14 DAY TRIAL // Just like any other title, the new Paradise Quest comes with its own unique story that tries to lure you into spending countless hours in front of a computer, playing a simple match-three game. But, as you will later come to realize, this is not your ordinary puzzle game.
There are a couple of twists to it that you will rapidly become very attracted to. First of all, each scene is vividly colored and animated with blocks that explode and change colors. If you unlock certain powerups, you will even cause earthquakes that will break every block on the board. This being said, you can see that everything around you is fully dynamic, giving you the impression of a continuous animation.
The second part, the one that gives the game the twist I was talking about, comes from the mini puzzles that you have to complete and the challenges that every match-the-map has. You don’t just go around breaking blocks and collecting powerups senselessly. The reason why you do it is to collect various natural resources so that you can save an entire ecosystem from an island.
By collecting enough wood or water you get to unlock different landscapes and even endangered animals that you can take pictures of and add to your collection. Later on, you will even find artifacts of a long lost civilization that you will have to put together in order to make sense of its culture and history.
This is, by all means, both an educational title, teaching you to preserve nature and every living thing, and, at the same time, a relaxing match-three game that you can play even without knowing the background story. Either way, you still get a lot of kicks by playing it and, concomitantly, you will enjoy a brightly colored nature landscape.
Just like any other title of its class, the rules are simple, matching three blocks will get you extra points and unlocking powerups will certainly make your job a lot easier. Within the game, you will notice that you have the freedom to move around the board as you break certain blocks. You can go left, right, up or down, just by destroying the blocks from a relative position on your monitor. This feature makes a title far more exciting, since you have to explore the entire board so that you can find the exact pieces of the puzzle that you need to collect.
I have to say that, despite its simple rules, the game can cause somewhat of an addiction, as you will not even realize the passing of time whenever you’re playing it. If you’ve tried the sixty-minute trial and you still want more, perhaps it is time to pay the 19.99 dollars so that you can unlock the full extent of the title.
Here are some snapshots of the application in action:
