2008 Competition Results (1:Retro Remakes) Part 2

3. BlockmaniaDS Total: 312

Ian:

What we have here, pure and simple is an updated remake of the excellent TAITO puzzle game Puzznic.

The aim of this game is simply to place spheres/blocks of the same colour next to each other, causing them to disappear. Once all balls are removed from play, then the next level awaits.

If, like me, you like puzzle games, then this one will keep you playing long after you vow to quit, especially as some puzzles take only a few seconds to solve (the easy ones, anyway). I found myself playing through the first 60 levels and then well into the next 60, all the while saying to myself that I’ll just do this level and then write this review. I mean, after all, the game doesn’t get any better – what you see in level one is what you’ll see throughout.

Presentation is good on the whole, but the initial colour schemes for the spheres isn’t too good a choice, especially if you’re playing your DS in bright light – the pink and red balls look too similar, as do the greys and the black/blue colours. However, you are able to purchase new blocks and wall imagery with money won as you complete puzzle stages. This doesn’t help the initial games though, or those that may suffer with colour blindness.

The game offers a huge number of puzzles, ranging from piece of piss, to rip the top of your head off to scratch your brain, which should keep you busy until a day after you die – or even longer!

Soundwise, the music is instantly forgettable. The limited sound effects are a tad OTT, but are acceptable.

This is a superb little handheld title that shall be forever installed on my R4. Not sure about that bloody cat though – gives me the heeby jeebies!

81%

Oogy:

Question: What is better than a sliding block puzzle game? Answer: A sliding block puzzle game you can keep in your pocket. Enter Blocks Mania for the Nintendo DS.

Upon starting the game I was impressed by its presentation. It all looked clean and well thought out. The entire layout of the game allowed me to pick up the game within seconds and start playing. Controls are intuitive, and both touchscreen and control pad are supported for playing.

Shipped with the game are literally hundreds of levels to play. My only two niggles, and they are pretty small, are that the music cannot be turned off in favour of just having sound effects, and that the unlockable skins don’t really add anything to the game. Personally I think the default graphics work best.

At the end of the day, it’s a good implementation of Puzznic and one that works very well on the DS.

79%

GeeKay:

This Puzznic clone has found a natural home on the DS. With the ability to use the stylus in slide mode, it’s well suited for the hand held market. Personally thinking, if it just utilised the d-pad, then I probably wouldn’t give it a second play. Instead the author has thought carefully how to implement it to the DS and provided 3 control options to suit various tastes.

This is another game that has been done many times and normally by this time only grandmothers and girlfriends like to play it. Somehow it has been born again with its transition into the touch screen world. It may sound hypocritical that I have slated Sokoban, but am praising this game as it is the same concept. With that in mind, I don’t favour Asteroids either, but I have praised Space Fury. It’s all about how it’s done and how it’s presented. Blockmania is a well thought out and well executed game. The puzzle genre seems to work better for on-the-move gaming. Perhaps due to its instant nature that you can switch it on and get to the meat of it within seconds.

The use of both screens is excellent and the game looks really professional. The music and sounds are very suiting too. This plays, looks and sounds like a purchased product. The saves were a bit funny though, I can exit a game and replay with the ability to resume, but if I restart the DS, I’m back at square one again. I didn’t like that, and perhaps I’m missing something.

As always, I’m not going to profess that the puzzle genre is my most favourite style of gaming but this is going to remain on my DS and I’ll play it from time to time. Maybe even a bit more.

79%

Spray:

By rights I really don’t think I should even be looking at this one, you know. I’ve checked and rechecked the rules and I recon that a game that’s basically a cross between Tetris and Sokoban should have been avoided like the plague as the basis for a remake competition whose rules explicitly forbade those two titles.
And, being the lazy git I am, I would have relished the prospect of one less game to judge. Selfish? Well, yes actually, and that’s the very reason I’m not screaming blue murder over this entry.

You see, I have a little plastic friend who keeps me company at night and I love him lots. I speak, of course, of my little Ninty DS and its ability to play homebrew. We all love a bit of DS homebrew don’t we? No? Suit yourself!

And good homebrew is a very rare thing right now so I’m actually glad this small gem of a puzzle game was entered. Thing is, though it is, without doubt, the bastard child of possibly my two least favourite gaming styles ever, it’s actually a cute little game, and a well thought out one too. If you look beyond the dull as ditchwater gameplay that ALL sliding-block-to-destroy-like-colour games basically contain, there’s plenty of extras to keep even the most die-hard Tetris hater (me) happy. For a while at least. Skinable blocks, Rewards, cute graphics, a slightly annoying tune and a whopping 2880 different puzzles to complete (I managed to do about 20 which, to be fair, is good for me vs. sliding blocks).

I just can’t understand why anyone would want to play it. Oh well, my loss I guess.

73%

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