Already the original Framed was a very cool cucumber. But the sequel, very originally named Framed 2, is fun to play as well.

In November 2014 the first Framed game was released for IOS by the Melbourne based studio Loveshack, Well not really a cool name, but hey, they have to live with it not me. Framed lived of a cool, film noir vibe. Very stylized graphics and a brillant little concept of shifting comic strip panels in the right order to help the protagonist escape made this title an instant classic.

Framed 2 – Never change a winning team

So following the wisdom to never change a winning team, Loveshack dished out Framed 2. The mechanics are the same, but the game design is more sophisticated than in the first chapter. Once again a silhouetted woman and a man are chased buy a guy with a mustache. There are bridges, that need to be crossed, bicycles stolen, dogs avoided and so much more, to reach the safe haven of the lower right corner on the screen.

More than in the first edition the player is asked to anticipate the possibilities of the outcome. You need to change the panels on the fly, quite often more than once. The forte of this puzzler is the love to detail. I love the sneaky way the characters move. Their elegance, revealed in little glimpses of white contrasting the black silhouette – a white tie blowing in the wind, black and white shoes … The subtle comic moments etc. All of these add up to a delightful and well paced mix that keeps you playing and pretty soon you realize: That was it. And another saying pops into my mind: Time is sure fun if you are having flies, as Jango Edwards would say.

Framed 2, Loveshack Entertainment, iOS/Android, 12+ years, 5 CHF