"Honey may be sweet, but it can pack qutie a sting as well."

Game play:
The game play is perhaps one of the most intriguing things I've seen within a puzzle game in a long time (Puzzle Quest come close). It is a spin on the tile flip puzzles that are rather popular in many games varying from Role Playing Games to Adventure. An example of it is that you hit a center tile, and the surrounding panels "flip" and change color. Seems simple eh? Well, the first few puzzles are, but then it starts getting rather hard. Within the regular color flip, there also lies, locked/count panels, and vector labels. Lock/count panels need to have a "beat" hit them the indicated number of the tile before they "open" and act as a regular tile. Vector labels send the "beat" that hits them in an indicated direction, and these labels can be flipped if a vector beat hits them as well.

Game modes:
- Puzzle mode: This is the mode that allows the player to really think and learn then game. It also is a game within itself given the difficulty of the later puzzles. It does stream nicely though and the pace is steady, although some puzzles are enough to cause you to send your DS flying.

- Evolution mode: Imagine something similar to tetris, but the honeycombs rise instead of fall. That's how this style works in the fact that the more lines you clear at the same time, the more "evolved" you are. This is a very hard arcade style version of the puzzle and although even harder then puzzle mode, just as satisfying once the learning curve is picked up.

The game modes are extremely difficult, and perhaps might be a turn-off, but with a bit of thought, this easily becomes a winning combo.

Music/ Graphics:
For a puzzle game on the DS, these two categories are actually top notch. The music (and the un-lockable songs) are all very creative, and allow you to set the mood for your puzzle session. The fact that they each have a different but catchy flare makes it hard not to like them. The background/visual section is just as nice. Background has a variation from simple colors to patterns to even rather hi-res photos. And the visuals are somewhat like like a visualizer for many of the music players today. All of these are obtained by unlocking certain levels (being a certain # of stages) in puzzle mode. Some may be unlocked through evolution mode, I just haven't gotten any yet. These two truly make this the Lumines of the DS.

Overall:
The game is somewhat hard to get fully into when it gets tough, but otherwise it's a great game. It doesn't have the variety of songs of Lumines, but still is great overall. The only reason I can't give it a full 10, is because of the sheer frustration level that some of the puzzles provide. Another reason is: no wi-fi or download play! That is a definite downside, although the game does keep one occupied on public transportation, or in the backseat of the car.

Final Word: if you like original puzzle games but don't mind a bit of a hard streak, pick this wth
winner up, it's only 20 bucks after all. :D

8/10

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 04/09/07