
The DSi has been out for about a month now and even with all its new bells and whistles it really is just a DS Lite with nicer screens and some cell phone cameras strapped on. But this post is not about the validity of the DSi but rather that it finally has an exclusive game that is a must own; Art Style Pictobits.
Art Style games started out as a Japan-only series of budget games for the Gameboy Advance with simple presentation and simple gameplay. They appeared in North America first on the WiiWare with Art Style Orbital, a port of one the Gameboy Advance games.
Art Style has kept the simple gameplay premise but moved on to become a series of download-only Wii and DSi games. The latest in the series is particularly special.
Art Style Pictobits is a colour matching puzzle game that uses the DSi touch screen with an 8-bit style.
The game works like this. You start with a cache of coloured blocks on the bottom screen. Coloured shapes will slowly fall from the top screen. If you match up 4 blocks of a like colour they will vanish. If you don't the falling shapes turn into blocks when they reach the bottom (or hit an obstructive block) and convert into more blocks to use to clear the level. As you clear the falling shapes the blocks you clear are sent to the top screen and converted into pixles that colour in an 8 bit Nintendo sprite on the top screen from a calssic NES game (Super Mario Bros., Ice Climbers, etc.).
If you get a chain going it gives you multipliers that helps fill in the image on the top screen.
The game seems pretty simple, but later in the game the falling shapes can fill the entire screen and leave you scrambling to match the colours as they fall, keeping your stylus busy.
The game has 15 levels in the standard mode, but since there is a "dark" version of each level(a totally new level that is super hard) unlocked with coins you earn from playing; that comes out to 30 levels to master. Also taking into account the game will really push you to just clear the standard 15 levels, making this one of the toughest puzzle games I've played in some time.
the real stand-out part of the game for me was the audio/visual presentation that was truly outstanding. All the menues and levels are heavily influenced by 8-bit games. The levels have stylish background built around the game the level is themed after. Even more impressive is the music. All the music is made up of Classic NES game remixes. However, unlike the remixes in something like Tetris DS where they had modernized beats, all the music is completely chiptunes. If you dig the retro style this game is for you. Hint: wear headphones while you play.
Simply put this is the reason to have a DSi. And at only $5 there is no reason not to download this gem right now. For those of you still holding on to your free Nintendo points you got with your DSi, this is the place to put them.
Not just the best game on the DSiWare line-up, the best puzzle game on the DS, period.
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