QuickSpot

"A Spot the Difference game with a difference"

Quickspot is a 'spot the difference' game with a difference (no pun intended). When you were young, no doubt you would have come across this game (albeit in paper form) in your children puzzle book or the puzzle section of your local newspaper. Quickspot is more than just a glorified electronic version of the same thing. It offers plenty of other puzzles for players to tackle.

Gameplay

The premise is simple, spot the differences between two seemingly identical pictures. Sometimes it might be as obvious as a giant squid, and sometimes the difference can be as small as the little pinkie just a bit longer than the one in the other picture. While it might sound simple (and it is), the developers have put some effects in Quickspot to make it entertaining and refreshing for players.

The game makes full use of the DS' capability. The dual screen is used to display the two pictures, while the player uses the touch screen to circle the area where they think is different. The control is very simple, yet effective. The only complaint I have is that in keeping up with the theme of the game, players need to circle menu choices rather than just clicking on it, like other games.

Quickspot offers three modes of play - Rapid, Focus and one strangely named Today's Fortune.

Rapid play is a 'time attack' of sort, at level 1, players are presented with a series of pictures, each consists of exactly one difference in them. Players are to spot that difference and then go on to the next picture. There is a quota that you must meet before a stage is declared finished. For example, stages in level 1 only requires player to correctly identify 10 differences, but later stages in level 4 might need 18 correct answers.

Sometimes, a picture that you thought you have done before might come up again, but be careful, the difference might not be the same this time round (though lots of the time, it is). Last time, it might be the watch that was different, but this time, it might be the sock that has gone missing.

At the end of each stage, a score sheet is given, detailing on various stats based on the players' performance. They are then presented with a graph that represents their brain activities. It judges the player on five aspects - judgment, concentration, intuition, recognition and stability. Supposedly, the more you play, the better you are at these areas. Based on the score, the player may be awarded with a bronze, silver or gold medal, or nothing at all. Collect enough medals and new puzzles will be unlocked as a bonus.

Rapid play is more than just about spotting the differences between images. As players progress further to higher levels, the harder it is, and the more varieties it becomes. For example, level 2 is what I would call 'scratchy', where the touch screen is blanketed out. Players need to scratch away the obscuring bits to reveal the picture beneath before attempting to find the difference.

Level 3 blocks the screen with leaves that the player must blow away using the mic on the DS to reveal the picture. The leaves get blown up onto the top screen, but will slowly float back down again. Players have to find the difference quickly and circle it before it gets covered by the leaves again.

The Focus mode contains many pictures, in which there are ten differences in each picture. There is no time limit, so players can take as long as it is required, or until they incorrectly identify three spots which they thought were different, after which they will have to redo the picture again. There is no scoring system in Focus mode. Once the picture is completed, that is the end of it. This is not unlike those found in your classic normal everyday puzzle book.

Today's Fortune, on the other hand, is a refreshing take on horoscope reading. If one doesn't like being told about his / her fortune for the day by some funny looking woman in the horoscope section of the newspaper, this might interest him / her. There are four sections that can have the fortune told - work, health, romance and money, all of which are hot topics in any good horoscope reading.

So what to do? The player just needs to pick one of the many differences in each of the five pictures presented. After which, Quickspot will tell the player whether he will argue with his girlfriend today or whether she will catch a cold today.

Is it accurate? Well, has horoscope reading ever been accurate? Take it whichever way you like. But don't blame me if you step on dog poo today.

Graphics

The graphic presented in Quickspot is quite interesting. Players are not stuck with just one graphical style. They varied from oil painting, water colour, pencil drawings, to comic style, children's drawing, etc. It is refreshing to see all the different styles. The colour, when used, is vibrant, appropriate, and solid. There might be times when you are interested in knowing more about the artist who drew your favourite picture than the game itself.

Some of them even feature other characters / things from other Namco games such as Katamari and Ridge Racer.

Although it might not be something that you would hang up on your wall given the chance, it is nice to look at on the DS screens.

Sound

Sound comes a bit as a surprise. It is surprisingly good. BGM aplenty, they are soothing, even though the player will notice when it starts to repeat itself. Some of the tunes will be familiar to players, as they are rearrangement of some classic melodies.

One interesting aspect is that the music gets faster and faster as the timer goes down. When the music gets faster, it is your cue to hurry up.

Replay Value

Every time you get to a new stage, a new picture, a new level, you are already replaying the game. There is incentive to play the stage again in the form of medals and unlocking new bonus games. It might look like there are only 3 type of gameplay, but within Rapid play alone, the puzzles themselves differ from each other big enough to entice players to come back for more.

Overall

The gameplay is smooth. The touch screen is accurate and responsive. The control is simple, yet it does its job well. It might come as a surprise that this game can be addictive and challenging.

The graphics is beautifully drawn and the stellar music and familiar tunes are an added bonus.

The game offers plenty of different variety of puzzles to keep the player entertained. While Today's Fortune is a bit of a gimmick, Rapid play is engaging and addictive, and Focus play taps into the classic 'photohunt' for players who still like it simple.

As the name suggests, Quickspot is something that you can pick up and play on the go. It is quick, each puzzle only lasts for a couple of minutes, and is something that you can enjoy for as long or as short as you like.

Good:

* Lots of different types of puzzles
* Simple control
* Pretty graphics
* Familiar music

Bad:

* Focus Play does not have a scoring system
* Pictures can become familiar and repetitive

Score (out of 10)

Gameplay: 7
Graphics: 7
Sound: 8
Replay: 9

Overall: 8

This review is dedicated to all those who perished in the tragic bushfire in Australia in February 2009. May they rest in peace.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 02/17/09

Game Release: QuickSpot (US, 03/19/07)