Latest Mini Previews
Street Fighter IV - Hands OnSpider-Man: Web of Shadows - Hands OnFamily Trainer - First Lookde Blob - Hands OnGC08 - Resident Evil 5 Hands OnUser Reviews
There are currently 0 User Reviews for TrioncubeWrite your own review for this game today and you will receive 100 Gamer Points.
Click here to register
Trioncube - Hands On Mini Preview
Chris Leyton
04/05/2007
Yet another puzzle game heads to the Nintendo DS; unfortunately we can't exactly see this one providing any sense of addiction...
For puzzle fans that can't get enough of those falling blocks, Atari's latest title for the Nintendo DS is the European adaptation of Namco-Bandai's Trioncube. Released last year in Japan and earlier in 2007 across North America, Trioncube sets itself out as a cute 'n' cuddly, yet outlandishly bizarre take on the archetypal puzzle formula.
If ever a storyline was needed to provide justification and a sense of purpose behind a puzzle game, Trioncube certainly makes such an attempt, with the timeless tale of a kidnapped princess, the evil HellMetal, and you the captain of the mighty ship Penko. Hurtling across the solar system, each of the eight planets in the game constitutes a set of levels to complete, tallying up points until a limit is reached and it's time to move onto the next.
What transpires is an unashamed "variation" on the Tetris formula, with the novel twist of chained blocks no longer disappearing, but actually challenging the player to keep the chain continuing by dropping further blocks that expand upon the initial 3x3 grid - apparently these provide the fuel for the Penko ship to continue through to the end of the level. Failure to continue building the chain results in the block turning into coins before disappearing, which can be used to purchase new pictures and sound effects in-between levels. Later levels in the game throw increasingly more complex blocks to handle and tighter time limits, along with the challenge of racing against an opponent to reach the finishing line first.
Providing the standard range of modes, Trioncube offers 45 missions in the Story mode, with quips from the evil Hell Metal such as "Curry is too spicy for me" or "I'm afraid of the dentist", thrown in between - even amongst some of the stranger games to come from Japan, Trioncube can justifiably stake a claim as something completely out there. An Arcade mode provides a 20 minute fix, without the time limit found in the Story mode, whilst those up for a masochistic challenge will find the Endless mode deserving of its name. A variety of options provides the scope for plenty of multiplayer shenanigans along with Single-Card play, though the lack of Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection options seems like a questionable omission.
Unfortunately, as a Nintendo DS title, Trioncube fails to make any use of the DS unique capabilities, so you can put the stylus away and forget about the mic, even the use of the top screen seems absolutely pointless to us at this stage. Perhaps, rather then trying to come up with a gimmicky twist on the Tetris formula, Namco-Bandai would have earned more success trying to design a concept fundamentally based around the format.
With the seminal Tetris DS already catering to everybody's handheld puzzle needs, it's hard to get enthusiastic about this upcoming effort from Namco-Bandai. There appears to be a distinct lack of challenge and purpose to the game, whilst the range of modes doesn't seem to provide the variety that puzzles games require.
