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»Delta Warp
"This feels more like a beta than a delta."
When it comes to the Neo Geo Pocket Color’s library, there’s one genre
that stands out: 2D fighters. Of course, there’s at least one more
genre that had some decent representation on the system: puzzle games.
While much of the puzzlers on the NGPC were ports (like Puyo Pop,
Bust-A-Move Pocket and Magical Drop Pocket), there were a few original
titles. Take Delta Warp, for example. I haven’t seen another game like
it, but then again, I also haven’t seen another game made by IO Sys.
The point of the game is relatively simple: to rid each stage of every
half-square marked with either a white or black symbol. Players take on
the role of a piece, the same size and shape as those half-squares,
which sports two sides: one white, the other black. In order to
accomplish the aforementioned goal, players must roll over each of the
marked squares, with their corresponding color landing on top of the
piece. In other words, if one attempted to eliminate a white symbol,
the piece must land with its white side facing up. Sounds simple,
right? Well, it is at first, but when such elements as breakaway floor
panels and multiple-level stages come into play, things get a little
difficult. Fortunately, there are also some power-ups, such as a panel
that makes the piece temporarily hollow, allowing it to traverse those
aforementioned breakaway panels without any damage, and another panel,
which switches the piece’s current color.
As for the game modes, there are only a few. The first is simply
labeled “Start”, which is the basic game mode. Players can choose to
either play through the premade levels included in the game or to play
custom-made stages (I’ll delve further into that in a moment). Next,
there’s Network Mode, the link mode. Players can either compete in a
time trial on a certain stage or simply trade their own Edit stages.
Then there’s Edit mode, which allows players to devise their own
puzzles. Finally, there’s Lesson mode, which acts as the game’s
tutorial.
To be honest, overall I’ve got mixed feelings regarding Delta Warp. On
one hand, it has a pretty neat system to it. It’s pretty original,
considering the game’s age, but I guess by today’s standards, it’s not
exactly anything special. On the other hand, it’s not exactly a deep
game. There are only two playable modes and only one of them is
single-player, so there’s not really much to it, unless you’ve got at
least one friend with the game and an NGPC and another copy of Delta
Warp.
The graphics are probably the game’s best quality. While most of the
games on the NGPC were limited graphically due to the system’s small
palette, Delta Warp doesn’t seem to have suffered as much (or at all,
for that matter). The look of the game field is pretty basic, but
there’s no blank space, as is the case on most NGPC puzzlers, so that’s
a plus. The title screen looks pretty nice too, with a view of the
Earth and the Moon. As for the sound, well, it’s a mixed bag. Some of
the background music in Delta Warp is actually pretty good, while other
tunes are a little bland. Oh well, I guess that’s to be expected. Sound
effects aren’t too impressive either, but they do the job.
The replay has its ups and downs. As I said before, the game’s lack of
variety when it comes to modes of play definitely hurts the game’s
staying power. I mean, sure, puzzle games are generally renowned for
their pure replayability, but they also generally have a few different
game modes to keep things fresh. On the other hand, the game has
several stages, not to mention the numerous stages one could create
through the edit mode. Unfortunately, it’s not a perfect tradeoff and
the game could have really have used some other modes, like maybe a
survival mode or something, just something else to spice up the
gameplay a little. Oh well, what can you do about it? Anyway, if you’re
looking for an original puzzle game for the Neo Geo Pocket Color, Delta
Warp’s probably the game for you.
Article by: Wolfdogg
Posted on: Oct. 5th, 2007 |
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Review Recap |
| Gameplay |
| It’s fun, but the lack of diversity in game modes takes away from the game’s overall appeal. |
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Graphics |
| The menus have a nice aesthetic to them. Better yet, this is one of the few NGPC games where the small palette isn't evident. |
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Sound |
| The music’s got a nice sound to it, and the sound effects are average. |
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Replay Value |
| The ability to create and trade your own customized stages is a nice feature, but the number of game modes definitely hurts this game's staying power. |
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