[Review] Puzzlegeddon Can’t Quite Put the Pieces Together

Most gamers have a style of game that they find themselves playing the most.  On the Xbox360, it’s more often than not a first-person shooter, but others dabble in RPG’s, sports games, etc.  However, one thing that most people have in common is that they all enjoy the occasional puzzle game.  The only problem is that everyone seems to have a differing opinion on what makes a game “addicting”, and what makes it just flat-out lame.

First thing’s first; Puzzlegeddon is essentially a block matching game.  You need to arrange blocks to make clusters of five or more.  You earn more if you make more than one cluster at a time, or if your cluster makes another one form after it disappears.  These are all very basic puzzle game concepts.  On the flip side, you have up to five bots or online human opponents doing the exact same thing (although you don’t get to see their board).  The point is to build up enough clusters to attack your opponents (usually in the form of missiles).  When your opponent attacks you, it can be defended with anti-aircraft missiles and shields.  Switching between matching blocks and the attack/defense system is relatively easy, but it takes a little while to get used to.  An unexperienced player could find themselves quite overwhelmed at all the activity on the screen.

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Puzzlegeddon certainly doesn’t try to impress the player with flashy graphics and pretty visuals.  The whole game takes place on the outline of a planet, with the players’ ships around the circumference of it.  This really isn’t a knock against the game; it just means that Puzzlegeddon doesn’t try to be more than it is.

There are three different game modes, and a much needed tutorial.  The first mode, Battle Royale, was the one I found myself playing the most.  The objective is to score more points than your enemies throughout the multiple rounds.  In my opinion, it best captures the essence of Puzzlegeddon.  The second mode is Deathmatch. Here, the player needs to find a way to survive at all costs.  If you get blown off the planet, you need to play minigames to return to the game.  The last game mode is Poison Peril.  In Poison Peril, the player isn’t competing against anyone; you simply need to survive for as many rounds as you can.  Each round consists of forming clusters in a different way.  You “die” if you form too many clusters without obtaining your objective.

Puzzlegeddon was promoted as “fast-paced and addictive”.  So, is it?  Yes and no.  It certainly is fast-paced, there’s no doubt about that.  Addicting?  Not so much to this reviewer.  The game never really sat well with me, underwhelming me round after round.  As I mentioned above, puzzle games can be incredibly hit/miss with different people.  Because of this, I gave a few of my friends a shot at the game.  I ran them through the tutorial and turned them loose on Battle Royale. The result was an unanimous “meh”.

Undoubtedly, there will be several people who disagree with my assessment.  I’m sure there will be people who spend many hours hooked on it.  However, it will rest in my XBLA graveyard, not joining titles like Trials HD and Peggle that I consistently turn back to.  To Pieces Interactive’s credit, there’s nothing wrong with the game; it plays well and looks fine.  It’s just a matter of different people like different things, and Puzzlegeddon failed to grab me.