Super Puzzle Platformer Deluxe

Developer: Andrew Morrish
Steam Release: May 2013
Hours Played: 3.3
Similar To: Clickr / Puyo Puyo Tetris / Yosumin 
Rating: 3/5 Parsnips




GAMEPLAY
SPPD is classed as an arcade title here but could have been put under the 2D Shooter, Mixed Bag or Action Platformer sections as well. It's one of those super-casual games that may seem tough at first but is all about avoidance of falling blocks, rampant shooting and the destruction of said blocks. With the action taking place on one screen, you begin by standing on two layers of blocks as more start to fall continuously from above, Tetris style. With the ability to jump and shoot, you move in the usual left and right directions while you fire missiles horizontally. Your job is simple: destroy the blocks and don't die. Each block takes about three or four hits to be destroyed and all coloured blocks that are adjacent to each other are destroyed in the blast.  
 


BALANCE & PACE
There is good news and bad news: the good news is that when you destroy many at once you get a massive score. Plus, they leave levelling-up gems that you can collect. The bad news is that you are vulnerable to falling to the ground which has spikes jutting up from below and which will kill you instantly. To mix things up, you get nasty grey blocks that sprout deadly spikes or fire cannonballs at you. The action is so fast and frantic that at first I died so much I questioned whether the game was too difficult. However, after persevering for a while and thinking more strategically, I realised that the game has a lot more depth than it might suggest on a first play through. You need to make a lot of quick-thinking decisions like deciding where to fire from as well as deciding whether to wipe out certain chunks of colour or not.



PRESENTATION & DESIGN
To a simple chiptune soundtrack, SPPD greets you with a basic title-screen indicating that we're not talking massive production values here. In fact, the developer is credited as being just the one person. It's all done to a 16-bit style and is kept very simple and clear. From the start-screen you can change some standard options or quit the game. You can also click on the curiously titled Album option which is actually a two-screened series of stats which gives all sorts of facts and figures about nothing important in particular. The level-select-screen gives you a choice of six worlds to play in but you need to unlock them as you  play. Similarly, the character-select screen ultimately gives you a choice of 8 characters to play and these also gradually get unlocked as you fulfil conditions.

PROGRESS SYSTEM
Clicking Play first gives you a choice of playing the single or multi player game along with a Challenge mode the first stage of which (entitled Spikes) I initially found to be far too hard. In fact, Challenge mode is really a varied hardcore mode for masochists. After choosing an unlocked character you are taken to a basic map of an island which is your level-select screen. As mentioned, this consists of six areas that you unlock one by one by meeting certain conditions. Like Jamestown, the main idea is to get the best score you can in each area. You access your high-score for each area from here and these show ten fictitious names whose scores you endeavour to beat. There are also global scores which for hardcore players show players' total score for the whole game. Good players will attempt to unlock all 8 characters.  

  

CONCLUSION
SPPD is a fast-paced game that requires quick-thinking and equally quick reactions. To appreciate what it has to offer it will need time and multiple playthroughs to fully reveal itself. It can also be quite a frustrating game where one false move can kill you off prematurely. If you're at all emotional, be prepared to yell at the screen just a few times out of despair. Although the game will definitely scratch that itch, I feel it falls short in two areas: (1) when a quick change of direction is required, while using the Xbox controller, the character often pings back to face the original but opposite direction you need to be in. This results in the need to tap the controller back again – and for a game where you need to be fast can impede progress. (2) A game can end far too soon on a frustrating note which requires the need to wait through a lot of animations and screen changes to get back into the action. This, for a quick and zippy game, can just seem to take too long.