Zen Bound 2 by Secret Exit
Platforms: Steam and Switch.
Not necessarily the first game I picked out for playing as part of Year of the Backlog, but one of the first I thought I’d post about, partly because it’s been in my Steam library a very long time, and partly because it’s simple enough to write slowly about.
Zen Bound 2 is, indeed, a deliberately simple game. Given a wooden object with string attached and a few nails hammered in, can you rotate the object in 3D space so that the string touches as much of the surface as possible?
No intense EDM background noise here or impressive graphics. Everything happens at a gentle pace, and the main initial challenge is just to figure out how to rotate things on a 2D screen with as much control as possible. The string will slowly slide across the surface, giving you time to hold it in place if you’re fast enough, or wait until it slips off an edge into a handy gap.
Zen Bound 2 is a delicate experience where ledges and corners are your friends and enemies. I’ve yet to feel too challenged by it, but have actually really enjoyed reinstalling this – especially as life is pretty hectic right now. The sound of the rope creaking as it stretches out lends the game a sea-faring air, as if the wind itself is blowing everything into position and you’re there just to guide it along whatever path you choose.
Cloud saves mean I can jump in and out easily, whether that’s once every week, or every ten years. I don’t know if I’ll keep this installed for too long, but there’s certainly a place for this in my life, one I can imagine returning to in another decade.
Bonus edit: After publishing this, I discovered Secret Exit have made the soundtrack free via their “Free Stuff” page.
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