User Review : Droplitz

Simple and Challenging

Blitz Arcade makes it's way onto the PSN with their newest title Droplitz. How does it stack up? Well, let's take a look, shall we?

Graphics: Droplitz has a very simple, fluid interface which gets the job done. Everything from the menus to the gameplay run ultra smooth with absolutely no slowdown whatsoever. The backgrounds used during gameplay, which change as you play, are quite beautiful and do an excellent job of creating a calming effect in an otherwise frantic and fast-paced environment.

Gameplay: The goal of the game is quite simple, guide drops of water (Droplitz) from the top of the screen into the collectors at the bottom while manipulating the pieces of pipe leading down by turning them clockwise or counter-clockwise. OK, I lied, this game is actually quite challenging and things can get very crazy very fast as you progress. Each time a successful path is created from the top of the screen to the bottom and your Droplitz have reached their destination, all pieces of that path explode and new ones drop on in, which immediately keeps you on your toes as each Droplit used detracts from your total amount which, when depleted, means game over.

Multipliers can be achieved by creating multiple paths on a single run and these will be the biggest contributor to your overall score as single paths won't keep you in the game very long. As stated above, as you progress, the levels change along with the background image, theme and music. Along with this, as you progress, the speed at which the Droplitz flow increases and the game gets faster and faster, so you'll quickly find yourself flying across the board trying to get these paths as time really becomes a factor.

As high scores are attained new modes which focus on endurance, power-ups and the ever challenging 'Infection" mode become available where certain pieces of the board become infected and turn much slower pace and the boards begins to wobble as time progresses. Clearing paths eliminates infected areas and keeps the playing field steady. Overall the gameplay is simple and provides a hefty challenge.

Sound: The sound design, in my opinion, is absolutely beautiful. It's combination of light techno beats and, at times acoustic guitar and violin, really delight for the ears as you progress through the game causing a new level to start with a new tune. It's got all most of the sounds that you'd expect from an arcade title and does the job quite nicely.

Overall: Droplitz really does cater to the hardcore puzzle fanatics out there and provides an excellent challenge. The gameplay is simple and not particularly deep. Although the game's soundtrack is beautiful, it would have been nice to have some custom soundtrack support thrown in as well. As stated before, Droplitz focuses more on the gamer who enjoys puzzlers, so be sure to bear that in mind. It's a fun puzzler that gets the job done.