puzzler
Latest
DS Fanboy Favorites: Eric's top five
All this week, the DS Fanboy staff is letting you in on a few of their favorite titles. Each day, a different member of the staff will present their personal top five DS games along with a snapshot of their gaming paraphernalia and habits, in an effort to provide our readers with a little more information on the tastes and personalities of our writers. When my afternoons aren't busied by hours of photoshopping cat heads onto pictures of my friends, I pass the time with puzzlers and plumbers on my DS Lite. But those kitten-free days are few and far between, so I end up being able to only fit either the most polished or the most eccentric games into my packed schedule. Wario: Master of Disguise? Sorry, I've got things to do and feline faces to retouch. Lost in Blue 2? I'll have to pass -- I'm already lost in trying to get these whiskers to look perfect. My collection is a mishmash of AAA titles and niche releases, their cases piled atop one another like a Jenga stack of mismatched blocks, threatening to topple over at any moment. Just pulling a game from the middle of the shaky structure is an act preceded by hours of anxiety and self-doubt. Having my wife provide commentary during the ordeal, remarking "Oh god, it's going to crash this time for sure, I just know it. Why'd you even try, Eric?! Game over, man! Game over!" as I tug out my copy of Advance Wars DS doesn't make the challenge any easier. So when I do manage to put aside the pussycat photos and secure a game to play, it better damn well be worth it. Journey forth and read which of those titles have captured a place not only on my top five list, but in my heart.
GBA wishes come true at The Old Well
Originally intended as a demo to entice interested publishers, The Old Well has been sitting in Athletic Design's vaults since 2004. The Swedish developer abandoned its hopes of a commercial release for the GBA title as years passed, and has decided to hand the puzzle platformer over to the homebrew community.The Old Well starts with a cute introduction to the game's story and controls, but it's easy to pick up after a few seconds. Avoid the falling bricks that track your position, don't get trapped in a pit, and line up the slabs to progress to the next "level." You can punch, push, and jump over the blocks, so you aren't a complete slave to their whims. There's a limited amount of punches that you're able to throw before becoming tired, but you can get your energy back during the lunch breaks that come every ten levels.The game plays out like a reverse Mr. Driller, forcing you to constantly move around and climb the accumulating landscape until you can pull yourself out of the well. It's a fun diversion, and you can't argue with the price.
Tetris and Boggle's illegitimate love-child
Though we've already spent the afternoon filling your plate with enough puzzle posts to feed you for the next week, we'd be remiss not to mention today's full-version release of WordUp!, one of the finest homebrew games to ever hit the Nintendo DS. WordUp! follows the footsteps of other stylus-driven puzzlers like Tetris and Zookeeper, combining accesibility and portability for an addictive mix.Linguaphiles will take great pleasure in connecting the game's adjoining letter blocks, spelling out words to clear chunks of the playfield. The top screen serves as a window to your inevitable doom, colorcasting the continuous stream of blocks piling on top of letters you've neglected. The game ends if you go too long without clipping a column, but you're presented with a satisfying record of your longest word, the number of words rubbed out, and which word was repeated most often.In addition to its solid gameplay, developer Superpanic sweetened WordUp! with an unlockable arcade mode, three difficulty options, and an original and catchy soundtrack. Drop past the post break for more screenshots of this excellent game.[Via Drunken Coders]
Hacker gets revenge on Puzzle Quest's bullying AI
We're not certain what sort of demonic sacrifices Infinite Interactive made to grant Puzzle Quest its hellborn AI, but we imagine that the cursed contract that authenticated the ceremony was written with the blood of many innocents. The match-three puzzler does everything short of outright cheating, stealing your advantages and setting up multiple combos, each computer-cleared gem bearing the mark of Mephistopheles.DS gamer Zaraf plotted a strategy that would tear down the AI's defenses and avenge dozens of unfair losses. Unwilling to spend months leveling up and making preparations, staying his vendetta, he hex-edited the game to to max out his character's stats. Zaraf then armed his warrior with a class spell called Deathbringer, enabling him to fill the screen with an amount of damaging skulls equal to half of his red mana. Head past the post break for the results caught on video.
Look into Cube's level editor
D3 wants Cube to be the next puzzle sensation on PSP. Our initial impressions of the budget title are quite favorable, and one tool we're looking forward to using is the game's extensive level creator. The editor comes unlocked from the very beginning of the game, so fiendish designers can cook some devious designs from the get-go.Unfortunately, my puny brain can't seem to understand the seeming complexity of the feature. A PDF file on Cube's official website attempts to detail the process, but my limited brain capacity is proving to be quite meddlesome. Hopefully, I'll be able to construct a few of my own puzzle creations. Until then, feel free to read GameZone's interview with Maru Nihoniho, Game Designer of Cube to get more details on this upcoming game.
Puzzle Quest's AI doesn't cheat, but you can!
If the number one complaint gamers have with Puzzle Quest is its limited availability at game shops, then the second most common point of protest would be the Puzzle/RPG's cheating AI. People are just as apt to sing praises about its addictive gameplay as they are to howl over the AI's godlike prescience. We've spent more than a few battles shaking our fists at the game as computer-controlled enemies racked up lucky combos and more extra turns than chicken on a rotisserie.Sensing that the mob was two forums threads away from storming his house with torches and pitchforks, Infinite Interactive's Steve Fawkner made a public statement assuring players that the AI has no unseen advantages. Having worked on the code himself, Steve reasoned that he's too lazy to have programmed anything that advanced.If that explanation isn't convincing enough, there are still steps you can take to even the playing field. You can unlock a debug menu by pushing in a complex set of keypresses, allowing you to activate several hidden features. Check past the post break for more details on the cheat code and a comic about Puzzle Quest's AI.
Puzzle Quest loved by Penny Arcade, tossed aside by game shops?
Ever since Infinite Interactive released a PC demo for Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords, gamers have been scrambling to find a DS or PSP copy of the title. The addictiveness of its Puzzle/RPG blend is matched only by its apparent rarity in stores. NeoGAF forumer Eric P aptly described the game and its limited distribution when he posted, "If Bejeweled is crack, then this is Space Crack that you can only buy from Space Crips in Space Angeles's space ghettos."Don't expect those Space Crips or your local shop to hang onto unsold copies for too long, though. According to Penny Arcade, Electronics Boutique stores in Canada might already be taking the game off their shelves due to disappointing sales. Considering that this much sought-after title was released only a week ago, ousting it this early in its lifetime seems downright unconscionable. We really hope this isn't a trend that other North American retailers will follow.Meanwhile, both the DS Fanboy and Penny Arcade offices have been caught by Puzzle Quest's steely grip, rendering us incapable of focusing our thoughts on anything else. Tycho and Gabe have drawn up two comics about the title in just the past week, dedicating several posts to their adventures obtaining and playing the game.Infinite Interactive's Steve Fawkner published a short comic of his own, explaining Puzzle Quest's shipment shortage. Check it out past the post break.
Mercury Meltdown Revolution rolls onto Wii
Ignition Entertainment has announced that the Mercury series of puzzle games will arrive on the Wii next Spring, in the form of Mercury Meltdown Revolution. As it involves you tilting the playing field in order to guide a blob of mercury to its intended destination, it doesn't take any sort of scientist to make the mental connection between the game and the Wii's unique controller. Ignition president (and non-scientist), Paul Robinson, explains that "the original game design was intended for a tilt controller. Now gamers can fully interact with the Mercury blob, navigating through the labs with precision and unprecedented speed."The press release is quick to note other key features, such as the presence of over 150 levels, "advanced rendering techniques" and most importantly, "state of the art blob physics." Admittedly, we initially read that last one as something else entirely.
New puzzler, Cube, encourages sharing
When I first saw an update for a new PSP game called Cube, I got scared. Was it a game adaptation of the film "Cube," one of the worst films I have ever seen? Thankfully, no. It's a new puzzle game from D3 Publisher. While the PSP is certainly not lacking in the puzzle genre, Cube deserves a bit of attention due to it being of the few games to take advantage of PSP's unique capabilities. Firstly, the game includes a level editor, allowing you to upload and download new content from other Cube owners. More excitingly, the game also features Game Sharing multiplayer, allowing gamers with just one copy of the game to go head to head. The lack of complexity in the graphics and presentation probably makes it possible for Game Sharing to work, and to be honest, I'm excited that it does. It's hard enough to find a PSP owner to play against; Game Sharing will make it infinitely easier to go head-to-head with a person next to you. Expect more updates as the game's February release gets closer.[Via IGN]
Gunpey gameplay footage
Some people say I have an unhealthy obsession over Mizuguchi's games. Those people are not incorrect. Gunpey is a totally rad puzzler from the famed Lumines creator, and two new videos showcasing the music-infused puzzle gameplay have been released. The point of the game is to create a line that reaches from left to right... but of course, it's a little bit trickier than it sounds. If you haven't experienced Gunpey yet, now's your chance, after the break.
