More importantly, the game forces you to change up your modus operandi on the fly. While the very first is rectangular, future grids are in the shapes of animals, lanterns, bugs, and any other number of random shapes. For starters, all grids are not created equal. The game is smartly designed to deliver constant variety. The third will transpose one cell of a given color for a cell of a given color, and the fourth reshuffles the entire board. The first acts like a pick-axe, allowing you to break apart boulders. Active and usable only when you've successfully connected a given number of similarly colored cells and then unusable until you've again connected another batch of similarly colored cells, each power-up is quite unique. Aiding you in your quest is an assortment of four power-ups. And you'll find ways around – or through – those metal plates too. You'll see mini-grids in which you must re-arrange puzzle pieces to form a pipeline or re-arrange massive cement blocks to clear an opening. You'll come upon nifty little machines that fire flaming arrows toward other nifty little machines, which in turn explode and carve massive openings. Along the way, you'll encounter blockades in the form of boulders, frozen tiles, and solid metal plates. The more cells you connect, the bigger the explosion, and the more open space you create. Run the cursor through five or more adjoining cells, and you'll also trigger an explosion that eradicates even more tiles from the immediate vicinity. Do that, and the tiles underneath those cells evaporate, leaving an open corridor through which the liquid flows. You clear that path, as I alluded earlier, by "drawing" the cursor through three or more adjoining colored cells. You see, it's all about the liquid – a liquid that must eventually flow through to the end of the current grid, but can only do so if you manage to clear a path for it before the timer hits zero. Instead, there's a very definite method to the madness. In 4 Elements II, like the original, you don't merely jump about willy-nilly busting blocks. Regardless, the quality of the Match 3 play is second to none. Indeed, while children and purely casual players may enjoy them, many more will likely find them unnecessary and perhaps even bothersome. These peripheral puzzles will take one of several forms – spot the difference, hidden object, and the like – yet few will ever present a serious obstacle to the adult gamer. Each chapter follows a similar routine – a non-Match 3 puzzle to start, several Match 3 levels in the middle, and other assorted non-Match 3 puzzles scattered throughout and at the end. You then proceed to make your way through the book, chapter by chapter. Seems said kingdom has been thrown into darkness and will remain that way until some brave soul – that would be you – dares to restore the revered "magic book" to its former glory. Through illustrations and animated sprites, you're presented with a story about a magic kingdom – not surprisingly, the same magic kingdom found in its 2008 predecessor – that's fallen onto hard times. When you first fire up 4 Elements II, this whole Match 3 notion seems very far away indeed. It's a gentle approach that even younger children will appreciate but more mature gamers might find a bit immature. The music is generally soft and soothing, and there's nothing to offend the sensibilities of impressionable minds. It's all magic and castles and innocence. What you need to know right off the start is that 4 Elements II delivers itself, outwardly anyway, as a kids' game.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |