Adding to the gameplay are four items that can be acquired through matching specific gems, or purchasing from the store using money earned by playing the game. These items include a Wave that eliminates the top row of gems; a Bomb that destroys gems within a specific radius; an Anchor, which is used to attack enemies that come to destroy the coral you've grown; and a Rainbow block that eliminates all gems of a specific color. All of these items prove to be useful at different times, but it's a shame that 75 percent of the items accomplish the same task of removing gems.
Bermuda Triangle comes with three modes: Story, Time, and Endless. The Story mode is a set of pre-made stages, all of which play exactly the same, but progress in difficulty as more gems get added from the seafloor during the stage. The story itself is very brief; it seems as if it comes from one half of one page of a pamphlet handed out to you by an environmentalist group. The story contains three characters, "Hero," "Captain," and "Sara," none of whom are introduced, and the relationship between which is never established. The three cut scenes that tell the story gives each character two or three lines about how important coral is to the environment. Sara boldly states that she will never wear any jewelry made from coral. All told, the story mode contains 32 stages and takes just more than two hours to complete. The first half of the story is incredibly easy, however the difficulty level begins to ramp up toward the last quarter of the story. It's never so difficult that it's frustrating, but it does provide a nice challenge.
The Time and Endless mode are exactly as they seem: score attack modes that let you play either a specific time limit (although more time can be earned as a bonus while you play), or as long as you can survive. Unfortunately, there are no multiplayer modes in Bermuda Triangle: Saving the Coral.
The game is very bright and colorful with nicely drawn graphics and a responsive interface. The game can be played either with the D-pad and buttons, or with the stylus, and works equally well with either. The sound design is pretty lackluster, with only a few different cheerful tunes that play in the background, and a bit of voice acting (with a very strong accent) that announces things like "Double Combo!" and "Wow!". It's a nice touch, but nothing that really stands out as anything particularly impressive. The story mode takes you through all of the various backgrounds in the game, which only differ insomuch as the shade of blue in the sea, and the time of day the game takes place in. The lack of variety is disappointing.
With a game like Bermuda Triangle, the bottom line is whether or not you enjoy the base puzzle gameplay. While it is far from the best match-three game on the market, this game definitely is enjoyable, and holds up for the few hours it takes to play through the story. Those looking for a deeper puzzle experience will want to look elsewhere, but for something a little more light-hearted and casual, saving the coral might just be up your alley. And who knows, you might learn something along the way, too.
Pros:
Lastability: 3.0
The story mode will last you half an evening, if that. There's no multiplayer at all, and the score modes will only last so long.
Final: 6.5
Bermuda Triangle: Saving the Coral is a fun, if brief, diversion. If you're in the market for a budget puzzler on DS, this might be the right choice for you.
