Puzzle Master

• Release Date: December 01, 1999
• Genre: Traditional
• Style: Jigsaw Puzzle
• Similar Games: Columns (Sega Genesis), Tetris (Game Boy), Tetris (Nintendo Entertainment System), Columns (Sega Game Gear), Kirby's Avalanche (Super Nintendo Entertainment System), Tetris (Arcade), Tetris 2 (Super Nintendo Entertainment System), Super Columns (Sega Game Gear), Columns (Arcade), Tetris (Macintosh), Tetris 2 (Nintendo Entertainment System), Columns (TurboGrafx-16), Tetris (Philips CD-i), Tetris 2 (Game Boy), Tetris (Commodore 64/128), Columns (Sega Master System), Tetris (Atari ST)

Game Description

Firmly grounded in the tradition of games such as Tetris and Columns, Puzzle Master is a falling-object puzzler with a unique fantasy world twist. It seems the evil Goblin King has corrupted the elements and is flooding the land with water, fire, wood and rock.

As various combinations of elements fall from the heavens above, you must arrange three of the same type of elements in a row, effectively eliminating them from the playfield. You must do this again and again until your Sword of Light is fully powered; then you can proceed to the next level.

The world of Puzzle Master is composed of more than 50 levels, including Quest, Time Challenge and Training modes. During a Quest, you will encounter wizards, dragons, fairies, monsters and other fantastical creatures. Monsters rain down waves of elements, including the Skull of Pollution, which cannot be eliminated by traditional means.

For these you will need to use one of your Adventurer's Tools, which can be found throughout the game; daggers can be used to damage monsters, slice through elements or chop things like rope or barrels, and potions will clear all of one type of element. Other tools include hearts, bombs and keys (tools fall from the top of the screen).

While on your puzzling Quest, you will encounter a number of unusual challenges in addition to matching up elements and killing monsters. You will open doors, crash through walls, revive sick friends and enact any number of other feats.

There are also many secrets to discover and experiments to perform. For example, if you see a flower, try watering it. If you see an egg, hatch it and see what happens. A password feature lets you save your progress as you journey through the game.

The Training mode of play lets you experiment with the Adventure Tools and the Time Challenge mode lets you practice the basic skills needed to succeed. If you beat the Time Challenge, you will gain a secret code that will help you in your Quest.

Roots & Influences

The "falling object" genre of puzzle games began with Tetris. Sega's Columns introduced the concept of matching three or more objects in order to remove them from the playing field.

Review: Overall

The wonderful thing about Tetris is its simplicity of design. As blocks descend from the top of the playfield, your only job is to manipulate them into position. The game gets harder and harder as you go, but the mission stays the same: form solid lines in order to keep the playfield clear. Puzzle Master takes the falling object puzzle genre created by Tetris and adds a virtual cornucopia of characters, weapons, objects and fantasy worlds. The end result is a mixed bag.

Puzzle Master is interesting in that there are specific objectives to achieve other than keeping the onscreen objects from reaching the top of the playfield. You must use keys to open doorways, daggers to kill troll-like monsters, and bombs to clear areas of the screen. Also, you'll feel a genuine sense of level progression as you experience new characters and new worlds. Some of the characters will even help you out by bringing you useful items!

While Puzzle Master is a unique entry in the world of falling object puzzlers, it comes up lacking when compared to some of the better games of the genre, such as Tetris, Columns and Pac-Attack. Columns is similar to Puzzle Master in that your primary job is to line up three identical objects, but Columns is the better game, because it's easier and more fun to create chain reactions. Pac-Attack has only one type of enemy creature (ghosts) and only one weapon (Pac-Man), but lining up a long row of ghosts and then munching them down is more fun than anything you'll do in Puzzle Master. And Tetris is, simply put, the most addictive videogame of all time.

Overall, there are worse things you could do than add Puzzle Master to your library of Game Boy Color cartridges. It's slow going initially, but it picks up once you progress past the first world. Control is solid, and there are puzzles within puzzles to keep your thumbs and your brain working overtime. If you enjoy falling object puzzle games, but you are looking for something different from the rest, you may want to give Puzzle Master a try.

Review: Enjoyment

Puzzle Master is a curiosity among falling object puzzlers. It lacks the focus and intensity of a game like Tetris, but it is interesting.

Review: Graphics

More detailed than your average puzzle game, but nothing special.

Review: Sound

The music is varied and has a cinematic flavor. The explosions are powerful.

Review: Replay Value

Once you beat {*Puzzle Master}, the second time through is nowhere near as enjoyable. Contrast this with {*Tetris}, a game that can be fun year after year.

Review: Documentation

The manual is vague in some areas and lacks sufficient detail about the various worlds.

Production Credits