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Liquid Metal Software, $15. Requirements: PowerPC, 6MB RAM, System 7.6.1+. For more information, visit Liquid Metal Software at http://www.liquidmetalsoftware.com.
Review by Bryce "Sargash" Downing
Ever since Tetris arrived on the gaming scene, people have become addicted to manipulating shapes falling toward the bottom of a screen. Once humankind's addiction to the game took hold, Tetris clones popped up faster than reader reactions to an Anne Feld MacWorld article. Some would argue that the "falling-object" genre has been fully exploited, that there is no new ground to be laid. To some degree this is true, but who cares? MacPuyo provides a fresh breath into a plundered game type and is apt to keep one awake at night, pondering various ways falling colored blobs can be manipulated to earn new high scores or to quickly crush an opponent. Plus, this is the only game so far with the prestigious honor of being programmed entirely with an iMac.
The goal of MacPuyo is to place the falling blobs so that blobs of the same color are touching. Once a group of 4 or more blobs of the same color are combined, they quickly disappear from the window, thus adding points to your score. Blobs fall down in pairs which can be of any combination of blob colors. As with all games in this type, the speed at which the blobs descend increases as the game progresses and it’s "Game over, man!" if your blob stacks ever reach the top.
MacPuyo comes with a slew of changeable settings which add to the replayability of the game. Think you’ve got the 4 basic blob colors mastered? Let’s see you dance with all 7 blob colors in the mix. Don’t like the music or border? No problem. MacPuyo comes with 3 different sound tracks and 4 game backgrounds to appease your fickle soul. You may notice that the game’s recommended requirements ask for stereo speakers. Indeed, the game’s sound tracks do blare in awesome stereo sound.
Although the single player mode and computer opponents can provide many hours of blobbish enjoyment, the true challenge lies in the MacPuyo battles one can have against another human. Controlling the falling blobs is easy, and two individuals will have no problem using one keyboard. Granted, I take no responsibility for any elbowing or ear biting which may ensue, but you can use one’s own judgment with whom you choose to play.
I invite you to download one of the two Quicktime movies which have been included with this review. These movies show the game in action and will give you a better feel for how the game plays. An online or network multiplayer mode would have been nice, but MacPuyo still delivers a solid gaming experience. For $15, the game’s a solid purchase, especially for those who rubbed (or still rub) their thumbs raw playing Gameboy Tetris. My only advice to Liquid Metal would have been to get some plush MacPuyo beanie baby blobs out on the market. Now that would be cool. |