Super Collapse 3 (Nintendo DS) - Review by Chris

Introduction

As far as the quantity of puzzle games on a system goes, the Nintendo DS reigns supreme in the genre with more puzzle titles than you could shake a stick at. But with such a plethora of titles available in a single genre, you're always going to have a big mix of good and bad but the DS has been lucky to receive some very, very good titles in the puzzle genre. Here, we have another block based puzzler, from developer MacPlay and publisher MumboJumbo, asking you to pair up three blocks of the same colour in order to clear the board. With a tried and tested routine under its belt, is this simply another 'me-too' title or do the interesting twists and variations on the gameplay make it something more than that?

Gameplay

Super Collapse! 3 is yet another puzzle title for the Nintendo DS that has you matching up blocks of the same colour into groups of 3 or larger to get rid of them from the screen. It's a tried and tested formula but one that has been inherently well done whenever it has been used in other games and this is one game which doesn't deviate from that sentiment. From the main menu, you'll have access to a quick play option or a quest mode for single player play. The quick play option allows you to play through one of 5 variations on the collapse formula. The classic setup sees you trying to clear the necessary number of lines by tapping groups of blocks of 3 or more in order to reach the end of the level to complete the task or move onto the next. As time progresses, new lines will begin to appear from the bottom of the screen pushing the blocks ever closer to the precarious position of the top of the screen and if they reach it, it's game over. As a result, it leads to some very tense gameplay as you search and search as quickly as you can to find blocks to delete to keep you going that little bit longer. This of course follows over to the other variations of the game which see some interesting twists on the basic formula. Relapse mode sees blocks coming from both the bottom and the top of the screen and again makes for an even more tense game because the window for making choices is much smaller than normal. Strategy sees you having to plot a course for the deletion of blocks carefully as for every group you delete, a new line appears at the bottom. It can mean that things progress into the spectrum of bad quite quickly if you don't work out a good strategy. The final two variations, Puzzle and Slider, see you having to remove blocks from the screen again strategically or play with the standard collapse rules only this time the blocks are moving from left to right. As such, there's plenty of variety to the game to keep you coming back.

The quest mode sees you travelling around a map to 10 locations and within each location are a large number of various puzzles to work your way through. It is here that you'll be given the most prominent access to the differing types of gameplay and while it starts off simple enough, it quickly increases in difficulty and speed so you'll have to learn to adapt quickly to the ever changing settings. There is a set route of linearity from the start to the finish but each of the locations offers at least two routes to completion meaning you don't have to play through all of the puzzles to move on to the next place but it's definitely worth your time doing so because it is enjoyable. You'll also get access to stores where you can buy various power-ups to help ease the strain of the more difficult levels, such as colour specific bombs, which remove all of a certain colour of block from the screen, or line detonators, which take out entire lines horizontally or vertically. You'll need to buy these regularly with the money you win for completing the levels as they are a godsend as the game progresses.

With such a fleshed out single player offering, it's a shame that the multiplayer options don't quite match up. The same enjoyable and addictive gameplay transfers over, with some multiplayer specific such as Survival, Countdown and Co-operative. The only issues is that the game only supports multi-card play for up to 4 players with no option for single cart download. It's a missed opportunity but should you be able to find enough people who have the game, the fun continues and the game remains as enjoyable as it is in single player.

Controls

The face buttons and d-pad have been left at home for this one, with control simply falling to the sole responsibility of the touch screen, and it works well. Due in part to an incredibly accessible design, navigating menus and taking part in the various different forms of game puzzles is seamlessly pulled off with ease never feeling frustrating or unnecessary.

Graphics

The game's visual presentation isn't going to set any fires alight but it won't leave a bad taste in your mouth. The game is minimalist in its presentation, with menus and the quest mapb having been simply designed so as to move you into the actual gameplay as swiftly as possible with minimal hassle. The graphics for the puzzles are colourfully put together and it all feels bright and cheerful, if a little generic and sterile. There is the odd problem where discerning which colour is which creates some unnecessary tension due to some of the colours being of a similar hue to others but usually tapping the blocks will tell you whether they are the wanted colour or not.

Sound

Musically, the game follows a similar suit to the graphics, but in a much more low key way. You'll get some very basic and generic tunes to listen to in the quest map and during the puzzles but it's constantly on repeat and there's little differentiation between the different puzzles. It's not a huge deal as it's not the main draw of the game but some originality would have been nice. Similarly, the sound effects feel very mundane but do add somewhat to the gameplay, with the sound of blocks constantly lining themselves up, ready to pop up onto the screen creating an air of tension that will really propel you into the gameplay.

Dual screen

The game is played out in its entirety on the touch screen, and this is put to good use as you tap away at the blocks. The top screen, however, is used for little more than a scoreboard and timer. There's very little that could have been done to expand it across the two screens but it just seems unnecessary to dedicate an entire screen to a scoreboard and timer.

Final comments

Super Collapse! 3 is a perfect example of a game that uses a tried and tested routine and makes it its own. Through a simplistic design and a few twists on said routine, MacPlay have created a game that provides substantial enjoyment in the single player spectrum with addictive gameplay. While it doesn't do quite the same for its multiplayer component and doesn't quite reach the levels of some of the other more prolific puzzle games on the system, it's still a very good little gem in the puzzle crown for DS owners and is definitely something you should check out.

Pro: Simplistic yet thoroughly enjoyable single player, good amount of content, can be incredibly addictive
Con: Multiplayer doesn't match the standard of single player, some of the modes can be unnecessarily difficult
Final score: 7.3

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