Reviews

• gamedeal user

  Jan 28, 2022

  [quote]For more puzzle game reviews, news and everything puzzle-related, follow [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/25928931-Puzzle-Lovers/]Puzzle Lovers[/url] and check out our [url=http://steamcommunity.com/groups/puzzlelovers]Steam group[/url].[/quote] [b]kavel[/b] is a tetromino-based matching game. it's not like any old tetris though, but one of those board-based, non-falling ones. random grids with 5 different shapes and tetrominoes to place (the next one is also shown), ideally only covering one shape type (or four different ones), otherwise no points for you. you can still place them anywhere though, matched shapes disappear either way, new ones enter from the north. [b]bombs[/b] can be present from the beginning and more are created by scoring points. they clear connected shapes of the same type if matched, and if you happen to match 2 bombs with one tetromino, they'll clear every instance of that shape on the grid. matching 3 or 4 is even better. the former re-arranges the board by color, the latter upgrades bombs, detonating those increases your multiplier and matching 4 upgraded bombs grants extra tetrominoes or time, depending on game mode. non-scoring placement doesn't trigger them, so if you see a green and a blue next to each other, don't bother. [b]endless score attack on random boards[/b] is all there is, though [b]3 game modes[/b] provide some variety and [b]leaderboards[/b] deliver competition. [u]casual[/u] offers 50 tetrominoes one by one, do your best without any time constraints. [u]frenzy[/u] has a 90-second time limit, multiplier for matching stuff quickly, and [u]zen[/u] is literally pointless in every way. the problem with frenzy is there's no dedicated space for the multiplier indicator, so the board keeps going up and down as it comes and goes. the space for it should always be there to keep the board in place. there's also a [b]tutorial with annoying text display sounds and the inability to show full sentences with a click[/b], plus it doesn't explain anything more than the very basics. you might want to check the [url=https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2458643440]official guide[/url] to learn about most of the stuff I mentioned above and more. [b]why isn't this info present in the game itself?[/b] it'd be a separate help screen, just as optional as the tutorial if you want to figure things out for yourself. [b]controls are mouse-only[/b], no hotkeys, except [b]esc quits the game without warning if you're in the main menu[/b] (doesn't quit the current game though). click and drag a tetromino to place it on the grid, just left click on it or right click anywhere on the screen or while dragging to rotate. good enough, but [b]I wouldn't mind if mouse wheel also rotated[/b], both on mouseover and while dragging. moving the tetromino around shows how much of the board would be cleared in the current position. handy. the auto drag toggle simply sticks the piece to your cursor, saving on some clicking. since there's nothing else to do but drag, it's actually more useful and less annoying than it sounds. it's a [b]mobile port done really well for the most part[/b], great minimalist presentation, nice piano music, functional sound effects. settings include languages, color, shape and background variations, toggles for right/left-handed play and screen shake, resolutions and windowed mode. the two issues I have are [b]no volume settings[/b], only toggles for music and sound, and while resolution options are in a pull-down menu, [b]everything else, including 60+(!) color palettes, has to be changed by going through them one by one, left or right[/b]. most of them are fine with only a few choices, but palette selection is a total joke and [b]settings aren't available while playing, but going back to the menu saves your progress[/b] (except in zen mode, which is still pointless). there's an achievements button in the main menu but it only brings up the steam overlay. other than the issues highlighted above, [b]it's fun if you're into score attack matching games[/b] and the price ain't too bad either. though I'm not one to stick to any one of these games for long, and not only because I suck at them, so waited for half price and was prepared for a much worse port. still, hopefully it'll get some more attention from the developer for an even better experience.
• gamedeal user

  May 24, 2022

  I'm doing my part Dave