Trioncube Review

Trioncube

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Publisher: NAMCO BANDAI Games America

Developer: NAMCO Ltd.

# of Players: 1-2

Category: Classics/Puzzles

Release Dates

N Amer - 02/20/2007

Official Game Website

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It could be said that the puzzle game is the one title that parents who abhor video games and people who generally do not care for them, will make an exception for. When I was in high school the original GameBoy came out, and I had this friend who always loved to play games, but his parents thought he should concentrate on other things. Well one day we we're in the local department store with his Dad, and we stumbled on the Nintendo display with a GameBoy and "Tetris" game. We all walked over and tried it out and much to my surprise my friend's father began playing it. 20 minutes later we went on our way and left. The very next day, my buddy called me and told me his Dad had bought a GameBoy and the game Tetris, and that his Mom was majorly peeved. Well we both laughed about how he was a video game owner for a couple of hours and that we were sure his Mother would make his Father return it. A week later when I went to my friend's house his Mother was sitting on the couch playing the game. It was a very surreal moment in my friend's childhood. But what I would later come to understand, and hence my original sentence, is that there is a video game out there for everybody.

Now, that being said, today's puzzle game is a little ditty by the name of Trioncube. Trioncube is a very strange, oddball if not entirely too easy puzzle game that has you taking on the role of what appears to be a three year old space captain. The back-story is as odd as much as it makes no real sense. You are attempting to rescue the princess from King Pluto or some such goofball-esque storyline. The point is, in order to catch them, you as the space captain must engage in a puzzle style game that charges your fuel cells on your ship. Creating 3X3 sized blocks allows your character's starship to travel greater distances, adding more of the various shaped blocks to an existing 3X3 block creates chains. The more chains you can connect without breaking the 3X3 pattern or the timer running out will push your ship further and further until you reach the end of the level.

"That's Mr. King Pluto to you fella."

Yes, if this sounds like Tetris, you would be right, the odd shaped blocks falling from the top of the screen and you trying to keep the shapes in order. In fact, you could call this game Tetris-lite if you wanted to. Some of the little block shapes are exactly the same as the original Tetris, sure there are some new ones, but it's pretty easy to see the similarities. Now the game does feature some other play options like the VS mode that is done via download play, the endless loop of endless mode and arcade mode to go along with the story mode described above. The problem with all of the single player modes is that the game is way too easy, and I mean easy. The story mode doesn't take very long to complete and the endless mode will probably have you becoming bored before you ever finally lose. It's almost as if the game was an introduction to far more challenging puzzle games for young children who have never played before. But it's in this design that the developers fail to capture their biggest audience, the mature puzzle gamer. Case in point, my wife, she absolutely loves puzzle games but after playing Trioncube, she couldn't play for very long, it posed no sort of challenge to her and no incentive to keep playing.

And it's this total lack of challenge that made beating the story mode so simple. Sure there are some unlockable items that can change little things like the music and blocks after purchasing this ability when finding coins throughout the stages. But it's so much of an afterthought that it bears no effect on the game, more of a kitchy side item.

"If you can pilot a ship when your three, then beating this title should be no problem."

The graphics in the game are of the simple set, no real eye popping visuals to speak of. But then, the game doesn't really call for it, the in-game tiles all are clear and fall at a more then easy pace. The comic book style story that unfolds consists of no real moving pictures just snapshots of the characters speaking and attempting to explain the very bizarre plot. If anything the graphics are bright and very child friendly. Lots of strong looking colors that make it easy to see and some very basic character designs.

The funniest thing about the whole game is the out-of-place sounds that occur and the completely inane comments that the characters say. "Curry is too spicy for me" and clucking chickens are the norm for this title so check your sense of humor at the door, because one minute you'll be scratching your head and the next you will be chuckling at the complete absurdity of this title.

Review Scoring for Trioncube

Gameplay: 5.4

It's really quite simple and provides no challenge. Easy to spin the tiles and drop them quickly. Nothing tough to figure out, no use of the stylus or the innovations the DS offers.

Graphics: 6.0

They are bright and clean looking, but also very simplistic and strange looking.

Sound: 6.5

I like the strange noises that emanate from this one, a wacky hybrid of animal noises and who the heck knows what else.

Difficulty: Easy

It's way easy and can be beaten in a 90 minute gaming session.

Concept: 7.0

It's so wacky that I can't even begin to explain because quite frankly the game makes no sense, and just when you think you have an idea, something even stranger is said or done.

Multiplayer: 7.1

This is where the game has any sort of lasting appeal, playing against another in a battle if you will, thankfully the game features download play. There is a multi-card multiplayer as well, but I was unable to get a second copy, so that was not tested.

Overall: 6.0

Merely an average, if not unchallenging puzzle game, there is no gaming addiction to be found here, the strange storyline, multiplayer capability and wacky sounds barely buoy this title into a passable grade.