TiQal Arcade Game

March 26, 2008 - These days, it's not a casual puzzle game if it isn't match three or falling blocks. TiQal
is the latter and most definitely not intended for the hardcore
audience. The gradual learning curve and bright Mayan theme are the
sensible match to an entry level gamer but most will find the game has
a "been there, done that" feeling to it.

If you've played Lumines and Tetris in the past (and if you haven't,
you should), TiQal won't offer much you haven't seen before. The game
follows a classic falling block formula. Oddly shaped blocks fall down
and it's your job to rotate and situate them so as to clear away those
on the ground before the whole stack reaches the top of the screen.
Blocks will only clear when a group of four squares of a similar color
combine to make a larger square, a la Lumines. Stack on some more of
the same color before they clear and you can start to build up combos
and chains for bonus points.




The extra ingredient TiQal adds to the pot is power-ups. Build up a
chain meter and the game will release a power-up for you to grab, the
bigger the chain the better the reward. The power-ups each do their own
special thing but all invariably clear out a few blocks to and make
things easier for you. My favorite is the Jaguar Strike, a power-up
that clears every block of a certain color and rewards you with a nice
big cat snarl.

With the basics under control, I set out on the TiQal's solo adventure,
set in the balmy Yucatan. Many blocks must be dropped to do things like
collect offerings and explore pyramids as the adventure unfolds through
paragraphs of text. Each stage is passed when enough blocks are cleared
and occasionally a bonus round gets tossed in to spice things up a bit.
Along the way, new power-ups and block shapes are unlocked and
historical facts about Mesoamerica are delivered. And I could not be
beat. My block dropping skills were unstoppable through the first third
of the game.

Several more hours passed. I still had not lost a life. My thoughts
began to shift away from pride at being the greatest TiQal player ever
to those associated with playing a game whose learning curve is way too
flat. I understand that TiQal is made for casual gamers just looking to
drop a few blocks, but there is such a thing as being too casual.
Where's the challenge? If you've played any puzzle game in the past,
you'll have to get through over half of the 120 stages in TiQal before
the game starts to offer any tension. On the other hand, there might be
something worth looking at if you're totally new to dropping blocks or
videogames in general.


TiQal is quite encouraging and happy.

But
then, there is one other issue. The two games that TiQal mimics are
both available on Xbox Live Arcade and are both better falling block
options. TiQal has neither the style of Lumines nor the simplicity and
classic nostalgia of Tetris. It's not much more than a "me too" game
that feels miles behind its better known peers. It's not that TiQal is
poor or boring, even if it is too easy for too long. There simply are
better alternatives.

If you're up for the small challenge and Mayan theme, there's also some
multiplayer to fall back on when you get tired of playing by yourself.
Unfortunately, it's more of the same. The only multiplayer option,
available locally and through Xbox Live, is a cooperative mode where
two people work on the same board dropping pieces simultaneously.
There's no adversarial head-to-head gameplay in TiQal.

Closing Comments
TiQal is a
fairly derivative falling block game, but it matches to the target
casual audience fairly well. If you’re looking for a laid back puzzler
it might be worth your time to give TiQal a try. Hardcore puzzle gamers
will likely find it takes too long to offer any challenge and should
stick to the better alternatives on Xbox Live Arcade.
IGN Ratings for TiQal (X360)



RatingDescription

out of 10
7.0	Presentation The Mayan theme does its job. The story is easily ignored, but does it really matter in a puzzle game?
6.0	Graphics Simple in every way, but it gets the job done.
5.0	Sound About the quality and diversity of your average casual PC game.
6.5	Gameplay Falling blocks are always easy to get into and enjoy, but this one is fairly derivative.
6.0	Lasting Appeal TiQal can keep you engaged for a while, but there are better alternatives you’ll gravitate back to.
6.5 Passable	OVERALL (out of 10 / not an average)