Puzzle Expedition for the Nintendo DS
From time to time, I like to share reviews for games I discovered and really like. Games that my fellow NA'ers may enjoy. This one definitely has its roots to the old style of puzzle games...
I had been looking for this game for a while after reading a lot of good reviews. Well, I finally found a copy this past weekend. Excited to try it, I immediately pulled out my DS when I got home to give it a whirl. Holy shit, what an awesome game it turns out to be. It's basically a mental puzzle game along the lines of Solomon's Key or Boxxle. This game involves both screens, but the early levels only put you in a field on the bottom. The concept is simple. You control 2 different people, one at a time. You use both together to work your way to the exit on the screen. If it was one person, it'd be another story, but each level requires you to move both characters to the exit door to proceed. Every single level involves moving blocks and other objects to get both people out. More often than not, there will be a series of moves to get EACH person out separately since they begin each level in different areas from time to time. Other times they work together. No jumping, no pulling blocks back, it's just climbing up/down ladders, moving blocks forward, and several other methods. There will be times you just want to scream!
This game is very hard. If you want an old retro style puzzle challenge like no other, this is your game. I am stuck already on a level around 8 or 9. It's very hard and some levels took me 20-30 tries or lots of thinking to figure it out. And I'm just getting started. There is a save state feature (like on an emulator) which is super super helpful and has 3 slots per level.
All in all, if you like those games that really mess with your brain and can make you want to throw the game across the room but somehow still bring joy to you, then I highly recommend you scoop this one up! The graphics and sound are average at best, but what puzzle game ever relied on those features anyways? It's all about the mindfuck here baby!!!
***There are some good youtube vids showing gameplay. Check out the one titled "puzzle expedition first basic levels" to get the exact idea how it works and if it's your style game***
