This Is Not Your Grandma's Matching Game: PvNvZvP: Puzzle Wars HD
PvNvZvP: Puzzle Wars HD ($2.99) by PAN Vision AB (available separately for iPhone) is the new puzzler based on the hit iOS game Pirates vs. Ninjas vs. Zombies vs. Pandas.
It brings an action twist to the match-three, or in this case, match-four, genre that is both original and frantic. And, as always, adds tongue-in-cheek cleverness to the mix.
Like all puzzlers of this sort, the premise of PvNvZvP: Puzzle Wars HD is simple. Remove groups of no less than four similar characters, by swapping places with other pieces like in Bejeweled.
The larger the grouping and the more combos you make, the higher your score. You clear levels by making the required number vanish before time runs out. Nothing new, right?
Wrong! PAN Vision AB is mindful of the action gamers who love the franchise. There is a real gaming component to PvNvZvP: Puzzle Wars HD. And, it retains the whimsical irony of the original game.
You can’t just rest the iPad in your lap and calmly swap pieces. You need to hold on with both hands and quickly tilt the device to fill empty spaces with new pirates, ninjas, zombies and pandas.
You won’t get very far without shaking things up. You need those extra pieces to make the requisite number of matches to clear all but the easiest levels.
The game starts off easy, but the physic-puzzle element gets challenging quickly.
The gameplay is smooth and super-intuitive; Pan Vision AB didn’t reinvent the wheel, so you already know how to play.
But, the characters don’t vanish quietly like gems, they explode off the screen, and a well timed tilt can start powerful chain reactions that rack up points. The sounds are laugh out loud funny; here the irony is most obvious and most hilarious.
Check out the demo video:
With 40 levels to conquer, and Game Center leader boards to climb, you get a lot of replay value.
I also love how they incorporate the original video trailer and new instructional video into the app itself.
A clever back-story angle is a tried and true means of fan retention, and the ticket to a movie tie-in if the devs hit the right mark; just ask the folks at Chillingo, publishers of breakaway hit Angry Birds.
An untimed mode would be nice, and since this game appeals to little people an easy mode would be welcome too, but there is not much here to complain about.
If you like matching games, but you’re ready for something different from the Zen motif that pervades App Store offerings, you’ll enjoy PvNvZvP: Puzzle Wars HD. It’s a welcome change from the typical puzzler, but be advised, it has addiction potential.
