Review: Dropathon
Score:
60%
Version Reviewed: 0.99
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Here we go, it’s another falling blocks game. Let me let you into a little secret here, readers. If you’ve ever wondered what the hardest application in the Symbian world (actually in any computer world) is to review, it’s a game that’s "not quite unlike Tetris". Because to put it simply, Tetris is the one. Many come close (and we’ve reviewed one or two on All About Symbian in the past).
So, here’s the important stuff you need to know. Tetris-style shapes drop down into an empty grid, you can rotate each piece as it falls. The pieces are made up of different gems. Get three gems touching each other and they collapse. What’s different here to the regular Tetris rules is that gems, even from a T-shaped piece, will always fall to the bottom as single gems, and not retain the shape of the falling piece.
As with all these games, the controls and graphical appearance of the game are what will make or break the title in the user’s hands. You can have the greatest of puzzle angles but if it handles like a tractor, forget it. And while Dropathon isn’t a mechanised farmyard, the controls are surprisingly sloppy for a fast action game. Of particular note is the ‘fast drop’ action, which I feel I’m always fighting to make it do what I want it to do. Generally, there’s a sluggish feel to the controls.
Graphically the game is functional. The pirate/treasure motif gives us gems instead of the typical coloured balls, and a splash picture when the game opens, but doesn’t contribute much beyond that. There are no between-level rests that could exploit this graphical theme, and in the main game there’s no obvious links to the theme. It’s a wasted opportunity to make the game stand out from the crowd, and Dropathon needs something extra here.
Boomslang have tried hard, with four different "ways to play" the game. As well as the traditional 'play as long as you can' mode, you can challenge another player (or a pre-programmed AI) in a "turn about" mode or a "split screen" mode. It’s also possible to connect over Bluetooth to another Series 60 device for a head to head in "Split screen mode"' which is the only way two human players can manage these games.
The game modes are a good addition, but when you’re building on an average game engine, there’s not a lot you can do to improve the game experience.
Trying to sum this is up is wierd. Boomslang haven’t done anything wrong here, there are no fundamental mistakes in the game, there are no glaring bugs, everything you’d expect to be in a falling puzzle game is here. There’s just nothing terribly exciting about it.
Reviewed by Ewan Spence at