I believe i'm expert at colour-matching puzzle game. I have played 3 Puzzle Quest, Puzzle & Empires and Bejeweled. I've
prepared for another game with same gameplay. Not entirely the same only the
basic rule which is: match the 3 or more thing with the same color. The game
that i mentioned is Sega's Columns (1990).
It looks
like 2 disputing husband & wife are about to have toast that will seal their peace treaty. But
both of wives put poison on it thus explaining that overly fizzing drink that the husbands hold.
Then they have conversation like "You go, first! No, you first" while
the wives are very worried and scared in each corner. Good for all of you! [High Sarcasm]
If you wait
the screen for too long, there's instruction on how to play the game. Move the
joystick to move the jewel column and a single button to rotate the jewel from
top to bottom. To erase the jewels and earn score, you have to arrange 3 jewels
or more with the same color in horizontal, vertical, and diagonal. After you place 1 column another one will come with different arrangement
from previous ones. Don't let the columns reach beyond the top or your game is
over. Even though this is Sega Genesis port, Sega don't bother to change
joystick into d-pad. Such in-exemplary idleness. Shame on you, Sega!
The
instruction also tell there's will be hint in form of blinking jewel that you
can clear with column you control, if you pick Easy mode.
And if you
pick either medium or hard mode, there's chance that magic jewel appears. It
can erase any jewels with same color with the one that it contacts to.
Chain
reaction pump up the juice? What juice? Oh, i get it. Combo will boost my
score, is what the game tries to say, right? So make chain matching whenever
you can. Okay, i know the gist. Let's get started!
I'm going to choose easy mode, for warm-up. As i play this alone,
there's no 2nd player here. So focus to watch on the left board which is mine,
please! Just simple remainder.
I have made a horizontal line of ice-cube jewel with exactly 3 columns. So far so
good!
Here comes
4-of-a-kind!
I can put
the red gem to the most left for diagonal match. But if i put it here i can
make combo match of red then green. "Chain reaction pump up the
juice" the game said. So i do that.
Yes,
sometime a column of same jewel appears. Put it anywhere! You can't go wrong.
I think the
"survival" key in this game is to prioritize making diagonal match
over other ones. Because it's more "flexible" than the others. But no matter i do, there's always residual "debris" in the
board. If you play Tetris, you can clean the board by simply fill the gap in
the pile and if you get the wrong-shaped blocks, you can mitigate the problem
by rotating it at least a bit. But it's not so simple or easy in Columns case.
Because you need the exact proper jewel to clear them and more often than not
the game gives you different jewels from what you need. Maybe if you can rotate
the column by 90o degree, the game will be less troublesome and more
fun. But the title said "Columns" not "Columns & Rows".
So i stick to "diagonal match" mind for now.
Yes, i put
the new column where it should be in the left corner but the configuration is
wrong! I should put the red jewel in the middle for diagonal match. I begin to
feel like an idiot here.
Unintentionally, i made 2 diagonal
match of ice-cube jewel and purple ones. Hooray!
I have created what i like to call Junction
Match. In Bejeweled or other game
that i mentioned, Junction Match has shape of T, L, +, or cross. In Puzzle Quest, i must have keen
observation toward said match or i will end up totally defeated. I'm glad my sharp instinct is usable in this game.
Starting
level 3, the columns drop too fast for me and i'm in big trouble on 4th level.
Heavy_negativevocalization03.wav 3:
This time, i
hit the medium mode. I can be in 3th level without pile that i gather from 0th
level but i don't get hints for 3 levels. I can live with that.
Again, i
unintentionally make small miracle. I have created another Junction
Match. But i had no
idea before about this kind of shape counts as Junction Match as it's not in shape of T, L, +, or cross. Columns registers diagonal arrangement
as match, now that i think about it. So it makes sense.
Uggh! Another case of me doing "right placement but wrong configuration" at the same place on top of that. The orange should be in bottom, stupid! -_-#
Yes, i
pulled a sick chain match but that doesn't mean i must celebrate it with smoking
weed, Sega. No, thanks!
Finally, the
magic jewel! How i'm longing for thou. I stamp it on blue jewel and all of its
peer are gone for good but there's still other ones. I think hitting the ice
cube is right decision as there's 9 of them. Yes, i should hit the orange jewel
for best result (because there's 10 of them) but i must
remind you that i'm in level 7 here so the column moves very fast that my
reaction can barely keep up.
Another
4-of-a-kind! And i know where i have to put that red jewel next. I feel like i can survive this much longer.
Okay not for long. At least i can go 1 more level than in previous
screenshot. There's no limit to continue but i choose to
end here.
Moreover, i
hit number 1 ranking. I believe i'm done with
this game!
See that expression of the angel on leftside? That's my tired expression
about this game at the moment. Though i will comeback someday. Sega's Columns
(1990) is what i like to describe as matching color with bit Tetris style. It's
the basic of Puyo Puyo or its brethren.
So Columns could be defined as pioneer of the genre, i reckon. But i can't
enjoy it not as much as Bejeweled. The reason is simple, it deploy rush factor:
the column automatically descend and will be faster as you progress to next
level. So no matter how cunning my mind to color matching department, my
reflexes can't keep up so i rely mostly on my luck instead of my skill. But
again, i can't enjoy very much Beghouled which is Bejeweled version of Plant Vs Zombie where there's zombie wave come
at you which i consider it as rush factor. So it's kind of moot point. I like
puzzle game with unlimited time limit afterall. The music is kind of grainy but
appropriate with puzzle nuance and its pace is faster if the columns almost
reach the top. That's nice touch on music department. The graphic on the jewels
remind me of Nestle's Fox's candies.
The gridline on the board is helping the player to predict jewels placement and
further to assist on jewel matching.
To put it simply, Columns (1990) is decent
puzzle game though still rough in my opinion. If you're puzzle gamer with quick
reflexes, you probably like it and i can recommend you to take it. Me? No. I
can only think sharp and straight within relaxing pace. That's probably other
way to say that i'm lazy kind of puzzle gamer. Very lazy ones.
No comments:
Post a Comment