Crystal Crush is a casual game that extends the meaning of the “match 3” games with a superior user experience. As playable as Zuma and Tetris explores a new dimension in the mobile casual games world.
Rules are really easy. Coloured crystals are randomly pulled from the three sides of the screen to the centre of the geometrical pattern. (basically a big hexagon made of other hexagons).Player turns the pattern in the clockwise or anticlockwise by pressing the right or left button to fill the pattern with the pulled coloured hexagons (crystals).
Goals are different depending on the chosen game mode (e.g. Match three Mode requires the completing of clusters of three coloured crystals, Colour match Mode filling coloured pattern with the right coloured crystal, and so on). It is very easy to learn but more challenging than it looks.
Crystal Crush is based on an original and strong mechanic that gives a surprising playability and engagement at the same time. This game structure properly designed for Xbox players overcomes with its simple controls all casual gamer issues, making the gamer free to face the challenge.
Controls - Left and right keys to rotate the pattern to fill with coloured rotating hexagons (crystals). They are randomly pulled from 3 sides to the pattern.
Missions are varied: there are 5 different game modes to unlock and choose. Every mode needs quick decisions and good strategy especially when crystals speed increases. It's a clever little game-play twist, and means that Crystal Crush can get properly frenetic, especially on the later levels.
The presence of special crystals that can help or hinder gamer add complexity as well. Some will over speed the crystals in its tracks (Skully hexagons), for a while others (Diamonds) will explode with any other that are near them or creating a chain reaction (Virus Bonus) with all hexagons they come into contact.
With every game-mode there is a progress bar, shaped as an hexagon, and a “death bar” shaped as a bar or tube ending with a coloured skull.
On every level completion, as signalled by the progress bar, a new level should be loaded on the fly, with a on screen message that says “SHAPE CHANGE”. This on the fly change makes the action really fast and restless.
Graphics - Very clear and colourful graphic on laboratory theme. Very nice light effects in the gamefield but also animated backgrounds.
Summary - A complete puzzle game with an original mechanic, simple controls and bright graphics.
I appreciated this game on the free demo version available on Xbox Marketplace. Bought the full version I'm not yet finished the 48 different and sometimes hard to solve levels.
It is a game absolutelly to try.
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