3×3 Eyes Juuma Houkan for SFC

Image: MobyGames

3×3 Eyes Juuma Houkan

The worst point-and-click puzzles ever

Genre: adventure - platform

Publisher: Banpresto

Year: 1995

System: SFC

Gameplay Score: 1

Gameplay Notes:

Basically a point-and-click adventure. You wander around towns and buildings looking for items that will get you past the next counterintuitive "puzzle". Your only actions are to press up to pick up things above you, press down for things on the ground, and jump. You move more slowly than the Prince of Persia and are only slightly more nimble when jumping and climbing stairs. Actually, you move up stairs and ladders slower than an octogenarian. It's a glacial pace in this game.

Level Design Score: 0

Level Design Notes:

Look, I understand that point-and-click games often have esoteric, incomprehensible puzzles, but this one has some of the worst I've ever seen. They're positively unintelligible. For example, the first big gate is that you have to pick up a pot, push a barrel to one of three ventilation shafts in a room and open the shaft which frees a rat, put the pot on the ground to allow the rat to climb into the pot, pick the pot back up and bring it to a room that has a piece of paper which is magically preventing you from opening the door. Not only are each of these actions are separated by great distance, but nothing about them is intuitive. Why would a ventilation shaft be openable when the other 10 in the building are not? Why would I think to catch the rate when another rat was running around outside and could not be interacted with? Why would I think that setting a pot on the ground would be a mousetrap? Why would a rat break the magical seal on the unopenable door? And on and on.

Theme Score: 3

Theme Notes:

I'm sure this is a manga, but the lore is not explained at all. The game drops you right into the story without any explanation or buildup. You're looking for a girl in a decrepit city. That's the extent of the plot and setting.

Art Style Score: 3

Art Style Notes:

The sprites feature impressive anmiation and the run-down, decrepit city looks just the way it sounds, but that doesn't mean it's attractive.

Audio Score: 4

Audio Notes:

The only saving grace is the excellent music. I only heard the one track, but it's good enough to suggest that the entire soundtrack is good. It's haunting and orchestral.

Overall Score: 27

Review ID: 1521