Game #141: Planet Puzzle League

Game: Planet Puzzle League

Developer: Intelligent Systems

System: Nintendo DS

Year Released: 2007

Available online: No. 

Purchase Here: https://amzn.to/2ZbsnRV 

Released in 2007, Planet Puzzle League is a block clearing puzzle game that was released as part of the Touch! Generation in Japan and America. It was released to mixed reviews with critics liking the sound, graphics and overall gameplay of the game but not understanding the controls and combo reasoning. In my research, it really seemed like the people that enjoyed the game were the people who saw it and all of a sudden remembered that they played the last version of the game and got excited. 

Single player with 5 modes and Multiplayer over wifi or ds wireless has 3 modes for the players to compete in. There is a lot to choose from when playing this game. Each mode in single player has at least 3 modes each. Time, endless or garbage are the main modes that provide a different experience for the players. In garbage mode there are pieces that appear that need to be matched with in order to clear the way to make space for other pieces. 

Typically when it comes to puzzle games, if it is in this day and age, if it is not a mobile game I’m not playing it. Back then, if it was a puzzle game that is not Tetris or Bubble based I will probably not be playing it either. There are just not a lot of games like this that I would play and with it being on the Nintendo DS it is just at an all around disadvantage. I really don’t know what to expect overall from this game. Hopefully, I am surprised and I am not wasting my time. Let’s Get to the Scores! 

Graphics:

The graphics is the sole area that Planet Puzzle league appears to be lacking. The look of the game appears to be the only aspect of the entire package that did not have as much time and effort spent on it. The sound, difficulty, and entertainment have all been well tuned and the graphics all seem like an afterthought for this puzzle game. It doesn’t look horrible but at the same time is not a great looking game. From start to finish the graphics all looked phoned in and seemed off.

Sound:

The sound in Puzzle league at first is king of annoying and gets repetitive, you start to notice the patterns in the music and how much they are actually repeating.Which leads to you trying to decide whether or not to turn it off so that you can concentrate on the game.Then the next thing you know, it’s been 10 minutes and you are crushing the the game while bobbing your head to the music without realizing what’s happened. The sound effects in the game match the music perfectly. So if you are playing and are in sync with the music everything blends together nicely creating a sound package that you find yourself being completely sucked in to.

Difficulty: 

Planet Puzzle League’s difficulty settings are set perfectly. Each game mode and difficulty setting starts off at a nice pace to help you settle in and begins to progress and gets harder at a pace that fits the rest of the game. If you are anything like me by the time it truly gets hard you will be just about done with playing it any how and ready to take a break or move on. Paced perfectly to not frustrate you but enough to challenge you.

Entertainment Value:

This game has no right being as fun as it really is. Planet Puzzle kept sucking me back in. I would put the DS down to write a few sentences and would find myself only getting a sentence or two out before immediately picking the game up to play for another 15-25 minutes without realizing that the time had gone by. The game flows well and does a great job of keeping you entertained.

Does it hold up:

Planet Puzzle holds up extremely well. With the exception of the graphics nothing about the game stops you from wanting to play. You can tell by looking at it that the graphics were not high quality when it was first released and that it did not age well in that capacity. Everything else about the game holds up well and is a game that you do not mind playing even 13 years later. I easily spent an hour playing this game and didn’t really notice the time had passed.

Overall Score:

Planet Puzzle League comes in with an overall score of 4.5 out of 5. 

Had the developer spent a little more time, money and effort on the graphics this game would have been almost perfect. Everything else about this game works and holds up after 13 years. Although when you think about it. Everything else about the game works so well that you don’t mind that the game doesn’t look as well as it really should. The game is worth your time though, give it a play. 

Final Thoughts:

Planet Puzzle League is a surprisingly good game. I spent more time playing this game than I originally planned. I sat down and the next thing I know, its been an hours or so and I hadn’t written a word yet. So I wrote a few sentences and then went back to playing the game. The game is worth being on the list and is worth you spending a little bit of time and checking out. It is a great game. 

What are your thoughts? Agree/Disagree? Have something to add? Leave a comment down below!  Do you want to help the Journey progress? Visit the Sponsor a Game page for more details to help keep this train rolling!