Junction

"A difficult puzzle game not suited for anyone."

Junction is a weird game that combines logic and action for your Game Gear.
The basic idea is that you have some sort of a board with lots of different moving pieces, and a
trail in each of them. You also have a ball moving freely between them according to the direction
of the trail that is formed upon the pieces. But the course is not designed to allow the ball to
pass through it, and so you have to start moving the squares around, and in realtime.
This often becomes difficult and frustrating, as after the first few levels it becomes very difficult.
There are 50 levels overall, and they get harder as the ball moves faster, the board is more
difficult to set correctly, and there is less time. There are some bonuses along the way which should
help you. There is also a configuration screen that allows you to start at any level, and set a few
other options such as the playing level, and so on. There is also a bonus game which is pretty lame.
This game is mostly aimed at people who really love solving puzzles and playing mind games, but it
also involves action, and fast playing. The idea behind the game is very smart, and its very well
implemented, but its just not so much fun for the average GG player. I don't think any kid can enjoy
such a game, as its too complex and difficult. But adults can certainly find the fun in it, if logic
and puzzle games is their cup of tea.

I'll now analyze each aspect of the game.

Graphics: 6/10
Simple graphics of the board, and okay background graphics. Its basic, but serves the purpose.

Sound/Music: 7/10
The sound effects are simple, but there is quite a wide variety of background tunes that add nice
depth to the gaming.

Controls: 5/10
It takes some getting used to. Also, controlling the movement of the squares is EXTREMELY confusing
at the start. You have to devote a lot of time to this game in order to learn how to play it, or in
fact - how to operate it.

Gameplay: 6/10
If you like such puzzle games that involve a high level of logic and fast reactions and thinking then
you're going to like it. Otherwise you can spend your time on better things.

Replayability: 9/10
There are many levels and boards, in addition to many options. So as long as you like this game,
you'll be able to spend quite a lot of time with it. The options and different configurations are
quite endless, supposing the entire deal appeals to you.

Overall: 6/10
This is probably a very one-of-a-kind game for the Game Gear. Too many more games like this for the GG
you will not find, that's one thing for sure. If the whole idea of an action game that mostly involves
logic and puzzle solving skills, all at little time, and if you're willing to learn to play the game
several hours (requires lots of practice)

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 10/14/01, Updated 10/14/01