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Actionloop Twist - WiiWare Review

THE FACTS: Actionloop Twist; Magnetica Twist (US)
WiiWare | Nintendo | Out Now | 1,000 Wii Points (£7.00 / $10.00 Online)
Controller Compatibility: Wii Remote (Pointer); Wii remote (Sideways)
Reviewer: Billy White
 
Just from the screenshots, you may already recognise Actionloop as being a "rip-off" of Zuma on Xbox Live Arcade, or PC websites. You would however, be wrong, as this game originated around ten years ago in arcades, under the name Puzz Loop. Now that we've cleared that up, we'd better look at how good this iteration of the game actually is.
 
    Simply put, you play this game by twisting your Mii 360° to shoot and match three balls of the same colour. The trail of marbles swirling around you though keeps pushing forwards, and when it reaches the hole towards the end of the track, it's game over for you. To prevent this from happening, you must link up three of the same coloured balls, which will subsequently disappear, thus shortening the length of the line, and lengthening the wait until defeat. There is also the option to perform lob shots, ie - throw your ball over another line before it lands. This adds further depth to the gameplay, satisfying the more hardcore gamers, but adding more complication to ther overall game.
 
    In this version, there are several game modes to choose from. All of them are pretty addicitve, and depending on your skill level, can go on for ages. First, there's the quick play mode, in which you keep on playing in a small level, shooting the odd rocket that appears as you progress to move onto a higher difficulty level. Next, there's Challenge mode. This mode is similar to Quick Play, but without the option to quit every ten levels. In this mode, you can also choose your difficulty level, of which a high score will be saved for each.
 
    Next up is Quest mode. As you play through about 30 different levels (throughout each of which, a difficulty can be chosen from easy, normal and hard). In this mode, you will be given a variety of different objectives, such as creating chains of two or more matches at once, or blasting at a set number of marbles within the time limit. This mode can frustrate on the harder mode, and there is little to get back from the puzzles other than the enjoyment of playing them.
 
    Finally, there are also several multiplayer options. With three modes (each consisting of three difficulties or stages) across both co-op and battle options, there is plenty to do, although most of it plays the same, and is quite often very difficult, especially for younger players. Handicaps can always be set though, and if there is nobody nearby then you can always play with up to three CPU's, but to us, the modes could have been a lot bigger and better, with a wider variety of stages being appreciated. Another problem with this mode as well, is that with extra players, the size of the objects, characters and items can often shrink massively to fit everything on the screen, which can make it pretty hard to play. Also, with four players going at once, the line is constantly moving all over the place, ensuring that most of the time you miss your target, making the game even more frustrating.
 
    Unlike many other gamers, we don't think that this game is missing anything by not including proper online features, but in both the single player and multiplayer modes, there always feels like there is little to do (despite the obvious array of options). There are many a high score to be checked up (though these could have been implemented into online tables), and you can check who your multiplayer freinds and rivals are, which is a nice touch. The controls work fine (approximately a third of a quarter turn of the remote will send you three quarters of the way around), and the extra items work fairly well aswell, but the overall presentation and look of the game is flawed, and brings down the whole enjoyment of playing it.
 
    Overall, Actionloop is a great puzzler. The controls work well, and there is a fair bit of stuff to do, but the graphics and varying difficulty can make it seem a bit rushed for release. At the heart of this game there is a really good puzzler, but if you're looking for some great extra modes and options, you're going to be dissapointed here.
 
Final Score
19/30
Good
Gameplay 8
Pretty enjoyable, though sometimes just downright frustrating
Presentation 5
Awful look, with annoying sound as well
Enjoyment 3
Only really fun in ten minute bursts, which you won't find often if you are skilled enough
Other 3
There is a lot to do, though for some reason, it just doesn't feel like enough


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How we rate games: EXPLAINED