Meteos: Disney Magic – NDS – Review

Easily one of
the best puzzle games on the DS, Meteos has now received a pseudo-sequel
of sorts in Meteos: Disney Magic. The formula is simple – take away the
original levels and replace them with Disney themed backgrounds. Q Entertainment
is counting on DS owners to pick up their second dosage of Meteos, sadly though,
a few of the hardcore fans will become alienated with this ‘kid-friendly’
version of Meteos.

Let me start off
with listing the licensed levels that are being introduced in
Meteos: Disney Magic.

1. Tim Burton’s
   The Nightmare Before Christmas

2. Lilo and
   Stitch

3. Toy Story
   

4. Cinderella
   

5. Winnie the
   Pooh

6. Pirates of the
   Caribbean

7. Mickey’s
   Magical Kingdom

8. The Lion King

9. The Little
   Mermaid

While each stage
has its own “property” of sorts, it remains to be seen how it affects the game
besides just having the blocks fall at different speeds. Each stage will have a
different reaction for the rocketed blocks. The blocks may leave the screen when
launched, but will then return shortly later with all the blocks still intact.
Beyond that, each level does have its own special ability to provide players a
better chance at beating the level. One power that happened to turn out to be my
favorite was the ability to slow down the blocks. Not only did slowing down the
blocks aid me in sending the blocks off the screen, but it allowed me to view
the entire screen and make a gameplan based on what I wanted to do with combos.
Essentially though, the powers are there to make the game more accessible to the
crowd who are first-time players to Meteos.

The core
gameplay still draws inspiration from the original – multi-colored blocks fall
down from the top, but only this time the blocks have Disney themes applied to
them. The object of the game is to match three or more blocks together using the
stylus. This link, of three or more blocks, will initiate a “launch” sequence
that will send the formation flying off the screen. Not only will the blocks
that have been lined up be launched, but the blocks attached to them will also
be sent packing. Performing mid-air combos are the best way to send the blocks
propelling off the screen. The mid-air combos are needed at higher difficulty
levels due to that the stages will have effects where the blocks barely lift off
when launched.

To make things
easier, the ability to horizontally drag blocks has been added to the series.
Before, players were only allowed to move the tiles up and down vertically
within the game. Now, moving them horizontally aids the player in launching the
blocks, but I also believe it has created a few problems. First off, there is
one dramatic change that will affect how the game is played. Instead of playing
the game while holding the Nintendo DS the horizontal way, Meteos: Disney
Magic asks players to flip it to the side and hold the DS vertically. This
provides more room to work vertically and less horizontally. This, in effect,
creates difficulty with recognizing what block you are trying to move
horizontally with only a small space provided. Personally, I prefer the old
style of gameplay – holding the DS vertically made the screen too small for me
to use the stylus to drag the block to the column I wanted it to situate in.

The new
horizontal gameplay does a great job creating a user-friendly environment for
new players to enjoy Meteos. With the Disney license attached to the title,
there are bound to be new players picking up Meteos for the first time with no
clue how to play. With being able to move the tiles horizontally, it delivers
new ways to send the blocks rocketing off the screen. If hardcore players want
to enjoy the original’s ‘vertical-only’ gameplay, the only way possible of
experiencing this is with unlocking the Expert difficulty mode.  Players
shouldn’t have trouble breezing through the game given how easy the other
difficulty levels are.

On the negative
side of the spectrum, Q Entertainment has wasted the opportunity to put the
second screen of the DS to any real use. The second screen is now used to
display artwork of the level you trying to complete. In one instance, playing
the Winnie the Pooh level will present Pooh bear himself in the second screen
sleeping while you launch off blocks. Pooh, who is having nightmares, needs for
the nightmares to disappear and the only way to do that is to rocket them off in
the first screen. The second screen will change over time as you become closer
to completing the level. With nothing groundbreaking or useful for the gameplay,
the player will never have to look at the second screen while finishing the
levels.

If the players
want to view all the artwork, it can be viewed as it is unlocked in the Extra’s
menu. Sadly though, the unlockables aren’t as attractive as they were with the
original. Before, I could unlock levels and items to use in multi-play, but now
it merely has been reduced to artwork. There isn’t much incentive to keep on
playing beyond unlocking the Expert Mode.

What is
attracting is the multiplayer mode. Up to four players can play at once and, of
course, you don’t need four copies of the game to play.  The Download Play
option is included and it helps out the replay value tremendously. I still find
this option as one of the best features the Nintendo DS offers over the
competition. Instead of going out to buy a copy for myself, downloading the game
from a friend for a particular time is a nice addition. Surprisingly, the
ability to play Wi-Fi is not available – this is unfortunate since I was
expecting it to after Tetris DS included it.

Is Meteos:
Disney Magic a necessary purchase for Meteos fans? Nope, not even close. Is
this a nice introductory to the series to newcomers? Definitely, my girlfriend
finally picked up the Nintendo DS to play after a hiatus from it for the longest
time – all because of Meteos: Disney Magic. Hardcore fans of the Meteos
franchise may be hard pressed to find reasons to play this pseudo-sequel, but
there is enough here to warrant a download from your friend to play multiplayer
at least.

Gameplay: 8.0
There have
been some changes that need to be noted. The first is the ability to move tiles
horizontally. The second is requiring the player to play it vertically. Both
changes come with their positives and negatives, but they haven’t ruined the
simple formula of matching three blocks in a row to send them launching off the
screen.

Graphics: 7.9
The artwork is
brilliant, but it doesn’t come into effect at all with the gameplay. It is only
viewed on the second screen and often times I missed it since I was concentrated
on watching the first screen where the game is occurring.

Sound: 6.5
With no
inclusion of licensed tracks, it undeniably doesn’t help the audio of Meteos:
Disney Magic. Where are my favorite Lion King tunes or the chance to
sing along with “Under the Sea?”

Difficulty:
Easy
It pales in
comparison to the original Meteos. Hardcore fanatics will be turned off
with the easy difficulty and the changes to the gameplay. On the other hand,
newcomers will be able to find their niche and become addicted to the fast
puzzle-solving.

Concept: 6.0
Nothing new
here in terms of licensing and adding the Disney name to an already existing
title. Meteos and the gameplay are still quite fresh in comparison to other
puzzle games on the market.

Multiplayer:
8.0
The Download
Play option is a great feature, but with no WiFi available, it isn’t as well
rounded as it could be. Be sure to share with your friends and spread the joy of
Meteos.

Overall: 7.6
Be wary when
purchasing Meteos: Disney Magic. It isn’t a full out sequel by any means.
I recommend this version of Meteos first – especially since the original is
leagues above it in difficulty.