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This month, the Links Effect reviews the next in a long line of Pokemon games, Pokemon Puzzle Challenge
If there's one thing the Gameboy is well-suited for, it's puzzle games. Say hello to the latest classic on the block, then.
Even with less than a week to go before GBA is released, the Gameboy Color simply couldn't be in better shape.
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Whoa, different Pokemon for different stages! By the way, the Pokemon are only there to look good. |
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There's a reason that it's the most popular console ever made, and that reason is this: developers can't concentrate on making the graphics look brilliant, so their games damn well better play superbly if they want to make an impact. So whilst there's untold thousands of bargain-basement titles available for the plucky handheld, there's also a nigh-on faultless array of top-notch software ready to be purchased. And Pokemon Puzzle League is the latest addition to this happy club.
Essentially a pint-sized sibling to the N64 version, this puzzler may be a shameless updating of the SNES Tetries Attack, but it's every bit as addictive and compelling as it's bigger brother. The aim of the game, as before, is to link like-coloured blocks together both vertically and horizontally; almost as simple as Tetris, and just as tactical (although more susceptible to random block-switching). Sit down, switch your Game Boy on, and you'll be hooked. And that's about it; there's little more to add, as this is all you need to know.
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Except to say, of course, that this is obscenely comprehensive and stuffed to the gills with extra options and modes. There's the usual Marathon, Line Clear and Time challenges, and so on, but there's also a stupidly fun Puzzle mode, where you're given a number of 'moves' in which to complete a given level. Whilst this particular treat is somewhat dwarfed by Chu Chu Rockets 2500 puzzle levels, this is still hefty enough and tricky enough to suck up a couple of sets of batteries. There's a two-player mode, too - if you've got two Gameboys and two copies of the game - but this isn't as successful as we'd hoped, due in part to the fact that you can't see cleared blocks rain down on your opponents screen. This cruel pleasure was an integral part of the N64 game, and is sadly missing here. For the same reasons, the Challenge mode - where you fight Gym Leaders - is less than satisfying, as again, you can't see their 'screens'.
But still - this is utterly superlative entertainment, and along with Tetris and the forthcoming GBA Chu Chu Rocket, forms one third of a holy triumvirate of unimpeachable puzzle games. Buy it, be addicted, and never look back. Granted, the Pokemon angle is little more than a sales-spiking gimmick, but it doesn't detract from the purity of gameplay and colour-coded thrills on offer here. Nothing less than essential, indeed.
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Whose that Pokemon? Answers on a postcard! |
Bottom line: This game is a must have for any puzzle freak like me!
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