Murphid - Review

We've heard from developers that the XNA framework makes it easy to port games between Xbox 360 and Windows Telephone.  That'south a good thing as gamers who enjoy a game on the big screen may besides want to play it on the go and vice-versa. I indie game that recently fabricated the transition from 360 to Windows Phone is Murphid from Decapod Studios. While Murphid'southward name might lead ane to look a connexion to Robocop, it's actually an unrelated but unique puzzle game.

Drop past the interruption for our full review.

Murphid's game play combines elements of match-3 games and falling blocks games while remaining fairly singled-out. In most falling cake games, pieces fall from the top of the screen downward to the bottom, somewhen reaching the top and ending the game. Here a serial of colored blocks slowly rises from the bottom of the screen. If one of those blocks reaches the top, the player loses a life or the game ends, depending on the way. Switching the source of game play pressure from the superlative to the lesser certainly changes the puzzle game flavor.

Drop the blocks

Pieces practice still appear from the superlative, though. Sets of two colored blocks (paired horizontally or vertically) are what players use to fight the rising horde of blocks. Unlike pretty much every other puzzle game in history, these pieces can't be rotated to make better matches. You but line them up horizontally and then driblet them into the playing field in an attempt to match three or more blocks of the same color. If the current piece isn't a good match for the pile at the bottom, it can be swapped back and forth with the next piece. Swapping can certainly exist useful, but I never stopped wanting to rotate pieces for a better fit.

Ungracious gravity

The inability to rotate pieces is only one component of Murphid's rigid feel. The other factor is the way pieces deport once they accept landed. In many puzzlers like Castlevania Puzzle, when a piece composed of two blocks is in a horizontal position and then lands with one of its blocks hanging over the border of another block, the hanging cake will fall, separating from the block it was originally connected with, and potentially match up with whatsoever it finally lands on. However, in games like Dr. Mario and Murphid, the cake that hangs over the border does not fall; it remains connected to its partner cake. The only style to divide it and brand it fall down further is to destroy the partner block by making a philharmonic or using an detail. It's more of a problem in Murphid than Dr. Mario considering players can't normally move pieces sideways once they've been dropped – pieces just fall straight downward. Thus nothing can be placed under a hanging cake, which is a hassle.

Powerups forever

Inconveniently placed blocks and blocker marbles (blocks that can't exist matched with other blocks) can sometimes exist dispatched with powerups. Appearing after large combos, Murphid's powerups are actually its all-time feature. These include a chainsaw item that destroys several blocks beneath its landing point, a Rubik's-cube-ish wildcard piece that will match up with any ready of two or more same colored blocks, an item that destroys all blocks of the colour it lands on, and more. There are so many powerups that it's occasionally difficult to recollect what a detail one does, and yet the game'southward Assistance section intentionally describes simply a few of them. However, powerups are generally helpful and easy enough to use.

Murphid's many modes

Murphid has three distinct game modes: Campaign, Arcade, and Survival. Campaign's 72 levels are cleaved up into 12 sets of 6. Each level has a specific number of blocks that must exist destroyed in order to progress. Players have a limited number of lives to consummate each prepare, as continuing starts you back at the first level in a set. Entrada doesn't really offer much variety other than steadily increasing difficulty, but I always like information technology when puzzle games take a sense of progression.

Perchance you just desire to run into how long you lot can survive rather trying to consummate different levels. In that case, Murphid'southward Survival and Arcade modes fit the pecker. Survival is just similar entrada except that information technology's one endless level. Arcade mode works the same way just with a primal difference: instead of pieces staying at the top until the player makes them drop, the pieces slowly autumn on their own. Thus they can be steered on the fly, opening upward placement possibilities that aren't possible in the other modes. It's bang-up that Arcade offers a unique experience, though information technology seems like Campaign should be playable with Arcade'southward mechanics too.

Controls

To move pieces left or right in Murphid, but slide your finger left or right. A button at the bottom of the screen swaps the current piece out for the next piece. Borer anywhere on screen drops the current piece into the playing field. Unfortunately, the dropping command isn't every bit accurate as it should be. Several times when I intended to drib a piece, it moved a chip to the side before dropping, consequently landing in the wrong identify. Something like a downwardly swipe ala Castlevania Puzzle would work improve. To Decapod'due south credit, the initial release of Murphid featured a completely unlike command scheme; mayhap a future update will fix the chinks in the current implementation.

Graphics and sound

Murphid boasts potent graphics for an indie title. Blocks look good, as practise the graphical effects that back-trail combos and powerup usage. Backgrounds tend to utilize garish color choices, but they don't distract much during game play. A great UI and attractive tutorial text round out the game'southward visual presentation.

The area where Murphid falters is sound. Offset off, there's no music. Games like this actually demand a tricky tune or 2 to maintain thespian interest. Every bit for the audio furnishings, they become the job done. Simply combos and chain reactions don't sound whatever different than regular matches. Increasing the pitch or otherwise varying the sound in those circumstances (ala Popcap games) would add together some excitement. Playing danger sound effects or music when the stack of blocks nears the top of the screen would exist a good thought too.

Awards and Leaderboards

Murphid has eight in-game awards that office much similar Achievements. These provide goals like surviving for 20 minutes in Survival style and earning 9 lives in Entrada mode. Meters even pop up during game play, indicating progress toward the awards. Optional goals like these tin can actually extend a game'south playtime.

Leaderboards are another feature that can enhance replay value. Unfortunately, Murphid'southward leaderboard leaves much to exist desired. It tracks role player's scores in each mode only doesn't allow names to be entered. Seeing my score every bit 'You' kind of kills the score tracking for me. Thankfully Decapod plans to replace the electric current scoreboard with a proper online organisation like Scoreloop in the hereafter.

Overall Impression

Murphid is a promising puzzle game that needs some fine-tuning before it actually becomes addictive. I similar the visual presentation, menus, and powerups. But the sound, controls, and leaderboards display a lot of room for improvement. Still, puzzle game fans should give the game a try.

Murphid'south available in two flavors: cheap and cheaper. The full game costs 99 cents and in that location is also a free version that contains only the beginning eleven entrada levels – a demo, if you volition. With such a low barrier to entry, it's easy to detect out whether Murphid'southward unique puzzle mechanics work for you.

The paid version of Murphid costs 99 cents and y'all tin find information technology here (Zune link) on the Marketplace. If that's too rich for your blood, snap upwards the shorter free version here.

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Source: https://www.windowscentral.com/murphid-review

Posted by: mckenneywhered.blogspot.com

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