Where Is My Water
Our job is to guide the water to Swampy's bath, by swiping tunnels through the dirt, to direct the water's flow. Along the way the water can collect three rubber duckies to unlock subsequent worlds and levels. Your score is based on the time taken to full the bath, number of rubber ducks collected and a bonus for water overflow.
I'm a pretty huge Where's My Water? fan. I've beaten every course on every iteration of the game, and it's my perfect go-to for when I have a few extra minutes to kill. Those were paid apps with meaty expansions though, and now Disney has seen fit to offer up a freemium-filled sequel. But while the IAP system, an insistence of Facebook Connect, and the freemium makeover in Where's My Water? 2 [Free] feel highly forced, it's still mostly the same old Swampy we know and love. Mostly.
Don't get too excited, as you're still going to be digging through dirt to get water to a bathtub, so not much has changed fundamentally. As always, there are three ducks in each level to collect, and this time, you pretty much need to get as many as possible to unlock level gates. Yep, unlike past iterations where you could skip levels at your leisure, you have to actually ace some levels to progress to a new set. For veterans like me it's not really an issue, but I can see more casual players getting pretty frustrated -- because after all, the beauty of the original games is the fact that you could play them at your own pace.
The basic premise of Where’s My Water? is based around the aforementioned urban legend. Essentially, there’s an entire colony of alligators living in the sewers beneath a city. One of the reptiles, Swampy, loves taking showers, but the pipes to the tub seem to constantly be breaking down. As a result, it’s up to players to dig trenches through the earth and direct the water down to the broken pipes, which gives Swampy the water he needs to get squeaky clean.
Digging through the dirt is incredibly easy. All players have to do is drag their fingers across the screen and a path opens up wherever the finger touches. Along the way players have to direct the (usually finite) supply of water so it flows through a number or rubber duckies; collecting these duckies unlocks new collections of levels. All of this works incredibly well, and digging the pathways actually proves to be both challenging and fun without ever feeling repetitive.
For one thing, the premise is appealingly ridiculous. Your role in Where’s My Water is to deliver water to a cartoon alligator who’s waiting for his shower to turn on. The alligator’s bathroom is underground, so your job is to clear away dirt so a sufficient amount of water can flow into a pipe connected to the shower. It’s an absurd premise, and it appeals to gamers of all ages.
Of course, getting the water to the pipes quickly becomes more challenging. Hazards like puddles of bleach, mold (which will grow when it come into contact with water), and empty spots where water can wind up pouring off the map are just a few of the problems that have to be overcome. As a result, players have to figure out how to get rid of things like first two and avoid problems like the third. The realistic physics make these little brainteasers incredibly fun to play through, and it doesn’t take long to get completely hooked on Where’s My Water?
Of course, the game’s production values help make things fun, too. The graphics are particularly great, featuring crisp and cartoon-like visuals that look like something out of… well, out of a Disney cartoon. Seriously, each level looks great, and the occasional cut scenes are pretty stunning to look at (not to mention funny to watch). The music is also excellent, filling the background with catchy little tunes that don’t really grow old.
Gameplay-wise the 100 levels on offer have a bit more variety this time around instead of your standard "water to tub" puzzles. There are now levels where you have to avoid collecting any ducks, in addition to upside-down stages, and special challenges like leading a stream of water through a constantly scrolling screen (multi-touch, a feature that's always been in the series, really shines here). The Mystery Duck levels from the original's add-on campaign also return, and are as enjoyable as ever. As a whole it's not nearly as strong as what I'd consider to be the best game in the series (that honor goes to Where’s My Mickey?), but it's still a ton of fun nonetheless.
But not all is well in Swampy-Land, as I ran into some annoyances along the way. For one, Facebook Connect is constantly in your face after every level, and it's even a lingering presence on the map screen. Sadly, Where's My Water? 2 constantly pesters you to reach out to your friends to refill your energy and even unlock more content late-game. If you absolutely hate this "feature," odds are you'll uninstall the game before you put up with it more than once -- or just outright refuse to install it.
Where's my Water? is similar to Feed me Oil, as you need to ensure enough drops of water reach the destination (bathtub), but instead of positioning devices on the screen to divert the flow, you're digging out water-channels with your finger. The liquid physics are not quite as impressive as Sprinkle or Feed Me Oil, with the water looking pretty lumpy at times, especially at the surface or when the water separates, however it looks reasonably good and does flow where you'd expect.
But of course it’s not all simple splashing and digging. The levels are full of hazards you’ll have to deal with if you want to deliver the water to the gator’s shower pipe. There’s algae that slurps up any water that touches it. There’s a purple liquid that poisons your water supply, but also burns up algae. There’s green acid that eats through dirt, and bombs that blow open big holes.
You’ll also find less menacing items in the levels, like faucets that let you control the flow of water and switches that open up new areas in the levels. There’s a lot going on in this game, but the new elements are introduced gradually, so it never feels overwhelming. The difficulty ramps up at a steady pace, too, and the game rarely feels too easy or difficult. Really, if you like physics puzzle games, there’s not much to complain about here.
Where’s My Water is one of those wonderful casual games that’s perfectly suited for the iPhone and iPad. It appeals to gamers of all ages, and offers plenty of content for very little money. We expect Where’s My Water to stick around the top selling games list for a while to come. Now if you’ll excuse us, we have some duckies to collect.
There are 80 levels, split across four worlds, with new gameplay mechanisms regularly introduced. The first forty levels are pretty straightforward, with the solution being immediately obvious. It's easy to score three ducks ("tri-duck") on the first two worlds without much thought. Fortunately, some harder levels pop up in the third and fourth worlds. If you make a mistake, or miss one of the three ducks, there's a handy restart button to quickly reset the level.
Along the way you'll have to clear earth to let the water through, move ramps, avoid weeds, divert acid, bounce water jets, navigate mazes, avoid mines and all manner of things to complete the level.
Levels are beautifully designed and we love the cartoon-styling. Levels are easy enough to make good progress without getting frustrating, but there are moments when you'll need a little trial and error to figure out exactly what everything does.
There are also rubber ducks to collect along the way and sometimes bonus objects hiding in the mud. You get rewarded for speed and some levels are really fast, but other levels, however, will require precision timing, so there is plenty of variety to keep things interesting.
There are currently seven chapters, each chapter comprised of 20 levels. But progression isn't simply a case of completing those levels. You'll need to make sure you get those ducks along the way, otherwise the next chapter won't be unlocked.
By collecting sets of hidden objects scattered around the levels - such as a lucky loofah and a toothbrush - you can unlock an additional 8 bonus levels. These feature different types of game-play, including some tilting to move the water.
Of course, there's various obstacles to overcome, such as noxious green algae which grows if it comes into contact with your water-stream, pools of acid which absorb your water and water-activated switches which cause other blocks to move. You'll also encounter yellow toxic ooze, which eats through the dirt and destroys Swampy's precious rubber ducks, forcing you to act quickly.
There are pipes which accept water (or acid) and squirt it out the other side, mines which explode and water/acid hoses to activate, so there's plenty to keep you entertained. Sometimes you need to draw two tunnels at once, which involves swiping simultaneously with two fingers to split the flow. But be careful, or your precious water might drain away, off the side of the screen. H2O isn't the only liquid you move around. You also swipe tunnels to shift or drain the acid. The powerful corrosive attributes of the acid are useful for destroying any algae which blocks your way.
The other potential issue is energy. Yes, an energy timer is in Where's My Water? 2. Even if you can pretty much play at your leisure early on, it's puzzling to think why, after multiple successful fully paid iterations, that Disney would inject a freemium scheme into the franchise.
At the time of this writing, there is no way to buy the game outright. Instead, the game offers an "energy increase" IAP for $16.99 (it's not even an infinite unlock!), among other power-up purchases. You absolutely don't need them as you can beat the game without them, but it's borderline offensively priced, and I'm sure some people will be suckered into it.
Where's My Water? 2 definitely needs a few improvements if it wants to reach the quality of its predecessors, most notably a strong pull-back on its aggressive IAPs. But despite the attempt at walling off its own players, there are a ton of intriguing concepts and mini-games that expand upon the Where's My Water? formula that fans will enjoy.
SWAMPY’S STORY
Swampy the Alligator lives in the sewers under the city. He’s a little different from the other alligators – he’s curious, friendly, and loves taking a nice long shower after a hard day at work. But there’s trouble with the pipes and Swampy needs your help getting water to his shower!
ALLIE’S STORY
Allie is the sewer's most creative alligator. Her quirky spirit and artistic talents made her a star. Now, the gators have crafted a one-of-a-kind steam-powered musical instrument, and can't wait to hear her play it! Help Allie get the steam she needs and enjoy her take on classic Disney tunes.
CRANKY’S STORY
Cranky, a real gator’s gator, has a big appetite and will eat anything, from tires to old fish bones. But he refuses to eat his greens! Use the dirty purple water to clear the algae on Cranky’s plate so he can gobble up his “food”.
MYSTERY DUCK
Catch this fancy teleporting Mystery Duck in this special chapter and hint hint - timing is everything! Find all kinds of surprises including the biggest duck ever, MegaDuck and cute little Ducklings!
