3×3 Cubed

Our friends over and NamcoBandai were kind enough to invite mygamer’s Managing Editor to a conference call about their upcoming puzzler, Trioncube. 

Schedule to be released on February 20^th 2007, this DS exclusive title will mostly utilize the D-pad instead of going the touch screen route.  Because Trioncube is a faster paced game, the D-pad allows for more accurate play control.  Using the stylus was a thought at one point, but the developers thought that the game benefited from standard D-pad control.

In Trioncube, the player embarks on a journey through space as the captain of a ship.  Turns out, some princess got captured and it is up to you to save her.  The goal of the game is to create a series of 3×3 blocks, which in turn, powers your vessel en route to save the princess.  The bigger the chain, the further and faster your ship will travel. 

There will be four gameplay modes: Arcade, Story, Endless, and Vs.  The Arcade mode is geared more towards rapid fire gameplay, offering one specific puzzle after another. The story mode will feature dozens of missions on the quest to save the princess.

One key factor in the replay value department is the unlockables.  The more you play, the more coins you receive.  Coins can be used to unlock things like new levels and themes.  Unique to Trioncube are these crafty themes.  For example, there is a chocolate theme, where the game board is displayed within a chocolate world.  When pieces explode, they even expel chocolate morsels. Cute.

Marketed towards a slightly younger crowd, the game plays off a cartoony theme.  For the most part, the gameplay takes place on the bottom screen while the top screen displays animated graphics, giving the illusion of flying through space.  

Trioncube will feature single card local wireless link but no WiFi functionally will be included.  Some might think that the limited two player restraint seems a little basic.  However, the fast nature of the gameplay promises to entertain.  And if your fellow DS owner wants to play Trioncube solo, then a demo mode of the single player game can be sent over to the idle system. 

Keeping portability in mind, most single player missions will take somewhere about 1-2 minutes to complete.  But to help with the fast nature of the game, a preview ghosted icon will appear where the next piece will land on the game board.  And just like Tetris, if down the D-pad is held down, that piece will fall faster. 

Scheduled to be released with a $29.99 price point, Trioncube is shaping up to be a decent puzzler for the dual screened system.  How will it fair against other puzzle games like the wickedly awesome Tetris DS, the engaging Puyo Pop series, or the massively addicting Super Puzzle Fighter?  Look for a full MyGamer release sometime in the near future. 

In the mean time, visit http://www.namcobandaigames.com/ for more details.