Puzznic for PCE
Review #8116
Puzznic
Too difficult for its own britches
Gameplay
Simple mechanics - select a tile, press and hold either button, and move left or right into an empty space. Tiles above fall. The object is to eliminate all tiles (in the puzzle mode). This all works fine, but the timer is an annoying mechanic that ruins the experience. You have just enough time to complete the puzzle so if you don't get it right on your first try (good luck!) then you'll lose. And you have limited continues. This was obviously an arcade game. It would've been a 3 or even 4 if it weren't for these ridiculous difficulty add-ons.
Level Design
Devilishly difficult design. There are a couple of hundred stages and every one of them is complex. Most require a precise and long series of steps. I appreciate the challenge, but combining this with the timer and limited continues makes it nigh unplayable without save states.
Theme
Barebones presentation. Just you and some blocks.
Art Style
Underwhelming. The background is solid black, making it easy to stay focused, but almost makes it sort of boring. The blocks change from level to level, which only adds to the difficulty. In some stages they're solid colors while in others the matching tiles use icons.
Audio
Music is...not great. It's loud and busy and almost comical. It's as if the game is mocking me with a whimsical soundtrack while I'm wracking my brain to figure out the puzzle before me!
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