Game Review

Mania Grade: C

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Info:

Platform: PSP
ESRB: E
Genre: Puzzle
Players: 1
Online: No
Developer: Mumbo Jumbo
Publisher: Mumbo Jumbo
Suggested Retail: $19.99
Graphics: D+
Sound: D+
Gameplay: B-
Replay: B
Fun Factor: C
Reviewer's Wild Card: C

7 Wonders

By Captain Gordon Edward May 14, 2007

7 Wonders
© Mumbo Jumbo

Have ideas run out in the videogame industry? Who knows? But 7 Wonders seems to make it appear so at first glance. In 7 Wonders you will find a game a lot like Bejewelled, which is a good and a bad thing. Bejewelled was a game from a while back that most people should be familiar with, and it was a game where you would try and match up three of the same type of jewels on a grid by moving one piece at a time. The move would be voided if you were unable to make a match up one piece with at least two others.

Much is the same with the 7 Wonders game but it also holds a few of its own twists. With the 7 Wonders spin rather than stay on the same level over and over you move to different areas of the world to match emblems/runes up, where you try and construct the Seven Wonders of the World. Like Bejewelled the game is also set up on a grid system keeping in tune with similar styled games. For each Wonder you must complete several levels before completing construction on it. But the changes do not stop there as another involves the grid dynamically changing as you progress through each level. One level you could be matching jewels on a square and the next you could be completing a level shaped like a number.

This varied the difficulty since there was a gap between some of the levels. If you were to rid emblems from lower levels the emblems from the above level will drop to replace them. The level design certainly can make your game difficult since sometimes you need to limit yourself to destroying them horizontally rather than vertically. Another change in the game forces you to try and destroy emblems on every square of the grid. By popping each square it gives material for the slaves to create the Wonders and if you do not supply them with the material they will leave (If only it was the same way with all slaves).

Of course there are a few other things that change up the gameplay like where on each level you much move a specific piece from the top of the level to the bottom. This piece is generally a large chunk of material to help create the construction, but if you have completed the current Wonder it will be a map showing you where the next Wonder is. Perhaps the most difficult thing about it is that you are unable to movie it as you would other runes, rather just the ones that surround it. Completing the task can be fairly difficult since there are plenty of pieces in the way, but there are a few power-ups you can create by matching up larger amounts of runes.

By matching up three pieces the emblems simply fade away. If you are able to match up four emblems you will create a lightning piece that voids all emblems on its horizontal path. If you happen to chain together five pieces you will create a fire bolt that voids the emblems directly above, below, and horizontally. If you happen to move a fireball below one of those chunks of material you can drop it to the bottom immediately. I will note though that while there is no direct bonus for chaining several emblems so that they cascading off each other for destruction, if you chain multiple lightning or fireball emblems together you can achieve a star piece. The star price will somewhat randomly remove emblems on the map switching up the gameplay. Generally it will target remaining squares on the grid where you have yet to destroy an emblem on, though it will also help move the chunk of material downwards as well.

Graphically the game is what you can expect from other developers. It has a very simple style for runes, but that really does not matter. The backgrounds look unique to the different levels, but while it is a nice touch it also does not really matter. The characters that collect the construction pieces also are a nice touch, even when they are begging for more material. It is about as good as you could expect, but these graphics could easily be achieved in any flash game. If we look beyond that to the sound you will find generic background music, which changes depending on what Wonder you are trying to create. The sound effects are easy on the ears, so popping all of the emblems will not annoy you. It really is just average in this game, like most of the other features.

In the end, the game does add a few different twists to the gameplay but it does not vary the style drastically. This is a good and a bad thing because it somewhat follows its own path for the game. The different shaped levels are a great touch and definitely make the level much more difficult, especially in the later levels where may need to pop a grid several times to clear it. There is no multi-player but that is fine by me because it is not a game that you will need it for. I felt that the power-ups were a little overpowered, but I liked the fact that if you ran out of rooms the emblems were reset without losing a life. There are a few other modes like one where you need to clear a specific number of runes or emblems before moving onto the next stage, but it really is only another distraction. It is a good game for the price, but not a great game overall. Wrapping up Captain Gordon gives 7 Wonders a C.

Questions? Comments? Suggestions? CaptainGordonEdward@Gmail.com

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