Hot Air 2

As colorful and cute as it may look, this game is not for the faint hearted. It is probably one of the most challenging game I have ever played, but it keeps you on the edge between frustration and addiction. On top of this, it is using a very inventive gameplay and design.

Design
Hot Air lets you take control of a small balloon, evolving in a world full of spikes and moving unfriendly objects. You will have to master the art of navigating the little fellow as pretty much anything will destroy it on first contact. The difficulty curve is as unforgiving as it can be, even the first level is a challenge and it will not get easier later on. A good news is that the game will save your progress automatically, and you will need it.

The levels are accessed through a non linear world map, allowing to replay any level you have already completed. While the goal is to navigate and land on the end of level platform, the real challenge is to collect all bonus stars in a level. The collected stars will open new path on the world map, giving access to new levels. This clearly separates masters of hot air from newbies.

Some levels require you to land on specific platforms to open doors, taking an indirect route to the exit platform.

Each completed level will earn you a new balloon skin, which can be selected from the world map, providing a nice little extra.

Story
The story is minimal in Hot Air 2. You and your cute pink balloon girlfriend are spending happy time together when the evil black zeppelin comes back to kidnap her. This turns you into an angry badass red balloon, on his way to rescue the cutie.

Gameplay
The original controls are at the core of Hot Air gameplay. In this game, the mouse pointer is converted to a little fan you can switch on by pressing the mouse button. The fan will blow air on the balloon driving it away from the pointer. The closer you are to the balloon, the faster it moves, but it also become more difficult to control. On most levels, speed will be critical to avoid some moving elements, so careful and slow navigation is often not an option.

This would be hard enough if the balloon was built in a single piece but a small nacelle is attached to it with elastic wires. It means the space occupied by the balloon will change when you blow on it, as the distance to the nacelle can shorten or increase.

Of course the balloon is affected by gravity, so if you want to stand still in a place, you will have to compensate by blowing upward, adding a layer of complexity.

In some levels, your fan can also be used to interact with other elements, such as extinguish flames.

Presentation
In this game enemies are elements of the landscape, but they actually look like they are alive, and usually unfriendly. The game's look is pretty cute and childish, contrasting with the unforgiving difficulty.
The landscape and enemy design is consistent and lovely, creating a credible world. The graphics use pixel art style, and lively colors with good results.
Music can quickly get annoying but can be fortunately switched off.

Play Hot Air 2 on Bubblebox