The difference between a good game and great game…is a great hook.
And not like Dustin Hoffman, either.
Although Dustin Hoffman was a great Hook.
No, I’m talking about gameplay hooks.
Sometimes, the simplest control idea, or the simplest gimmick…is all that it takes to
make a good game great.
I mean, just look at this one, for example.
This would’ve been a good little downloadable game…if not for one little gimmick.
Just one addition, just one little move…and this thing became a pretty great downloadable
game.
Just be careful, ‘cause now, there’s only 98 left…in 99Moves.
So first thing’s first, it’s a maze game.
Like, a game about mazes.
You have to get your character through the mazes without slamming into crap.
Okay, simple concept.
And the graphics are retro, and the presentation is old-school, and that’s cool, too.
So far, so good.
Here’s where it gets great.
Because it’s not a retro game where you have to get through the maze.
It’s a retro game where you have to get through the maze…in 99 moves.
And it sounds simple.
99 moves, doesn’t sound like a big deal.
Or actually, it does sound big, right?
Sounds like a lot of moves.
That’s where the game teaches you it’s most valuable lesson.
99 moves ain’t sh*t.
So here’s the deal.
Every single time you change direction…that’s a move.
Turn right?
That’s a move.
Turn left?
Good job, Zoolander.
Too bad that’s also a move.
Basically, any time you touch the d-pad in this game, you lose a move.
And putting a limit on them is brilliant.
It forces you to rethink every move your instincts tell you to make.
Want to grab that bonus?
Sure about that?
Because that would take turning up, and then turning right, and then turning back down…and
maybe more, if that box gets in the way.
And you can’t build a clubhouse out of them, either.
That would take, like, a million moves.
And what’s even more interesting about 99Moves…is how it forces you to make decisions you might
not be comfortable making.
Like, there’s stuff all over the place that you have to avoid, so the obvious thing would
be to avoid it.
But at the same time, you have to avoid that stuff while making the fewest moves possible.
So you catch yourself pushing your luck.
Going head-on towards a wall until turning at the very last millisecond, trying to take
the narrowest path imaginable just because it might save you a couple precious moves…
Every decision becomes a conscious decision in 99Moves.
And in a game that would normally be about reacting, that’s a really cool twist.
So the concept is awesome, the level designs are great, the game plays well…how’s the
content?
Well, on the one hand, it’s an inexpensive downloadable game, and the content’s reflective
of that.
But at the same time, I do feel like it’s a nice package, especially for this simple,
old-school kind of game.
There’s a dozen missions, and you can both play them individually and in order, in the
arcade mode.
But one of the best things about 99Moves is the multiplayer.
You can play with friends in the arcade mode, and there’s also two additional multiplayer
modes.
And they all support up to five players, which is just awesome.
In fact, this game is also on DSiWare, and the 3DS, but all the new modes—and especially
the multiplayer—easily make this one the better version.
99Moves is arcade gaming in its purest form, but with a really smart twist and a couple
of fun multiplayer options that make it more than just a retro throwback.
And sure, the sound and the graphics aren’t that special.
The presentation could definitely use more variation…and more imagination…but once
that countdown starts ticking?
And you start losing moves, one by one?
Man, this thing really starts to build up the tension.
It’s like a gaming deconstruction, an objective within an objective…and it costs less than
three bucks.
So even though you’re dropping moves, you’re not dropping dollars…on 99Moves, for the
Nintendo Wii U.