Sarek has written 10 additional reviews
Did you know Atari Legend is fully responsive and mobile ready? You want this site to behave like an app on your phone or tablet? Simply open the site in your favorite browser and look for the 'Add to homescreen' button. In Safari on IOS, first press the 'share' icon, then the "Add to home screen" pop-up appears. In Chrome on Android, you press the button at the top right, and select 'add to homescreen'. Once you have done this, the famous Atari bee fits nicely on your homescreen and you can enjoy AL with the tap of a finger.
Comments
Around this time of the year in 1994, one of my friends generously surprised me one morning by handing me her boxed copy of Puzznic and saying "This is for you. We're getting a mac for xmas and I've decided to give you some of my games. I'll bring the rest around in a parcel on xmas day in the evening."
There was something unsettling in her voice. Now I knew that Puzznic was her favourite game, so I wondered what was going on with this gift. I slipped the disk into the drive and power on. As the game was loading she explained her action more fully, "Well my Atari is actually my dad's, and he's selling it and putting the money towards buying the mac. But I like these games, and they are mine, so I thought I'd give them to you and if I want to play them I come around here."
My heart sank, and the story upset me almost as much as she was by telling it. She was angry with her father and who can blame her. But then the music started and I remembered that I had just inherited or was about to inherit half a dozen games....
Gameplay
Puzznic is an arcade-puzzle converted from the famous Taito coin-op game. Beginning with pre-arranged screens of bricks, Puzznic involves grabbing and pushing bricks left or right with the intention of bringing matching pairs or triples together. Matching bricks will disappear upon contact and the aim of the game is to remove all of the bricks from the grid within the time limit.
Because a game like this could easily become repetitive or the player become stumped by a particular level, Ocean have made hundreds of different levels such that there is 1 level 1, 2 level 2s... upto 8 level 8s. The player then has the choice of which level to play by choosing a route across an array of these level sets. No one level must be played, and there are enough variations to keep you entertained for at least a three hour sitting!
Because you are free to play all of the sets at a given level if you choose to, there are basically three ways of playing this game:
- Get as far into the levels as possible so you can boast "Yeah, I've done level 8.".
- Hike your score up as far as possible by focusing on the easier level sets.
- Aim to explore all of the level sets, for curiosity's sake.
I tend to go for exploration myself.
The difficulties in the game arrise from various factors eg,
(1) The bricks are often given to you stacked up in towers or sitting on little shelves somewhere. If the wrong brick is moved, or a brick is slid the wrong way, it might make it impossible to bring all matching bricks together if a 'gooseberry' is sat inbetween a pair.
(2) If there are an odd number of bricks, some will have to be removed as a triple. This often requires careful thought to first manoeuvre two matching bricks without allowing them to touch so that the third 'keystone' can be dropped/slid into place to complete the triple.
(3) Often a level can involve dragging or dropping bricks onto moving platforms which requires precise judgement.
(4) Sometimes it may be necessary to build a brick platform for ferrying bricks across some place else. Here it is important to build up without bringing matching bricks together or else the platform will vanish, but you must bear in mind that a platform will eventually need to be disassembled.
The game is controlled by the joystick which I personally dislike. The grabber moves awkwardly because joystick microswitches are either on or off. There is no speed control, so what should be precision movements can go frustratingly clumsy and what should be rapid reactions can seem to go at a snail's pace. It might have been better with the mouse. Because of this complaint, my nerves have only tolerated progress up to around level 5 (of 8 ), and I've never seen the levels any further than that.
Graphics
Graphics are of good quality, and there is the usual use of custom fonts and strong colours that we expect from Ocean. Also, the grabber motion is smooth; falling blocks are rendered smoothly; the blocks themselves are nicely decorated and it is easy to distinguish the patterns for matching purposes; and the colours are generally harmonious.
Sound
The theme which is a good quality chip tune and instantly recognisable, but is quickly tiring. Within the game, there is silence except for the brick movement and disappear sound effects which sound strangely rough. Also there is the sound of creaking plastic as I apply illogical forces to my joystick.
Conclusion
Unfortunately the quantity of levels isn't enough compensation for these complaints because the levels all feel much the same and in my memory they all seem to blur into one. My most lingering feelings about this blur is being frustrated with the controller and thinking that I don't want to play the game anymore, which is a shame because the basic idea is great.
But also on the negative, the time limits are sometimes too tight, levels are a sometimes too difficult, and sounds could be better.
So my conclusion be in Yoda tongue it will... A nice idea Ocean it was. But like most of the stuff you've come out with on the ST, the end result disappointed with I am.
February 12, 2023 by AtariCrypt
Once again, pesky aliens are giving us Earthlings lots of grief. We previously fought them off but they managed to pinch a time machine so are using that to alter history and wreak havoc by taking crucial hostages from each period in an attempt to halt their influence. From the invention of the wheel in prehistoric times to England's King Arthur uniting Britain! And where would any of us be today without Japan and its technical wizardry? Yep, we cannot allow this - the fight is on!
March 21, 2021 by ST Graveyard
What an accomplishment this game is. Created with such a small team, the result is really amazing. The game oozes creative passion. While the gameplay is really well balanced, it is a tough cookie, very hard from time to time with its moments of sheer frustration. As of level 3, timing becomes key. You will need to practice and learn the levels to complete this game, there are so many bad guys on screen it sometimes gets a bit hard to take.
April 4, 2020 by Morcar
Graphically, it's also nice on the eyes with well-defined graphics and animation. You really get the feeling that the developers put some thought and love into the game. Remember what I said about the large levels? Well these are wonderful and are very different to each other, they also scroll fairly smooth in all four directions.
Currently 0 registered users online
In the past 24h there were 4 registered users online