JadeDragon's
game reviews and playing tips: Pocket PC and Phone games
Super Drop Mania by Fathammer,
Price: $14.95 Reviewed posted July 2005 by Marc Morgan
Fathammer has just released Super Drop Mania,
a new puzzle game that looks much like Tetris, but is actually
completely different. The gameplay concept is very different,
and quite unique. To accompany gameplay, there are cheery-looking
graphics, as well as some happy-sounding music. But how does
Super Drop Mania compare to other puzzle games like Tetris?
Super Drop Mania has a unique gameplay that is quite easy
to master. There are different colored blocks that are connected
together if they are the same color, at the bottom of the screen.
At the top of the screen, there is a row of six different colored
blocks. You move the cursor on the top blocks to select the
two blocks next to each other to swap or drop. When you drop
them, they will fall to the bottom of the screen with the other
blocks. There are two different types of blocks: Basic Blocks,
and Exploder Blocks. When a Basic Block is dropped, it will
connect with other blocks of its type if it is dropped on or
next to one, or it will stay in its place after dropped. If
an exploder block is dropped on a group of one or more of its
color, it will explode and remove those blocks from the play
area. Once you destroy enough blocks, a goal bar will appear,
and you will have to destroy enough blocks to be under the
goal bar. When this happens, all the remaining blocks under
the bar will disappear, and you will advance to the next level.
The levels continuously get harder to challenge you.
The controls in Super Drop Mania are a little hard to master.
Since the game is played in a landscape view, all the buttons
will be on the left of the device for use. The up and down
buttons on the D-pad will move the cursor on the blocks at
the top of the screen left and right. The left or right button
on the D-pad will drop the selected blocks. The lowest button
on your device will bring up the menu up. In the menus, the
left and right buttons will scroll through the options, and
the button second from the bottom from your device will select
the options. The controls are a little hard to get used to,
but after a while, you get used to them.
The graphics in Super Drop Mania are very cheery and colorful.
Everything is rounded and looks smooth, adding a great effect.
All the boxes during gameplay have rounded corners, adding
to the smooth effect. There are also great explosive effects
when you remove blocks from the play area, and they get even
better when you make combos! The user interface also follows
the smooth, cheery theme. Overall, the theme and graphics of
Super Drop Mania provide a great addition to the already spectacular
gameplay experience.
Super Drop Mania features both sound effects and music. The
music continues to add to the already happy atmosphere. It
sounds crystal clear, and fit the theme perfectly. The sound
effects also make the game great. There are sound effects when
you drop a block, and blow up some blocks, but the best sounds
come from when you score a huge combo or beat the level. Super
Drop Mania is a game you will want to make sure you have the
sound on for!
Super Drop Mania features everything you'd want from a puzzle
game. It has a great addictive, easy to play gameplay experience,
smooth, colorful, and cheery graphics, and crystal clear sound
effects and music to match the theme of the game. All of the
features compliment the theme perfectly, creating a great happy
atmosphere. How does it compare to games like Tetris? It has
a similar-looking gameplay as games like Tetris, but the gameplay
is completely different. It is just as easy to play, but is
even more addictive! If you're a puzzle game fan, you don't
want to miss playing Super Drop Mania! The game currently supports
Pocket PC and Symbian Series 60 with Windows Mobile Smartphone
support to come.
Playing Hints and Tips
* At first, try to play through the levels slowly until
you feel you can go faster
* Play for a while to adjust to the controls
Screen Shots:
Pocket
PC
Symbian
Series 60
Ratings (scale of 1 to 5):
Graphics
The cheery graphics were very smooth
and colorful, and provided a great atmosphere to play in.
Sound
The sound effects and music were also
cheery, and added to the gameplay, as well as contributing
nicely to the theme.
Fun Meter
Super Drop Mania is like Tetris with
a whole new concept added. It is just as easy to get into as
Tetris, but offers a great, fun, unique concept.
Addictivity
With it's easy to get into, hard to put
down gameplay, you'll be addicted to Super Drop Mania for a
long time!
