[//Aneurysm\\]

Meteos
The best puzzle game since Tetris? Possibly

Developer: Q Entertainment
Genre: Puzzle
Platform: Nintendo DS (Only)
ESRB: E

Very few puzzle games have captured the essence of Tetris—the king of all puzzle games. Tetris was, and is destined to be the greatest puzzle game of all time mainly because it invented the genre. Everything we see from other puzzle games are taken from Tetris somehow, whether it’s the idea of falling blocks, or the alignment of bricks. Meteos at first glance looks like the same ole Tetris imposters, but deep down you see a big difference. It does have falling bricks and it does use alignment of them, but Meteos is much different. First of all, you cannot control where the colorful blocks fall, instead, once they pile up, you move the vertically using the stylus. Aligning 3 or more in a row will turn the blocks (or meteos as they are called in the game) into rockets and propel anything and everything in its path up into the top screen or the atmosphere disappearing in space.

Puzzle games tend to never have a story. They just throw you in with blocks falling right on your head. Meteos is an exception. The evil planet Meteo is sending out it meteos (meteorites if you are as confused as I was) to devour other planets and end up taking over the planet. Fortunately, the inhabitants of the planets have found a way to stop the massive onslaught of meteos—by lining up 3 or more of the same colored meteos, horizontally or vertically, will turn them into rockets. The rockets propel anything and everything above them upwards until it hits the top screen (AKA the atmosphere). The aliens decide it’s their job to tell the other planets how to do this, and by the power of all the planets in the universe, they stop planet Meteo…or so the dozens of endings say so.

Good graphics in a puzzle game? You’ve got to be kidding me right? WRONGO! Meteos actually has more then colorful blocks. Each planet has its own style of meteos that look really cool. Some have different designs on them, and are shaped different, while others will be different colored. The bottom screen’s background shows the planets atmosphere that looks like a painting of different brush strokes. Every planet also has its own set of aliens that look like stick figures your 5 your old son would make during preschool, but ultimately, are very fun to look at. Meteos also has very good music, in-fact, it’s excellent for the genre. Each planet has a tune that fits the mood of the atmosphere. For instance, planets that are peaceful will have peaceful, slow, and beautiful music while planets with lots of gravity and bad atmosphere will have intense, fast-paced technoish rock tunes. Plus, you can buy songs and sound effects using the meteos you have collected. Ill touch up on that later.

This is the last time I explain the way to play Meteos so listen good. The meteos fall from the top screen and then pile up on the ground or bottom screen. Once on the ground, you can move them up and down—not side to side—via the stylus. You can use the control pad but that really slows down the feel of the game. Aligning 3 or more meteos in a row, whether it’s horizontally or vertically, will turn into rockets and will propel all meteos above them up into the top screen or the atmosphere. The longer you last, the faster the meteos fall until it completely overwhelms your planet.

In order to give the gameplay a little more of a challenge there are over a dozen of items to use. The items fall like meteos and do various things to your opponent—most of them destroy meteos. You’d think that would be a good thing, but it might screw up a special combo you have been mustering up. There are cross bombs, horizontal bombs, X bombs, and bombs that destroy certain colors of meteos. There are also items that prevent your opponent from using the speed up icon, and even a bomb that completely cleans away your screen. Can you image a puzzle game that has physics? Didn’t think so, but Meteos has a pretty decent one for a portable, hell, it’s even a puzzle game. Each planet has its own gravitational force. Some may have very little gravity and the meteos will tend to float down slowly as if they were in water. Planets with a lot of gravity will take more meteos to push upwards, and will fall down much faster. Some planets might even have such low gravity that all meteos above the rockets will immediately disappear, or for really heavy planets, it will take 2 sets of rockets to propel it upwards.

There are 4 different play modes: Star Trip, Simple, Deluge, and Time Challenges. Star Trip is the closest mode to a story mode as you get. The Metamo Ark is traveling from planet to planet saving them from the massive onslaught of meteos until you face the grave planet Meteo itself. Star Trip has 3 different ways to play: Route, which is a simple route from planet to play, Branch which is the same as out, but you choose which path to go, and finally Mission mode where you have to complete certain missions to pass. Simple mode is exactly how it sounds. You get to choose what planet you wish to play, difficulty, items, and you can even choose to play against CPUs. Deluge mode is basically the last-as-long-as-you-can mode where your points get added up for the meteos you have launched, as well as how long you can go for. Time mode is like time trials. You play on certain planets for a certain amount of time, or, until you launch a certain amount of meteos.

In order to get new planets, items, and sounds, you need to buy them by fusing the meteos you have collected together. There are well over 40 planets to unlock, and about a score of items. A score is 20 if you didn’t know. But, there are hundreds and hundreds of songs and sound effects to unlock. Fortunately, they are in sets so you don’t have to go buy every little sound effect. Meteos is one of the best DS multiplayer games yet, believe it or not. Sadly, all of your friends need to have the game in order to get the full multiplayer experience. But, you and a friend can play together with 1 cartridge. You just only get to choose from 4 planets, and very little items. The full version is chaotic. You and 3 friends duke it out in either timed levels, or novas. You get to use any planet you have unlocked, and any items you have. The way you win is by either having the least novas or by ranking in the highest score at the end. The games get really hectic and crazy at the end because there are so many meteos falling, and your opponent is constantly launching meteos.

I have never seen a more addicting puzzle game since the king of them all, Tetris. Meteos has one of the best lasting value I have ever seen for a puzzle game—with hundreds of unlockables like planets, items, sounds, and rare medals. Since you have to fuse meteos together to “buy” these things, it takes hours and hours of play-time and thousands and thousands of meteos to actually get everything. The multiplayer really adds to the value as well since you and up to 3 friends can duke it out by sending your launched meteos to your opponents. All the planets and items you have unlocked in the game are available to use in the multiplayer so it’s almost always a fresh, different round of play. Meteos will have you playing for months on end. I still find myself drawn to it, and that was 4 months since I last got it.

Meteos is truly one of those games where it can’t be done on any other system. Meteos is one of the best puzzle games in years. It has a design that hasn’t been done, and unlike most puzzle games, it’s unordinary. The ideas of moving blocks once they fall are unusual, and with different items, let’s hope this style will grow. Meteos also has a story which isn’t popular for puzzle games, as well as, some colorful graphics. Meteos does have one of the best soundtracks of any puzzle game. The best part to Meteos is that it will last you for months on end because of all the unlockables—planets, items, songs, and sound effects. Meteos also has an excellent multiplayer, in fact, its one of the best multiplayer game for the DS. Meteos is one of the best reasons to get a DS, and one of the best/most addicting puzzle game in years.

Scorecard
Presentation: B+
Graphics: B
Sound: A-
Gameplay: A-
Value: A+
Tilt: A-
Overall: A- (91%)

This was posted by //Aneurysm\\ on 10-18-05. This may not be posted anywhere without my permission

[+ Ryan]

Nice review. I have a DS, but my mom uses it more than I do (she's into Nintendo handhelds o_O). I may check this out now, since I kind of like puzzle games like this. Good job.

[//Aneurysm\\]

You should, but I would hold out untill Mario Kart DS......

Thanks for the comments