 Review By: Jared Black |
Developer: | Hot Lava |
| Publisher: | MumboJumbo | |
| Genre: | Puzzle | |
| ESRB: | Everyone | |
| # Of Players: | 1 | |
| Online Play: | No | |
| Accessories: | Memory Stick Duo | |
| Buy Now: |   |
As one of the largest casual game publishers in the world, it was only a matter of time before MumboJumbo entered the world of handheld publishing. The company’s first two offerings last year on the PSP were decent titles, but the company’s casual roots showed in their short length and basic gameplay. Things haven’t changed a lot with 7 Wonders of the Ancient World, another simplistic puzzle game for the PSP.
Bejeweled’s phenomenal success in the casual market years ago paved the way for a number of clones to follow, and 7 Wonders of the Ancient World is basically another one. The player swaps adjacent tiles to line up three of the same rune, which then clears the runes from the screen and makes way for new ones to fall from above. There are also special runes with powers similar to those found in Luxor, including a lightning ball that clears horizontal lines of runes, a fire ball that removes runes both horizontally and vertically, and an extra bonus tile that appears whenever the player uses four of the other two power-ups and randomly removes 15-20 tiles.
This game’s twist to the standard Bejeweled formula comes in the fact that cleared runes break the tiles behind them into rocks, which then fall on the conveyor belt below. These rocks are collected by cute Egyptian workers, which use them to help construct the pyramids. Each level is cleared only when a capstone or cornerstone reaches the conveyor belt however, so the player needs to focus on clearing runes directly below those stones to allow them to fall to the bottom. There are also locked tiles later in the game that must be matched twice before they’ll clear, adding a bit of challenge.
And that’s pretty much the entire game, as the player repeats the same basic actions clearing runes level after level. Naturally the boards change in shape and things get a little more difficult over time, but there can’t be a lot of variety when the only controls used are the analog stick (or d-pad) for movement and the X button to move runes. The three gameplay modes add little as well: Story mode finds the player helping to construct different wonders in order, Free Play lets the player play any already completed in Story mode, and Rune Quest changes things slightly by requiring the player to remove a set number of runes rather than clear tiles.
Graphics and sound are what you’d expect, with different colored runes, cute workers in Egyptian garb, and Egyptian-flavored tunes while you play. The game’s entire presentation is basically what you’d expect, and nothing more. The one thing this game doesn’t have that I definitely expect though is a save anywhere feature. Instead, the player can only save after completing a series of levels, which is inexcusable for a handheld game that’s basically designed to waste a few minutes here and there.
Bottom Line:
Bejeweled clones are a dime a dozen these days, and chances are you’ve got access to one on some platform. Sadly, this one doesn’t add much to the formula, which dooms it to obscurity on a system that’s already flooded with great puzzle games.
| Pros: | Cons: | Final Score: |
|---|---|---|
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| 5.5 |
Posted: 2007-12-14 20:58:04 PST