DS Fanboy review: Trioncube
Much like our review of QuickSpot, this is long overdue. Better late than never, right? Regardless, here we are ready to present to you our opinions on Namco's puzzler, as we hurried to gather each and every opinion floating about in our noggin with nothing more than our cunning wits and a large net. They've all been organized now and are ready for show, so prop your feet up and get to reading!
Trioncube has a story, although in a puzzle game it's not all too important. See, you have to fly around space in your giant Penguin-like ship, on your way to save a kidnapped princess. The puzzle gameplay comes in during the space flight segments as you must create combos of 3X3 blocks in order to fuel your ship toward its goal. The segments where the characters talk and, well, just about everything else in story mode, is just plain odd, however slightly endearing.
From a gameplay standpoint, it's fun, but the ease of play just totally destroys the experience. Sure, the game is a complete rip-off of Tetris, offering up 5 differently-shaped pieces for which the player must use to create the 3X3 blocks that wipe themselves off the screen and speed up your travels to the next destination. But, even with that in mind, the combo aspect of the game (think Super Puzzle Fighter II or Puyo Pop) is what really could've saved this game.
Instead, once you start a combo, it's so easy to keep it going that you could clear a level in a matter of seconds. The game's pieces, along with its assumption that you're not at all capable of playing puzzle games so it will hold your hand, really facilitate such a bitch slap to the game from yourself that you'll wonder why you aren't playing something better instead (perhaps even the game that this one is so heavily inspired by, Tetris). It's ridiculous how easy it is to excel in this game.
The game's other modes include Arcade, Vs. and the puzzle game requisite Endless mode. The game also presents a Tutorial mode, but since you probably already know how to play Tetris, this mode won't be much use to you. Endless mode deceives you with its name, as it only offers up 99 levels to play. And, with the Vs. mode, you'll do the usual puzzle thing in trying to complete more combos faster than your opponent, dropping your blocks onto their play area.
Its heart is in the right place, but Trioncube suffers ultimately due to its ease. This game is just ridiculously easy, offering puzzle veterans little challenge (why we play these type of games, amirite?) and newcomers to the genre a wrongful sense of accomplishment, as they undoubtedly call themselves "a natural" and "God's gift to the puzzle genre." Sad thing is, Trioncube makes everyone "God's gift to the puzzle genre."
Final Score: 6.5/10
