Tak 2: The Staff of Dreams

GameZone

If you liked the original game, you’ll love Tak 2: The Staff of Dreams. Not only is it bigger, better and more beautiful but it’s also one of those games that will win you over with its charming story and characters plus its too-fun-to-put-down platformer goodness.

IGN

Kids will undoubtedly like Tak 2's intuitive control mechanics and colorful characters while adults will -- as we did -- be able to appreciate the underlying humor and the clever puzzles that lie in wait.

Nintendo Power

Has a darker story and shows a silghtly more grown-up version of the character, but it still has plenty of light folly and moderately difficult puzzles. [Dec 2004, p.146]

Gaming Age

The colorful visuals, well-paced gameplay and smart dialog came as a bit of a shock. Even more surprising was the part where I kept playing, not because I had to review it, but because I wanted to.

PGNx Media

While the gameplay in Tak 2: The Staff of Dreams isn’t that original, Avalanche succeeds at making you care for the characters because of their distinctive personality, which shines through the story.

Nintendojo

With a great, easy-to-follow storyline, brilliant visual designs, and memorable characters, Tak 2 is one of the most impressive third-party platformers on the GameCube this year.

Game Chronicles

A Nintendo quality platformer with subtle humor that will have you laughing out-loud at each cut-scene. With its beautifully animated characters, lush environments, and overall artistic game design Tak 2 will surprise many.

TotalGames.net

It has personality, it has clever puzzles, it has things to collect and above all, it's an absolute blast to play. It's only the dream sections that let this down and repetition does creep in towards the end but even so, it doesn't take the sheen off a sparkling sequel.

Worth Playing

I never thought I’d see the day when I would give a Nickelodeon-based game anything higher than a 6, but here we are. And I’m very, very glad for it.

AceGamez

One of the best platform offerings to hit these systems in a while, plus a quality children's game for which the competition is extremely limited.

Gaming Target

Although Tak 2 doesn’t do anything really wrong, there isn’t much here that is new or innovative.

GameCritics

It's not a perfect game, but it does so many things well that missing out on it would be a crime.

Game Informer

The art direction, character design, and storytelling are all top notch. [Nov 2004, p.146]

GameSpy

Combines great gameplay with entertaining characters and extremely pretty visuals for a surprisingly fun gaming experience.

Yahoo! Games

Tak 2's biggest flaw is that we've seen it all before. It's not a bad game, and is certainly a lot better than its predecessor, but it really doesn't do anything particularly well.

NintendoWorldReport

It’s an able ambassador of the “throw-in-a-bit-of-everything” philosophy these games have fostered for the past few years.

Gaming Nexus

Even for those not willing to hop into gaming’s “kiddy pool,” come on in: the water’s fine.

Play Magazine

Tak 2 is a solid day's worth of trippy fun and visual euphoria...but they had to check "epic" at the door to make it happen. [Nov 2004, p.52]

GameSpot

Definitely a more well-conceived game than The Power of Juju, and there are some genuinely fresh, inventive ideas at work here. The problem is, the whole experience is muddled by an inconsistent difficulty and slapdash level designs, and these good ideas don't quite coalesce into a good game.

Jolt Online Gaming UK

Featuring jumping, gliding, twatting things with sticks, and bucket loads of what some would call “wit”, this game has it all.

G4 TV

Your appreciation of Tak 2 largely depends on the number of 3D platform games you’ve seen over the years. The more you’ve experienced, the less impressive Tak 2 is to play, which means younger audiences will love it.

Sydney Morning Herald

But beyond the odd wild ride on the back of a beast, negotiating the levels is a tame affair. This could prove frustrating for some, as the level of difficulty is often unbalanced.