XNA CG - Alchemist

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XNA CG – Alchemist

Community Game (CG) under Review: Alchemist
Developed by: Aeon (Reiser Games)
System: Xbox 360
Genre: Puzzle & Trivia
Version: ?
Cost: 200 Microsoft Points ($2.50)
Download Style: Full Game/Trial Game
Download Size: 22.17 Mb
Learning Curve: 5-10 Minutes
Overall Rating: 6/10
Main Features:
- Players 1-2
- HDTV 1080p
Other Features:
- Match three colors and try to chain combinations!
- 15 second turns
- High scores tracked (local)
Puzzling:
- The feather cursor does not register as well as it should on the title screen
- No Online Multiplayer
- This game is a rip-off of Puzzle Quest’s battle system
Rating:
Violence - 0/3
Sex - 0/3
Mature Content - 0/3

COMMUNITY GAMES INTRO:

Please Note: Unless otherwise specified, I have bought and played all aspects of the games I review.

Downloading Community Games:
1. Turn on Xbox 360 and sign into XBOX Live.
2. Navigate to: Game Marketplace=>Explore Game Content=>Community Games
3. Look around and download games!

Important Community Game Reminders:
1. They are NOT rated by Microsoft or the ESRB.
2. They can only be played while connected to Xbox Live.
3. They can only be played for four or eight minutes before the trial ends (depending on when released).
4. Some features may be locked in the trial mode.

REVIEW INTRO:

Play a rip-off of the Puzzle Quest Battle System where the player matches three colors horizontally or vertically.

Note: I did not buy this game because important features can be played and beat before the trial ends.

GRAPHICS: 8/10

For a game of this style, the graphics are well done. The backgrounds are all gorgeously drawn, but they have no effect on the game. The gameplay graphics (color circles) are better than most, and the font style is a welcome change from the same old font used by other games. The special effects are amazing at first, but never change (except for color).

MUSIC: 5/10

The game contains little music variance, but the music flows continuously and it never just “restarts”. The music flows so well that it feels like one long song. Eventually it can, unfortunately, get somewhat repetitive.

STORY: 0/10

No story.

GAMEPLAY & FEATURES: 5/10

Alchemist is a rip-off of the Puzzle Quest Battle System where the player matches three colors horizontally or vertically. Once colors are matched and removed, more fall from the sky to create possibilities of combos. If a color is moved to an area that does not match three or more colors, an “illegal move” occurs. The turn is then skipped for the player who did an illegal move. Matching certain ruins can lead to spells, which give extra points and special effects. The special effects are well done, but they never change. The only change is the color of the special effects based on what colors were matched.

Players can play against an AI opponent or a friend (locally). Playing with a friend is a lot better than playing with the AI. It is more fun, but does not evolve past the same old gameplay. High scores from each game (except practice mode) are tracked locally.

Alchemist does not have the ability to tailor the game to a specific type of play. There are no options to change before playing a match, you just play. If playing single player, the game can get somewhat boring because of this. I would like to change features such as turn time, AI difficulty, cursor type, etc.

Practice mode allows the player to learn the game by removing turn times and an opponent. While this is good for beginners, it is not something to come back to gain more skill. Most of the game is luck anyway.

The game uses a feather cursor (similar to mouse cursor) that is not as responsive as it should be. Moving it over title screen text may or may not let you select it depending on where it has been placed. Through testing I have found the tip of the feather to be the “point”. It sounds obvious, but the feather is bigger than a standard computer cursor and just moving it over the text should work.

OVERALL: 6/10

This game does some things well, but it needs to remember that there is a reason Puzzle Quest used it only as a Battle System. It is fun to play in short bursts (four minutes), but not for an extended period of time. It is all up to the Eye of the Beholder however, so give the trial a few tries and see what you think!

Other Games by Aeon (Reiser Games) (as of 5/4/09):

- Unknown