PRISM: Light The Way – NDS – Review

The latest
puzzler from Eidos Interactive, PRISM: Light the Way, presents some unique gameplay elements that should appeal to many causal gamers out there. Instead of
falling blocks, PRISM uses light as a means of solving puzzles, with mirrors and
prisms required to guide light to little creatures named “globos.” The storyline
is pretty cheesy and the presentation is ho-hum, but the gameplay works in short
bursts, which is what the casual audience that this game is geared to will
appreciate.

The storyline is
cutesy fare, with you trying to save a race of rain cloud-shaped alien creatures
called globos by shining light that emanates from little green fellows that look
like slimes from Dragon Quest. The story doesn’t really make one lick of sense,
but since this is a puzzle game, that’s hardly the point.

As mentioned
earlier, the point behind PRISM: Light the Way is to get light from your green
characters to the globos. Unfortunately, since you cannot rotate any creature or
item at all, you’ll have to get creative with how you shine light. The game
gives you three different items on the playing field; a single-color prism, a
multi-color prism, and mirrors.

Mirrors will
bounce light at a 90-degree angle, while single-color prisms will change the
color of the light to suit a certain color of globo. Multi-color prisms will
serve both purposes at times, not only changing the color of the light, but
bouncing the colored lighting in a cross shape. If one or more of these objects
are on the field once you begin a certain puzzle, then you’ll most definitely
have to use them.

The puzzles start
out a little slowly, allowing inexperienced players to get a grip on the
gameplay mechanics. However, once you get into the later stages these puzzles
will get gradually more complex and difficult, often requiring you to use
several items and bounce light from several different green creatures in order
to light up each and every globo.

Fortunately, the
game has a pretty liberal hint system in case you get stumped on any puzzle. By
tapping on the hint icon on the touchscreen, the game will reveal the location
that one piece of your puzzle needs to be on the map. This nudges the player
along in the right direction nicely, but doesn’t give the whole thing away. Of
course, should one hint not be enough, then you are able to keep pressing the
hint button until it has told you where every piece needs to be.

The game is split
up into four different modes, with a puzzle mode, time mode, hyper mode and
infinite mode, each nothing that puzzle fans have not played before in another
capacity in a different puzzle game. The gameplay is pretty simplistic, but
becomes quite challenging as the puzzles wear on. However, given the simplistic
nature of the puzzles, this isn’t the type of puzzle game that will draw you in
for a marathon session.

Presentation-wise,
the game is very barebones. The graphics are 2D and nothing that couldn’t have
been done on the GBA. The sprites are very cutesy, and the game maps all look
the same. The sound isn’t much of a step up, since the music is the same brand
of cutesy fare with minimal sound effects.

PRISM: Light the
Way is light on looks and pretty simplistic, but the ease-of-play makes it a
good title for casual gamers to grasp. Check it out if you’re a casual puzzle
game fan looking for something unique.

Gameplay:
7.0
The
gameplay is pretty simple, and thusly quite easy to grasp for casual puzzle
fans. The innovative light based gameplay offers something new to the genre.

Graphics:
5.0
Not
really much to look at here, just cutesy GBA-quality graphics.

Sound: 5.0
A typical
cutesy score that fits the game’s theme, but likely one that you’ll mute out.

Difficulty:
Medium

Concept:
7.0
While
the gameplay is obviously geared towards brief, casual gameplay sessions, it
offers some new elements not usually offered in the puzzle genre.

Multiplayer: 7.0
The
single cart co-op mode is an interesting touch, requiring you to beam light to
your friend’s touch screen and vice versa.

Overall:
7.0
PRISM:
Light the Way is a casual puzzler with some fun elements and easy-to-grasp play,
although the game is best played in short bursts in order to break up the
monotony.