Review: Neves (NDS)

Good puzzle games keep things simple. Blocks of different shapes need to be ordered into straight lines. Two coloured blobs need to be re-arranged to get three of the same colours in a row. Technology has gotten more complicated, but the genius of a successful puzzle game idea is rooted in a clear and straightforward concept. Some of the puzzle games in the last few years have attempted to add extra bangs and whiz to go with the technology but this has not added much success to a genre where the concept is key. Case in point: Zoocube.

In Neves there are seven shapes: trapeziums, triangles, and a large five-sided shape kinda like a house. Gamestyle apologises for our ignorance; knowledge of geometric shapes is not our strong suit. The shapes have to be combined into a silhouette of an object: a squirrel, a rocket, The Sphinx, a plane, the Olympic torch (Tibetan protestor unattached) as prime examples of simple and successful executions.

The seven shapes combine exactly. They actually all combine to make up an oblong. They can be manipulated to 8 angles and can be flipped back-to-front (therefore the title) and moved into position. All of this is perfect for the DS Stylus and the control system is flawless.

There is an elegant simplicity at the heart of Neves. It is based on the Japanese ‘Lucky Puzzle’ and reminds Gamestyle of some plastic shape game from childhood (which fading memory seems to think was oddly called Tetris.) It could have been on any computer in the last 25 years, but would have been cumbersome and unwieldy on anything other than the DS.

Manipulating the shapes are easy, but the puzzles get more cerebral. Sure, once you get to grips with the combinations some puzzles are at-a-glance completable. In truth the trickier puzzles are those which are differently shaped blobs, as the thicker the silhouette is the less obvious it is where each shape goes.

It would be churlish to expect the 500-odd silhouettes to maintain the same level of creativity and iconography. Some are sparklingly creative, whereas others are blobs with a slightly tenuous name. The sheer volume of possible shapes is impressive.

Gamestyle enjoyed Neves immensely. It’s visual-spatial credentials are a great match for the all-ages appeal of the DS. Gamestyle also feels cleverer after playing it, and has gone to sleep thinking about moving shapes around. It’s the kind of game that Nicole Kidman might play, if Gamestyle thought that she actually plays a DS.

The unsuccessful part of Neves is the attempts to provide longevity. Expert players can try to complete puzzles in ‘7 steps’; but why can’t puzzles completed the first time in seven steps reward you? Equally, there is a time pressure mode where you have to aim to complete all the puzzles in under a minute. Why can’t these be logged when you do the puzzles for the first time? Going back over them is more like a memory test than a skill test. A lack of feedback is the second biggest criticism of Neves. Nothing tells you when you have completed a ‘room’ of puzzles and unlocked another set.

The biggest criticism is the name. Whilst ‘Geometry Wars’ is taken, what about Trapezium Wars? Trapezium Trouble? Lucky Puzzle Seven?  Oblong Distance to go? Hell’s Angles? None is as good as ‘Japanese Lucky Puzzle DS’ or something to link in with commuter games like So Doku and Kakuro.

Music in puzzle games are utterly superfluous, but if you think jazzy Muzak will aide your manipulating abilities then that’s what you get here. The multiplayer ‘Bragging Rights’, which is a quickest to complete three puzzles is the right kind of two-player mode. Oh, and from one cartridge.

Neves’ strength is its central concept, which is compelling, elegant and creative. Credit goes to Yukos for the judgement in striking the tone of the development so well. Look at the graphics- they aren’t whiz bang, it’s the subtle touches of things greying out and standing out that make the idea perform so strongly. It’s a must for any puzzle fan. Gamestyle has chin-stroked over the score- it's way above a seven. Now, how about a name change?

Rating: 9 / 10

Words by Chris Faires