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A simple concept combined with a quirky art style can work magnificently. Take Katamari Damacy. It can also be a major turn-off. This editor found it satisfying to enjoy a puzzle game so accessible and easy to play with friends, though depending on your mood, Trioncube may be nothing more than an afterthought amid this year’s explosion of great puzzlers.
Helming the mighty Penko ship, the player must save the token princess from the token badguy. Instead of pumping gasoline like the rest of us, Penko uses chain combos to fuel itself. I wish I could fuel my car that way. It would make the commute to work a lot more interesting. Sadly, the game ends as quickly as it begins, with the denouement a very short and very easy boss fight with a goofy, 3-eyed blob. Fear not, there are other modes, including mission--where you compete to earn trophies--and versus--where you *may* find extended life on this far too simple puzzler.
With versus mode and its single card local connection, Trioncube becomes a fast-paced no-brainer experience.
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As a derivative of Tetris, players will notice similarly shaped blocks that drop from the sky and, for the most part, fit nicely into each other. These pieces can be formed into 3 by 3 blocks that, when combined, create chains that boost Penko closer to its goal. From here the challenge is to keep the chain going, and to eventually fill the entire screen with one huge combo. In versus mode, you can actually extend the chain beyond the screen by initiating a chain, and countering an opponent’s attack as your chain reaches the top of the screen. This is a really cool concept that keeps the action fast-paced in versus mode.
Racking up huge chains translates into money that can be used to buy unlockable stage skins and effects. Even with the 15 hours I logged in single modes and playing with friends, there is still a lot to unlock; definitely the biggest flaw in this game’s design. There isn’t enough difficulty, even in the endless mode, to sustain a player through the millions he will need to unlock everything.
Speaking of unlockables, call them a gimmick all you want, but I dug ‘em. You can buy skins and chain effects (complete with animation and sound effects) that give you a bit of diversity when battling opponents. So everything from King Pluto who says "What’s going on!?," to karate guys, to rockets, to lasers are available. Some of the skins are downright unplayable while others add color and work well in multiplayer mode.
With the surplus of excellent puzzlers lately, will an interesting twist to ye old Tetris formula provide enough meat to warrant a purchase? That depends if there is a friend nearby to duel with. Honestly, there is no way anyone will be willing to play through the single-player modes in hopes of unlocking everything. It’s just not that challenging. With versus mode and its single card local connection, Trioncube becomes a fast-paced no-brainer experience. With a simple, unique art-style and interesting concept, I would love to see a sequel that adds more shape variations and a higher difficulty balanced by cheaper unlockables. As it stands, this is a recommended purchase if there are friends nearby who like to chill, chat a bit, and enjoy some simple puzzle action on the side.
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