Trioncube review (DS)

This is a horrible situation to be in for any reviewer. We rely on a game being very good or very bad. This means we can write all sorts of either gushing praise or damming criticism, mixed with witty little asides, and so fill up those merciless column inches. Trouble here is that there’s really nothing particularly wrong with Trioncube. It’s just… well… you know… it just… and then… >sigh<

Trioncube is a puzzle game and, yes, it’s a bit like Tetris. Blocks arranged in various shapes fall slowly down and you arrange them to make 3x3 squares. Chain formations together for bigger scores. Chained blocks vanish, remaining blocks …erm… remain, game continues until you either fill up the screen with unused blocks and lose. or reach the target and or beat the clock and win. Rinse and repeat.

Controls

The controls require no particular input from the stylus, and they work perfectly well. The music is ok, if a little dull and familiar after a while.

The throwaway plot in story mode, implausibly involving a spaceship pilot rescuing a kidnapped princess from a Goth pirate in a puzzle-fuelled adventure, is easy to ignore. There are other modes, including single-card multiplayer (yay!), and lots of (easily) unlockables, but… well… you see… >sigh<

Forgettable

I’m really struggling here!

Let me put it like this. My wife asked me, as I played the game religiously to finish story mode (which I did), if I’d be bothering to if I didn’t have to review the game. The simple answer is no, I would not.

Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing really wrong with the game. It is completely and utterly inoffensive. It has no teeth. It never really challenges you in an engaging way. You don’t get angry at it if you lose. You don’t feel elated when you win. You just… stop playing or keep playing. If you like.

It’s all so utterly forgettable so, I guess, just forget it.

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