| Introduction
Puzzle games have long been a staple of the handheld
format and where the original GameBoy played host to
the un-put-down-able Tetris, the Game Gear housed the
equally engaging Columns. Enter Turbo Turtle Adventure
- a game that can best be described as a type of 2D
Monkey Ball although here you control the ball (or Turtle)
rather than the course. In theory, it all sounds good,
but as a puzzle games go, does this one have that all
important adrenaline pumping addictive-ness of a really
good puzzler? Let's see shall we?
GamePlay
"Turbo Turtle is a lovely creature, fond
of adventure and perhaps a bit too curious for his own
good. Swimming about in the ocean one sunny day, Turbo
Turtle suddenly finds himself lost in uncharted waters,
but soon encounters a mystical island. Pulled ashore
by an unnaturally strong current, Turbo Turtle soon
discovers that he is trapped on the treacherous Isle
of Mazes! Inhabited by nasty traps and deceitful labyrinths,
Turbo Turtle must defeat the Isle of Mazes in order
to win his freedom and swim to sea!"...That's
what it says on the box although in actuality the premise
of the game is actually quite easy.
Your overall objective is simply to navigate Turbo
Turtle to the marked exit. This process starts off easily
enough with the environment providing more than enough
tools for you to complete your tasks. The tasks in question
could be building a bridge, opening a door or jumping
a gap. Later on you're challenged with secondary tasks,
which require your Turtle to don a special suit whose
special powers lasts for only five seconds, thus making
haste essential. For example, slippery ice surfaces
can be overcome with a spiked suit and opposing floor
arrows with a turbo suit. In addition, the game is non-linear
so you can always discover more than one way to complete
the series of tasks in order to complete the level.
All the various areas stem from a hub, which in this
case is a map of the island. You can see all the various
paths but you can't get to them until you've solved
the allotted amount of puzzles. Turbo Turtle Adventure
also features one of those wonderful auto save features,
so completing a level means you can simply move on to
the next with no worry of your batteries running out
(it's happened to me so I'm sure it's bound to happen
to you). There is a minor problem here though - when
you exit the current level it will still be selected,
so unless you physically move on, you'll be forced to
play the same level again without the aid of a quit
facility.
Controls
As with most puzzle games. the controls are simple
and easy to understand. Still, if you have problems,
there's a fully featured tutorial to help you every
step of the way. This can be chosen from the options
menu and consists of a ten-point lesson on how to utilize
Turbo Turtle Adventure's various controls. As I've said,
controls are not a problem, which for a puzzle game
is usually mandatory, since you'll be needing all your
brain power for solving the puzzles rather than figuring
out exotic button combinations. As the PR release states,
"easy to get into, difficult to master" and
I couldn't agree more.
Graphics
As this is a puzzler, the in-game visuals remain
simple and practical throughout. The backgrounds do
change style as you enter different environments but
as all of the courses are constructed from a series
of building blocks (doors, bridges, platforms, etc.)
it does raise an interesting question. Why wasn't a
level designer included? A game of this nature can't
be that processor intensive and the inclusion of a level
designer would have made the game even better. No doubt
this was all down to development restrictions and it
was just something that came up while I was discussing
the game with a friend. Still, it would have been a
nice addition.
As for game animations, they can best be described
as minimal, with fans turning and turtles rolling, but
still visually pleasing. Anything more would have just
been distracting. Simple but effective.
Sound & Music
Each of the themed environments features a suitably
selected musical soundtrack, which enhances the gameplay
perfectly. It's also good to note that the tunes are
relaxing and laid back compositions which does help
to calm the nerves - particularly useful too if it's
your twentieth attempt at navigating your turtle over
an unstable bridge. In addition, you also get some spot
sound effects and while these accompany start points,
jumping, falling and so on, they also warn you of some
off-screen dangers such as fans and magnets. Overall
a subtle, imaginative and intelligent use of a game's
audio.
Final Comments
Turbo Turtle Adventure is easy to pick up but difficult
to put down and my first session lasted well over two
hours. Yes, it is that addictive. The only downside
is that the game has little replay value and once you've
solved all the puzzles there's little incentive to go
back.
It is a great little game though and the 60 plus
levels should keep you going for some time to come although,
as I've mentioned before, a level designer would have
made it endless. It's not for everyone but a recommended
purchase for those who particularly enjoyed Denki Blocks,
Chu Chu Rocket and Kuru Kuru Kururin.
|
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