Zoop

"One addictive puzzle game. Too bad it's extinct."

Well, the first ever review of what a good puzzle game this was. Seeing as it's the first, I can keep it short. So let's go.

Graphics: 10/10
Not much really. Just blocks, dots, shapes, springs and a pencil. And they are pretty good in alternate colors.

Concept: 10/10
It's a puzzle game, so the concept is pretty simple yeah. You are in control of a pencil, and you must destroy all the bricks on the screen, before they invade your personal bubble box. Easier said than done, man. You can only destroy blocks with your pencil pattern. There are four: white, dark, box, and stripe. To switch off, hit the block whose pattern you desire, and you grab the pattern, and it gets your old one. Pretty soon, you'll be switching off and on and off as you try in vain to keep up with the speed that the blocks regenerate. When the blocks invade the box, the pencil blows up and you lose.

Difficulty: 10/10
There are two modes of play: continual and level. Choose level if your new, and continual is for advanced players. Both are the same in the set-up phase. You choose a level and diffuclty, ranging from 1-9 for the levels and 0-4 for difficulty. Once you get started, they are very different. Level is a gradual play. Clear a stage, and the board gets cleared, and you begin anew. Continual is much harder. When you clear a stage, all you will notice is the music changing and the game will just keep chugging on at you.

Control: 10/10
Easier than pants. You just move around, ad hit a button, and the pencil suddenly shoots out and dissolves the blocks in the row that it matches, switching with the different block at the end. You can get special powerups that turbo charge the pencil. There is a ligning bolt that destroys all of the matching color blocks in the side you choose. Then there is a five pronged star, which destroys matching blocks in a row. The hyper star is best. It destroys an entire row. Springs are rare, but pack a punch. If you get five, they disappear and destroy all the blocks on screen. Cool.

Sound: 10/10
Bleeps and bloips make up the sound depatment. The music is really cool though. Some tracks are eeh. Whilst the opening theme is really awesome. It just sticks in your head forever.

Well, the first ever review for a good game.I only hope that Nintendo is reading this, and makes a sequel. If only... with the Game Boy Advance, and the DS, Zoop could make a great comeback. However, that could be never...

Get this game any way you can. It's great.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 04/24/06