Mawa****e Tsunageru Touch Panic DS

[Geoff D]

[img]http://img81.imageshack.us/img81/1791/ndsmawa****etouchjap3zz.jpg[/img]




Another day, another puzzle game for the DS - this one looks simple, but can get fiendishly tricky in places. The aim is simple - a pink ball apears in the corner of the grid; you have to slide or rotate the panels in order to provide safe passage to the 'home' square. Along the way you can pick up coloured balls (decorated with spades, hearts, clubs & diamonds) which will then tag along behind pinky for extra points. You can ramp the difficulty up which includes having some kind of purple demon-eyed ball navigating the course as well; one touch from purpley & it's game over - he also eats the bonus balls...

There are the standard extra modes - time attacks in 3 minute, 5 minute & 10 minute flavours, a 2 player option & a 2-player wi-fi option. Haven't played multiplayer though, so can't comment on that.

There's not a lot extra to say about it - it's addictive, & like all decent puzzlers, simple to get into but hard to put down. I'm really liking it, although my lack of spatial awareness makes me **** at it :/

[Kaladron]

It looks like Pipemania. Is that a reasonable assumption?

[Geoff D]

It looks like Pipemania. Is that a reasonable assumption?

It's certainly similar in principle - it is just fashioning a long connecting pipe after all

[Kaladron]

So would you recommend this? I can get it for about ?18 but can't help but feel that it's more of a ?10 game.

[Duddyroar]

Pipemania used to drive me spare, so I think I'd better give this a miss.

[Geoff D]

So would you recommend this? I can get it for about ?18 but can't help but feel that it's more of a ?10 game.

I'm definitely liking it - it has a kind of classic feel to it, but only got it this morning, so don't know how it'll stand up over time. I take your point about the price as well - I had a stack of store credit to use so got this; maybe it'll make it to the West as a budget release.

[The Mole]

I have bought Geoffs copy and I am loving this game.

After boot up you are given the options

1 player
2 players
wi fi play (online)

Within 1 player you get a choice of 3 modes

Endless mode
Time attack mode
Puzzle mode


The basic idea is the same throughout the game, you have to guide a pink ball to the bin by moving tiles, along the way picking up roaming balls (to meet objectives and score bonus points).

Endless mode has two options. One is normal mode and one I will call bads mode

Normal mode you have to complete an objective which is easy to play but hard to explain (I will do my best).

You guide a pink ball round a maze of tiles that you can move, the idea is to guide the pink ball into the bin (which also can be moved). Along the way there are other balls moving about the screen. You have to pick these balls up in a set order and get them to the bin to complete that level and move onto the next. To begin with it?s easy, the other balls only have two types of symbol (clubs, hearts) and the objective is to get two of the same in order and get them to the bin. If you should guide any of the roaming balls down the bin or the pink ball when it has the wrong pattern of roaming balls attached you lose a life, the balls appear at each corner of the screen and you start again until you complete it or all lives are lost. As you can imagine it gets harder, giving more complex orders of balls to obtain to complete the level and changing the layout of the grid theme (making them smaller) each time you advance a world.

I hope that makes sense

In the other option of endless mode (which I am calling bads mode) as well as the roaming balls and the pink ball, each time you block in your pink ball (by sending it down a path where it hits a dead end you get a bad. These bads are black balls that chase you round the grid and try to eat the pink ball. If this happens you lose a life.



Time attack mode

You are given the option of 3 quick games

3 minute
5 minute
10 minute

In each the objective is the same.... score

Like in the endless mode you are given points for taking the pink ball down the bin with roaming balls attached. However in this mode depending on the order of the roaming balls you get combo points. You can see the combos each time you pause. Again the premise is the same rotate the tiles to create a path.

Puzzle mode is a bit different

Gone are the roaming balls

in this mode you are given a set amount of rotates to create a path to get the pink ball from one side of the screen to the other. It starts off dead easy with 4 tiles and 1 rotate, it soon gets harder.

I am yet to try the multiplayer modes, may give wifi a shot after typing this first impressions post.





I just want to say this is very very very easy to play without any knowledge of Japanese. The objectives flash at the top of the top screen before and during each round. You navigate through the modes with little pictures which are easy to understand. This game is great for bursts on the loo and i can see myself getting hooked into the game long term (like Tetris). The game reminds me of a Chu Chu Rocket/ Pac Man cross.

It is well worth ?20 that you can pick it up for.

[The Glider]

Cheers for the impressions Geoff D & The Mole. As a puzzle slut, I feel duty bound to buy this.

EDIT

Not available at Yes Asia ?

[Jay]

It looks more like Confuzion to me as it involves sliding rather than placing. Is this correct? Looks good either way.

Jay

[The Mole]

Yeah you have a pre set grid with tiles, you can slide any tile in any direction. you also have edges round the grid that you can't move, they are pre set and change each time you advance through an arena.

In case anybody has got this and is wondering how the objectives in levels in endless mode go here is what i have figured out:

Eliminate 2 of the same type
Eliminate 3 of the same type
Eliminate all

Score 500
Score 1000
Score 1500

With those last 3 ^ you can make small combos to build up your score but you will lose lives. Say you did the 500 objective with 250, 200, 50, you will lose 2 lives.

However some require you to complete the same objective two rounds in a row. I will try and create a better guide for the objectives for each round (next time i have a long play).

Thats the furthest i have gotten so far, not had much of a chance to give it a good play. Theres a small feature on the game in this months NOM also.

[The Mole]

Right here is a list of the first 8 objectives for the endless mode

1)Eliminate 2 the same
2)Eliminate 2 the same
3)Eliminate 2 the same
4)Eliminate 2 the same twice so (<> <>, O O) or (O O O O )
5)Eliminate 2 the same twice so (<> <>, O O) or (O O O O )
6)Eliminate 3 the same so (O O O)
7)Eliminate 4 in this order ( <> O O <>)
8.) Eliminate a 3 and a 2 so ( O O O, <> <>) or (O O O, O O)


I will keep adding to them, as i said they are easy to understand but instead of useing images all the way through they move onto text. Also what i have noticed is if you have roaming balls in the correct order they turn gold, so you will know rathe rthan just guessing if you don't know the objective.

[J0e Musashi]

Anyone got Mawa****e Touch Panic DS?

Any tips? I've just started playing, but I can't really get the gist of it.

Does the Endless mode save too, or do you have to start from the first stage each time you play?

I'd appreciate any help, as I've wanted this game for aggggges. Now that I've got it I find that I'm not very good at it at all. I even sort of struggled with the first stage.