get past challenges. This is a great thing when looking for a game that will challenge you to think outside of the box and keep surprising you with each new level. The puzzles and platform challenges are generously balanced so that you get a healthy amount of both. There’s still the difficulty with one hit deaths and sluggish movement but neither of those poison the well that is an innovative and unconventional diamond of a game.