Review: Lines Deluxe
Score:
73%
It's time for another puzzle game that might help you while away your summer time stuck in a queue (be it an airport, a theatre show, or waiting around an open air musical gig). Can a classic game ever be made better than the original? Colorbox have given it a go with their version of Lines. Will this implementation of the game be one that I actually enjoy?
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As mentioned before, there are a number of genre games that you can always expect on a platform, and one of those is Lines. Once the IP lawyers started hefting their weight around the Tetris genre, it was time for developers to move on, and a number of them turned to Lines. Colorbox have done that with their latest Symbian release, and I'm pleasantly surprised.
I'm not a great fan of the Lines game. You get a fixed size grid, and each turn sees three different coloured balls thrown onto that grid. You can move one of them to another square. If you've created a straight line (horizontally, vertically or diagonally) of five or more balls, they will disappear and you get a free move to shift one more ball (which if you want, you can "chain" to make another line of five or more).
The thing that annoyed me was simple maths. Adding three balls each turn and being only able to move one meant that no matter what you do, there would always be chaff on the game grid. Yes, it means the game has a natural chaotic end, and for some reason this never sat comfortably with me. Label it as gamer's OCD, but clearing a screen in Asteroids was far more satisfying.
So why do I like Colorbox's version of Lines - which is helpfully called Lines Deluxe?
A very simple reason actually - there is an end to the game. As you create Lines, a meter at the foot of the screen fills up. Once this fills up you get a "level completed" message, the grid is cleared (with lots of extra points for any squares left unoccupied) and you carry on again with a clear grid, more balls, but the ability to rack up a higher score.
Finally, the game score means something in a game of Lines. Not that it didn't before, but now a skillful game doesn't end in chaos, it ends in a clear grid and the chance to rack up a big difference in scores. It might not seem much, but in terms of replay value it adds a lot of value to me.
Neither have Colorbox skimped on the presentation of the game. The balls have a 3D texturing that makes them more spheres than discs, and to help differentiation, different colours have tiny but clear icons etched into them so you can match colours or shapes, depending on your eyesight. The splash screens and background have an Amazonian rain forest feel to them, and while they add nothing tangible to the game, give a sense of polish and pride that is vital in making a game appealing to casual users.
Probably the only missing area is a decent help file for people who've not played this style of game before, or are wondering what the special balls do before they go experimenting. And no, I still haven't figured them out yet either.
There's something satisfying in the whoosh-crack sound effect that accompanies the red fire trail when a ball moves to a different location. Another small touch in a game that's full of them. Of course, it's these touches that make Lines Deluxe a far better Lines game than I've seen before.
Yes it's still a Lines game, and I personally would turn to other games on my handset before this one, but it's not getting deleted in the immediate future. Congratulations to Colorbox, this is definitely worth a second look.
-- Ewan Spence, July 2011.
Reviewed by Ewan Spence at