If you’re familiar with developers Inti Creates, you’ll know they’ve got a great pedigree for action-packed platformers. The Mega Man and Azure Striker Gunvolt series come to mind, but you really shouldn’t expect anything like that from their latest title, PuzzMiX. Instead, it takes a completely different path, presenting a Suika style puzzle game, featuring a character from the Gunvolt Chronicles series, with a low price tag to boot.
Is this divergence from the norm going to be a recipe for success, or does PuzzMiX fail to captivate its audience?
PuzzMiX puts Lola, one of Gunvolt Chronicles: Luminous Avenger iX’s memorable characters, front and centre in this Suika puzzle game. The battle support robot, also known as ‘The Muse of Hope’, plays the part of a virtual idol here as she accompanies the action. Her true form though, is that of battle pods, which are actually going to be at the heart of the goings on.
For the newcomers to the Suika sub-genre, it’s essentially a hybrid of puzzling concepts where things fall and then subsequently merge together. In this case, various forms of Lola battle pods – or spheres – must be dropped into a confined space. When two of the same pod types touch each other, they’ll merge together and evolve into a more advanced form. Rinse and repeat to earn more points, with the aim being to keep merging to increase the total score until you run out of room and the pods reach the vertical limit line.Â
There are twelve variations of Lola’s evolutions, with each coming in different sizes and visual designs, so it’s quite cool to see them all. That’s if you’re skilful and lucky enough to achieve such a feat. Firstly, although you can see the next pod to be placed, it is chosen randomly and if PuzzMiX decides you’re not getting the specific one you need to merge anytime soon, it’s just tough. Due to the massive size of some forms, it’s difficult to merge enough of them to create two at evolution stage ten within the space given.
Furthermore the physics are also a bit erratic, seeing the pods rolling or flying in the air during merges. As such, your best laid plans are often futile.
On the flipside, the unpredictable physics can work in your favour and one match could shuffle the pack, setting off a glorious chain reaction to keep you going. The easy to grasp gameplay also ensures PuzzMiX is pick up and play material, lending itself to those who want something to dive into for ten minutes or so at a time. With online leaderboards in place, it’ll entice you to try and do better to climb up the rankings – even if only rising a single spot.
Given how there’s only a single game mode, there’s not a lot else to keep you coming back. Well, apart from unlocking all of the songs to listen to while you’re merging of course. Starting with a mere two tracks, another will unlock on every occasion you garner a certain amount of points, or more, in a single attempt. It’s a relatively achievable number, so there’s every chance of unlocking a new track every go, until the whole setlist of twenty is available.
Whether that’s worth the effort depends on your musical taste and if you’re familiar with the Gunvolt Chronicles: Luminous Avenger iX series. Almost the entire collection is from those games, except one which is brand new called ‘Sparkling Elevation’. The high tempo can’t be faulted, however they are repetitive as hell and after a sole loop you’re probably going to either turn the sound off or chop your ears off.
On the visual front, I like the vibrant background and colourful pods, which really help set a joyful tone alongside Lola. Speaking of Lola, she’s cheerful and certainly kawaii, like any half-decent idol has to be. Perhaps the only disappointment is that there aren’t any alternative attires for her to change things up a bit.
I think it’s fair to say that PuzzMiX is a bit of a mixed bag that might only serve the ardent Luminous Avenger iX fan. The Suika puzzling and merging excitement is a novelty that soon wears off, with leaderboards adding a minimal amount of longevity. Unfortunately, the soundtrack will absolutely drive you mad, so I can’t even recommend sticking around to enjoy the unlockable tunes.Â
Should you be a loyal fan of Lola and have love for the soundtracks of Luminous Avenger iX, then PuzzMiX is cheap enough to indulge in your interest. For everyone else, it depends on whether a couple of hours of fun, at best, is worth the price of entry.
