Our take
Candy Box 2 begins with almost nothing: a counter of candies and a button to eat them. Within a few minutes it has unfolded into a village, a map, a quest and a sense of humour all its own, everything drawn in plain text characters. It is best played knowing as little as possible.
It is a game about discovery rather than reflexes. You explore, find odd characters, solve small puzzles and come back to old places with new tools. The writing is playful and the world is surprisingly large for something made of letters and symbols.
There are no adverts. The author covers costs through donations, and the source code is public. The game has an ending, which we count as a feature: it is a story you can finish over a few evenings.
A first sitting
Do not look anything up. Click around, read everything, and see where the first twenty minutes take you.
Where to stop
When you reach a new place on the map. The game waits for you, so leave it at a good moment of curiosity rather than pushing on.
