10000000

 
Developer: EightyEightGames
Steam Release: Jan 2013
Hours Played: ~10 Hours (On the mobile platform)
Similar To: Chuzzle Deluxe / T-Kara Puzzles / You Must Build A Boat
Rating: 3/5 Parsnips




*Mainly played on the mobile platform by this reviewer.

GAMEPLAY

Switching tiles with adjacent ones to create a line of three is all well and good in the world of Match 3. The mighty popular  Puzzle Quest, Jewel Quest and the Bejeweled series (to name but three) all do a sterling job in this regard. However a few, such as Chuzzle Deluxe and the little known T-Kara Puzzles, tinker with the formula a tad and offer an alternative whereby whole rows and columns need to be swiped. 10000000 steps onto the scene using precisely this mechanic on a grid of 7x8 which is slightly larger than the Chuzzle grid but smaller than the one used in T-Kara Puzzles. Likewise you match up the symbols to create a line of three or more but here your matches initiate an action from your running man at the top of the screen.

BALANCE & PACE

This man must continually battle against monsters, demons, skeletons, dragons, spirits and knights to keep on running. Additionally, he must open chests and barriers that block his way. To attack, you quickly match up swords and staves on the grid and to unlock chests and doors you'll need to swiftly match keys. Speed is most certainly of the essence. You can also match up stones and wood to use in shops for upgrading between runs along with shields for protection against attacks. Backpacks are there for gold and loot. Dawdle or hesitate too long and the left hand wall will swallow up yer man for an abrupt end of your game. The idea is that as you upgrade things such as weapons and armour between runs, you'll gradually run for longer each time thus increasing your high-score until you hit the magical 10000000.
 

PRESENTATION & DESIGN 

10000000 uses the pixel-art, 16-bit style and begins with a start-screen showing your character fast asleep in his bed. To a fuzzy and distorted chiptune, clicking on the screen wakens the man from his slumbers as he leaps out of his bed ready for action. The six rooms lead to six types of upgrades which you purchase with those collected resources. Starting the game, which you enter by clicking on the large barn-like double doors of the dungeon, initiates one of three or four tunes which bounce along nicely as you play. The seven symbols are easily recognisable by both the simple illustrations and their own unique, well-chosen background colour. On the top-left of the grid you have power-ups, resources and shield strength in the middle and quest objectives at the bottom.          

PROGRESS SYSTEM
10000000 is a unique match 3 game as it has nothing to do with changing tiles underneath to a different colour, nothing to do with beating levels to progress and nothing to do with being awarded stars. Although match 3s may be viewed as time-wasters where you'll often fail a run due to a lack of it, you'll never actually get that annoying feeling of having to re-do another level due to running out of time. Instead, even if you do a poor run, it drip-feeds the player that feel-good factor based on something positive. Upgrading that staff or adding damage to that weapon or adding more shields to your armour or even upgrading a room will always give you that feeling of progressing and hence a bit of faith that the game is worth continuing with. 

CONCLUSION
With plenty of mobile games and PC titles like Puzzle Quest and the lesser known Legend of Fae combining the use of match 3 and battle mechanics in the past, 10000000 is not an entirely new idea. However, as you don't "win or lose" a session but get increasingly stronger, this makes it a welcome change. Nothing seems luck-based or contrived. In 10000000, the possibility to reach out and munch on the dangling carrot is always present.. and because you know that each run will increase your later chances of a better score that one-more-try vibe hangs over the player constantly. It may not match most match 3 titles for graphical quality but there again it doesn't attempt to - but it certainly smashes a great many for enjoyment, satisfaction and good solid gameplay.