"Frantic, stressful, and yet oh so addictive."

The first thing you'll notice about this game is the pace. A lot of puzzle games start off slowly and their demands increase in a gentle curve before reaching a sort of puzzle gaming frenzy, where the player's reflexes are tested to the limit. Meteos is different: it embraces that frenzy from the very start. The average game is brief, lasting for only three or four minutes. Puzzle game fans who prefer long term survival and a soothing experience may find Meteos difficult to enjoy. Those who find the greatest pleasure in scenarios where the player is just barely holding on, like those final moments in Tetris where the blocks are stacked nearly all the way to the top and each move is crucial, will find puzzle gaming perfection in Meteos.

Gameplay: It's traditional in basic setup, but unique in its execution. Blocks of varying colours fall from the top half of the screen, stacking on the bottom. Manipulating columns with the stylus or the slower D-pad, the player attempts to line up three or more same-coloured blocks called meteos. When lined up, meteos fuse together and rocket up towards the top of the screen. Depending on the planet you're playing on, they'll either clear the screen, or require further matches to do so. Each planet has its own physics and in a sense they each seem like a variation of the game itself. This combined with several different modes of play results in a lot of variety within the basic Meteos structure. The modes of play include Deluge, Timed, Simple, Multiplayer, and a Story Mode. The menus, modes, and profiles are similar to those in Super Smash Brothers Melee. Your play time and versus record, among other things, are recorded in a Stat screen.

Part of Meteos' strength lies in the way it avoids the slippery slope common in puzzle games: often, when the screen is nearly filled losing is almost unavoidable. In Meteos, the blocks filling the screen can either be your death or your salvation, depending on how you manipulate them. When another player dumps a load of burned meteos on your screen, it becomes your own ammunition to send back at them. It becomes a game of hot potato, sending the meteos back and forth until one of the players slips up. In a sense, as far as multiplayer and the modes where you face the computer are concerned, it's a game where the lesser player defeats himself. Strategies like scribbling, for example, most often fail when used against a human player with experience and skill.

‘Scribbling' is a tactic where the player rubs the stylus on the touch screen at random, triggering unseen combinations. While some consider this to be a game-ruining flaw, as it allows a player to play the game without paying any real attention to strategy, it's all but useless at higher levels of play.

Presentation: Meteos is an attractive puzzle game, with a sci-fi theme. Each planet has its own background, inhabitants, and set of blocks. (Some planets do share blocks.) The sound effects, story, opening cutscene, and graphics in general come together to create a futuristic setting.

Graphics: As far as puzzle games are concerned, Meteos goes the extra mile. While the blocks themselves are generic representations of element types, the environments and the opening cutscene are above what is generally expected from the genre. Each planet has an accompanying image that illustrates its theme. These vary beyond geographic features: one planet, for example, has a cowboy theme. The characters or inhabitants of the world are simplistic, but stylized, and do seem slightly out of place against the detailed backgrounds of the planets.

Sound: Interestingly enough, the music that accompanies you as you play through the levels is influenced directly by your every action. A basic music loops plays, over and over, increasing in tempo as the stacks of meteos grow taller. As you make ignitions, that basic loop is built upon. In some planets, this comes off as especially pleasing and feels a lot like making music. You can unlock each planet's music set in the Sound Test mode, but with each piece of the overall music separated, it's not really worth listening to outside of playing the game.

Story: Threatened by a menacing planet called Meteo, the inhabitants of the various planets of the galaxy banded together to create the Metamo Ark, a powerful ship capable of mimicking the conditions of a planet and using meteos against the planet Meteo. The story itself, an unusual feature in a puzzle game, is best explored in the Star Trip Mode. The fate of the universe is determined by how you play, particularly which branches you choose, and displayed in multiple ending scenes. There are twelve possible endings, including a few silly ones.

Value: With multiple endings and many unlockables Meteos can keep a completionist busy for a long time. As you play the game, you collect the very meteos you've been launching. You use them as currency to purchase various extras including items, music sets, planets (for use in deluge, simple, or multiplayer modes), and rare metals. Even once everything has been unlocked, you're left with a never-ending quest to better your scores and excellent multiplayer. Star Trip Mode is infinitely replayable, even once you've seen all the endings, and the Simple mode allows you to customise a match against the computer players in a fashion similar to the multiplayer mode. For a puzzle fan who enjoys fast-paced games, this game is certainly worth paying full price.

I didn't expect this game to be anything special. I bought it on a whim because I lacked a puzzle entry in my DS collection. Something about this game just keeps bringing me back, month after month, and demands attention over even my most recent purchases. I've spent more time on this one game than on any other, including the games I initially bought my DS to play. That said, Meteos is not a game that will appeal to all players: those who prefer slower paced puzzle games may want to pass on this one.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 06/09/06