Author Topic: Pazuru (3DS) Review  (Read 1181 times)

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Offline Daan

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Pazuru (3DS) Review
« on: April 06, 2015, 12:02:44 PM »

Far from a deadly challenge, but sneaky despite that fact.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/40031/pazuru-3ds-review

Pazuru, made by solo developer Jay van Hutten, had to do a lot impress me. The market on the Nintendo 3DS eShop is filled with puzzle games, and it is rather difficult to make  an impact. With games like BoxBoy and Tappingo, it can prove to be quite a battle to get your creation noticed. Pazuru won't set the world on fire, but it is a fun and interesting distraction while it lasts.

Instead of controlling a character, Pazuru sees you helping a dot collecting all the stars in a level. The player doesn't have any direct control over said dot and you simply move obstacles about to avoid defeat. Your timing and reaction is everything as the ball doesn't stop moving and it kept my head glued to that upper screen. The controls are simple enough to grasp and it only takes a level or two to get the feel for the game. You  press the A button  to activate blocks and make the obstacles appear or disappear. Every few levels, Pazuru introduces new mechanics that make me think in brand new ways.

Your end goal is to get the stars in as little turns as humanly possible. This may sound complicated to do in each stage, but that, sadly, isn't the case. The levels are straightforward enough and you get a good overview before starting it up. There is a challenge there, but it all comes down to the perfect execution. That is very fun and rewarding, but it doesn't make the game really long. After a good two hours, I already got most of ninja stars you get rewarded with. It is a big shame and really wished that it lasted me a while longer.

After your playthrough of the 75 stages, there is a level editor to toy around in. You get access to all the tools that are used to make the stages, and that is certainly impressive. I had fun picking up my stylus and creating something that I could let my friend play. The tools were very simple to use and everyone can quickly understand all the ropes. Sadly, you can only save the levels as QR codes and send them to your Nintendo 3DS image gallery. That does mean that you can still distribute them, but the hoops you have to go aren't great.

Pazuru is quite a simple looking game, but it is charming in its own weird way. There is a Japanese flair that really sits well with me and I had no irritations while looking at it. As far as the music concerned, there are three tunes that you can swap at any time with the Y button. It isn't a grand selection, but it does the trick fair enough.

Pazuru is a short but sweet puzzle adventure. The mechanics allow the game to be instantly picked up and you can enjoy it without giving it any additional thought. It is not hard to get all the 225 ninja stars though, which is a bit disappointing. I had fun planning my moves during those two hours and really liked what Pazuru was trying to do. The presentation was charming and adored making my own creations on the go. I do wish that there was a quicker way to share them and let the world know about your personalized levels. That would have made Pazuru a truly great title.


Re: Pazuru (3DS) Review
« Reply #1 on: April 06, 2015, 11:18:19 PM »
The game is basically an Ichi knockoff.
"Nothing tips like a cow."