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Lumines meet Gunpey DS. Like Lumines, Gunpey DS places a lot of emphasis on style and disproves the notion games that puzzle games inherently have to be boring. It shouldn’t be too surprising, though, considering that both games are developed by Q Entertainment. While they share stylish elements, Gunpey DS has unique enough gameplay to differentiate it from Lumines and that gameplay is good enough to make the game a worthwhile addition to your library.
The main mode in Gunpey DS is Frontlier mode. This mode has you picking a character and playing against a computer-controlled grid. The computer grid is on the top screen while your own grid is on the touch screen. Playing through this mode will unlock additional skins (although in the DS version these are variants of a Wild West theme) and characters. Double skin mode lets you use the DS’s dual screens to control two grids at one time. It takes skill to pull this off successfully but the challenge is appreciated, fun, and welcome. You switch between the two skins with the shoulder buttons. There is also a 10x10 mode which makes the grid twice as wide as normal. Additionally, the game has a time attack mode and a two-player multiplayer mode with versus.
Like any good puzzle game, the gameplay in Gunpey DS appears quite simple. Lines appear from the bottom of the grid and you have to move the lines (with the D pad or more easily by dragging them with the touch screen) to connect it to another line. Once the lines are connected you built a chain and only have a few seconds to add another line to your chain. There are some subtle challenges built into the game. For instance, you can only move lines vertically and the new lines will push the old ones up. You lose when a line reaches the top of the grid. Additionally, getting a chain means that no new lines pop up buying you some time to get things in order. In another wrinkle, new lines will appear quicker if you have lines near the top of the grid. The DS game has a feature where clearing out the screen or making a huge combo will rearrange your opponent’s line and screw up any strategy they had going.
The solid gameplay is only made easier to appreciate with the game’s excellent style. The game’s backgrounds or skins are visual treats and the colorful lines keep things interesting. But while Lumines went with pure trendy style, Gunpey DS isn’t afraid to test the waters a bit with some interesting (and somewhat bizarre) styles. Sometimes, however, the skins get so busy that it’s hard to keep track of your lines and combos. It doesn’t happen enough to harm the gameplay but is something to note.
Gunpey DS is a great puzzle game that is easy to play and difficult to master. While the game was obviously inspired by Lumines, the gameplay is different enough to make Gunpey DS interesting and challenging in its own right. Q Entertainment has been branching off a lot recently and if future results are as fun as Gunpey DS, we’re very happy that they are. The Nintendo DS touch-screen makes the game more manageable, but there is still quite a challenge to be found here. -- Adam Nunez, PGNx Media
---- Dec 3, 2006
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