Hello Venice 2 is a Match 3 puzzle game in which you have to prove your garden making skills as you fulfill an ancient prophecy and plant pretty flowers.
The other side of the game is a more relaxed decoration mini game. To fully explore the decorations you may want, you will need to earn the in-game currency via the match 3 levels!
Your ultimate goal is to have this garden fully equipped, so you better pay attention to what needs to be unlocked in each area. Coins are earned simply by doing well in a level, but the red stones are only obtained by clearing levels. Once you have enough currency to unlock something, you will get around three choices of what item goes there, allowing you to customize your garden to your very own liking.
Match 3 gameplay wise, this matching game follows a different formula than the other match 3 grid games you might be used to. Instead of moving around the tiles to make a match, you will notice that in the stage there are plenty of gems that are already next to the same colored ones.
That is because instead of moving the tiles around, you have to click and drag across the gems of the same color and that makes them disappear. Your real goal is to make matches on top of dirt piles to remove them, allowing the water to flow. This water needs to reach the other end of the stage, which is so big in fact that it will likely not fit your screen.
There are plenty of tools at play that will help you on your journey, but they are all related to how well you play. If you make a match line of five or more, you will make a directional explosion pointing towards where your cursor was aiming. The only way to truly make the best of this feature is to plan your moves ahead of time, so that such an explosion can clear the most troublesome areas.
You can also use power ups to clear certain dirt sectors, but you can only recharge your powers by making color specific matches. If you just match whatever color you see fit you will not get much further in the game.
As far as the story being told in said comics, it might be merely a backdrop for the gameplay yet there is something there for curious people. At the end of the last game, Hello Venice, our heroes managed to restore a seemingly normal garden, yet it was filled with magic.
So much so in fact, that as they finish their work they get whisked away to New York City! There, they find the brand of the very garden they just restored, and decide that this is not mere coincidence.
As they enter the area, an elderly wise woman tells them that they must restore this garden as well, thereby proving themselves worthy of gaining access to the mana tree. Without really knowing exactly what that means, our heroes jump into action and prepare to get their hands dirty as they make this garden shine once more.
The game’s art direction moves towards the cherry side. Everything is incredibly bright and colorful, with its high definition colors just popping into view. While the gems we match do not follow any particular theme, the rest of the game is visually tied to the idea of gardening. Flowers bloom as you puzzle away past them, and the choices of decor in the customizing section of the game have such a varied choice of flora that it is really hard to pick just one.
With regard to the characters, there might not be many yet they are still memorable. Like the rest of the game, they are very colorful and detailed, and their style seems to be based on North American cartoon comics. And this reference is not hidden away either; the game’s first cutscene even starts with a comic-esque featurette.
Hello Venice 2 is a charming little game where you can relax with a fun twist on the matching genre, or just enjoy the view you worked so hard to achieve. Each level will have you hungry for more, and without you noticing, you will find yourself creating a beautiful garden in no time.
If you enjoy these free games, you will love this list of our 10 Best Match 3 Story Games!
