DotPlus

Making a puzzle game is one of the toughest missions one may undertake. Unlike RPGs, action games, or other genres that usually combine several different elements hoping that at least one of them will please the player, a Puzzle game only works if the basic gameplay formula works. As I see it, puzzle games aren't really supposed to as much fun, entertaining or mind blowing as they are supposed to be addictive. I mean, it's hard to say someone is actually having fun(!) when playing Tetris, Sudoku, Picross, or games like that. But such games are addictive, we feel compelled to playing them, and they're usually an interesting way to test our mind skills and or kill time. They're also often relaxing, which makes them even more addictive. So, when creating a puzzle game, the formula one should aim for is: creating a gameplay formula that is simple yet addictive.

DotPLUS is a puzzle game in which numbered blocks move up the screen, and you have to eliminate them by adding blocks until you get the correct required sum. For example, is the required sum is 7, you can click on blocks 3 and 4, or 2, 2 and 3, and so on. If the blocks reach the top of the screen and stay there for a certain amount of time, you lose. There is more to it, as you can make different types of combos for extra score, and the game gets harder as blocks with different values start to appear, and harder (higher) sums are required.

The premise is simple, elegant, and functional.

But even though I am a puzzle lover, DotPLUS is not a game I find myself wanting to play more. I think it somehow missed on the addictiveness aspect. And I believe I know why: the game requires you to constantly exercise perception and quick-thinking to solve mathematical problems, and even though the problems are simple (11 = 3 + 2 + 0 + 3 + 2 + 1), it gets very stressful over time. Playtime is too long, because the game difficulty is very low, so if you really try not to lose, you won't, for a very long time. I couldn't get as far as some people in the game profile who said they reached level 90 (wow!), but I can imagine spending over an hour making non-stop mental operations like (16 = 2 + 0 + 5 + 3 + 1 + 4 + 1) is exhausting, and not really fun.

If you you play the game inattentively, just clicking on low numbers hoping that you'll accidentally match the required sum (which happens more often than it should), you'll succeed for some quite some time in this game, but it gets boring. If you want to try higher scores making better combos (using more blocks, for instance), the game gets more challenging, but also a lot more stressful.

In other words, this is a game you may enjoy playing a few times, maybe trying to beat your own high scores, but it doesn't have the addictive effect of other classic puzzle games.

Some minor aspects from the game that could use improvement:
-There's no "Instructions" on the menu, at least in the version I played;
-Since I was paying constant attention to the numbered blocks, I never even noticed when I was moving up levels. I only know which level I reached looking at my high scores;
-The button you use to make the blocks blow-up faster is the same button that makes the blocks move up faster (getting you closer to losing), so I found myself many times accidentally and suicidally moving the blocks up.

As for the game's presentation, DotPLUS is very professional in every technical aspect. The visual of the game is polished, colorful and appealing, sound effects are interesting and fitting, and the background music is also cool and matches the tense aura of the game.

There's also a flash version of this game, which is cool because this is the kind of game you would want to play on a website. The flash version presentation is not as great as the original, but it keeps the same gameplay elements, and allows you to compare your high scores with other people online.

If you like Puzzle games, you should download DotPLUS (or play an online version) and give it a shot.