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»Puzzle Link 2
"You could say this game links the puzzle and card game genres! ...no wait, that's terrible."
If there are three genres that represent the NeoGeo Multi-Video System
(that’s the arcade cabinets) most in the eyes of fans, it’s quite
obvious what they are: 2D fighting games, shoot-‘em-ups and puzzle
games. While 2D fighters were well-represented on the NGPC and
shoot-‘em-ups were pretty much absent, with puzzle games, it’s hard to
say. Sure, the NG Pocket got many puzzle games, both ports and original
titles, but they weren’t really well received, at least in the States.
Puzzle Link 2 was one of those games that made it across the pond, but
I doubt most of our readers have even heard of it...well, until now.
I can safely say this much: I’ve never played a puzzle game quite like
PL2. It’s got a very unique but simple system. Basically, pieces of
various types, which generally resemble the four suits in a standard
deck of playing cards (you know, club, spade, heart and diamond),
scroll down from the top of the screen in a constant fashion. Players
take control of a small cannon/ray-gun looking thing that’s situated at
the bottom of the screen, which is able to move only in a horizontal
fashion. This cannon fires out line segments, which take on the
properties of the original line segment, which in turn takes its own
properties from the type of piece it’s fired onto. So, for example, if
one fires onto a blue club, the line will be blue, and if one fires
onto a red heart, it will be red. In order to eliminate pieces, one
must connect two (or more) non-contiguous pieces of the same type with
a single line, hence the title Puzzle LINK. Furthermore, to end each
stage, one must connect the two pieces found near the end of each
stage: discs with the letter “C” on them. Once they’ve been linked, the
stage is over.
One of the more impressive aspects of this game would have to be the
variety of the game modes. First off, there’s the “Card Game” mode,
which is essentially the game’s story mode, even though there isn’t a
story behind this game (at least, not one that I can see). Basically,
there are six courses – 10, J, Q, K, A, and the secret course, S, each
comprised of 20 stages, for a total of 120. Of course, this brings up
the question: why is it called Card Game? Simple, in each stage,
there’s a time limit, and if one finishes the stage before the time’s
up, they’ll get a collectable card. What’s the point of this? Well,
I’ll get to that later. Next, there’s Endless mode, which is exactly
what it sounds like. On the plus side, you are able to choose the
number of targets (those shapes I mentioned earlier) included in the
game, which can range from 2 to 4. Then there’s All-Clear mode, the
game’s equivalent of a Puzzle Mode. The point of this one is to clear
all of the targets, and if one can clear them in the limit set in each
stage, they’ll get some bonus points. ...yeah, I don’t get it either.
Finally, there’s Battle Mode, where you can link up with a friend and
duke it out.
Of course, that’s not all there is to Puzzle Link 2. There’s also the
Card mode. Remember those collectable cards I mentioned earlier? Well,
unlike most collection systems, they actually have a use in this game.
Basically, it’s like the bastard child of the card game War and
Rock-Paper-Scissors. The point of the game is to score 6 points, and
each battle can dole out anywhere from 1 to 5 points, depending on the
circumstances. To make matters a little more interesting, each player
must bet an ante card. Better yet, there’s even a Link mode for this
game too, even though it’s little more than a mild diversion.
In the end, the good somewhat outweighs the bad regarding the gameplay.
The game’s got a pretty flat learning curve, which should suit
beginners fairly well, but eventually the game starts moving at a
frantic pace – leaving more experienced players feeling at least a
little satisfied. The controls respond well, and the concept’s
definitely a new twist on the classic style of puzzle games. Still, it
does get a little repetitive quickly, and while the card mini-game does
add a new dimension to the gameplay, it also ends up coming off as a
bit gimmicky.
I have mixed feelings regarding the game’s graphics. On one hand, the
game itself looks fairly nice. The character designs are nice, and the
NGPC’s palette is used to its fullest. Unfortunately, this game falls
prey to a problem common for puzzle games of this era: a little
something I like to call “blank screen syndrome”. Worse yet, it falls
beyond its usual range – sure, the actual playing field is blank like
in most games, but there is also a lot of blank space on various menu
screens, which ruins an otherwise good-looking game.
Sound, on the other hand, isn’t so good. The music – with the notable
exceptions of both the introduction and title screen songs – isn’t very
memorable. It’s got that generic type of soundtrack you’d expect to
hear on some Tetris clone, a shame considering how original the
gameplay is. The same can be said for the sound effects: just generic
sounds that don’t really stand out.
Finally, we come to the coup de grâce – replay value. As I said
earlier, PL2 has a plethora of gameplay styles, each offering a unique
take on the game’s basic engine. There’s also the extra dimension added
by that simple card game, not to mention two different versus modes. On
the surface, it seems like it should be perfect, but there is a major
problem with the basic mechanics. See, this game isn’t quite as
enthralling as more popular puzzlers like Tetris, Puzzle Fighter, Puyo
Puyo and the like. So, in essence, it fails the primary quality
necessary for puzzle game greatness: simple addictiveness. Still, it’s
a nice effort on Yumekobo’s part to create an original puzzle game and
it’s not really a bad game overall. Better yet, it’s still relatively
easy to find: it’s one of those games that has been repackaged and
resold in the States several times in those variety packs found in EB
Games or Discovery Store.
Article by: Wolfdogg
Posted on: Sep. 27th, 2007 |
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Review Recap |
| Gameplay |
| It’s a unique take on the puzzle genre, but I could’ve done without the card mini-game. |
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Graphics |
| The visuals look pretty nice, but the vast amount of blank screen ruins the aesthetic. |
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Sound |
| Both the sound and the music in this one can be summed up perfectly with one word: generic. |
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Replay Value |
| Eh, all-in-all, it’s not really a bad game. Besides, it has two completely different versus modes. |
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