Paradoxion Review - PC

7.5

Gameplay: 7
Graphics: 7
Audio: 6
Innovation: 7

Introduction

Puzzle games are hard to pull of effectively. Too complicated, and you lose the fun and it’s hard to get into the zone. Too simple, and there’s no challenge and nothing to keep you playing. And then you’ve got to pick between the ‘increasing pressure’-style games, like Tetris, or the ‘increasing complexity’-style games, where the puzzles get harder but you’ve got no time limit in which to solve them. The best example of this that comes to mind would be Picross for DS. So, how well does Paradoxion handle this juggling act?

Gameplay

Paradoxion is a game of the ‘increasing complexity’ mould. You’re presented with a square board (of varying sizes) on which there sit different coloured orbs and crystals. You also have a toolkit to the side, which contains more orbs and crystals that you can place anywhere on the board, though not on a space occupied by another object. Orbs and crystals explode in particular ways, and it’s up to you to clear the board using the pieces provided.

You don’t have to do it all in one go, and there’s no time limit. You can even undo every move you make and try and different method. The skill and challenge comes in identifying where to begin, which piece to place where before you set off a chain, and how to make sure that multiple reactions will push all the pieces in position at the right time. It’s definitely not easy.

It all comes down to the different gems and the way in which they are detonated. Your standard pieces are the orbs. These come in multiple colours, but they all explode in the same way – line up three or more, and they’ll go off automatically. Explosions can push other tiles one square over, which as you can imagine can set off some pretty intricate chains. The direction in which the force is exerted depends on which gem is moved (or placed) to set off the reaction. If you have two orbs of the same colour in a line, and put down a third on one side, the force pushes against whatever is on the opposite end. If you put down an orb between two others, the force pushes in both directions.

Then there are crystals. These explode when you get them in a two by two square, but the force exerted by the explosion is always the same – outwards from all sides. Next, you have metallic orbs. These only go off when you get four or more in a line, while golden orbs only go off when you line up five. By the time you move up to a new collection of puzzles, you’ll have to push orbs all the way across the map, teleport them into different places or swap them with another piece, and more. You’ll also encounter blastoids, which explode the moment you move them (or place them) that are extremely useful for removing unwanted pieces and, more importantly, paradoxes.

Yes, the name isn’t just referring to the seemingly impossible puzzles you’ll come up against in later levels – there’s a key gameplay feature involving the titular element. A paradox is formed when two different pieces are pushed into the same square at the same time. You might be unlucky enough to make one if you screw up in an early puzzle, but you’re more likely to see them later when they’re already there at the beginning of a stage. To begin with, the only way you’ll have to remove them is with a blastoid blast. a (continued next page)